woods alone and stumble out half-dead?”
“Everything is right as rain,” Drew said, his voice airy and breathy.
Though Justin questioned whether Drew’s brains had been scrambled by crossing the boundary back to this side, Anne smiled and nodded. “Good to hear that. Get home and take care of my sister.” She smacked Tariel on the rump.
The horse jumped and took off down the street. Justin hadn’t expected that any more than Tariel had. He twisted in the saddle to see Anne returning to her house. She had to have noticed the binding being placed on the dragons and had to know who’d done it. Dealing with that could wait until tomorrow, though. For now, he needed to get Drew home.
Tariel trotted up the street in no particular hurry. As they reached the freeway, the rain surged into a downpour. Drew huddled under the cloak. Somehow, mist billowed out in a weird, raining fog. Ahead, Justin saw dark shapes writhing in the bizarre weather and tugged on Tariel’s reins to make her stop.
“What’s wrong?” Tariel asked.
“Those aren’t cars.”
Ten long, thin shadows slithered toward them. Two spiraled up lamp posts while the rest kept going, forming a semi-circle to surround Tariel.
“Let’s not wait for them to attack all at once.” Justin drew his sword and tightened his grip on the reins.
Tariel put her head down and charged to the side, where they could avoid being flanked. Horns squalled. She danced away from cars to reach the end of the line of giant snake shadows. Their first target reared to attack. Justin swept his sword in a low arc, cutting through it. One shadow dissipated.
The rest of the shadows swarmed, seven converging on the charging horse and two more throwing themselves off the posts to attack from above. Tariel bit the head off one. Justin slashed through another. Three sank fangs into Tariel’s belly. She screamed. Drew bolted upright and shrieked, throwing Justin off balance.
Rather than risk dragging Drew off or hurting Tariel, Justin let himself fall. He hit the street with his shoulder and rolled to his feet. Tariel kept running, disappearing into the gloom. Five shadows closed in on Justin, surrounding him before he could put his back against a wall. They lunged in near-unison.
Three scraped their fangs fruitlessly across his armored chest and arms. Two lunged for his legs. He cut one down before it reached him. The last bit into his jeans. Enchanted denim kept shadowy teeth from punching into his calf, but they scraped his skin enough to burn. He gritted his teeth as the rest dove at him, intent on his legs.
His sword passed through another, leaving him with three shadow snakes lodged in his jeans. They thrashed in a frenzy, forcing their fangs through bit by bit. He swept his sword through another. One stuck its fangs into his flesh, injecting him with white-hot agony. The other scraped four new lines as it tried to reach him.
Icy numbness spread from the snake’s teeth, its venom pumping through Justin’s leg. He stabbed blindly, barely able to think straight anymore. Tariel’s defiant trumpeting, muffled by the rain, gave him the strength to swipe his blade against his leg, dissipating the snake latched onto him. The last snake finally stabbed through his jeans, knocking Justin to the ground with pain.
He didn’t know where these things came from or why they attacked, and he had the sinking feeling he might never know. The shadow snake, its grip firm, whipped him to the side. His head crunched into a concrete streetlight.
Chapter 15
Claire
Rondy gripped Claire’s left shoulder as they walked down the Thoroughfare. Enion walked back and forth on her right shoulder, his tail slapping her in the neck repeatedly. The trip seemed too short and too long at the same time. Claire carried her dagger, squeezing it hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
“This is going to work,” she said for the twentieth time. “We’re going to be fine. Caius isn’t that big a
“Everything is right as rain,” Drew said, his voice airy and breathy.
Though Justin questioned whether Drew’s brains had been scrambled by crossing the boundary back to this side, Anne smiled and nodded. “Good to hear that. Get home and take care of my sister.” She smacked Tariel on the rump.
The horse jumped and took off down the street. Justin hadn’t expected that any more than Tariel had. He twisted in the saddle to see Anne returning to her house. She had to have noticed the binding being placed on the dragons and had to know who’d done it. Dealing with that could wait until tomorrow, though. For now, he needed to get Drew home.
Tariel trotted up the street in no particular hurry. As they reached the freeway, the rain surged into a downpour. Drew huddled under the cloak. Somehow, mist billowed out in a weird, raining fog. Ahead, Justin saw dark shapes writhing in the bizarre weather and tugged on Tariel’s reins to make her stop.
“What’s wrong?” Tariel asked.
“Those aren’t cars.”
Ten long, thin shadows slithered toward them. Two spiraled up lamp posts while the rest kept going, forming a semi-circle to surround Tariel.
“Let’s not wait for them to attack all at once.” Justin drew his sword and tightened his grip on the reins.
Tariel put her head down and charged to the side, where they could avoid being flanked. Horns squalled. She danced away from cars to reach the end of the line of giant snake shadows. Their first target reared to attack. Justin swept his sword in a low arc, cutting through it. One shadow dissipated.
The rest of the shadows swarmed, seven converging on the charging horse and two more throwing themselves off the posts to attack from above. Tariel bit the head off one. Justin slashed through another. Three sank fangs into Tariel’s belly. She screamed. Drew bolted upright and shrieked, throwing Justin off balance.
Rather than risk dragging Drew off or hurting Tariel, Justin let himself fall. He hit the street with his shoulder and rolled to his feet. Tariel kept running, disappearing into the gloom. Five shadows closed in on Justin, surrounding him before he could put his back against a wall. They lunged in near-unison.
Three scraped their fangs fruitlessly across his armored chest and arms. Two lunged for his legs. He cut one down before it reached him. The last bit into his jeans. Enchanted denim kept shadowy teeth from punching into his calf, but they scraped his skin enough to burn. He gritted his teeth as the rest dove at him, intent on his legs.
His sword passed through another, leaving him with three shadow snakes lodged in his jeans. They thrashed in a frenzy, forcing their fangs through bit by bit. He swept his sword through another. One stuck its fangs into his flesh, injecting him with white-hot agony. The other scraped four new lines as it tried to reach him.
Icy numbness spread from the snake’s teeth, its venom pumping through Justin’s leg. He stabbed blindly, barely able to think straight anymore. Tariel’s defiant trumpeting, muffled by the rain, gave him the strength to swipe his blade against his leg, dissipating the snake latched onto him. The last snake finally stabbed through his jeans, knocking Justin to the ground with pain.
He didn’t know where these things came from or why they attacked, and he had the sinking feeling he might never know. The shadow snake, its grip firm, whipped him to the side. His head crunched into a concrete streetlight.
Chapter 15
Claire
Rondy gripped Claire’s left shoulder as they walked down the Thoroughfare. Enion walked back and forth on her right shoulder, his tail slapping her in the neck repeatedly. The trip seemed too short and too long at the same time. Claire carried her dagger, squeezing it hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
“This is going to work,” she said for the twentieth time. “We’re going to be fine. Caius isn’t that big a
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