Page 149 of Brambles and Bellflowers
“Miles—” I pulled his hand. I didn’t know how or why—but this was my fault. “I’ve seen this thing before!”
The black and white eyeballs landed on us, and my words choked as it moved to us, cruising the clearing before I would warn him. I leaned back as it lowered its neck. A scream tore through the air as the creature lunged—and then I was shoved to the ground.
A heartbeat later, it was knocked away. It landed in a heap in the clearing and the fresh air surrounded me once more, and I lowered my arms, blinking.
Miles was crouched defensively in front of me. The earth seemed to shake under the force of his presence. He had one leg extended to the side, while the other knee bent beneath him. He’d used the stick to knock the Snallygaster back and held the weapon to his side, ready.
I frowned.
Why did everyone get a weapon but me?
Julian appeared to be displeased. “Just great,” he said as he stood, swiping his weapon to his side. However, I wasn’t sure to whom he spoke, as neither Titus nor Damen were near him. Regardless, he continued, “Now we’re going to have to play by the rules.”
“Only sometimes,” Miles replied smoothly, picking up Julian’s tone.
Julian looked at him, eyebrow-raising, as he approached the witch.
“But it’s open season when there’s a threat,” Miles finished.
For a moment, Julian stared at him. Then he blinked, shaking his head slightly, and smirked. “Good to see you, Tu,” he said. His expression softened as he looked me over, concern flickering behind his sharp gaze as he knelt in front of me. “Hello, darling,” he greeted. “Glad to see you’ve made it back safely.”
“Y-yeah,” I told him, shaking.
What was wrong with me? This should have been a happy moment. We were reunited.
So why did it feel like I was going to be sick?
Julian’s eyes flicked over me again, studying. But I ignored him as my attention moved back to the Snallygaster. It was regaining its footing.
Julian moved closer and touched my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he assured me. “We’ve killed it at least a dozen times already; it’s fairly harmless.”
I stared at him.
Julian was calm when he added, “Titus didn’t even get hurt when it ate him.”
When itwhat?
Before I could say anything, a new presence loomed at my side—Damen.
“Something’s different this time,” Damen said, his voice even and composed. He didn’t even say so much as ‘hello.’ He was too busy staring at the Snallygaster.
It stretched, and a shiver shot down my spine.
“It seems stronger now,” he remarked, moving slightly closer to me. “Otherwise, that last hit would have killed it. Besides, we haven’t figured out how to make it stay dead.”
“You’re not going to be able to,” Miles replied, glancing back at us. “It’s created from magic. You need to break the spell.”
“Can you?” Damen asked.
The Miles I knew would have shied away from the challenge, but he studied the monster instead. Titus crashed into it, and the two dragons engaged in a battle of flailing tails and gnashing teeth.
Didn’t Julian claim it was harmless? That didn’t seem innocuous to me.
The Snallygaster roared—if you could call the high-pitched, horror-filled screech a roar—before it flung Titus to the side and turned toward us, lumbering across the space in a hurried frenzy.
“Shit,” Damen cursed. Titus was already on the way but couldn’t make it in time. Solid arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me before I even registered the movement.
We landed hard, my breath leaving me in a sharp exhale as my feet stumbled over uneven ground. Damen had released me just as we hit solid earth, his focus already shifting back toward the battlefield.
