Page 6 of Ensii
They needed to find a way to pin it down and stab its heart, but the creature wouldn’t sit still long enough. It was impossible to get close without fear of those wicked claws and—
The monster let off another howl. The other two beasts sprang up from their prey, lying half eviscerated on the ground. They bounded through the tight press of soldiers around them, bodies cut and sliced and bubbling.
Talitha had never seen anything so horrific in her life. “They’re after me,” Talitha panted. “They were sent for me.”
“Talitha!” Gilsazi tried to stop her, but she was already running.
The ensaak dropped her sword and snatched up the first spear she found. “Be ready when we come back out!” she yelled.
“Talitha, what are you—!”
Gilsazi’s words were lost as she ran.
“Wait ready at the entrance when they go inside!” she yelled. “Aim for the hearts!”
All three of the creatures bounded after her like jackals after a desert hare. Someone else screamed her name.
“Using yourself as bait isn’t—!” Talitha didn’t hear the rest of what was said or even who said it. Not that it mattered.
She threw herself into running as fast as she possibly could, plunging into the narrow passages of the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was where the slaves had been housed in her great-grandparents’ time. Back before her grandfather had taken over the mines and switched to salaried workers, the mines had been harvested by slaves that were packed so tightly together at night it was said some had suffocated in the cramped quarters.
In recent years, the bunkhouse had been redesignated as a storeroom. Extra ropes, sealing wax for the clay jars, strips of leather, bits of broken buckles, and other odds and ends cluttered every inch.
Talitha plunged straight into the darkness of the storeroom, not caring what waited for her inside. It was narrow, it was cramped,and it had no windows. It was everything she needed at the moment.
“Ashek, live until I get back.” Talitha wasn’t sure if she said the words or thought them.
She kicked a pile of broken pots and they shattered, rattling loud and distinct. The monsters charged after the noise, roaring and shrieking hot on her heels in the dark. Could they smell or could they hear? Or perhaps they were as mutant and unnatural as they looked. Perhaps they didn’t need eyes to see.
Talitha veered blindly through the barracks, fumbling and stumbling her way through the dark. Her feet tangled in a coil of rope and she went straight down, her forward momentum carrying her to the ground.
Talitha scrambled blindly, clutching desperately at her sword and shield. She made out the distant shouts of Ashek—at least she thought it was Ashek. She shouldn’t have been able to hear him through the stone walls.
Scrambling on all fours, Talitha could barely feel her way forward. Beyond the darkness of the bunkhouse, madness had erupted. Cries, screams, and the familiar clash of swords rang out.
Naram must have sent soldiers. Talitha’s heart pounded faster in the murky darkness. She was alone, she was trapped. How could she hope to survive this?
The monsters were closing in, dark bodies slick and shining. Their claws ate up ground and their long strides took in three of hers to every one of theirs.
Scrambling, Talitha groped blindly in the dark, her hands catching the edge of a wooden shelf. It wobbled beneath her hands and she yanked out of desperation.
It seemed the whole wall came crashing down. Dozens of amphoras smashed to the floor. By the snarls, more than a few hit the monsters.
Talitha turned away, shielding her head with her arms. She stumbled quick as she could, but not quick enough.
The monster dove for her but overshot, colliding straight into the wall. The stone cracked open like an egg, the monster bursting out on the far side. The beast—animal, demon, whatever it was—crashed into the burning pile of icons and amulets.
Its skin lit almost instantly. Howling, the monster flopped backwards, writhing and wailing as it was consumed in the blaze.
Light flooded through the broken wall. At first, Talitha thought it was daylight, but then she realized the bonfire the Hudspethites had set up for the idols and trinkets at the center of the courtyard had caught. The blaze burned in earnest.
Talitha had one moment to think the world was burning before the other two monsters recovered themselves and bounded after her.
The ensaak ran, tumbling over the side of the wall without her sword, clutching only her shield. Not knowing what else to do, she rushed toward the fire with the monsters after her.
While their comrade writhed and squealed, the others were in hot pursuit. Talitha ran as fast as she could to the fire, skidding to a stop as she snatched her knife from her thigh and spun around.
The monsters stalled. For the first time, they hesitated.
