Page 40 of When Roses Burn

When it jumped up and down and waved its club at me again, I tried not to laugh. While I wasn’t afraid of the goblin, I didn’t want to instigate it further.

The goblin jumped up once more, but this time its feet didn’t touch the ground as a large, black beast burst out of the woods. With its mouth wide and its huge, hooked fangs dripping venom, the basilisk swallowed the goblin whole. The basilisk lifted its head to reveal the goblin lump sliding its way down the twenty-five-foot snake’s throat.

Oh shit. Oh no. This is bad. This is very, very bad.

I could have taken a goblin. I might have gotten hit with its club, but I could have fought it off. There was no way I was fighting off this monstrosity.

The snake’s head swiveled down, and the slitted pupils of its yellow eyes spun toward me; I looked away before I accidentally met its lethal gaze. When it opened its mouth again, the goblin’s feet were still barely visible in its throat.

My foot edged back, but I didn’t turn and flee; I couldn’t outrun this thing. Its forked tongue flicked out. The thing was at least fifteen feet away, but its tongue nearly lashed me.

I gulped as the snake’s head rose and the bump of the goblin slid further down its throat. I couldn’t become this thing’s dinner, but if I wasn’t careful, I would.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Briar

My fingers twitched as I let magic build at their tips. In my pocket, the small creature didn’t stir; it probably sensed this thing’s presence. If the basilisk ate me, it would also eat the animal, but if it jumped out now, it would draw the snake’s attention.

The snake’s black head swiveled to the right as someone called my name. It might have been Dromon, but I didn’t respond; any noise could draw an attack.

The basilisk slithered a few feet forward. My foot inched back, but I froze when its tongue lashed out again. This time, it would have connected with my face, but I lifted my hands and slapped it away. The second I did so, the basilisk struck.

Hot breath washed over me, and white fangs filled my vision as the creature closed the distance between us in a flash of black death. It was nearly on me when I punched its nose, and energy erupted out of me as I released a flash of magic.

A jolt ran through my arm and up my shoulder when my punch connected squarely with the creature. I had no idea what that hit or magic would do, but I didn’t have any other options, as I didn’t have time to cast a spell.

I’d spent years teaching myself how to punch, practicing on my mattress and pillows. None of those things were as solid as this creature, and the impact of my blow radiated throughout my body.

The blow and magic didn’t knock the basilisk back, but it did stop its forward momentum. The snake recoiled a few inches, shaking its head as it did so.

I was about to turn and run when the basilisk recovered enough to strike at me again. This time, I dashed to the side in time to avoid its lethal blow.

As it shot past me, I brought my fist down on its neck, smashing its nose into the dirt. Heart thumping and adrenaline turning my body into a quivering mess, I turned and sprinted into the woods.

From behind me, the snake’s body slithered through the woods, brushing aside underbrush and pursuing me with relentless speed. Its wrath vibrated against me in waves that turned my stomach and had my toes digging into the earth as I propelled myself onward.

I was fast, but it was faster. Darting around a large rock, I spotted a fallen stick only a few feet away. I would have preferred a sword, but I snatched the stick up and spun toward the snake as it came over the top of the rock.

When its tongue lashed out, it struck the back of my hand and sliced it open, but it had used the blow as a distraction that I didn’t fall for as the snake kept coming. The basilisk was nearly on top of me when I jabbed the stick forward; I slammed it into the top of the creature’s mouth, knocking it back as I kept my eyes averted from its gaze.

One of its fangs grazed my forearm when it threw itself downward, but thankfully, it didn’t break the skin. When the creature reeled back, it hissed and shook a head the same size as me.

Don’t look in its eyes. Don’t look in its eyes!

When I turned to run again, an orange blur streaked past me, and an animalistic snarl filled the air. The hair on my nape rose as something thudded behind me; the orange blur crashed into the basilisk’s head before swinging on top of it.

I was about to turn and run back into the woods as these two creatures battled it out, but I froze when I realized Seth was the orange blur. With my stick gripped in both hands, I spun to help if I could. I certainly couldn’t let him face this monster alone, even if he believed I was the biggest monster of all.

The basilisk reared back as it tried to dislodge Seth from where he’d perched on its head. The snake snapped wildly at the air as it tried to sink its fangs into Seth’s leg.

Lifting his hands, Seth drove the tips of his eviscerating claws into the basilisk’s eyes, blinding the creature and taking away one of its greatest strengths. The snake released a guttural hiss as Seth pulled back on its eyes, tearing across its head and slicing the snake further open.

It threw its head back and forth like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas, but it couldn’t dislodge Seth. When the underbrush behind me rustled, I hefted my stick as I spun toward the new threat; my shoulders relaxed when Pierce and Lyra exited the woods.

I glanced from them to the basilisk as Seth slid down the side of its head and around to its throat with his claws still embedded in its flesh. Blood poured from the snake and over Seth as his legs dangled in the air.

“He needs help,” I breathed.