Read Online Dearest Mother of Mine (Overworld Chronicles) by John Corwin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John Corwin
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adjusted, and I saw what Bella had pointed out. A yellow glow, like a campfire, flickered ahead. If I was any judge of distance, that put it about where Lornicus had marked the map.
"That's where we're going," I said. I heard another cherub cry out and my teeth chattered in response. "Can we get the lights back on, Adam?"
The glowballs burst into light. I noticed Shelton huddled tight against Bella. The petite dhampyr wore an amused smile.
"Don't worry, dear, I'll keep you safe."
Shelton growled.
We moved ahead. As we drew closer to the wisps marking the cherubs, they began to move toward us in a wobbling motion. The first cherub waddled in, the white light reflecting off the glossy black flesh. A circular orifice lined opened in the featureless face. "Dah nah," it cried, holding nubby little hands out to us. "Dah nah!"
My butt cheeks clenched tight as a bank vault. "Don't let that thing touch you."
Elyssa sprang into motion, spinning her quarterstaff so fast, it blurred like a propeller. She connected with the cherubs head. There was a meaty THWACK and the creature flew into parts unknown, vanishing into the dark. Two more cherubs walked into the circle of light. My ninja girl handled them with equal aplomb, sending their bodies careening away, their tortured cries vanishing into the dark.
"Justin, I see something," Cinder said, pointing to the side.
We sent a glowball that way and found a still form in a gray suit. The body was crushed.
"One of my kind," Cinder said, kneeling to inspect the motionless form. "Something very large ran him over."
"Leyworms," I said.
"Maybe we should run away," Shelton said.
"We're almost there." Adam gazed toward our destination. "Besides, Elyssa is pretty handy with that staff."
"I don't know about a staff versus a leyworm," Elyssa said.
"We've come this far," Meghan said. She hadn't said much, choosing to remain in the center, her staff held ready.
"Fine, fine," Shelton grumbled. "Lead on, Pocahontas."
Elyssa narrowed her eyes at him.
We pressed forward. The low groans I'd heard grew louder. While they weren't quite monstrous bellows of anger, they still made my stomach clench. After clearing the path of a few more stray cherubs, we finally found the source of the light. A slab of polished obsidian took over from the stone cavern floor, and a yellow nimbus provided a dim light by which to see. Giant scaled forms lay in the center. Parietal eyes big as boulders blinked at us. A long narrow muzzle opened wide, revealing jagged black shards and a dull yellow glow deep in its maw.
The leyworm hissed.
Ruby red slits appeared in the dark to the side of the first creature, opening wider, regarding us. The earth dragon rumbled. The first one seemed to reply with a low groan and hiss.
"We should probably keep a safe distance," Adam said, sending the glowballs higher, bolstering the yellow light suffusing the air.
The first leyworm suddenly threw its head back and let out a shrieking roar as if it were in intense pain. The creature loomed as tall as a two-story building. A person could drive a monster truck down its throat and it probably wouldn't notice. What could cause something so huge such pain?
I shifted to my incubus sight. What I saw made me gasp. A river of aether flowed through the ground beneath the obsidian slab. The leyworm was funneling nearly all of it into its body. A flash of brilliant white exploded from the creature's mouth, and it made a horrible gagging noise. Something very small jettisoned from the giant's maw, landed, and rolled on the floor to stop a little more than a hundred feet away. The tiny figure opened its mouth and cried. I felt my mouth drop open as I looked at what appeared to be a baby. As it continued to wail, tiny puffs of white blazed on its back, fluttering. This was no ordinary baby.
It was an angel.
Chapter 7
"You gotta be kidding me!" Shelton said.
"We can't just leave it there," Elyssa said, already running toward the
"That's where we're going," I said. I heard another cherub cry out and my teeth chattered in response. "Can we get the lights back on, Adam?"
The glowballs burst into light. I noticed Shelton huddled tight against Bella. The petite dhampyr wore an amused smile.
"Don't worry, dear, I'll keep you safe."
Shelton growled.
We moved ahead. As we drew closer to the wisps marking the cherubs, they began to move toward us in a wobbling motion. The first cherub waddled in, the white light reflecting off the glossy black flesh. A circular orifice lined opened in the featureless face. "Dah nah," it cried, holding nubby little hands out to us. "Dah nah!"
My butt cheeks clenched tight as a bank vault. "Don't let that thing touch you."
Elyssa sprang into motion, spinning her quarterstaff so fast, it blurred like a propeller. She connected with the cherubs head. There was a meaty THWACK and the creature flew into parts unknown, vanishing into the dark. Two more cherubs walked into the circle of light. My ninja girl handled them with equal aplomb, sending their bodies careening away, their tortured cries vanishing into the dark.
"Justin, I see something," Cinder said, pointing to the side.
We sent a glowball that way and found a still form in a gray suit. The body was crushed.
"One of my kind," Cinder said, kneeling to inspect the motionless form. "Something very large ran him over."
"Leyworms," I said.
"Maybe we should run away," Shelton said.
"We're almost there." Adam gazed toward our destination. "Besides, Elyssa is pretty handy with that staff."
"I don't know about a staff versus a leyworm," Elyssa said.
"We've come this far," Meghan said. She hadn't said much, choosing to remain in the center, her staff held ready.
"Fine, fine," Shelton grumbled. "Lead on, Pocahontas."
Elyssa narrowed her eyes at him.
We pressed forward. The low groans I'd heard grew louder. While they weren't quite monstrous bellows of anger, they still made my stomach clench. After clearing the path of a few more stray cherubs, we finally found the source of the light. A slab of polished obsidian took over from the stone cavern floor, and a yellow nimbus provided a dim light by which to see. Giant scaled forms lay in the center. Parietal eyes big as boulders blinked at us. A long narrow muzzle opened wide, revealing jagged black shards and a dull yellow glow deep in its maw.
The leyworm hissed.
Ruby red slits appeared in the dark to the side of the first creature, opening wider, regarding us. The earth dragon rumbled. The first one seemed to reply with a low groan and hiss.
"We should probably keep a safe distance," Adam said, sending the glowballs higher, bolstering the yellow light suffusing the air.
The first leyworm suddenly threw its head back and let out a shrieking roar as if it were in intense pain. The creature loomed as tall as a two-story building. A person could drive a monster truck down its throat and it probably wouldn't notice. What could cause something so huge such pain?
I shifted to my incubus sight. What I saw made me gasp. A river of aether flowed through the ground beneath the obsidian slab. The leyworm was funneling nearly all of it into its body. A flash of brilliant white exploded from the creature's mouth, and it made a horrible gagging noise. Something very small jettisoned from the giant's maw, landed, and rolled on the floor to stop a little more than a hundred feet away. The tiny figure opened its mouth and cried. I felt my mouth drop open as I looked at what appeared to be a baby. As it continued to wail, tiny puffs of white blazed on its back, fluttering. This was no ordinary baby.
It was an angel.
Chapter 7
"You gotta be kidding me!" Shelton said.
"We can't just leave it there," Elyssa said, already running toward the
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