The Consequences of Coerced Evolution (Book 1 in the Legends of Erosvold)

CHAPTER 11

The rush of wind from the wings hit Evi and knocked her backward. As her spine connected with the sand, time caught up to itself. The sand creature pushed itself higher into the air, turning its head to take in the three people at its feet. Evi propped herself up onto her elbows, watching and waiting to see if the creature would be a threat. She had no doubts it would be, but before doing anything rash, she had to make sure. If the Universe liked her in any way, the thing would turn out to be a helpful guide and point them in the direction of salvation.

Unsurprisingly, those hopes were dashed when the creature's feet morphed into talons and it focused its gaze on her. There wasn't much detail on the thing's face, but there was enough for her to see the eyes narrow as they took her in. The head moved forward and the wings angled upward.

With as much quickness as she could muster, she shoved herself to one side and rolled across the dunes. She felt and heard the creature thump into the area she had just occupied, and that encouraged her to keep rolling. It wouldn't take long for the thing to recover and get back into the air, leaving her vulnerable and unable to defend herself. She stopped abruptly and slammed her hands together. The sword extended from her palms just as the creature lunged at her, skimming across the surface, using its hands to pull itself along. Swiping through the air, she caught the thing right in the face. The sand exploded beneath the blade, blowing directly into her eyes. She squeezed her eyelids together and attempted to roll away. She didn't get far before she felt warm hands under her armpits helping her to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Byron's voice seemed overly loud since his mouth was right next to her ear.

Blinking and wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands, she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and away from any danger. While she hoped her blow was a fatal one, she doubted incredibly highly that it had been. The thing was made of sand. How hard would it be to gather more from the vast resources around it and put itself back together? As her vision cleared, it became apparent that her suspicions had been correct. The sand being had pulled its head back together and flapped its wings to become airborne once again.

This time, it pointed its sharp feet directly at Evi and folded its wings above its head. It dove straight for her at speeds that were almost too fast to dodge. Thankfully, Byron was with her to help move her out of the way, and only her shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the being's sharp talons. She grunted as she once again connected with the sand. Pain burned through her flesh.

She turned to see the creature slam into the ground. It disappeared into the sand as its body connected with force. Evi scrambled to her feet, watching as the sand shivered and waved and reformed into the humanoid form. She moved into a fighting stance with her feet shoulder-width apart, her knees slightly bent, and the sword held out in front of her. Byron was on his feet to her right, his sword also extended.

The creature turned, hovering in the air in front of her. Half of its mouth turned upward, and it spun in the air, stirring up more sand and dust, forming a small dirt devil around Evi and Byron. Using her hand to protect her eyes, she tried to keep her vision clear, but it was an endeavor that couldn't succeed. She turned her head.

A massive weight slammed into the side of her body and knocked her off her feet. The air was pushed from her lungs, and her other shoulder was shoved painfully into the sand. Tears ran out of her eyes, both from the hurt that coursed through her body and the sand that scraped her corneas. The weight settled onto her body, pushing her further into the sand and making it extremely difficult for air to enter her lungs. She hiccuped in oxygen and sand, but it wasn't enough. Black dots danced in front of her eyes. She attempted to raise the sword, but her arm was pinned down by a taloned foot. The creature had fluidity when it was beneficial, but it was also incredibly solid, and Evi felt every bit of its mass as it held her down.