Page 8
Sterling’s jaw drops as he surveys the scene. “What in the three hells?”
Gleaming copper-colored feathers enter my field of vision as Agnar appears at my other side. Captain Fitz and his guards assume a protective formation around us.
As we approach, the picture sharpens.
Ziva save us.
The massive stone warriors sculpted centuries ago that stand outside the temple walls and symbolize the Victory Goddesses’ protection have come alive.
Granite limbs swing with speed and precision, cutting into the fleeing crowd like a scythe through wheat.
“The military should be right behind us.” In the face of such chaos, the words feel hollow. “The healers too.”
As we descend, a man unfurls his wings and attempts to soar upward. A giant fist immediately knocks him from the sky, and he plummets to the road below.
“Fuck,” Sterling growls.
My thoughts exactly. Help might be on the way, but we can’t wait.
People are dying.
As we near the destruction, the primal, raw-throated shrieks grow louder. They mingle with a harsh, stone-on-stone scraping noise that sets my teeth on edge.
The smell hits me next.
Dust, blood, and fear. A combination that flares my nostrils and stirs the magic beneath my skin. The reek of battle.
We take care to land well beyond the monsters’ reach. The temple courtyard stretches before us, the pristine white marble steps now slick with blood. Bodies lie crumpled at unnatural angles. Some twitch, reaching out with feeble limbs as we pass. Others are deathly still.
A knot forms in my throat.
“This isn’t right.” My voice cracks. “The Victory Goddesses always choose glory over bloodshed. They’re fierce but fair and favor honorable combat.”
Agnar tucks his copper wings in tight behind him and draws his sword. “Maybe someone needs to remind them, then, because they seem pretty bloodthirsty to me.” We watch a stone warrior pursue a group of fleeing pilgrims.
A thunderous crack rattles the earth.
With our weapons raised, we whirl as one to find another stone warrior shuddering to life. Then another. Cracks spiderweb across their immense bodies as the warriors wrench free of the pedestals that served as their centuries-old posts.
The ground trembles beneath my feet as the stone giants leap off those pedestals. Dust cascades everywhere. A fresh wave of shrieks pierces the air as townsfolk scatter in renewed panic.
Stone fists the size of newborn foals smash into the temple’s outer walls. Shattered masonry rains down and pelts the ground.
Another warrior stomps forward and backhands a knot of armed townsfolk escaping for the town gates. Their bodies fly through the air like broken dolls.
“Get inside!” Sterling gestures to the absconding crowds. “Any building! They’re only attacking people they can see.”
Huddling against a vendor’s cart, a mother clutches an infant to her chest and clings to a toddler’s hand. The father stands in front of his family, protecting them with his own body as a warrior pivots toward them.
Somehow, its featureless face manages to radiate malice.
The man attacks with strong air magic, but the powerful gust does nothing to slow the monster.
Heat rushes from my blood to my skin, and I thrust my hands forward. A blazing torrent of fire streams from my fingertips. The inferno strikes the warrior square in the chest, the heat so intense that it draws sweat to my own face.
I hold my breath as the warrior staggers, my flames licking across its granite body.
Please, please, please…
