The dusky-skinned female smiled weakly. Blood and dust covered her face. “I saw to it that Marcellus lost his head. I wouldn’t dream of leaving the immortal life until I’ve gloated over that fact for at least a century.”
“You did well,” Saint said, respect in his tone.
Shrinar shifted her head carefully to glance up at him. “It was like the revenants just gave up there…at the end. You know as well as I do that I’m no match for Marcellus.”
Saint’s eyebrows went up in interest at Shrinar’s words, but he said nothing else and continued leading Christina down the tunnel.
The metallic scent of blood and sulfur burned in her nostrils. She made out a flicker of gold in the distance, the light intermittently occluded by two figures fighting. The battle they waged was vicious, nothing like the waning struggles of exhaustion they’d passed so far in the tunnel.
“Isi,” Christina whispered miserably, looking around Saint’s body when he paused, still fifty feet away from the dangerous battle.
Javier Ash had just sent a rocketing fist into Isi’s jaw, causing the Iniskium warrior to fly against the wall like a projectile from a missile. The earth trembled around them. Much to her shock, Isi sprang forward immediately, a look of determined hatred on his face.
His retaliatory punch and rapid kick to Ash’s chin and gut caused the revenant to howl in pain. Saint raised his heartluster in preparation to cross the distance and enter the battle.
“Leave him to me!”
Isi’s bellow echoed in the subterranean shaft. Ash struck the wall of the chamber forcefully and fell, motionless.
Saint stilled. Christina sensed his hesitancy as he lowered his sword.
She saw that several figures stood as though waiting in the far distance—on the opposite side of Isi and Ash. She realized that Isi spoke not only to Saint, but to the other Iniskium who had gathered, watching the fight. Apparently Javier Ash was the last revenant standing guard between the Iniskium and Teslar, Saint, and her.
And Isi had made it his mission to finish his foe one on one.
She let out a tiny scream of shock when Javier Ash suddenly leapt up from his faint. He flew through the air, taking Isi by surprise. The revenant bared a mouthful of sharp teeth, tearing at Isi’s shoulder. Blood droplets arced through the air. Both males fell to the floor heavily, shaking the chamber.
Ash’s jaw closed and Isi howled in pain.
Ash unfastened his jaw and raised his head, just inches away from biting through Isi’s neck. An anguished shout echoed in the chamber and
a slight figure raced toward the battling men. Quicker than Christina could think, Saint called sharply and tossed his blade through the distance.
“Alison!”
Saint’s heartluster sliced through the air, the metal flashing in the dim light. Alison grabbed the handle and plunged at the same moment that Ash glanced around in surprise.
She drove the sword into Ash’s opened mouth.
The blade stifled the revenant’s scream; his filmy eyes went wide in shock. Ash didn’t even whimper when Isi threw him off his body and withdrew his long knife from the sheath at his waist.
Christina winced in disgust. She wanted to plunge her face into Saint’s back and avoid the sight at all costs.
Instead, she watched as Isi sliced through the Scourge revenant’s neck methodically, pausing only to whisk Saint’s heartluster out of Ash’s throat when metal blade struck sword.
A moment later, Ash’s severed head rolled to the floor of the shaking tunnel.
“Ugh. You owe me for this, Saint,” she threatened, her face pressed against Saint’s back.
He grunted.
“For that, and so much more,” he murmured.
“Let’s get the injured and get out of here before this tunnel collapses,” Saint shouted to the Iniskium.
Christina tripped after him, coughing as earth, wooden planks, and old mortar rained down on them.
Epilogue