Page 92 of Deck of Scarlets
Not that I’m aware of. He grabbed my dagger, inspecting the stone, the glow illuminating his features. Josh’s fingers traced the pommel, only to look up into my eyes, a curious expression to match my own.
“I read somewhere that Juniper’s original weapon glowed when danger was near, but…” Baron took it from Josh, lowering the flashlight, his eyes scanning every part, trying to see if there was something hidden within the depths of its forgery. “…her dagger is lost. Not even The Order knows what happened to it.”
“Lost?” I said in disbelief.
Baron handed me back the dagger. “It’s been missing for months.”
“How did you find this out?” questioned Chloe.
“Acting oblivious around the Aces comes in handy,” he informed us.
Suddenly a deep growl shook the tunnel, a warm breeze whipping through us as if someone huffed their hot breath in our direction.
All somehow on the same wavelength, forgetting about my shiny weapon, we bolted down the tunnel, running blindly in the dark.
I pumped my legs, Josh only a couple steps behind, Baron leading the sprint. My dagger glowed brighter the further we traveled, snapping teeth coming from behind us.
Praying we didn’t hit a wall, Baron shouted over the rumbling. “Left!”
My sense of awareness when pumped with adrenaline was enough to determine when Chloe made a turn. Following closely behind, Baron continued to shout directions, until the tunnel opened to a wide space revealing one Saint and Scarlet battling in the center against the biggest Magidoz I’d ever seen. Its arms were enormous, with pulsating veins and a head sporting four horns instead of three.
Anxiety pounded in my bloodstream.
The Magidoz snarled, showing all three rows of needle-shaped teeth, snapping at the air, hissing with each attack. Black sludge coated its entire form, making a protective circle where it stood.
Cillian fired arrows left and right from a sleek black crossbow, dodging every counter move effortlessly. A deep gash oozed from his left cheek, dirt was caked on his forehead, but he showed no signs of debilitation.
Emilia climbed its back, shouting in rage, aiming her dagger directly at its head, only to get tossed off into a heap of broken metal pipes, Cillian screaming as he fired an arrow.
Baron got his bow ready. “We have to help!”
Shit.
There was no way I could do this.
Petrified, my bones locked in place while everything played out before me.
Josh’s positive affirmation filtered into my head. You’re a Scarlet by blood. You have the power to fight this.
Do you not remember a couple nights ago? I completely freaked when a smaller one was behind the cathedral! I reminded him. And how I ran away like a coward, almost drowning in whiskey to ease the very real nightmare.
Remi, you have the strength of past Scarlets burning inside you. The Blessing gave you what you need to overcome the terrors of what plagues this world. Grasp that fear and destroy it.
What if I fail and get everyone killed?
Josh grasped my chin, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. “Failure only happens when you don’t try. So, try, Remi. Try and win.” His eyes blazed with each word he spoke.
“I won’t fail,” I whispered, repeating the mantra until Josh let me go.
Swallowing any sense of terror I had moments ago, I began to circle the Magidoz with Chloe until we reached Cillian, who kept knocking back arrows to distract it from his Scarlet.
“Get her up!” he ordered, an arrow whizzing in the air, striking the Magidoz in the shoulder. Sludge spewed from the wound, spraying down like a broken faucet. It cried an ear-piercing scream, causing me to cover my ears.
Chloe ran in the opposite direction, then rolled until she landed near Emilia’s unconscious body, shielding her as much as possible.
Josh and Baron started releasing their own arrows, some barely grazing it while it swung with its long claws. Baron climbed up a makeshift shelf of metal piping, getting a better view before knocking back an arrow. Josh took it upon himself to move to the other side, almost slipping in a puddle of sludge. It turned as Josh made it around the beast, sniffing the air.
I suddenly realized its eyes were missing, and its nostrils flared with rage.