cobra head crumples, unconscious. Meanwhile, the silver head combusts and falls over, dead. That thingâs not regenerating, ever.
Two heads out of commission, one to go.
Unfortunately, the lizard head remains awake, alive, and beyond pissed. It turns to me, smoke curling from its nostrils. I know what this means. Attack by fire. Even with only one head on the offensive, I donât stand much of a chance to outrun it. Plus, my body armor can only hold out for so long under flames.
I summon another lightning bolt from the sky. This time, Chimera is ready and easily leaps out of the way. The bolt strikes right in the center of Charybdis instead of Chimera. An ear-piercing crack echoes through the air.
In some recess of my mind, I know this isnât right. Iâve studied Charybdis for years and Iâve never heard anything like this. That said, Iâve never struck it with lightning, either. I donât have time to wonder, though. Thereâs a badass dragon coming after me.
Chimera rounds on me, opens his jaws wide, and unleashes a tidal wave of fire in my direction. My blood pumps so hard with terror and fury, I can hear it roaring in my ears. White-hot flames instantly encase my body. Hunching down, I summon fresh lightning and hope like hell that itâll knock out the last head, too.
Turns out, I didnât need to bother.
At that moment, huge golden shapes appear in the night sky.
Dragons.
This time, itâs the Kathikon, the Emperorâs personal guard. I exhale a relieved breath. Tempest will be with them, too. A low buzz of excitement zings through my nervous system. Finally, Iâm feeling some decent battle rush.
Iâm not the only one who spies the newcomers. Chimera glares at the sky, growls, and then shakes out his back. Huge black wings unfold from his spine, stretching out across the desert floor. They begin to beat in a regular rhythm, stirring up sand as Chimeraâs huge bulk rises into the sky. For a time, the dragons swirl and dive above me. Chimera hasnât lost any of his skill in the air. He evades Tempest and his Kathikon as they chase him across the stars.
Hope they catch him.
I stand there for who knows how long, staring at the dark sky. At some point, the dark clouds roll away and the sands return to their normal shade of brown. I stumble into my lawn chair and find myself staring at Charybdis again. Fighting Chimera shouldâve been the big battle I was waiting for. My gut tells me thereâs more to come.
An even better fight, actually.
Plus, I donât yet know what created those blue lights. And the sound from Charybdis when the lightning hit it? That cracking noise was like a cage bursting open.
Tyberius returns to my side. His voice fades in and out of my thoughts. Iâm pretty sure the guys are with him now, too. They chatter away at me, and I give one-word answers whenever I can. Somewhere along the line, the sun creeps up the horizon. Itâs morning. Uther hands me a lukewarm beer. Breakfast of champions.
âThanks, man,â I say.
âSo, weâre still waiting here?â asks Uth.
I roll the bottle between my palms. The movement is calming. âThatâs the plan.â
Uther inhales a long breath, and I know heâs about to give me another âtalk to meâ speech like Ty did. Iâm in no mood to hear it.
Thankfully, he never gets the chance.
Once again, blue lights flicker under the desert sands. Electric excitement zooms through my body. With a low hiss, Charybdis collapses in on itself and the sand disappears in a kind of sinkhole. More blue lights pour out from the earth, reminding me of a sapphire searchlight that reaches toward the sky.
My inner wrath sense goes berserk. Battle fever heats every inch of my soul. I leap to my feet, my limbs humming with so much energy, I wonder if my skin can hold it inside. Looking down, I see the beer bottle stays firmly gripped in my right hand. I twist off
Two heads out of commission, one to go.
Unfortunately, the lizard head remains awake, alive, and beyond pissed. It turns to me, smoke curling from its nostrils. I know what this means. Attack by fire. Even with only one head on the offensive, I donât stand much of a chance to outrun it. Plus, my body armor can only hold out for so long under flames.
I summon another lightning bolt from the sky. This time, Chimera is ready and easily leaps out of the way. The bolt strikes right in the center of Charybdis instead of Chimera. An ear-piercing crack echoes through the air.
In some recess of my mind, I know this isnât right. Iâve studied Charybdis for years and Iâve never heard anything like this. That said, Iâve never struck it with lightning, either. I donât have time to wonder, though. Thereâs a badass dragon coming after me.
Chimera rounds on me, opens his jaws wide, and unleashes a tidal wave of fire in my direction. My blood pumps so hard with terror and fury, I can hear it roaring in my ears. White-hot flames instantly encase my body. Hunching down, I summon fresh lightning and hope like hell that itâll knock out the last head, too.
Turns out, I didnât need to bother.
At that moment, huge golden shapes appear in the night sky.
Dragons.
This time, itâs the Kathikon, the Emperorâs personal guard. I exhale a relieved breath. Tempest will be with them, too. A low buzz of excitement zings through my nervous system. Finally, Iâm feeling some decent battle rush.
Iâm not the only one who spies the newcomers. Chimera glares at the sky, growls, and then shakes out his back. Huge black wings unfold from his spine, stretching out across the desert floor. They begin to beat in a regular rhythm, stirring up sand as Chimeraâs huge bulk rises into the sky. For a time, the dragons swirl and dive above me. Chimera hasnât lost any of his skill in the air. He evades Tempest and his Kathikon as they chase him across the stars.
Hope they catch him.
I stand there for who knows how long, staring at the dark sky. At some point, the dark clouds roll away and the sands return to their normal shade of brown. I stumble into my lawn chair and find myself staring at Charybdis again. Fighting Chimera shouldâve been the big battle I was waiting for. My gut tells me thereâs more to come.
An even better fight, actually.
Plus, I donât yet know what created those blue lights. And the sound from Charybdis when the lightning hit it? That cracking noise was like a cage bursting open.
Tyberius returns to my side. His voice fades in and out of my thoughts. Iâm pretty sure the guys are with him now, too. They chatter away at me, and I give one-word answers whenever I can. Somewhere along the line, the sun creeps up the horizon. Itâs morning. Uther hands me a lukewarm beer. Breakfast of champions.
âThanks, man,â I say.
âSo, weâre still waiting here?â asks Uth.
I roll the bottle between my palms. The movement is calming. âThatâs the plan.â
Uther inhales a long breath, and I know heâs about to give me another âtalk to meâ speech like Ty did. Iâm in no mood to hear it.
Thankfully, he never gets the chance.
Once again, blue lights flicker under the desert sands. Electric excitement zooms through my body. With a low hiss, Charybdis collapses in on itself and the sand disappears in a kind of sinkhole. More blue lights pour out from the earth, reminding me of a sapphire searchlight that reaches toward the sky.
My inner wrath sense goes berserk. Battle fever heats every inch of my soul. I leap to my feet, my limbs humming with so much energy, I wonder if my skin can hold it inside. Looking down, I see the beer bottle stays firmly gripped in my right hand. I twist off
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