The Price She Paid: Shadow & Bone (Book 2)

Chapter 23: Shadow Monsters.

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The roof above us shattered. I stumbled backwards, throwing up my arms to shield my head as glass came down on us like rain.

Screams filled the ballroom as the shadows fell, landing on the shiny marble floor. I watched in horror as the shadows formed in front of me, taking on the shape of a man that was three sizes to large. Their only distinctive feature was their glowing red eyes.

Nichevo'ya.

This is for you, the voice whispered inside my head.

The Nichevo'ya both turned at once, setting their sights on Vasily. They moved in the blink of an eye, both of them grabbing either end of him and pulling. The sound of his flesh tearing filled the large room, echoing off the stone walls. Something wet and warm splashed up at me, causing me to flinch back. Vasily's screams stopped suddenly, as the shadows dropped his decapitated body onto the ballroom floor.

I lowered my hands and that's when I realized it was his blood that had got on me.

"No!" Queen Tatiana wailed.

First army soldiers appeared all at once, shooting at the shadow monsters, trying to take them down. The bullets simply passed through them, doing nothing but angering them farther.

One of the Nichevo'ya broke away from the crowd. I followed its gaze and saw it had set its sight on the King. He was in a chair, still a drooling, blubbering mess.

"We have to get out of here!" Mal caught my arm, trying to pull me back. I watched as the Nichevo'ya crushed the King's body in its fist, killing him in an instant. "Evelynn!"

The Nichevo'ya were aiming for the Lantsov's.

The Queen screamed. I turned just in time to see another Nichevo'ya materialize, heading straight to where Nikolai was struggling to hold his mother back.

"Nikolai run!"

I yanked my arm out of Mal's grasp and summoned. I called on the light and it answered. I shot it towards the Nichevo'ya. The second my light touched the shadows it screamed and cowered away. I watched as its shadow body thinned, as if the light was forcing it apart. I lashed out with another shot of sunlight and watched as the shadows vanished into the air.

The other Nichevo'ya turned to take its place. A gust of wind blew through the room, pulling at the shadows and thinning them out. The Nichevo'ya made a swipe for a nearby solider, but the shadows passed through him, as if they were nothing.

"They need to be solid to make contact!" Nadia warned. 

"Come on, I know a way out!" Tamar announced.

"What about Nikolai?" I demanded, searching the room for him.

I couldn't leave without him, I wouldn't.

"He's already gone, he'll meet us there."

"If these are Kirigan's creatures he must be close enough to be controlling them!" Adrik explained, joining us as we tried to find a way out of the ballroom.

"If he's close by, maybe we can end this," Nadia agreed.

"No, we regroup elsewhere for a counterattack," Tamar argued.

Mal shoved one of the side doors open and we spilled into the hall. The sound of screams got louder. I turned and saw one of the first army soldiers running in the opposite direction.

"The Darkling's Grisha are here, the place is surrounded!" He screamed.

"Fuck, okay we have to get—" Mal cut off suddenly, his expression twisting in pain. He collapsed to his knees, a scream tearing free from his lips.