Page 36 of A Song of Air
And if he had to use the darkness to kill those that threatened his prince, well, he would not hesitate.
Air. Blood. Death.
Clay agonized as hisbody was tugged within the net. Ashwood and iron pressed against his skin, burning the surface. He was more worried for Basil. His tears were muffled against Clay’s shirtfront, though being half-human, the ashwood didn’t burn his skin as much as it did Clay’s.
“Sh.” Clay kept a hand pressed to his back, pulling him closer to his body, as though he could shield him from the poisonous webbing that seeped into their skin. “I’ve got you.” He murmured the words low in Basil’s ear, low enough that the human grunting as he dragged them across the ground couldn’t hear.
They were being treated like animals, and the man cursed the whole way at their heavy, combined weight.
Weak ass bastard.
Clay tried to get in touch with his magic, but the ashwood choked through his throat the harder he breathed it in. He could get past it, he was sure, but he didn’t want to do that while they were still trapped, or else they’d have a difficult time getting out. Sure, maybe the others would venture out to find them eventually, but he knew that if he didn’t protect Basil himself, Corvina would lose faith in him and would never trust him again.
And then there was Basil. He looked at Clay like he was some sort of fucking hero—not to the same extent as he did Shula and Ryker—but it still hit him in the gut just the same. If he wasn’t able to protect him from this...
Theywouldget out of this.
Because Clay refused to let this boy go through anything else. He deserved better than tears staining his eyes and ashwood pressing against his skin.
Clay vowed he would make them all bleed.
Every last fucking one of them.
“Stay brave, Basil,” Clay whispered, the words quieting the boy’s distress. “I will protect you.”
He wasn’t sure how long they were dragged along the forest floor or how far away they went. The ashwood clouded his senses the more he breathed it into his lungs. He coughed and tasted the tinny flavor of blood on the back of his tongue.
Fuck.
How much had they laced the net with? Usually he could withstand it enough to tap into his magic, at least a bit, but the direct contact, the inhalation of it into his lungs? It rendered him weak.
After a while, they stopped. It was then that Clay sensed the presence of other people. His eyes darted around the floor, seeing past dirt, grass, and dry leaves to even more feet spread across a field.
“Leave the beast alone,” a second voice spat. “Looks like Rupp brought us something far more exciting.”
The legs closed in on them. Clay twisted his body to look up at the humans. They all smelled atrocious, reeking of sweat, piss, and sour wine. They were an unimpressive bunch, and he’d have them all dead within moments as soon he was free of his confines.
