Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
No. No. No.
I pushed against the invisible restraints, screaming without sound for the essence to break free as the terrible noises of grating steel and metal blasted from across the sunken river.
White clouds rose from the ground, filling the air. The structures along the coast swayed, their reflective sides warping under the sunlight.
“They are what you should fear,” the stranger spoke, sadness clinging to each word he uttered. “Now, they rise. Not from the blood and ash, but from the ruin and wrath of all they created.”
My head turned without conscious effort toward the island with the statue. It was…gods, the island was falling apart. Trees snapped, the bark of their trunks cracking like brittle, cold bones as the ground that grew them fell away. The statue trembled, the metal quivering with a metallic groan that shook my body. Fissures appeared in her carved skirts and raced up the length of her body, the surface cracking like brittle parchment as the vibrations sent a hollow, ringing tremor through the air.
The statue shattered, sending a volley of shards into the atmosphere. I could do nothing but watch in horror as several sharp pieces pierced the metal objects hovering above, sending them spiraling wildly to the ground as smoke billowed from them. One crashed into what remained of the bridge, erupting into flames. The other disappeared into the dust clouds of the fallen structures.
A hand broke through the surface of the sunken river before us, sending mud and rock flying—one little more than bone and fragments of sinew.
The screams and chaos faded as it pulled itself free from the ground. Tendrils of eather erupted from the bony hand, crackling over the shape of a head and shoulders, shifting colors—blue, silver, gold, and crimson. Dirt fell from it in sheets as it planted a foot down.
The ground shook.
And buildings fell.
The being rose to its full height, and it had to be nearly seven feet tall. Maybe even taller. Muscle formed and thickened, wrapping over bone. It lifted its fully formed hands as if studying them. Flesh appeared beneath the sparking eather and dirt, changing from the palest white to the darkest brown. The eather dimmed, and I noticed it was entirely nude. I could safely say the being was…uh, definitely of the male sex.
The being shuddered, lowering his hands. I heard a cracking sound that reminded me of dry branches snapping. My eyes widened as delicate bones emerged from his back, slender and spindly, arching outward as they extended, gradually taking on the unmistakable shape of a pair of wings. The skeletal wings were both haunting and mesmerizing.
I had not seen that while in stasis.
But this had to be an Ancient.
The bone wings twitched as the Ancient turned his head toward us. His eyes locked with mine. I tensed, seeing that his irises were like the stranger’s: a stunning swirl of colors and eather. But this one’s eyes had blood-red flecks.
He inhaled deeply, tilting his head back once more. The essence dancing across his flesh pulsed, stoking the eather in my veins.
“We need to leave,” the stranger said, gripping my arm. “Now.”
Energy passed between us as a crackling line of hissing, silver energy appeared. The realm began to split open as the Ancient’s chin dropped. His jaw stretched unnaturally wide, and he let out a guttural howl that rose until sharp pain pierced my eardrums.
He released a shockwave of energy with a thunderous boom that shook my bones and warped the air under its sheer force. It barreled toward us, rolling over the tear in the realm, snuffing it out—
The blast of power crashed into us, and it was like being struck by lightning. My senses shorted out as the eather flickered wildly around me. I only had a distant impression of being airborne—
Air punched from my lungs as I hit the ground hard. Pain shot up and down the length of my body, stunning me. Every limb twitched. No organ seemed to be working right. My lungs were frozen. My heart stopped as years of Vikter’s training yelled at me to get up. Move. But my body seemed to be doing its own thing. Arms and legs spasming, I managed to roll half an inch as I felt the ground vibrating in a pattern of heavy steps.
Get up. Get up.
A shadow fell over me just as my lungs inflated, and my heart stuttered into an erratic pace.
Move. Move.
Grinding my teeth, I forced my quivering muscles to work. I sat up—
A gust slammed into me, knocking me flat onto my back as bony wings slammed into the ground on either side of my head.
The Ancient hovered above me, our faces close—like about five million inches too close. He had no distinct features. It was just skin stretched over bone. But there was a discoloration—no, it was the pattern of vines I’d seen on the stranger, similar to the color of Kieran’s wolven. They were longer than the stranger’s, traveling up the sides of his face, over his temples, and down his throat.