Angelfire
Page 34
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"We meet again, Preliator!" the reaper said in a voice that shook the earth beneath me.
"El ie!" Kate cal ed from across the lawn. "Where are you?
Are you hurt?"
"We've got to get out of here," I said to Wil as I saw my friends stepping careful y through the broken window. They couldn't see either of us, or the reaper, while we were in the Grim, but I couldn't risk losing my concentration and slipping back into the mortal dimension where we'd be seen. Wil nodded and I sprang off, running through my neighbors' backyards to the woods at the end of my street. The reaper bounded after us, the thudding footfal s of his massive paws thundering through my skul . As we reached the trees, I could feel the reaper gaining on us. I ducked and spun, swiping a blade low. The reaper leaped into the air and over my head, landing twenty feet deeper in the woods. I stood with Wil right beside me and stared the reaper down.
"He's an ursid, El ie," Wil warned. "Be careful. He's stronger than the Lupines."
The reaper laughed, his voice bel owing deep, shaking the branches around him. "Don't you recognize me, Preliator?"
I looked at him careful y. "I've never fought you before. If I had, you'd be dead."
He laughed again, this time even louder. "I'm shocked you are so bold. We battled long ago. You see, I am the one who tasted your blood last."
He smiled a mouthful of saber fangs, his black eyes glistening in the moonlight.
A terrible memory came rushing back to me--memories of a dark basement, of eyes in the dark, of pain, excruciating pain. I remembered my vision fading to black, and I remembered dying. The reaper's black form lit with angelfire flashed like a movie on an old silver screen in my head and I cried out, staggering back into Wil .
"You!" I cried out, pointing the tip of my blade at the reaper.
"Oh, yes," he growled. "You tasted so sweet then, like sugar and blood and child flesh. I wonder if you stil taste just as good."
Fear grabbed me by the throat. "Wil --"
"I'm here." His voice was firm and kind.
The reaper stepped toward me. "I am Ragnuk, and I am going to eat you now." A glob of yel owed saliva fel from his mouth to the ground.
"You have to fight him, El ie," Wil said.
I was breathless with fright. "I don't--I can't--"
Ragnuk's jaw dropped and he roared, the mountain of muscle on his shoulders shuddering, and he charged forward. I screamed and threw my hands over my face, losing my swords. I looked up and found Wil above me, both his hands gripping the reaper's jaws, preventing him from crunching his teeth down on my head. Wil turned his face to me, and his eyes were bright as twin beacons.
"El ie, move!"
I obeyed and scrambled back through the dirt until I hit a tree. Releasing the reaper's face, Wil let his power explode, spiraling, twisting wisps of shadows. Ragnuk roared as he was sent flying, smashing into trees and ripping them, roots and al , out of the ground. Ragnuk landed on al fours, his talons ripping through the earth to stop his sliding, and then he thundered toward where I lay. He opened his mouth, his hot breath blasting me, and then Wil smashed the top of the reaper's head into the ground. The reaper twisted and raked his talons across Wil 's bel y. He cried out as his knees hit the ground.
"Wil !" I screamed, watching him fal .
Ragnuk turned his attention back to me. "I don't know why Bastian is so scared of your power," he rumbled. "You're just a trembling little mouse of a thing."
I shrieked, detonating my power, and the light and wind consumed me. The force of it blasted point-blank into the reaper, swal owing him in white smoky light, and sent him soaring away from me and slamming into trees like a pinbal until he dropped to the ground. He snarled in rage at having taken a second hit that hard.
I dived for my swords, but he was already in front of me. I looked up and gasped. He swiped, slashing my dress wide open at my bel y. I jumped back, lighting my blades, and swung, one blade slicing through his flesh. The reaper ignored the angelfire torching his wound, roared in rage, and smashed his skul into my body. I slammed into the tree next to me and both swords were knocked from my grip. I slid to the ground dizzily as Ragnuk pressed a paw hard into my chest, shoving my back into the tree behind me until I couldn't breathe.
"Bastian wants me to kil you before you stop us from getting the Enshi," the reaper hissed, blasting me with his hot, rancid breath. "With you out of the way for a few years, we won't have to worry about you spoiling our plans. And when you come back, Preliator, the Enshi wil be here waiting for you and you'l no longer be a threat. You won't even be a concern. Your destruction wil be your homecoming gift."
I gagged and wriggled so I could get enough air to speak.
"What is the Enshi?"
"Death," Ragnuk sneered. "The death of everything. The harbinger of the End of Days."
I punched Ragnuk in the face, and his head snapped to the side as he grunted. My fist crunched into his snout again with al my strength, and something cracked. He staggered and lifted his paw from my chest. I cried out and smashed my power into Ragnuk's leg. The thick bone snapped in half and he screamed, reeling back and releasing me. I col apsed, coughing and gasping for breath.
I climbed to my feet and rushed to Wil . The front of his shirt was drenched black with blood. I ripped his shirt open to stop the bleeding, but instead I stared at flawless skin.
