Page 70 of Oath of the Wolf
Amusement twisted the child’s lips.“No.”
Brynn didn’t want to converse with the creature.She wanted to get Hróarr and get out.
“We are grateful to whoever weakened our prison,” the child mused, tilting its head back to peruse the roots overhead.“I was able to claw out of the roots, then release my brother.He did the rest.We willallbe free soon.”The child’s half-skull gaze fell on the Wulfwir.“Only a matter of time now.”
The Wulfwir growled, shifting over the spot where Brynn sensed Hróarr.She wanted to attack both the monsters, but not while the Wulfwir had Hróarr.If she could just get the monster away from him, maybe she could land a killing blow this time.
“Hundreds of years trapped down here while food was piled on the branches of the trees, just out of our reach,” the she-troll giggled.“Now food walks in by itself.”The girl monster licked her ruined jaw, even half her tongue had been scorched and blackened.“Good.Because we are very hungry.We are always hungry.”
Brynn wracked her brain, trying to think.She dragged power to herself, even though that made her even more aware of the sick, tainted presence of these creatures around her.The large one was still nearby, not moving, but still very much alive.
The burned girl crouched down on all fours and cocked her head in the direction of Hróarr.“Is he the father?”
Brynn choked, stunned.She shouldn’t have let herself get distracted, but the words hit her like a blow.
The creature made a keening, chortling sound.“Killing families together is always entertaining.”
“This is your fault,” Hróarr yelled.He must not be able to hear what the rasping monster child was saying and that was likely for the best.“All your fault.If you hadn’t come here, if you hadn’t come to Valdar in the first place—no—if you hadn’t decided to swyve Cenric, none of this would have happened!”
The burned girl glanced in the direction of Hróarr, her one remaining eye sparking in amusement.“So, he’s not the father?Interesting.”
Brynn chose not to respond to either the monster or the angry mercenary.Heart racing, she forced herself to address Hróarr calmly.“I have your sword.”She held it steady, leveled at the burned girl.“Do you want it back?”
Hróarr remained silent for just a moment.“Yes,” he answered, drawling the word with an edge of suspicion.
“Alright.”Brynn thought quickly, mentally mapping out her next actions.
These monsters healed almost instantly, but she’d still been able to chase off the Wulfwir, which must mean they could be killed somehow.All she had to do was get a killing blow the first time.
Brynn lashed out with her power, slashing into the child’s neck.The creature screamed, then its head toppled off.
The childsplit.A being made of knobbed limbs and patches of scaled flesh broke from the corpse.For just a moment, it locked eyes with Brynn, teeth snapping and snarling.
It tried to rush her, but something seemed to be drawing it away, dragging it off like smoke on the breeze.In an instant, it was gone, leaving behind the crumpled body in two pieces.
Beheading could kill them.Good to know.
The Wulfwir creature let off a howl of fury that seemed to shake the earth around them.Brynn sent another spell for its neck, but this one dodged.Her strike slashed across its shoulder instead.
“Hurry up, woman!”Hróarr choked.The Wulfwir held him down with a paw.
Brynn scrambled up the side of another root, coming closer.She lashed a spell in the direction of the Wulfwir, catching the beast in the face.It careened to the side, blood spraying the roots at its back.
Then it spun its head around to her once again and Brynn watched as its face mended before her eyes.Brynn doubted even Cenric had witnessed nightmares like this.
Teeth gritting with determination, Brynn scrambled up the last root between her and Hróarr.She touched it and the root shifted, fleshy and warm under her hands.
Brynn stumbled back, gasping.What she had thought was another of the massive roots was the tail of a great serpent, covered in dirt.It was just the end, tapering off in front of her.She’d been so overwhelmed with the oily, putrid presence of the monsters, she hadn’t been able to realize one was right under her.
After everything, she had thought she’d experienced as much horror as she possibly could, but it seemed there was a new depth of horror she had not yet reached.
Guin barked, her little puppy cries seeming so futile in the face of the great beast.
With the Wulfwir looming over them, Brynn panicked.Or perhaps she was just desperate.
She stabbed Hróarr’s sword into the scaly hide in front of her.The sword was sharp, but the hide was tough.Brynn was only able to jab it in a hand’s breadth or so.
All the same, the entire tail whipped up, striking the ceiling of this strange cave.Brynn kept a tight grip on the hilt and the sword yanked out as dirt and rock rained down around them.
