Shadow Seed Read Online Free

the
back. And though Darek felt no pain, it was still unsettling. He
barely managed to block the next attack that sent him down on his
rump.
    Kamala threw one of her axes, striking the
Corinthian in the back. She ran to help Darek up. “Not too handy
with the sword, are you?” she asked.
    “Bugger,” Darek said. “Never used one,
actually. Never had to. I sure fancy my final form.”
    “Yeah, I miss my bag of tricks, too,” Kamala
said, failing to see an Eriny toss a black ball of slime that
turned itself into a net ensnaring her and Darek.
    “Oy! What’s this?” Darek cried, struggling to
break free.
    Before Kamala could think of what to do, the
Eriny hauled her and Darek into the air.
    Hanging underneath the creature, Kamala could
see the battle raging below, and several others who'd been caught
in a similar fashion. She still had one axe, but it was pinned in
such a way that she could do nothing. With her free hand she pulled
at the net, which didn't give much at all.
    The Eriny flew fast, approaching a rocky
field ahead.
    “Where's he taking us?” Darek asked. His arms
were free of the net, but it was still difficult to move.
    Kamala looked in the direction they were
flying and saw a Pelasgian portal open. “Darek, do you have your
sword?” she asked.
    Darek was almost afraid to answer.
“Yeah…”
    “Cut the net, or kill this thing!”
    “Are you mad? Do you know how high we
are?”
    “Do it now!”
    Darek swung his sword, slashing the Eriny
across his midsection and causing him to let go.
    Screaming in terror as they fell, Kamala and
Darek landed on a huge slab of rock, breaking almost every bone in
their bodies. For several moments neither moved.
    Darek opened his eyes. “Kamala?” he called,
barely able to turn his head.
    Kamala's body lay just a few feet away. Her
eyes were open with a blank stare, and she wasn’t moving at
all.
    Darek became scared. “Kamala?” he whispered.
There wasn't much he could do, being paralyzed from the neck down,
and his fear turned to panic with the sound of footsteps
approaching.
    “I hope that never happens again,” Kamala
said, shaking her head in a daze.
    “Thank goodness!” Darek cried in joy, turning
his head to see her standing as if she'd just rolled around in
dirt. “Kamala, I'm in trouble. I can’t move. Be a lass and help me,
please.”
    Kamala kicked around some of the rocks before
picking up a hefty one and kneeling beside Darek. “Close your
eyes.”
    Terror filled Darek's body. “Why? What are
you doing?” he asked.
    “Helping you,” Kamala said, raising the stone
above her head.
    Darek screamed. “No!”
    Like a hammer, Kamala brought the stone down,
crushing Darek's skull. She ran back in the direction she came
from, searching around the boulders until she found Darek squirming
out of the ground, laughing hysterically.
    “I'm alive!” Darek shouted, before
remembering otherwise. “Or...close enough, I suppose.”
    “Good as new.” Kamala winked.
    Darek brushed some dirt off and looked across
the valley where the battle was taking place. “Between you and me,
do you think we can win this?”
    “We don't have a choice,” Kamala answered.
“But it sure would be a lot easier if we were alive.”
     
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    As Nedim and Janah trekked the sand dunes of
Hegira, a constant gust of wind and sand pelted them from the side.
Both were wrapped from head to toe in robes.
    Janah smacked Nedim on the arm. “We should
have reached the city by now!” she yelled.
    Struggling with each step, Nedim reached over
and pulled Janah close. “Siriso can’t be far. If it weren’t for
this sandstorm.”
    “This is unbelievable,” Janah complained.
“The one time we run out of water, we get hit with this. We should
have brought kalecs with us, at least then we wouldn’t have to
walk.”
    “It’s not that bad.”
    “Not that bad?” Janah said, leaning into
Nedim. “When was the last storm you were in?”
    “A few months