"El ie!" Kate cal ed from across the lawn. "Where are you?
Are you hurt?"
"We've got to get out of here," I said to Wil as I saw my friends stepping careful y through the broken window. They couldn't see either of us, or the reaper, while we were in the Grim, but I couldn't risk losing my concentration and slipping back into the mortal dimension where we'd be seen. Wil nodded and I sprang off, running through my neighbors' backyards to the woods at the end of my street. The reaper bounded after us, the thudding footfal s of his massive paws thundering through my skul . As we reached the trees, I could feel the reaper gaining on us. I ducked and spun, swiping a blade low. The reaper leaped into the air and over my head, landing twenty feet deeper in the woods. I stood with Wil right beside me and stared the reaper down.
"He's an ursid, El ie," Wil warned. "Be careful. He's stronger than the Lupines."
The reaper laughed, his voice bel owing deep, shaking the branches around him. "Don't you recognize me, Preliator?"
I looked at him careful y. "I've never fought you before. If I had, you'd be dead."
He laughed again, this time even louder. "I'm shocked you are so bold. We battled long ago. You see, I am the one who tasted your blood last."
He smiled a mouthful of saber fangs, his black eyes glistening in the moonlight.
A terrible memory came rushing back to me--memories of a dark basement, of eyes in the dark, of pain, excruciating pain. I remembered my vision fading to black, and I remembered dying. The reaper's black form lit with angelfire flashed like a movie on an old silver screen in my head and I cried out, staggering back into Wil .
"You!" I cried out, pointing the tip of my blade at the reaper.
"Oh, yes," he growled. "You tasted so sweet then, like sugar and blood and child flesh. I wonder if you stil taste just as good."
Fear grabbed me by the throat. "Wil --"
"I'm here." His voice was firm and kind.
The reaper stepped toward me. "I am Ragnuk, and I am going to eat you now." A glob of yel owed saliva fel from his mouth to the ground.
"You have to fight him, El ie," Wil said.
I was breathless with fright. "I don't--I can't--"
Ragnuk's jaw dropped and he roared, the mountain of muscle on his shoulders shuddering, and he charged forward. I screamed and threw my hands over my face, losing my swords. I looked up and found Wil above me, both his hands gripping the reaper's jaws, preventing him from crunching his teeth down on my head. Wil turned his face to me, and his eyes were bright as twin beacons.
"El ie, move!"
I obeyed and scrambled back through the dirt until I hit a tree. Releasing the reaper's face, Wil let his power explode, spiraling, twisting wisps of shadows. Ragnuk roared as he was sent flying, smashing into trees and ripping them, roots and al , out of the ground. Ragnuk landed on al fours, his talons ripping through the earth to stop his sliding, and then he thundered toward where I lay. He opened his mouth, his hot breath blasting me, and then Wil smashed the top of the reaper's head into the ground. The reaper twisted and raked his talons across Wil 's bel y. He cried out as his knees hit the ground.
"Wil !" I screamed, watching him fal .
Ragnuk turned his attention back to me. "I don't know why Bastian is so scared of your power," he rumbled. "You're just a trembling little mouse of a thing."
I shrieked, detonating my power, and the light and wind consumed me. The force of it blasted point-blank into the reaper, swal owing him in white smoky light, and sent him soaring away from me and slamming into trees like a pinbal until he dropped to the ground. He snarled in rage at having taken a second hit that hard.
I dived for my swords, but he was already in front of me. I looked up and gasped. He swiped, slashing my dress wide open at my bel y. I jumped back, lighting my blades, and swung, one blade slicing through his flesh. The reaper ignored the angelfire torching his wound, roared in rage, and smashed his skul into my body. I slammed into the tree next to me and both swords were knocked from my grip. I slid to the ground dizzily as Ragnuk pressed a paw hard into my chest, shoving my back into the tree behind me until I couldn't breathe.
"Bastian wants me to kil you before you stop us from getting the Enshi," the reaper hissed, blasting me with his hot, rancid breath. "With you out of the way for a few years, we won't have to worry about you spoiling our plans. And when you come back, Preliator, the Enshi wil be here waiting for you and you'l no longer be a threat. You won't even be a concern. Your destruction wil be your homecoming gift."
I gagged and wriggled so I could get enough air to speak.
"What is the Enshi?"
"Death," Ragnuk sneered. "The death of everything. The harbinger of the End of Days."
I punched Ragnuk in the face, and his head snapped to the side as he grunted. My fist crunched into his snout again with al my strength, and something cracked. He staggered and lifted his paw from my chest. I cried out and smashed my power into Ragnuk's leg. The thick bone snapped in half and he screamed, reeling back and releasing me. I col apsed, coughing and gasping for breath.
I climbed to my feet and rushed to Wil . The front of his shirt was drenched black with blood. I ripped his shirt open to stop the bleeding, but instead I stared at flawless skin.
