“Wait—” Nadi hissed. “Don’t m?—”
It was too late.
The attack came from above.
It slid at them over the surface of the stone and vines, a blur of hundreds of legs that framed a segmented body. It moved almost impossibly fast for something of its size, and its head was all teeth and eyes—so many eyes—pointed in all directions, black and covered in feelers.
Barbed quills ran along its body like hairs, each one dripping with something that sizzled when it hit the ground.
The creature dropped from directly above them. Raziel shoved Nadi aside just as the creature’s tail—tipped with a stinger the size of his forearm—struck where she’d been standing. The impact cracked the stone floor.
“What in the bleeding moons is that thing?” He unwound the silver chain from his hand, letting it swing free. His palm was raw from where the metal had burned into it during their long walk, but the pain helped sharpen his focus.
“Talk later!” Nadi rolled to her feet, bolt cutters in hand. “Kill it first!”
Muscle memory took over. He was designed to kill. And this thing, no matter its purpose, no matter its size—was designed to die.
Raziel met its charge, wrapping the silver chain around one of its front segments and yanked hard. The creature stumbled but didn’t fall, its other body sections compensating with disturbing efficiency. Its head snapped toward him, coming dangerously close.
He dodged back, but all the days of walking through treacherous terrain had taken its toll. Not quite fast enough. The creature’s teeth caught his sleeve, shredding fabric and skin alike. Blood welled from the wounds—not deep, but they burned with an unfamiliar fire.
Fuck.
Nadi struck from the side, driving the bolt cutters into the creature’s flank with all the strength she had. It shrieked, that metal-on-metal sound that made ears ache, and whipped around to face her. She danced back, but her movements were sluggish, exhausted.
“The underbelly!” she shouted. “It’s softer there!”
Easier said than done. The creature kept its vulnerable stomach pressed close to the ground, those hundreds of legs providing constant defense. Raziel circled it, looking for an opening, but the thing tracked him perfectly.
Eyes. Of course. He sneered. “The eyes, Nadi!”
She was a smart little creature. Thinking fast, she scrambled to her bag, picking up the can of half-eaten fruit. Waiting for her chance, she timed her shot, before hurling its contents into the eyes of the monster.
It screamed, flipping its head to the side as it tried to clear the sugary glop from its vision.
Raziel didn’t waste the opportunity. He dove under the creature’s snapping jaws, wrapping the chain around its lower jaw. He planted his feet andpulled.
The creature thrashed, its tail striking his shoulder and sending him spinning. Pain exploded across his back as several of the barbed quills pierced his skin through his already-torn shirt. But he held on, using every ounce of vampiric strength he had left to wrench the creature’s head back, exposing its throat.
Nadi was there in an instant, driving the bolt cutters deep into the soft flesh under its jaw. The creature made a sound like breaking glass, its legs spasming.
But it wasn’t dead. Not yet.
With a final surge of desperate strength born from fury, Raziel grabbed the creature’s lower jaw with both hands, silver chain still wrapped around it, andtore.
There was a wet, ripping sound, and suddenly he was holding a piece of the creature’s jaw while black ichor sprayed across the cave floor.
The thing collapsed, twitching once, twice, then going still.
Raziel dropped the piece of jaw, his hands shaking. The adrenaline was fading, and with it came the pain. His back felt like it was on fire, and when he reached behind him, his fingers came away covered in his own blood mixed with something else—something that glowed faintly purple.
“Raz.” Nadi was at his side immediately, her face tight with concern. She was swaying on her feet, but her focus was entirely on him. “Hebekquills—they’re poisonous. Fatally.”
“Of course they are.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “Why wouldn’t they be?” Already, he could feel the toxin spreading through his system, a cold burn that radiated from each puncture wound. His vision swam, the bioluminescent vines suddenly too bright, too vivid.
“We need to move.” Nadi slung his arm over her shoulders, taking some of his weight despite barely being able to stand herself. “The caravan you heard can’t be far.Hebeksdon’t stray far from prey. Maybe a half-day’s walk. They’ll have antidotes.”
“Half a day.” He laughed weakly. “We will not make it.”
