Page 130 of Silver Claws, Crimson Tears
He yanks me backward as the Matron’s claws slice the air where my throat was a heartbeat ago. The conversation—if you could call it that—is clearly over. Her gaze now holds nothing but murderous intent, all attempts to communicate abandoned. All semblance of reason turned to wild fury.
“Move!” Vaylen shouts, pulling me toward the hole where we entered.
The Matron launches herself at us with terrifying speed, flames extinguishing in her hands. I thrust both palms forward, channeling wind into a battering ram that slams her against the cavern wall. The impact shakes loose dirt from the top, but she recovers instantly, screeching with rage.
“Two Skysingers against one harpy,” I say, falling into formation beside Vaylen. “Should be easy, right?”
Vaylen creates a barrier between us and the Matron. “Does anything about this feel easy to you?”
The Matron thrusts one talon through Vaylen’s Wind Wall, dispersing it like smoke. She produces a blackened metal dagger from beneath her feathers, the same distinctive curved blade the Screechclaws always carry.
“Since when do they control fire?” I ask, lifting my hands as she hurls the dagger with deadly precision. By pure instinct, I summon a gust, deflect it, and send it clattering against stone.
Vaylen creates a Vortex Lift that unsettles the Matron momentarily, but she beats her massive wings, fighting against our combined power with animal strength.
—Zephyros! I call through our bond.We need you now!
The Matron jumps toward me, talons extended. I drop and roll, feeling something hot and wet on my arm where one of her claws connects. Vaylen slams her with a Wind Blast that should have broken bones, but she merely staggers.
From her wing, she pulls another weapon, a serrated dagger that gleams with wicked purpose in the dim light from the shaft. She hurls it at Vaylen, who barely twists away in time.
“Nothing’s stopping her,” I pant, blood seeping through my sleeve as I crouch.
Her eyes drill mine, and for one terrible moment, I see recognition there, but it flickers and dies just as quickly, then her rage fuels to new heights. She charges again, this time so quickly that neither Vaylen nor I can react fast enough. Her talons sink into Vaylen’s leg, dragging him. With a jerk, she slams him against the cavern wall.
I make a Wind Dagger and hurl it at her face, trying to blind her. She quickly moves out of the way, letting go of Vaylen in the process.
“Zephyros!” I scream, both aloud and through our bond.
The ground trembles. Rocks bounce across the floor as the vibration intensifies. Through our bond, I see Zephyros’s massive talons tearing through earth and stone, digging furiously to reach us. His rage floods my mind.
The Matron’s eyes flicker with renewed clarity as if she feels it too. Her head snaps upward toward the ceiling just as a spider web of cracks appears above us, letting more light in.
—Choose... soon...her thoughts hammer into mine one final time before she backs away into the tunnel as larger chunks of rock begin to fall.
“The whole place is coming down!” Vaylen shouts, pulling me toward him as Zephyros’s furious digging destabilizes the entire cavern.
Through our bond, I feel his determination.
—I am coming. Push against the cave-in.
The earth comes down on us in a roar of stone and dust. My Wind Wall forms in a flash, a dome ofcompressed air catching the first wave of debris. The impact rattles my bones, driving me to one knee.
“Help me!” I gasp at Vaylen, arms trembling as I strain to maintain the barrier, also drawing energy from Zephyros to reinforce our bubble.
Both powers flow alongside mine, our wind currents merging into something stronger than either of us could manage alone. The barrier holds for one heartbeat, two, three… but the weight keeps coming.
“It’s too much,” Vaylen grunts.
The dome compresses inward, forcing us closer together as the space shrinks. My shoulders burn with effort. Each breath rasps painful and shallow in my lungs.
“I fucking refuse to die under a pile of rocks after surviving the fucking Matron,” I snarl, pushing harder against the crushing weight.
Our barrier continues to compress, forcing us lower. Vaylen’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me against him as the dome shrinks further.
“If I have to die,” he says through gritted teeth, “at least I’m with you.”
“Don’t you dare get sentimental now,” I snap, though fear squeezes my throat. “We’re not dying here.”
