Macabre Monday
LISTEN I know there’s probably already a decent WIP word for today but I don’t care bc this excerpt is pretty terrifying and I’m rubbing my evil little hands together >:) Without further ado, let’s have another look at the Xialun.
“Sorcerer,” Ilea said with an overexaggerated bow. “As you can see, we’ve so graciously captured these two in order to bring them to you.”
“Yes, for you,” Merryl interjected, stepping to Ilea’s side.
Ilea flashed her a warning look but quickly replaced it with a sleazy smile. “We have heard that the Sorcerer rewards his allies well, and it was oh-so-difficult to capture these two—”
“Put up a fight, they did,” Merryl said.
The dagger slipped through my bonds and I bit back a gasp of relief. I worked it slow, eyes on the scene unfolding before me. If I could just get the bonds off before Ilea struck a deal, we might have a chance.
“—so,” Ilea cut in, “I know, of course, that the great Sorcerer has his hands full, waging war and slaughtering innocents, but it would put him greatly in our favor if he recognized our services. In fact, we may very well capture more knights and the like in the future, if he did.”
Carlos crept back into the firelight, his eyes dark despite the flame. He gave the Xialun a wide berth and stopped beside Karolus, eyeing the creature in our midst. His hands brushed the daggers at his belt. I willed him not to make any more moves that might draw the Xialun’s attention. I was the only one with a means of escape, which would give me mere seconds from the time I broke free to get to Karolus. The Xialun couldn’t go for him first.
Thankfully, Ilea seemed to have fully entranced the creature. It watched her sleek and grand gestures with its head cocked; curious, almost. When she’d finished, it took a long slow moment to digest the information. Then—slow, deliberate—its mouth widened, oozing black, and it made a sound, like a knife tearing through parchment.
I flinched, wishing I could cover my ears. Carlos, Ilea, and Merryl all stepped back, wincing. Across from me, Karolus squeezed his eyes shut in the only attempt he could make to block out the noise.
Laughter. It was the only explanation for the way the Xialun’s teeth flashed and its chest heaved, and yet I couldn’t fathom it. I was staring death in its twisted, oozing face, and it was laughing.
The Xialun drew its sword with a hiss of steel, its laughter cutting to dead silence. Before any of us could react, it thrust its sword right through Ilea’s chest and out the other side.
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