Page 112 of Soul of Fire

I HAVE A FORM.The darkness spoke inside my mind like Baldur could, its voice blocking all other thought as it invaded my senses. It rose before us, two slitted amber eyes glowing from its depths as the shape of a dragon filled the hall.

Not a dragon. A wyrm.

The winged serpent was twice Baldur’s size, its scales a glittering onyx. Sharp spikes traversed its spine, ending in a barbed tail. Serrated talons at the apex of each wing looked like they could slice a man in two, and it flicked its forked tongue out as if tasting the air, hunting for us.

The thing curled its tail in on itself, stretching its great wings to rise above us.

Beneath me, Eisa screamed in pain, her hands clutching at her head as the Darkness spoke. It was hurting her, as it had in the temple. In the cave.

It hurt our mate.

Baldur didn’t think. He roared, and a jet of white fire engulfed the dark wyrm. The glass in the windows shattered at the sudden blast of heat, and Baldur flared his wings wide to protect our precious mate.

We bellowed in agony as a thousand shards of glass tore at our wings, embedding themselves in the delicate membranes.

The wyrm laughed, the sound echoing around us as the smoke cleared.

YOU THINK FIRE CAN DEFEAT ME? I AM DARKNESS, THE DEVOURER OF WORLDS.The wyrm opened its maw wide to show rows and rows of glittering black teeth.I WAS BORN IN FIRE AND CHAOS TO BE THE END OF ALL THINGS.

TOUCH HIM AND FUCKING DIE!The voice was Eisa’s, but deeper and more powerful as a blue dragon erupted from beneath us. Baldur tumbled to the side, his wings crunching in more glass, as Idunn charged, fire blazing and jaw snapping.

The Darkness reared, its ancient, echoey laughter filling the hall as its amber eyes fixed on my mate.

It snapped its jaws, and she laid down a blanket of blue fire so hot, the glass embedded in our wings melted into molten rivulets.

The wyrm just laughed.I DID NOT BELIEVE THEM WHEN THEY TOLD ME. BUT YOU DO HAVE IT. GIVE IT TO ME.

Them? It?

Baldur screeched as he tried to claw his way toward our mate, despite the glass burning holes in his wings.

I saw what rested between her glittering claws as Idunn hissed and snapped.

The Book. It wanted the Book.

Eisa.My voice felt weak in my mind as Baldur struggled to heal us.Run.

YOU ARE MINE!It was Idunn. Idunn was speaking in my head.HE SHALL NOT TOUCH YOU!

FOOL.The serpent roared. One of the walls of the Great Hall fell away, revealing the faintly glowing blue chasm below.GIVE IT TO ME!

The wyrm strapped at Idunn’s neck, pushing her back toward the Rift. She reared, using her wings to balance her. The monster missed her throat by inches, but its jagged teeth caught the edge of one beautiful, blue wing.

The membranes shredded into sickly black ribbons.

Baldur roared as Idunn screeched in agony. Black ichor dripped from the wound as she lost control of their form and stumbledbackward, collapsing into my human mate at the very edge of the Rift.

HER WINGS!Baldur was frantic as Eisa struggled to rise, her back torn to shreds, her arms clutching something wrapped in tattered fabric.SHE CAN’T FLY!

Eisa!

As if it heard my panicked scream, the black serpent whirled. Talons of inky night shot toward us and pinned us to the broken ground. Baldur roared as the bands of darkness burned with a fire so cold I thought it might kill us.

GIVE IT TO ME,the serpent hissed, shadows digging into our back like daggers of ice. Baldur lost the shift as pain engulfed us, and the serpent released his hold on me as I toppled to the floor.AND I SHALL GRANT YOU AND YOUR MATE A SWIFT DEATH.

No, no, no. It couldn’t end like this.

The glass and burns on my back were agony, but I crawled forward, inch by desperate inch, trying to reach my mate.Run, Kjære! Leave the Book and run!