Page 60 of The Stone Survival
“Let her go, Romi,” Serath said, his gaze fixed on Romi. “It’s me you want.”
“My name is Enron, and yes, it is you we want. But our orders are to kill the mouse.”
“No!” Serath rushed toward us, but one of the other graynites intercepted, slamming into him and throwing him against the wall with such force the plaster cracked.
Serath slumped to the ground and didn’t get back up.
“No!” I twisted and bucked trying to be free. “Serath!”
“You fool!” Enron bellowed. “He’d better be breathing.”
The graynite crouched over Serath and checked his pulse. “Alive. Unconscious. Better for us.”
He was alive, thank god he— “Argh!”
Enron lifted me into the air by the throat. “This is not personal,” he said. “I will make it quick.”
“NO!” Derek materialized to my left, and a shockwave of power hit Enron hard enough for him to lose his grip on me. I dropped to the ground, then made a break for the door release switch while Derek attacked Enron.
A graynite blocked my path, making a grab for me, but I swerved, then ducked to avoid his buddy before sliding across the floor, scrambling to my feet, and breaking into a run.
They gave chase, their huge lumbering bodies no match for my smaller, faster form. For a moment, I was back in the pit being hunted by Orix.
Use the environment to your advantage. Focus on the exit.
Right now, the exit was the switch to open all the doors. I needed to get to it. Fast. I leapt over a table, hit the ground, and dove to slide under the next one, staying a step ahead of my pursuers.
Shar’s bellows of rage, mingled with the guys’ cries of encouragement, fueled me.
I doubled back toward the switch, reaching for it.
A vise curled around my ankle and tugged. I lost my balance. The ground rushed up to slap me in the face, but I braced in time to avoid a broken nose.
The vise moved to my nape, and a growl blasted my ear drums. “I got the mouse!”
“No!” Derek’s momentary loss of concentration gave Enron time to grab him by the throat and slam him into the ground.
Another shockwave of power blasted out of him, singing against my skin. Enron yelled as Derek vanished from his grip.
My buddy materialized beside me and punched my attacker in the face, but his shadowy fist passed through the graynite. Derek’s diamond eyes widened in shock, then he disappeared.
“Derek!” Shar screamed.
“Finish her,” Enron ordered. “Then grab the host and let’s go.”
The graynite lifted me up by the throat, and I managed to get a glimpse of Serath, crumpled on the ground, before the fist around my throat tightened, spawning tears of pain and blurring my vision. I blinked and glared down at the graynite defiantly.
Was that regret in his eyes? No. I was imagining things. I closed my eyes, waiting for the snap that would signal my demise.
“Let her go, Sazon,” Serath said from across the room.
I snapped open my eyes and blinked back tears to find him on his feet, shoulders heaving. Hope flared in my chest.
“Youwilllet her go,” he said again. “You will adhere to the infernal code that prohibits the harming of your brother’s mate.”
Wait…what…
“Ubron?” Enron said. “We thought we lost you to the ether.”
