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The sound came again, and Scarlett had her shadows forming into wolves that surrounded them as they stepped through the onyx doors.
Sorin didn’t know what he was looking at.
Creatures lined the ledges, staring down at them. They were as large as tigers, but they had long canines protruding from their upper gums. The claws on their feet were razor sharp. Their coats were golden, even in the darkness of the crevice, and their eyes glowed white.
That scraping sounded again, and two of the creatures prowled from the shadows to their left. Scarlett wasted no time, starfire whipping out from her palm. The creatures snarled as the fire wrapped around their throats before consuming them in their next breath, leaving nothing but scorch marks on the floor.
“Effective,” Sorin said, glancing at the dozens more appearing on the various levels. “But let’s just Travel out.”
“Good plan,” she agreed, grabbing his wrist.
He waited for the pull, but it never came. “Travel, Scarlett,” he gritted out as several of the creatures began hopping among the cliff sides and coming closer.
“I can’t,” she hissed. “I can’t Travel.”
“What do you mean you can’t?” he retorted, raising his sword. Would steel even work against them?
“Exactly what I said,” she snapped. She sheathed her sword before lifting her palms. Starfire flared across several of the ledges, taking out a dozen of the creatures at once. “Maybe it’s the doors,” she said, her breathing slightly labored as her fire died out. “Maybe if we get back to the top?”
“And if not?” he demanded, her shadow wolves beginning to move up the bridge they had come down.
“I guess we’ll figure something else out,” she replied, more starfire appearing in her palms. “Let’s focus on getting up there. Only take them out if we need to.”
They ran, racing up the winding incline as quickly as they could, but it didn’t take long for the creatures to figure out what they were doing. Soon the bridge was shaking as the creatures leapt to it, taking chase.
“Faster, Scarlett,” he muttered, having sheathed his swords long ago. Her starfire was keeping them at bay behind them, the shadow wolves making short work of those in front. Blood as golden as their fur splattered across their path. She’d tried sending orange flames to conserve some of her Avonleyan power, but the creatures were unaffected, which meant his fire would be useless.
“They’re strong,” she rasped, stumbling on a crack in the stone. “It takes a lot of my magic to kill them. If I keep doing this, I won’t be able to Travel out when we reach the top.”
The bridge lurched as several of the creatures landed on it again. They both fell to the side, Sorin gripping Scarlett’s arm before she went over the edge.
“Fuck,” he ground out. “They’re going to bring down the bridge before we get back to the top.”
Another flare of starfire. More snarling and howling as the creatures were destroyed.
“We have to keep going. Run, Sorin!”
They made it another hundred feet before the bridge shook violently again. Sorin pulled a dagger, slicing it clean through his tunic and dragging it across the Source Mark. He could give her more power so they could get to the top. He reached for her hand, still running along beside her.
And then the creatures seemed to collapse in on themselves. One would still, its white eyes flaring bright in surprise, maw opening and fangs bared, before it became ashes starting from the chest and splintering outward. The snarls became cries and whines of agony. One by one, they fell. Over and over.
“What is happening?” Scarlett gasped, breathing hard beside him, her hands braced on her knees.
They’d skidded to a halt when it had happened to the first few. Sorin still gripped her arm, dagger still poised to slice across her palm. Blood from his arm was dripping to the ground as he answered. “Rayner is here.”
She straightened at that, silvery-blue eyes darting around, searching. But Rayner was moving too fast. Hewassmoke and ashes. As soon as a creature made a movement toward them, it was ash in the next blink. Sorin took the opportunity to cut Scarlett’s palm, letting some of his magic flow into her. She was still looking for Rayner as she stepped into him, fingers flexing around his forearm.
“That’s all I need,” she said after a few moments, pulling her hand away as the last of the creatures were destroyed.
“That can’t be all,” he argued, trying to tug her back.
But then ashes swirled before them, and Rayner stepped into view. His hands were black with soot and ash. Golden blood mixed amongst the blacks and greys, and streaks of the same covered his face. His eyes were swirling slowly as they fixed on them.
Furious.
The Ash Rider was pissed.
“What. The fuck. Were you two thinking?” Rayner demanded. This wasn’t a rage-filled bellow. This was a low, deadly demand for an answer.
