Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 769(@200wpm)___ 615(@250wpm)___ 513(@300wpm)
The last one turns to search for me and Algar, charging in our direction again with an angry cry. Thane throws up his hands with a grunt, and the creature veers to the left, slamming into a tree trunk. It shakes off the blow, blinks, then opens its mouth to hiss louder at us.
And just like the serpent…it disappears.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Algar says under his breath. “That thing camouflages, too?”
Panicking, I sweep my gaze around the area.
Thane scans our surroundings while Rynthea holds on tight to her scythesword. I do the same with my dagger.
The jungle grows still as we wait.
Listen.
Then I feel it.
Hot air blows down my back, and that same acidic fear I tasted before floods my mouth again. Goose bumps spread over every inch of my skin as the heat of its breath grows hotter.
“B-behind me,” I stammer.
I don’t dare turn around, and I damn sure don’t move. Not until the animal hisses and Algar yells my name.
Before the creature can eat me alive, something yanks me off my feet. Thane uses his magic to push me away, and I land on my stomach as the creature reveals itself exactly where I was just standing. Thane launches forward with his hands illuminated in gold and shadows.
Rynthea roars as she slings her scythesword and hooks it through the creature’s jaw. When she yanks back and frees her weapon, the creature shrieks in pain. Its jaw has disconnected from its head, now dangling like loose skin. Thane climbs atop it and stabs it through the neck in a flurry of gold.
The creature buckles as Algar grips my waist from behind and hauls me to my feet.
“All good?” he asks, panting.
“Yeah.” With shaky hands, I dust dirt off my top and trousers.
Rynthea and Thane are finishing off the creature. After one final stab through the head from Thane, it falls.
Silence sweeps through the jungle again.
We pause, holding our breaths, waiting to see if anything else comes. Fortunately, the jungle remains still. No other creatures appear…but that doesn’t mean we’re any safer.
I shuffle to join Thane and Rynthea, a bit rattled.
“You okay?” Thane asks, stroking my jaw with his fingertips.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answer, though my hands are still shaking.
He studies me thoroughly, cupping one half of my face. When he accepts that I’m all right, he sighs and drops his hands. “Okay. Come on. Can’t waste any more time here.”
Algar pulls the sphere from his pocket as he blows out a relieved breath. “To the right, it says.”
Even though my legs feel like liquid, I follow him and the others. I have a feeling those serpents and six-eyed creatures were only the start of our problems.
There’s more out there. I can feel it.
Hopefully, we make it to the temple before anything else notices we’re around.
Chapter 51
Farther along, the air thickens and the temperature increases, producing a tiring humidity. The fabric of my tunic sticks to my back as a wave of thirst strikes me.
We trudge through the sand, half expecting something to pop out of it and grab us, but the Kelvanite Sphere keeps us from encountering any other danger. We follow Algar’s lead as he clings to the sphere. My boots sink with each step, and there are times I have to really yank my leg up so my foot comes out.
Algar hobbles a few more yards before stopping.
“Orvena bless,” I breathe, pressing my hands on my knees and drawing in a few deep breaths.
Algar studies the orb when Rynthea and I join him. We pull out our canteens to take a few swigs of water. As I swipe my hand over the back of my mouth, Thane meets up with us, and we all release a sigh as we stare at our next grueling challenge ahead.
The trees no longer stand upright but tilt forward like blown candles. I spot another cluster of trees at the very bottom of a deep, wide crater that only several large explosions could have made.
We’re at the rim of the bowl. I now understand how the island has gotten its name—from the shallow pit in the middle of it.
It’s here where the Temple of Elphar lies silent—ominous.
It’s where we need to be.
“There.” Thane points at the broken tips of a tan stone building swallowed up by trees in the distance. “That’s the Temple of Elphar.”
I feel my heartbeat pick up speed. We’re so close. I can’t believe this. Are we really going to make it? Orvena must be listening to my prayers.
Something red flashes in the corner of my eye, and I look at the sphere in Algar’s hand. The arrow is pointing to the left, in warning.
“What’s this thing doing?” Algar gives the sphere a shake. “Maybe its time has run out.”
Thane takes the sphere from him before facing the area it’s pointing to. “It’s giving us a warning.” Thane takes another step and squints his eyes. “There are stairs that way, but we shouldn’t take them.” The sphere flashes green again, and Thane faces the crater. “It’s pointing ahead. We have to go straight down.”