A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire 1)

The waters had been free of pollutants ever since.

But there was no Phanos in the water, as far as I knew. And still, what I saw stopped my heart. In the bay, a supply ship had been ripped in two, across the center, sinking beneath the surface of the violently churning waters.

Another ship rocked unsteadily as men struggled with the vessel’s rigging, shouting at one another. Wooden dinghies, from those who must’ve gone out to help those on the fallen ship now floated overturned in the rough waters. I saw no person swimming or treading water, and I thought of what Nyktos and I had sensed at the gate.

Death.

Something was in that water. The guards lining the wall had their arrows nocked and pointed.

“Holy fuck.” Rhain drew up short in front of me.

I saw them then as they broke the dark, glimmering surface of the bay.

My lips parted. Good gods, they were the size of horses, climbing up the sides of the ships, their heavily muscled bodies glistening like midnight oil. The ships docked in the harbor trembled as if they were saplings. Wood cracked and splintered under their grips. Their feet punched holes through the decks.

I had never seen one outside of sketches in the heavy tomes that dealt with Iliseeum, but I knew they were dakkais—a race of vicious, flesh-eating creatures, rumored to have been birthed from bottomless pits located somewhere in Iliseeum.

Featureless except for gaping mouths full of jagged teeth, they were rumored to be one of the most vicious creatures that existed in Iliseeum.

“Why are they here?” I looked over at Rhain.

“They are like trained bloodhounds, able to sense eather. They’re drawn to it.” The god’s luminous gaze landed on me. “Whoever sent them, sent them here for you.”

I turned back to the docks. A sickening horror settled in my stomach. The dakkias would reach the city in no time, and there was nothing between them and the homes on that hill, where many still desperately tried to gain higher ground. They came for me, and innocent people could die—

A flash of sudden, bright light streaked through the sky, blinding me. I stumbled back against stone as a whooping cry went up from the guards. They leapt onto the ledge of the wall, kneeling as they took aim with bows and arrows.

The shrill pitch of a scream spun me back to the harbor just in time to see an arrow strike a dakkai in the head. It fell back, exploding into nothing, just as the Hunters had. Another arrow struck a second dakkai as it reached the top of the bluff—the bluff, where there was no protection. The arrows were coming from there. I twisted, and my legs almost gave out on me.

Five massive black steeds erupted from the mist, their hooves shattering rock as they sped down the bluff. Nyktos. He and the other four rose onto the backs of their horses, kneeling in a crouch as they fired arrows at the dakkais. The one cloaked, who had joined them as they left the gates, stood completely upright, the force of the steep descent lifting the hood, revealing a thick braid the color of the darkest hour of night. It was a female who fired the next arrow, standing astride her horse.

“Fucking Bele,” Rhain muttered with a grin as he leapt onto a nearby ledge, drawing an arrow tight. “Is there ever a time when she doesn’t like to show off?”

That was Bele?

A volley of arrows was released, and I snapped into action. I grabbed a bow and an arrow from a nearby quiver, quickly nocking it like Sir Holland had taught me so many years ago.

As Nyktos broke to the front, I pulled the string back and took aim, firing an arrow. Several of the dakkais rushed the sailors who’d made it to the piers, apparently unaware that their ships were far safer. I released another arrow and then watched it cut through the night, smacking into the back of the dakkai’s head. My lip curled as the thing shattered into nothing.

“Who?” I asked, nocking another arrow. I truly didn’t understand what I was seeing. “Who do you think sent them?”

Rhain fired a second after me. He twisted, grabbing another arrow. “They’re pets of the Court of Dalos.”

My breath thinned. Kolis. I still hadn’t processed what I’d learned about him. I fired, striking one of the beasts as it reached the bluff.

Several more dakkais took notice of the sailors, who scrambled to get back to their ship. A man screamed as one of the dakkais launched itself onto where he clung to the side of the boat. I let the arrow fly, striking the dakkai in the back before it could land on the sailor. The creature exploded as it fell back into the waters.