Page 28 of Secrets of Ruin

The ophidian he’d shoved himself into hadn’t expected any movement from him and was thrown off balance by it. As it skidded away, its tail curled toward him as the man fell into the bars.

Whatever scream the ophidian had been about to issue died away as gurgled sounds emanated from him while he spasmed against the bars. Jerking and heaving, the ophidian’s tail lashed across the floor while the man convulsed.

Brokk staggered away from the sweeping tail as the ophidian on his left tightened his grip. Spinning, Brokk launched a punch at him.

The man swung his head to the side, but not in time to avoid the blow that caved his cheekbone and shattered his eye socket. When his hands flew to his ruined face, he released Brokk, who went for the one with the keys and the pole.

That one was recovering from his shock but not fast enough. A savage sound issued from Brokk when the man stabbed at him; he grasped the pole and knocked it aside. Before the serpent could recover, he leapt on the ophidian.

With wild swings, the ophidian pummeled his back with his metal gloves. To keep from screaming, Brokk clamped his teeth down and bit into his tongue. Blood filled his mouth, but he kept his teeth shut against the agony racing along his spine.

He was too focused on survival to let the pain stop him, but it was a constant reminder of what they’d done and what they’d continue to do if he failed. Brokk’s fingers enveloped the ophidian’s throat, and his thumbs found the sensitive spot under his chin.

Red filled his vision as he shoved up to expose the man’s vein. He sank his fangs into the serpent’s throat and tore it out.

He wanted to finish what he’d started by ruining the man’s speaking ability, but the one still clinging to his face was slithering toward the exit. That would keep this ophidian quiet while buying him time to return to the other.

Leaping off the creature, he snagged the pole the ophidian released. He ignored the growing weakness trying to drag him down as his racing heart pumped more of his dwindling blood from him.

Before the ophidian could flee the dungeon, Brokk caught up to him and jammed the pole into his back. He bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile as the ophidian started going down.

Brokk released the pole and leapt onto his back as the creature hit the ground. He wrapped his arm around the ophidian’s throat and cinched it.

Needing to replenish the blood he was losing, he bit into the ophidian’s jugular and sucked his blood in greedy gulps. He depleted the man so fast the ophidian never had a chance to recover from the effects of the stick before he was too weak to attempt to fight Brokk.

The ophidian wasn’t dead when he finished, but Brokk released him and let him hit the ground. The blood wasn’t enough to start the healing process on his back, but it would keep him going.

Turning, he ran toward the other two as the one with the gloves started rising high onto his tail while the other had fallen limply by the cell. Kaylia was wide-eyed and wordless as he ran up the tail of the monster with the gloves and launched himself onto his back.

He grasped the ophidian’s head and jerked it to the side. The reverberating crack caused him to smile as the ophidian went limp beneath him.

As he rode the creature to the ground, he twisted until he tore the head free and threw it into the open cell. The ophidian hit the ground, and Brokk knelt to tug off the metal gloves before setting them near the keys.

The last one was starting to wake when Brokk pounced on him, and with a flurry of uncontrollable punches, he beat the man’s face into a bloody mess. By the time he finished, no bones had remained intact, and it was impossible to tell a head once existed.

Sitting back, his shoulders heaved as his breaths came fast and deep. A red haze still clouded his vision, but with the last one dead, his strength was fading. When he tried to rise, he staggered and nearly went down.

“Brokk.”

Kaylia’s whisper infused him with another rush of adrenaline. He’d come this far and couldn’t fail now; he had to free the others.

With a deep breath, he placed his bloody and broken knuckles on the ground. He hadn’t realized he’d split the skin on his hands open and broken his bones during the fight, but now they ground together when he moved them.

Donning the gloves, Brokk gathered the keys and strode toward Kaylia’s cell. She glanced nervously behind him as she shifted from foot to foot while wringing her hands before her.

He understood her anxiety; they’d been trapped for so long that this seemed too good to be true. They were seconds away from freedom, and he kept waiting for the ophidians to return. He didn’t know if he could open a portal if they did return.

But somehow, the ax he felt hanging over their heads didn’t fall as, with trembling fingers, he managed to unlock her door and pull it open. Kaylia’s mouth parted, and her eyes found his.

For a second, she didn’t move, and then she rushed forward. She was about to throw her arms around him, but her momentum jerked to a stop as she recalled his back and skidded to a halt in front of him.

The joy on her face made all his agony vanish as she rested her hands on his chest and rose onto her toes to kiss him. He wanted to pull her closer, but now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the ruins of his back were making movement difficult.

Instead, he settled for resting his hands on her hips as he returned the kiss. He’d love to lose himself to her and celebrate this small bit of freedom, but they had to move fast.

CHAPTER THIRTY

He broke the kiss, gave her the keys, and shook off the gloves to hand them to her. “Free the others.”