Not today.
I twist midair, ignoring the tearing pain across my back, and drive my shoulder into it. My free hand catches one of its limbs?—
I grip. Hard.
And rip it from me.
With a roar, I spin and hurl the creature away with everything I have left. Might. Power. And my divine light.
It spirals through the trees, smashing through limbs before catching itself on a branch that breaks soon after under its weight, and together they both fall.
We drop the rest of the way.
I don’t aim now—I just get us down.
We hit the ground hard. I absorb the impact as best I can, setting her on her feet before stepping in front of her, putting my body between hers and the demon.
I draw my sword, running my hand along the blade. The marks ignite at once—divine light flaring through the runes, casting sharp illumination across the shadows.
“I can protect myself.”
Now is not the time for this fight, I remind myself, teeth grating as I step away from her and scan the trees.
“Fine. Then do so.”
I hear her unsheathe her weapons—twin blades singing free. For a brief second, I reconsider putting my back to her. When I glance over my shoulder, I find the same war of trust reflected in her pale eyes.
“Put a blade through my back, and it’ll be the last thing you do.”
She swallows, nodding once. “Noted. Let’s just kill this thing, and we can deal with our issues after, yes?”
“That’s the plan.”
A deafening squawk splits the air as the demon crashes through the canopy and dives straight for us.
It targets me.
Its claws miss, but its beak snaps for my face.
I dart forward and to the side, slashing across its left wing as I move. The blade bites deep, splitting it open. The creature lands hard, spinning—then lunges, its massive beak clamping down on my shoulder.
Pain explodes.
It wrenches me off my feet and hurls me aside. I flip end over end, then catch myself—skidding across the ground on one knee, blade hand braced, knuckles digging into the dirt.
It shrieks?—
Not at me.
At her.
The priestess is already on it, delivering a deadly swipe of her blade across its torso before she retreats a few steps. Then, ducking as it snaps at the air where her head had been only seconds before. When it lunges again, she leaps to the side, dodges its attack, then twists to strike from behind, fast and precise.
She’s fast, but the creature is also relentless.
I get to my feet. With its back to me now, as it stalks her, I spy the blade embedded deeply into its back and get an idea.
I surge forward.
