her face soaked with tears. She felt Ashra connect with her pain, and the flames from both of them burned hotter, brighter, more powerful. If unicorns could sob, Scout was positive Ashra would have been sobbing. She hurt, like Scout hurt.
Ashra flew through the sky, trapping soul stealers in her more powerful flames. From across the clouds, Iros shot another massive bolt of light, and the creatures screamed together like one giant demon before they turned and fled.
Unfortunately, Ashra and Scout were in their path.
“Ashra!” Scout screamed, but she didn’t know what else to do. The giant unicorn dove, and they streaked through the sky but they weren’t fast enough. Scout felt the claws rip into her, pulling at her heart, and felt blood gush from the wounds. Ashra shrieked in pain, an audible sound any horse might make if it were being ripped to pieces.
From Scout’s peripheral vision, there was a burst of light, like an explosion, and suddenly Trey was there, he and Torz attacking the demon that held so tightly to Scout’s soul. Trey swung his scepter like a bat as Torz kicked his powerful hooves, tearing into the monster’s bloody rags, breaking its bones. It shrieked, an inhuman wail that Scout was sure would haunt her for the rest of her life, and then it fell from the sky, dissolving into a shower of blood. Scout clutched Ashra’s neck, fighting blackness at the edges of her vision again. She raised her eyes, searching for Trey, finding him and holding on with everything she had left. He and Torz both seemed to be wrapped in the weird warmth that Iros and Havik had. “They bonded,” she whispered as she felt herself slip.
Chapter Seven
Trey held Scout tight in his arms while Torz and Havik struggled to keep Ashra aloft. The giant unicorn was only half-conscious, but she fought to keep her wings moving, fighting to make it home. “ Where ’ s Princess? ” Ashra moaned.
“She’s safe. We’ve got her.” Iros leaned awkwardly around Havik’s wings to lay a hand on Ashra’s bloody neck. Glancing at Trey, he said, “We haven’t far to go. That cloud will have a doorway.” Iros pointed with his metallic black scepter toward a thunderous storm cloud in the distance.
Trey stared at it dubiously, but he was in no position to argue. The soul stealers were gone, but he was covered in blood — Scout’s blood, and she was frighteningly pale. “Just stay with me, Scout. Stay with me baby.” His grip tightened, as if he could physically hold her soul within her body – as if he could keep it there with him.
“ If we can get home, the Leerhas will help, ” Torz gasped, flicking an ear back at Trey. Carrying two riders and helping Ashra after fighting so hard in that hellacious battle had exhausted Torz, although he didn’t complain. Trey didn’t know him well, but he was pretty sure complaining wasn’t something Torz did.
Trey wanted to ask where “home” was, or why they couldn’t just land in the town below and take Scout to a hospital, or a thousand other questions, but there was no time for conversation. Fifty other giant black unicorns surrounded them, some under Ashra as her wings threatened to give out, others holding on to her with the fiery magic from their horns. They neared the cloud, which seemed to get angrier and darker and more terrifying with each passing second. “Are you sure this is safe?” he yelled to Iros, who glanced at Scout grimly as if to say, “Does it matter?”
There was a second when lightning exploded right in front of them, splitting the sky, and in that split, Trey realized, was a doorway. Belatedly he also realized that it was from Havik’s horn that the lightning had erupted. The unicorns shot through it, their powerful wings holding it open as others sailed beneath them. Trey winced as they burst into the light, expecting to be electrocuted or something, but nothing happened. The storm died abruptly and he jerked his eyes open.
Beautiful.
They dropped
Ashra flew through the sky, trapping soul stealers in her more powerful flames. From across the clouds, Iros shot another massive bolt of light, and the creatures screamed together like one giant demon before they turned and fled.
Unfortunately, Ashra and Scout were in their path.
“Ashra!” Scout screamed, but she didn’t know what else to do. The giant unicorn dove, and they streaked through the sky but they weren’t fast enough. Scout felt the claws rip into her, pulling at her heart, and felt blood gush from the wounds. Ashra shrieked in pain, an audible sound any horse might make if it were being ripped to pieces.
From Scout’s peripheral vision, there was a burst of light, like an explosion, and suddenly Trey was there, he and Torz attacking the demon that held so tightly to Scout’s soul. Trey swung his scepter like a bat as Torz kicked his powerful hooves, tearing into the monster’s bloody rags, breaking its bones. It shrieked, an inhuman wail that Scout was sure would haunt her for the rest of her life, and then it fell from the sky, dissolving into a shower of blood. Scout clutched Ashra’s neck, fighting blackness at the edges of her vision again. She raised her eyes, searching for Trey, finding him and holding on with everything she had left. He and Torz both seemed to be wrapped in the weird warmth that Iros and Havik had. “They bonded,” she whispered as she felt herself slip.
Chapter Seven
Trey held Scout tight in his arms while Torz and Havik struggled to keep Ashra aloft. The giant unicorn was only half-conscious, but she fought to keep her wings moving, fighting to make it home. “ Where ’ s Princess? ” Ashra moaned.
“She’s safe. We’ve got her.” Iros leaned awkwardly around Havik’s wings to lay a hand on Ashra’s bloody neck. Glancing at Trey, he said, “We haven’t far to go. That cloud will have a doorway.” Iros pointed with his metallic black scepter toward a thunderous storm cloud in the distance.
Trey stared at it dubiously, but he was in no position to argue. The soul stealers were gone, but he was covered in blood — Scout’s blood, and she was frighteningly pale. “Just stay with me, Scout. Stay with me baby.” His grip tightened, as if he could physically hold her soul within her body – as if he could keep it there with him.
“ If we can get home, the Leerhas will help, ” Torz gasped, flicking an ear back at Trey. Carrying two riders and helping Ashra after fighting so hard in that hellacious battle had exhausted Torz, although he didn’t complain. Trey didn’t know him well, but he was pretty sure complaining wasn’t something Torz did.
Trey wanted to ask where “home” was, or why they couldn’t just land in the town below and take Scout to a hospital, or a thousand other questions, but there was no time for conversation. Fifty other giant black unicorns surrounded them, some under Ashra as her wings threatened to give out, others holding on to her with the fiery magic from their horns. They neared the cloud, which seemed to get angrier and darker and more terrifying with each passing second. “Are you sure this is safe?” he yelled to Iros, who glanced at Scout grimly as if to say, “Does it matter?”
There was a second when lightning exploded right in front of them, splitting the sky, and in that split, Trey realized, was a doorway. Belatedly he also realized that it was from Havik’s horn that the lightning had erupted. The unicorns shot through it, their powerful wings holding it open as others sailed beneath them. Trey winced as they burst into the light, expecting to be electrocuted or something, but nothing happened. The storm died abruptly and he jerked his eyes open.
Beautiful.
They dropped
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