(Book 5) Hayden Mackay and The Pride of Haima-Endira

28.1 Scars and Bruises

One, two, three...

Celina barged out of the tunnel cutting through the seal. Thousands of beasts bellowed in the thunderous blast.,the entire territory erupting to life. Each one of them jumping over the other, making grunting and snuffling sounds with terrible hunger and impatience. A string of Formation she articulated in her mind, sliced the beasts up. Acid came pouring down, and the instant tornado coming on the wake of a giant twister repelled the slimy liquid out of her path and overturned the beasts away. A few sprinkles falling on her exposed skin tried to hold her back, but she kept pushing herself ahead, letting the breath out in ragged gasps.

The tornado twisting around her, with a rapid speed and more bounding motion, supported her to run faster, to heave off the rocks faster. During the last day of the Fest, the weather seemed to be a pretense for a snowfall, her own gale of wind felt quite chilly. Amidst the tempest the loom of the lighthouse appeared lackluster with the rise of the sun from behind it. She was almost there, the entrance concealed behind the seal was only a few feet away. She huffed and puffed, and with a heavy grunt, she dashed through the entrance.

She did not sweat for the details, but it was decipherable that the beast crashed against the seal letting out a wail of disappointment. Without looking back, she took a few moments to steady her jittery thoughts. Intaking long breaths helped her not to succumb to the nervous agitation plaguing in her heart. She dabbed her jacket, the parts of the Pride were indeed safely stuffed in the pocket. Having herself ready for another trial, she started up the stairs.

My Formation isn't going to work, she kept iterating in her mind. Combat was the only way left to attack. To snatch the Blade first was the idea and it had to be done meticulously. A few hours left for the Spine and Handle to return to their respective owners. With the varying degree of stress, she focussed on keeping her mind on high alert.

The chamber was silent, unlike last evening. She scanned through the lumber and piles of organs speedily. No Almourah. Right on! Now was her chance. With a kick, she ran inside. Finding a suitable location, she fell on her knee and rummaged through the lumber, her eyes darting around more widely with each passing second. The air reeked with the smell coming from the dead bodies. Creasing her brow, she created an instant aura around her. The caskets were being another obstacle. Using her explosive gust of wind, she tossed them against the wall. They made heavy cracking sounds but never broke or splintered.

She threw a fist in the air with frustration and stood up facing the window of the chamber. Her arm muscles strained with the effort she put on them. A few of the blisters popped and she cringed getting a leaking sensation. In the heavy silence, she thought of something to make herself feel less guilty for not being able to find the possession. Time was running out. Where else could the Blade be?

Then, an abnormally loud scraping sound echoed throughout the chamber. Celina looked down in horror and nearly gasped. The Blade, out of nowhere, came into the picture. It was being pushed towards her and rested at the spot near her feet. A tall black shadow fell upon her, seemingly daring her to pick it up. There was a low grunt and hard breathing. Her nerves tensed. He was here. She waited for a moment or two for him to make a move. But in the absolute stillness, when nothing happened, she took the chance and jerked to hunker down.

In the process, his monstrous hand caught hold of her sleeve. She screamed when his nails dug into her arm. Her head fiercely crashed against the wall, and she felt a pulsing throb as though the beginning of a migraine.

The silence fell back in the chamber until the cold, clammy hand pressed against her neck. He lifted her off the frozen ground. She choked before tilting her head, not wanting to commit to that feeling, the abnormalities that came with the stone. Once her eyes met his, she dared not to look away from those large bulbous eyes. Celina wondered if she was frozen.