Fun,I answered.Don’t eat anyone. You know that gives you indigestion.
I felt his amusement as Lomis waved the ties in the air.
“I’m not going to drop them before you hand over the void-tie,” he said. “I can’t trust you.”
“Same,” Bec said. “We’re going to throw them to each other.”
For the first time since this interaction began, Lomis looked around at us surrounding him. “They all need to back away. These creatures are able to move fast and might try to remove me as we do the exchange.”
Bec nodded, then shifted her gaze to us. “Everyone, move behind me.”
I shook my head, and she gave me a half smile, even as sweat was dripping down her face and the hand holding the void-tie was shaking.
“Marduk, I need you to trust me,” she said. “I know what I’m doing.”
Even after Danzig slithered past me to take position right behind Beatrix, I hesitated.
“I don’t like this,” Mason said.
“I’m going to need you to be next to me, Mason. I promise, you’ll want to be right here.” She looked at me and pointed. “Marduk, you go here.”
Reluctantly, I moved and took the spot she indicated. Mason moved to flank her other side. As much as I didn’t understand her plan, it felt good to be close again. I snuck the very tip of my tail under her pants’ leg until I could press against the flesh of her ankle.
I felt intense fatigue and pain, but also determination. I needed to trust my mate but also be ready to save her.
“Happy now?” Bec asked.
Lomis didn’t answer, he simply held his hand up again. “Ready to trade?”
“On three,” Bec said.
“On three,” Lomis agreed.
“One, two,” they said together.
On three, I expected Bec to throw the stone, but Lomis to not do anything with his ties. I was mostly right.
“Three!” Bec screamed and launched the rock into the air with an impressive amount of force.
As I’d expected, Lomis didn’t drop the ties, but he did reach out to grab the rock. He didn’t have a chance because Bec hadn’t aimed at him.
The void-tie zinged past him and straight into the void he’d opened.
“No!” he screamed.
At the same time, Bec yelled, “Run!”
Now I understood why she’d wanted us all to be near her. Everyone acted without a second thought. Beatrix picked Bec up and tried to run, but even with her pixie strength she wasn’t moving fast. My tail was already there, and I swept them both up and coiled myself around them. I couldn't move, but I felt Danzig grab me.
As he'd threatened, he'd gone full kraken size. He was massive and could pick me up in his mouth and carry all of us away.
I hung my head out of Danzig’s mouth to look back. Mason rushed at the druid, probably planning to incapacitate him in some way. Before that happened, brilliant light flashed out of the void and a wave of power knocked him into the sky.
When the power hit us, Danzig ended up falling forward, but he coiled his body around his head to keep us from getting hurt.
Now Bec and Beatrix were wrapped in multiple layers of world serpents.
I thought more magic would be coming, but everything went quiet. All I could see was Danzig’s coils so I nudged him with my nose.
