From the Ashes

Chapter 38 ~ The Sword Immortal

    Tarion tapped his fingers against his arm, doing his best to keep his jaw relaxed. He'd been grinding his teeth ever since Morana left and had only noticed after his mouth began to ache. He couldn't assuage his worries though. Morana had been gone for almost an hour.

    He didn't expect her to find the sword quickly, but she couldn't spend the rest of the day underwater. She'd have to surface multiple times for air and depending on how deep the Mouth went, she might not even be able to reach the sword without the pressure crushing her body.

    Suppose it had happened already? Tarion glanced toward the crashing waves. She'd told him she could swim, but how well? What if she'd already been pushed against the rocks? What if there were dangerous creatures in the water? What if she'd been trapped below the surface and had drowned? His mouth ran dry.

    Just as he'd made up his mind to dive down after her, approaching voices caught his attention. He whirled, spying the patrol of Corrupted Fae. Ten in total, and they'd already seen him. There was nowhere to hide here, something he had been counting on. Tarion reached for his magic as the Fae prowled closer. Four of them shifted, two wolves, a lion, and a panther.

    "Where's your patrol?" The head of the group called to him. "No one is to leave the Isle without direct orders to do so."

    "I'm usually the exception," Tarion replied, cocking his head as he flashed her a smirk that never failed to irritate its recipient.

    "What's your name, Rogue?" She demanded, already brandishing a sword.

    "You just guessed it." Tarion struck out with a hand and magic blasted into her chest, sending her flying backwards. He took off running up the cliffside. Bowstrings twanged as two of the Blood Fae fired on him. A shield blazed around him and the arrows pelted against it.

    Tarion kept running but risked a glance back. All of the Fae were chasing him. Good, that meant they hadn't scented Morana, and now the remaining traces of her scent were buried beneath ten more. Tarion put on another burst of speed as heavy paws crashed through patches of dried undergrowth.

    A yowl echoed behind him and he dove to the ground, barely dodging the golden lion whose maw was snapping at his head. He stumbled upright as magic seared past his shoulder, glancing off his shield. The blow jolted through him and Tarion patched the cracking spot in his defenses as swiftly as he could.

    They were nearing the last open stretch of land before trees rose up once more. Unless he wanted to be hunted through the forest, he'd have to stick to the open ground and let them attack him outright. But the forest could work to his advantage just as much as theirs, and with daylight already fading, he didn't want to risk being too close to the cliff's edge. 

    Tarion veered into the tree line and heard the other Corrupted Fae's footsteps following. He gulped down air and twisted behind a large trunk, attempting to quiet his racing heartbeat. One by one, the Fae entered the forest and split off in different directions to search for him. Tarion waited until they were past his hiding spot before he swung himself up into the tree branches.

    He crept from bough to bough without even the rustle of a dry leaf to give away his position. Not far from him, the sleek black panther was also picking his way through the branches. Tarion slid Morana's dagger free and took aim. The panther heard the whistle of wind too late.

    The dagger buried itself up to the hilt in the panther's throat and he crashed out of the tree limbs. Tarion leaped down and hurtled towards the Fae as he shifted back into his normal form, about to pull the blade free. Tarion slid to his knees and grabbed the dagger's hilt before the Corrupted Fae could.