Blood, Honor and Dreams (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #2)

Letting out a silent sigh she continued after the Blight. Valor was competent. Whatever the problem was, he and the others could handle it. This was something that needed to be done that only she could do. The Blight’s path had veered away from the crowded gardens toward the thick woods of the Academy grounds. She felt her adrenaline beginning to build. There was no doubt in her mind that she could find an ambush point amidst the towering oaks.

Winning the fight might be the difficulty. Always before she had been with Marrow. This would be her first fight alone. She had an advantage, though,. She knew how to fight her kin and kill them quickly. It was a talent she had honed over the past few weeks with careful diligence. She had grown as well, and was far stronger than she had been when she and Marrow had first started hunting the creatures. Jala was right in her assumption that the meat hadn’t gone to waste. Her instincts were simply too honed to allow her to ignore meat from a kill. She increased her pace, shortening the distance between her and her quarry. The Blight had gained substantial ground as she had watched Valor. Within moments she had the gap reduced to twenty paces and then fifteen. Crimson light dappled the forest floor as she crossed silently beneath the trees. The world itself seemed to be holding its breath. Even the night birds had gone silent and she wondered how they knew what was coming. Normal animals couldn’t sense a Blight and neither she nor her prey had made any noise since entering the woods.

Her quarry paused, seeming unsure and she closed the gap further. A gentle touch brushed through her mind as the creature sought her out. By now it was likely confused by her behavior. She had to act quickly. She dropped her hands down to her sides and flexed her fingers, limbering them for the coming fight. The Blight began to move again, this time quicker. It knew she was no friend now.

With a sprint she barreled into the creature, her talons raking at it’s flesh. Blood sprayed from the wounds and she felt the salty tang fill her mouth. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation as she sank fangs deep into what she thought was its shoulder. The Blight screamed its fury and turned on her in desperation. Bright pain lanced through her shoulder as its talons raked her. Had Marrow been here with her, the fight would have already been over. The Bendazzi wasn’t here, however. This was her fight. She summoned memories from Eldagar and placed the faces of her friends on the bodies she had seen there. The mental image of Jala laying pale and twisted as her mother had been, lent her the extra fury she needed. She tore at the creature savagely, her hate for her kind fueling every slash of her talons. Fresh blossoms of pain shot up from her side as the creature buried it’s talons in the soft flesh of her stomach.

“You will not win,” she hissed and redoubled her efforts, allowing instincts to guide her blows. Her hands were slippery with blood as she grappled the creature to the forest floor and sank her fangs deep into its neck. It thrashed and heaved beneath her as she buried her talons in it once more, tearing at any piece of flesh that fell beneath her hands.

Several moments passed before she realized the creature no longer moved. She remained crouched above it breathing heavily and waited to ensure it was truly dead. With effort she calmed herself and slowed her breathing. The smell of the meat beneath her was almost intoxicating. Her stomach rumbled again and she tore a piece of flesh from the body and dropped it into her mouth.

She allowed herself to smile then. She had won and without Marrow’s help. Her smile grew slowly as the realization settled in. With a sigh she leaned back, resting on her heels and slowly looked around the forest. The ancient trees rose above her on all sides and not a single creature was to be seen, not even the small wildlife that seemed to thrive on the Academy grounds. She scanned the area with a frown. It was possible the fight had frightened them all off, but then she remembered the dead silence before her attack. A dull ache from her side briefly drew her attention to her healing wounds. She pressed her fingers against the injury, testing its severity. It was deep, but healing quickly. Clicking her tongue against her teeth she stretched and tore another piece of meat from the corpse. She chewed slowly still watching the unnaturally still forest. It wasn’t right and she knew it. At the very least there should have been the distant scurrying of the nocturnal creatures.

Cold dread began to settle over her as she thought about the silence and she slowly stretched her senses out once more seeking her kind. She had been so focused on the dead one before her that she wouldn’t have noticed any others that might be in the area. Her seeking located faint signatures of her kind and she felt the small hairs on the back of her neck rise. She lowered a hand to the ground slowly and her muscles tensed as she traced the direction of her kin. There were too many of them, if her senses were reading true. Far too many of them for her to even contemplate fighting. They were near and yet not close. She frowned and followed the direction, her gaze slowly turning to stare down at the ground. Her eyes widened in realization and she stood, quickly scanning the area for any sign of a tunnel or opening into the earth.

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