"Don't look!"
Khione screams, struggling against Malfoy's grip, even as he drags her away from the crest of the dune. "Arioch, don't—"
Malfoy's hand clamps down over her mouth — and she sinks her teeth in but he doesn't flinch, keeping her head pressed to his chest.
"Let him die," he hisses in her ear, releasing her as soon as they've moved further down the opposite side of the dune from the snake. "He'll distract it."
She glares up at him. "He does not die."
Malfoy blinks, taken aback. "What? Didn't he kill your mother? Or something along the lines of—"
Khione twists on her heel, already heading for the top of the dune again, ignoring him. Malfoy reaches out and grips her elbow.
"Khione," he says. "You can't fight what you can't see."
She pauses, staring up at the crest of the dune.
"If he isn't already dead," Malfoy tells her, quietly, "he will be soon. It's a clear shot for us."
Khione considers it — and then casts a glance at him over her shoulder. "If he's not already dead, I will make sure he lives. And you," she sends him a smile and he blinks, eyes dropping to it like it distracts him, "will do everything in your power to make sure I do."
And then she's gone, racing up the dune, keeping her eyes downcast on the sand as she hits the peak.
It's no easy task — the urge to look is strong — but the snake is so enormous that she can see it quite clearly without looking at it directly. It was slow to stir to life — but now, it raises to its full height, its head swinging in the direction of the dune she currently stands on.
Terror strikes through her like a match and she breathes in deep, eyes searching for Arioch. He's halfway down the dune, having slipped, it seems, his right leg dragging against the sand as he tries to haul himself up.
So he wasn't Petrified and killed. Good.
Khione slides down the dune, gritting her teeth at how the sands shift underneath her feet. It's like walking on water, every step threatening to send her tumbling down the tall dune. But she manages to keep her balance until she reaches Arioch and hauls him up with all her strength.
His eyes find her, wide and shining with fear, and she shakes him.
"We have to run," she says as Malfoy skids to a stop behind her. She tries to tamp down the surge of relief at his presence. "Don't look at it."
Malfoy's hand is warm against her elbow and she turns, blinking sand out of her eyes. He looks down at her, mouth set in a grim line and offers her his other palm.
"Bite," he breathes, so quiet she can barely hear him over the sounds of shifting sands as the basilisk begins to move. "Quick."
Khione doesn't question it. Only sinks her teeth into his palm until she tastes blood, eyes on his.
She withdraws — and Malfoy's already sliding down the dune, sand spraying in his wake.
She licks her lips, tastes his blood and feels shivers slip down her spine.
But her attention snaps back to reality when Arioch grips her hand in his, tugging her in the opposite direction to where Malfoy went.
"What—" Khione begins — but then there's a sharp movement in the corner of her vision and on instinct, she lunges backwards, shoving Arioch forward as she does so.
YOU ARE READING
vicious [d.m]
Fanfickhione is on the hunt for blood - draco is on the hunt for her. [summary inside] cover by @haruhiifowl