Page 75 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

He put a finger to his lips and then pointed beyond a thick section of greenery leading to a colossal elder tree with white blossoms spanning almost all over the roof of the forest—white soft petals shed from its branches giving the wind a sweet scent and a melancholic sway.

Metal clanked loudly, signalling the presence of others. Swiftly, the two of us creeped close to the commotion. Hanaian soldiers held back a group of masked attackers crawling from a passage under the roots of what I figured was Ryuu. The moment I took note of a chest bearing the Hanaian tree of life crest, I pushed past and slid on the fresh soil, my daggers slicing their heels as I spun and manoeuvred the blade back and forth piling lifeless bodies before me. The more blood pooled over the fresh soil, the closer I got to the sceptre piece. Even outnumbered, Kilian and I managed to gain the upper hand over the attackers—the Night King was a titan with and without his magic.

Just as I was about to reach the chest, a blood curdling roar tore through the air and I was toppled to the ground, a massive body shielding my own.

Hells. Every inch of me hurt and felt bruised.

“Kil…Kilian?” I groaned, feeling my ribs constrict every breath I took. Wetness pooled where my palms met his chest and then I felt a wet stream trickle down my neck. Raising a hand to my throat, I touched the warm and thick liquid.

Blood.

I couldn’t breathe.

The world began spinning and I tried to lift his limp body from my own. “Kilian?” Panic gave me a strange strength and I pushed till he flopped beside me. Three stripes that looked like a claw mark had torn through his jacket and dug inch deep wounds on his chest. Oh, gods. Oh, gods. “Wake up. Open your eyes, you idiot. Wake up!”

Another roar made me spin in place and I reached for my brother’s sword. Glancing behind me at Kilian’s limp sight, I held my sword ready. Leaves crunched close to me, and I spun taking note of my surroundings, noting the north flow of wind and the sway of hazel tree branches.

Crunch.

The wind whistled and there was another crunch.

Closing my eyes, I waited and waited till I felt a swift breeze brush my side. My affinity with wind had never been through magic. I was Nubil born. The flow of wind was like the flow of my blood. I’d spent most years of my life trying to understand it and studying it. It spoke to me—in many ways.

I twisted the handle of my sword down and pushed the blade back with the support of my other hand, piercing it on the thing behind me. Hot air and a rotten stench brushed my temple for a second, the steady breaths of whatever I’d stabbed made it seem as if I'd only nicked it with a toothpick.

In a flash, I pulled the blade out and spun, lowering to my knees and pushing it again upright and right on the massive green beast’s belly. What…the…hells and heavens?

Viridescent scaly skin dressed every inch of an eight-foot lizard looking wolf. A viscid slaver dripped from its mouth that peeled in a growl to reveal a set of neat sharp fangs.

A shiver crept up my spine. The way its animated dull malachite stare bored onto me—it was almost as if it was actually…looking at me. Knowingly. His eyes were remotely and disturbingly human.

Both its claws latched on my blade, breaking skin and drawing black blood from its palms, before pulling my sword out of its wound. Only when it fully left flesh did the thing roar in what looked like pain. The beast faltered back a few steps, swaying on its heavily clawed feet.

Looking around, I noted the dead Hanaians littering the ground, claw marks all over their lifeless bodies. How had this thing killed so quick? Where was the chest? Distracted from my perusal, I’d not noticed the beast disappear from sight.

Kilian stirred, attempting to stand, and I dropped to my knees beside him. “Took you long enough, you idiot.”

A pained smile cracked his face and he pointed upward. The green thing pranced from one tree branch to another, heading toward the limestone circle. “Go after it.” He gripped my wrist before I stood. “Be careful.”

With one last glance at him, I shot to my feet, chasing the fast thing till we stepped outside the ring of limestone. The air around me chilled, my breath fogged white and then ice crept everywhere. The previously russet forest floor turned into frost for a mile at my command. Somewhere inside me tore open like an overflowing dam, my magic hungrier than ever.

The beast suddenly skidded to a stop and turned to me, its gaze flitting between me and the ice crawling and surrounding us to trap it.

“Come on, kitty kitty. Where are you going?” I taunted. Tendrils of ice crawled over the green thing’s body, trapping it, while tens of shards of ice pierced him all over. The beast didn’t even make a single sound of pain as black blood stained the ice.

Movement caught the corner of my eye, Hanaian soldiers riding toward us.

When I reached to grab the sceptre, the thing roared, breaking the ice off his flesh and as if in command to his call, two masked figures faded beside it, the chest between them. Just as quick as they appeared, they disappeared together. Along with the sceptre.

What?

What?

“Shit!” I shouted and the ice cracked and fragmented to dust at my fury. They had the sceptre. My father got his third piece. He was so ahead of me. He had Melanthe, Adriatians, and now this thing. What on Nubil’s rocky lands? My brain flitted a thousand directions before drawing up the answer I always doubted. The Ater battles.

“What was that?” Moriko shouted, running to my side, all shades of worried and tired creased her young looking face.

“Does it look like a beast from the Ater battles?” Moriko had fought them for years. If anyone would know, it would be her.