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)
“And Algar?”
“He’s fine. Still a little out of it, but fine. We need to get you out of here.”
When Thane throws my arm over his shoulders and hauls me up against him, I bite back a pained cry. He crouches forward, assisting me out of the cave while keeping me close to his body.
Near the temple, I catch Rynthea sitting next to Algar. In the center of the field are five dead shadowhounds. One is so badly mutilated, I can’t tell which part is the head and which is the tail.
“How did you know what those were?” I ask as Thane guides us toward our friends.
“It’s one of Xaimur’s creations,” he answers. “Read about it during academics when I was with The Divine. Most people think they’re myths. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about how Xaimur created wicked creatures to combat Orvena’s virtue?”
“Yeah, I have.”
“Well, The Shallows wasn’t always a bad place, according to the books. This place was called Noreven once before. It was a paradise, and Orvena spent a lot of time here among the mortals. This is where Azidel resided.”
“Okay,” I reply with a groan. To keep him talking and to distract myself from the pain shooting in my thigh, I ask, “But what does that have to do with Xaimur?”
“Xaimur wasn’t pleased to know she was empowering the mortals. After all, how could he corrupt them if they were magical?” We dodge a puddle of wolf guts. “So he used his own magic to try and destroy the island, hence this massive crater we’re in. But Orvena took Azidel and hid him in a blessed temple. That temple.” He tips his head at Elphar’s temple, which is a short distance ahead. “Elphar was the son of Azidel, and he possessed magic, too. He traveled often and brought back a lot of food, goods, and treasure as a way to thank Orvena for protecting them. But I assume it all became too much. Xaimur kept throwing his creatures at Azidel in hopes of stealing his power. He killed off many mortals while this happened, so Azidel decided to send Elphar away from Noreven for good. No one truly knows what happened between Orvena and Azidel afterward, but what we do know is nothing created by Xaimur can enter that temple.”
“And you studied all of this?” I ask, side-eyeing him.
Thane places me on the ground next to Algar, who is resting his head on a large stone with his eyes closed. His skin looks ashen and devoid of its usual color.
“Yes.” Thane takes the wrap off of my thigh. “It’s healing. Good.”
I look down with him, watching the skin slowly stitch back together.
Rynthea lifts her head. Her chest is covered in blood, but her first wounds are slowly healing.
“Rynthea. Are you okay?” I ask.
“Stupid hound nicked me again, but I’ll be all right.” A grunt slips out of her as she wipes some of the blood off her buffers.
I put my focus on Algar. “Algar?”
He doesn’t budge.
Worry niggles at me. “Algar?” I try again.
Rynthea’s eyebrows pull together as she slides closer to him. “Hey. Algar?” She shakes him by the shoulder, causing his head to loll to the side.
“What happened to him?” I move closer, ignoring the lingering pain in my thigh.
“I don’t know. He was just fine,” Rynthea replies in a panicky voice.
Thane drops to one knee and gives Algar a thorough once-over. Then he pulls him forward by his shirt to reveal the back of his neck. I gasp, and Rynthea and I both lean backward when we see the slimy, bloated gray thing attached to his skin.
“Shit. It’s a leech.” Thane lifts a hand above Algar’s neck, and the leech’s skin sizzles before it falls off and curls into a crisp on the jungle floor. I back away as Thane uses his magic to flick it away from us.
“I’ve seen leeches,” Rynthea says, head shaking. “Never that size or that color.”
“Welcome to The Shallows,” Thane mutters. “Help me lay him all the way down.”
Rynthea helps place Algar flat on his back. His lips are now turning blue, and more of the color is draining from his face.
“It must’ve been venomous.” Thane opens Algar’s mouth to reveal yellow foam accumulating on the perimeter of his tongue.
“No.” My chest tightens. “How do we get it out of him?”
Panic begins to set in as we realize the severity of his situation.
Thane sighs, dropping his head. “I can draw it out…”
“Okay, so do it!” Rynthea demands, perched on her knees now.
“It’s not that simple,” Thane retorts. “He’s on the brink of death. To bring him back, that’ll require me to tap into full black magic.”
“Aren’t you already using that?” Rynthea questions with a frown. “With all the shadows that come off of you when you fight. Seems pretty black to me!”