Page 116 of Dream Reaper

She swallowed hard and forced herself to take a slow, stabilizing breath. They had no choice. They needed to do this, to keep the shadow busy until Jerrid arrived with reinforcements, to buy the others as much time as possible.

They were the bait, the decoys, the last desperate straw…

“Let’s go, then,” she whispered. “At least we’ll keep it busy until help arrives, whatever happens.”

Finnr and Brynja nodded, but Talos’s lip curled as the human man jostled him into motion.

“It’s noble that all of you are so eager to die in your noble cause,” Talos said, “but I have no intention of dying today.”

“Do your part, then, and maybe we’ll all make it out of here alive,” Brynja fired over her shoulder.

Ava didn’t have to turn around to feel the anger and hatred oozing from the dark elf. They were going to have to be very, very careful. He would gladly see them all dead, especially if it meant he could get away.

Doubts clawed at her mind as she eased down the hallway, waiting for the danger to jump out at them. Maybe bringing Talos along had been the wrong choice. Maybe they would have been better off without him…

But it was too late to turn back now.

They had committed themselves to this path, and they had no choice but to proceed.

Laughter wedged itself into her mind, guttural and deep. Yes, you’ve committed to your doom, little elf…

She shook her head and took another step forward, and then another, and another. Instinct screamed for her to stop, to turn around and run back in the direction they had come.

But she pressed forward, the air so thick it felt as if it were trying to slow her down, as if the air itself were alive and fighting against them. They waded through the tugging air, stepping farther and farther away from safety, from solid ground, from everything that made sense.

The hallway taunted them with its endlessness, every step a futile exercise.

No hope, no hope, no hope…

Ava shook the whisper away. There was always hope, as long as life remained in the body, as long as good people continued to fight. Hope might be fleeting, but it was steadfast and true, a guiding light through the darkness. If anything could see them through, hope would.

You’re such a foolish child. The shadow giggled as it coiled through her thoughts. Hope only prolongs your suffering. It’s better to just give in. Accept. Float away. Melt away…

Her nostrils flared, and she surged forward with renewed determination. There would be no floating or melting away. No giving up without a fight. Not quietly slipping into eternity.

There would be blood and sweat right up until the end.

And that’s exactly what it will cost. Blood and sweat and so much more… And in the end, I will still find you. And devour you. And then I will be all that remains after you are long forgotten, swallowed up in nothingness…

“Look out!” Brynja’s scream echoed off the walls of the corridor.

Ava lifted her head moments before a shadowy tentacle lashed at her face. She tumbled backward, tripping over the person behind her as they all staggered to get away from the sudden attack.

The tentacle struck again, this time at her feet. But Ava flung a weak burst of magic at it. The shadow magic recoiled with a hiss, sparks striking the floor as sizzling smoke and the stench of burned hair filled the hallway.

“Talos!” she screamed.

He stumbled to her side as if he’d been thrust forward. The dark elf lord braced himself and drew two fireballs of magic into his palms. Ava took a step back so that he stood at the front of their group, but she snapped her fingers and kept a flicker of flame burning in her palm.

The shadow appeared farther down the corridor and coiled toward them with lightning speed. Talos yelled and threw his fireballs. But he didn’t hurl them toward the shadow.

Instead, he flung them at the ceiling above their heads. Heat exploded with a roar. Hands shoved her roughly into the wall. A foot trampled on her toes. Brynja yelled…

Ava coughed and backed away, the ceiling creaking and groaning as it began to cave in. Stones cascaded down. Hands pulled her to safety, out of the path of destruction. Somewhere ahead of them, in the smoke and darkness, the shadow shrieked in fury.

“Move back before the whole ceiling comes down!” Brynja yelled in her ear.

Ava’s mind echoed back her words as she struggled to obey, her thoughts still too muddled to understand what had happened.