Heath took a chance to look and his heart stopped. The giant didn’t give a shit about them—it was focused on Ash.
“Ash, baby, leave. It can see you.” He couldn’t focus on her safety and fight at the same time.
“I will not leave you to battle alone.”
“That’s sweet, but if it comes after you, I won’t know how to stop it. Cynes, get your ass in gear, dammit.”
“I’m working on it. The thing is a golem.”
Solid stone. That meant Cynes was working to create fissures in something made of magic and stone, just like his own gift. Sounded easy, but the thing could probably repair as quickly as Cynes broke it.
“Eiravel!” Heath shouted, but Eiravel was already moving.
He found the hilt of the blade and allowed the flat side to rest along his forearm. Eiravel rushed in and swiped at the giant’s back. The giant roared, turning around and swinging his fist at the same time.
It didn’t matter because the thing had reacted to the hit. Whatever Cynes was doing was working. Eiravel went flying, but Heath didn’t let up. Rushing in when the giant wasn’t focused on him, he stabbed him in the gut.
Score! Or maybe not.
It didn’t have the effect Heath thought it would. The giant wrapped one hand around Heath’s hand on the hilt and held him in place. It lifted its other fist and slammed it into Heath’s nose with punishing force.
The giant struck again and again, knocking Heath’s head from one side to the other. Heath heard Ash whimpering behind him, but he couldn’t focus. Pain exploded through his nerve endings. Cartilage crunched and bone cracked around his nose. Heath heard Eiravel’s war cry and through tear-filled eyes saw the blurry image of him in the air.
Eiravel, blazing red eyes, raised his daggers high above him and landed on the giant’s back. With incredible force, he swiped the blade downward into the giant’s chest. Coughing and spitting blood, Heath slipped from the giant’s grasp.
He yanked on his Tether. He needed Kallan—now. Sure, he’d heal fast enough, but he’d be leaking power and blood until he fixed his damn face. He couldn’t feed to speed things up with what was going on. Heath let part of his armor disappear so he could grip the bottom of his shirt underneath to wipe his face, ignoring the pain of touching his battered flesh.
The giant bucked and twisted, trying to dislodge Eiravel. It pounded Eiravel with its fists before getting a grip on his breastplate and tossing him over his shoulder. Bits of tree and vine cracked and fell to the ground with Eiravel, and a deluge of stagnant, black water splashed around him.
Heath had to get this shit under control.
The giant was making him look like a pansy in front of his Foraltae.
Kallan, get your ass here, now!
Heath yanked hard on the Tether, knowing they’d need help. This was a magicked beast, strengthen by the forces going crazy in the In Between. Heath wavered, his vision blurry. He stumbled toward the giant and lunged dizzily. The giant swatted him away like a fly. As strong as the giant was, they’d be fucked if things continued like this.
“Kallan, Teague. Help me.”
Heath struggled to grasp the Tether buried deep inside him, but he pulled it past the pain and felt it saturate every one of his pores. If he did not do something, the giant would get to Ash. Heath knew Ash was held in captivity, and maybe he’d assumed his time in the In Between would go smoothly like it always had before.
He realized the mistake of thinking like that.
He wasn’t going to let her be hurt. Not while he had breath in his lungs.
Slowly, power suffused his body, a dull whisper of healing.
Kallan?
“You are bloody lucky I could hear you crying, Heath. I’m pretty sick and tired of trying to find you.”
The swirl of a portal opened wide, and Kallan in his green armor was there, glowing hands already directed at Heath and healing him. Teague screamed—his dark-purple armor gleaming like the sparks in his eyes—and sent a shockwave of power at the giant, shattering his chest around the area Eiravel had punctured him.
Heath forced himself to stand tall, unsteady on his feet. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision. “Fuck, I’m happy to see you guys.”
“Less talk, more killing whatever the fuck that is,” Teague called, already racing past him. He fought with his voice and gauntlets, using sound to disorient and push back while striking with lightning-fast hits.
Healed, thanks to Kallan, Heath joined them. Together—with Cynes holding and Kallan on guard—Eiravel, Teague, and Heath battered the giant. The tide of the battle was changing.
