Page 470 of Axis of Fire

Chapter 44

Anastasia Lang's POV

My legs barely obeyed me, struggling to keep up with the frantic rhythm of my heart.

I listened only to my mind.

Its single command echoed over and over:

Don't look back.

Taylor and I had failed the next trial completely.

The sphere we'd been trying to propel with our magic had slammed into the fork where two pipes split apart and burst.

Moments later, the pipes absorbed my poisonous cloud, coating a nearby mirror with it.

That was when the mirror shattered.

Our maps ignited.

From the scattered shards of broken glass, a monster took shape.

Now it was charging through the forest behind us, its long claws tearing through everything in its path.

I had no idea how to fight it.

I didn't even know what kind of creature it was.

Neither did Taylor, judging by the way he kept running beside me.

"Do you think we can outrun it?" I asked, ignoring the slow burn spreading through my lungs with every labored breath.

"I have no idea." His voice remained frustratingly calm. "I've never heard of monsters that crawl out of mirrors."

He didn't seem winded in the slightest despite the uneven terrain, and the scorpion perched on his shoulder looked as though it had become part of him.

"But I'd very much like to survive."

I silently agreed.

It took every ounce of willpower not to look back. One glance at the monster would be enough to throw off my pace.

Still...

we couldn't keep running forever.

"We can't do this indefinitely," I managed between breaths, my chest growing heavier with every step.

"You can't," Taylor corrected.

"Fine. I can't." I shot him a pointed look. "But I'm sure a true gentleman wouldn't leave a girl to die."

Not snapping at him took considerably more effort than I cared to admit.

Still...

I believed in diplomacy.