“Get clear, kid!” Veranix yelled.
The Tarian brought up his shield to block the arrow, which exploded in flame and smoke, knocking the brute back. Veranix took the moment to put up the bow and whip out the rope. He wrapped it around the kid in a cradle and pulled him away from the blast.
“Don’t you dare—” the Tarian shouted, as he tried to get to his feet.
“I got you, kid,” Veranix said. “Don’t worry.”
The Tarian charged at Veranix, shield down. Veranix jumped high out of the way, releasing the kid from the rope as he sailed over the brute.
“You’re not going to touch him,” Veranix said as he landed. He willed the rope around the Tarian’s arms, entangling him. Despite being roped up, he dropped the shield and tried to reach the child with those monstrously huge hands. Veranix poured magic into the rope and his legs, to anchor himself to the ground.
“I’m not going to let you take him,” the Tarian said. He flexed his arms, and despite Veranix magicking the rope to be iron-hard, he yanked it out of Veranix’s hands. He turned on Veranix, anger in his eyes. His arms were still bound, but he moved like a cat.
“Well, you can’t have him,” Veranix said. “I’m firm on that.” He shrouded himself and jumped high, sweetening the jump with magic. Bow out, arrows nocked and loosed: one, two, three. No tricks on these, just razor-sharp tips to bury into the brute’s huge chest.
The Tarian spun and dodged; none of those arrows found their target. With a great shout of pain, he wrenched one arm free from the rope and picked up the shield. He hurled it, flying out of his hands like a runaway horse, to the exact place Veranix was landing. Veranix took the shield full in the chest, and with no footing on the ground, was knocked into the wall. He barely had a chance to push out magically and cushion the blow. It still hurt like blazes.
“That’s how you want to be, Tarian,” Veranix said, kicking the shield away. “Then let’s really bring the fight.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” the Tarian said.
“Feeling isn’t mutual,” Veranix said. “I won’t let you take any more children.” He nocked another arrow, despite his chest screaming as he drew back.
“Take children?” the Tarian said, looking aghast. “I’m trying to rescue them!”
“Then why are you working for Fenmere?” Veranix held the arrow back, but he slowly fed magic into his arm, into the arrow, so when it flew it would go as fast as lightning. No dodging this time. It would tear through the Tarian like a stone in the water.
“I’m not! Whatever he’s doing, I want to stop!”
“Then who’s the giant stealing children, if not you?” The arrow was full of magic, ready to send this bastard to meet his sinners.
“Gurond!” A horrifying voice bellowed from one of the other tunnels. A lumbering body to match it came pounding into the chamber, a beast that easily towered over even this Tarian. The boy, huddled in a corner, screamed and ran off. The creature came full into view—gray skin, twisted mouth, inhumanly muscled. “Gurond will take children for the Brotherhood!”
Veranix didn’t hesitate to let that killer arrow fly at the beast. It shot out faster than Veranix could see, so fast the room echoed with thunder, and slammed into Gurond’s chest.
It didn’t even slow him down.
Chapter 12
JERINNE FOUGHT DOWN HER INSTINCTS to do something stupid.
She knew which tunnel Lin and Maresh had been taken down—these beasts weren’t exactly trying to hide their trail—and she wanted to just charge after them and take down every one of the bastards to rescue her friends.
That would be stupid, though.
Time to think it through. What would Dayne do? What would Amaya do?
Fight smarter. That’s what Amaya would do.
First step was to assess herself, what she had, how she was. Be ready for the next fight. She went through her pack, as well as Lin’s, which she found on the ground. Two canteens of water, some bread and dried meat. She had no idea what time it was—at least five or six bells—but she was hungry. Drink one canteen, eat the food. Keep her strength up.
Lin had brought a rope, lamps and oil, strips of cloth.
For bandages. Rutting blazes, Lin was thinking. Why hadn’t she been?
Jerinne checked herself. She had taken a few hits. Her jaw ached, but none of her teeth felt loose. Bruising on her left side, but not too tender. Shallow slice on her right. She cleaned the wound and wrapped it as best she could. She had hurt her hip somehow. She took a moment to remember the stretches Raila had taught her, work the joint. After a few stretches, she heard a satisfying pop from her hip, and a fair amount of the pain faded. As good as she could hope down here.
Raila. What was she doing right now? Back at the barracks? At the baths? Wondering where Jerinne was?
Jerinne’s thoughts were filled with the icy realization that she could very well die down here, deep underground at the hands of some horrific misshapen creatures. She might never see Raila Gendon again. Never even try to kiss her. She still had no idea if Raila would welcome that, or react with as much terror as Jerinne had to these beasts. Jerinne would probably be kicked out of her Initiacy for that. Was that what had happened to Fredelle Pence?
No, Raila was nothing if not kind. At worst, she would demurely, respectfully break Jerinne’s heart with quiet words of disinterest.
That was what would most likely happen. Jerinne had never seen anything but friendship in Raila’s eyes. Certainly not the excitement or electric joy she saw every
