winged shape circled in the air, descending quickly.
The noctith demon.
It was coming for me. Could I find cover in the tower? I looked toward
the caves, where light glinted from the shattered doorway, and my gut
clenched. Was the basilisk still in there, lurking in the shadows? I was
trapped between a demon that could put me to sleep and a monster that could
turn me to stone.
Think.
Heart pounding, I looked around wildly. Where was the Soul Knife?
Something glinted in the middle of the garden.
Whimpering in pain, I pulled myself to my feet and staggered forward. I
grasped the Soul Knife by the hilt and headed for one of the dark openings in
the face of the cliff, praying the basilisk wasn’t lying in wait. As I hobbled
forward, I called the shadows around me. I just needed enough time to get
inside.
The demon screeched above, and I could almost feel its wings vibrating
the air around me. With as much speed as I could manage, I turned and
ducked into the caves.
The earth shook behind me as the noctith demon landed at the edge of the
garden. On its back sat Kahanov. That fucker.
Though I was certain he couldn’t see me, he looked toward the caves
where I was hiding. “Savannah…you should be more careful. I need you
alive. Let’s not make this more painful than it needs to be.”
The noctith demon shrieked and swung its strange head left and right,
searching the garden with its hundreds of eerie, glowing eyes. I bit my lip
until I tasted blood to keep from screaming, and pulled the shadows closer.
“Fine,” the sorcerer called. “We can do this multiple ways. Nighty night.”
The demon emitted another piercing cry and exhaled a plume of pinkish
gas toward the caves. I looked around in desperation as the cloud billowed
toward me. Did I have to inhale it, or would contact alone knock me out?