When The Luna Broke Her Chains novel Chapter 8

Chapter 8 The Blade, The Beast, And The Stranger

[XENA]

What is he doing here? And who is he, really?

He’s no longer wearing that patched, tattered cloak from the temple. Now he’s dressed in a robe embroidered with gemstones that catch the sunlight like fire. And the carriage they arrived in… it looks royal. It’s four times the size of the one Cassian and I used to travel here to Crescent Ash.

I barely stop myself from gasping when he suddenly pauses and turns, looking straight toward the trees where I’m hiding, like he sensed my presence.

My entire body jerks back behind the trunk, breath caught in my throat. My palm presses against my chest, trying to quiet the frantic pounding.

Goddess… Did he see me?

Sweat trickles down the side of my face. I hold completely still, afraid even my breathing might give me away. Seconds stretch unbearably. Finally, I gather the courage to peek out again.

My gaze sweeps the lakeshore and lands on the young boy. He’s too close to the water, leaning over the edge. Peering into the surface like he’s looking for something.

And then something shoots up, coils around his ankle, and yanks him in.

I shriek before I can stop myself, slapping a hand over my mouth instantly.

The two men–they’re gone. The carriage rider is just turning back, and the boy is already gasping, clawing at the muddy bank as something drags him under.

My breath comes out in sharp, panicked bursts.

Damn this.

It could be a hydralith.

Before I can think twice, I sprint from behind the tree, the world narrowing into nothing but that child’s terrified cry. I race along the lake’s edge, dagger drawn, and dive into the freezing water without hesitation.

The shock hits me first. Then darkness. Then movement.

I slash blindly, forcing my eyes open under the murky surface. Through blurred shapes, I see the rise and fall of gills–slimy, pulsing, and below that, a scaly tail smoothly curving in the water. Unmistakably, a hydralith.

I hack at the gills with every remaining ounce of strength. The creature shrieks, bubbles exploding around me. It releases the boy.

I shove him upward with both hands, pushing his small body toward the surface, toward safety–toward air.

Something sharp, jagged, sinks viciously into my leg.

I scream underwater, the sound bursting in my skull. The pain radiates upward, hot and throbbing, and for a moment, I lose my grip on the dagger.

No, no. Not now. Not like this.

I snatch the blade again and stab at the creature’s jaw, again and again. It doesn’t budge. Its razor–sharp teeth clamp tighter, dragging me deeper.

My lungs burn.

A crack resounds. Loud, violent, and final.

The hydralith’s jaw slackens around my leg.

No wolfless werewolf survives this much blood loss.

Good, I think dully. Cassian will be rid of me. And I wont have to live with betrayal gnawing at my bones.

But a selfish part of me… It’s not ready yet.

It wasn’t ready that night either, when I begged Vera to come forth and save us. When I bled into the earth and begged the Goddess not to let me die.

Damn this.

12:20 Thu, Jan 22 GRD.

Chapter 8 The Blade, The Beast, And The Stranger

I saved that child. With my life. That must be worth something.

My vision tilts sideways, dragging the world with it. My body sags.

I feel myself falling–but a pair of strong arms catch me. Hard, warm, alive. His chest rises against my cheek. My fingers curl weakly into his robe. He feels solid. Real… and safe in a way I haven’t felt in years.

Goddess… Not yet. Please.

As the darkness swallows the trees, the lake, the sky, I use the last breath in my lungs to whisper against him: “Save me… I don’t want to die.”

And then everything goes dark.