King of Eon by Anna Hackett ePUB)

Chapter Eight

Cren.

Gayel gave Azek, his drail, the lead.

They flew across the verdant grass, Alea’s mount keeping pace. It was wilder, hungry for speed.

She rode like a warrior goddess, looking graceful and strong, even going so fast.

They flanked Chloe. Her drail was out of control, and the Terran woman was still screaming.

“Gayel, get her off,” Alea yelled. “She’s about to fall.”

It was true. He could see the woman teetering to the side. He urged Azek on, while on the other side, Alea crowded the out-of-control drail so it couldn’t turn away.

Gayel reached over and plucked Chloe off the saddle.

“Oh, God,” Chloe cried.

He sat her in front of him, Azek slowing.

Ahead, Alea’s magnificent drail and Chloe’s ran neck and neck. She reached for the other animal’s reins, and eventually bought both drails to a stop.

“Wow, she’s good,” Chloe said.

She was. He dragged his gaze off Alea. “Are you all right?”

Chloe gave him a shaky smile, pushing her tumbled blonde curls off her face. “Not yet. My heart is racing about a million miles a minute. But I’ll be fine soon. Thanks for the rescue.”

He smiled at her, then looked up.

Alea was riding back, leading Chloe’s drail behind her. Both animals were slick with sweat, their powerful chests heaving.

A faint tremor rumbled through the ground beneath them.

Gayel frowned and Azek side-stepped. Chloe grabbed onto him.

An earth tremor?It was rare on Eon.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp animal cry.

Chloe’s still-panicked drail reared. It yanked Alea out of her saddle.

Gayel’s chest locked. No.

She hit the grass and rolled, but the rearing drail’s hooves flashed, tearing up the dirt and grass.

Cren. If it hit her… He kicked Azek forward.

Alea’s mount rushed in with a fierce whinny. It blocked the other drail from hitting her.

She rose and raised her arms. “Easy. You’re okay.” She kept watching the frightened animal, then ran one hand along the flank of her own mount, standing protectively at her side.

“That’s it, easy.” Her tone was calm.

Gayel slowed to a stop. He didn’t get too close, in case he spooked the animal more.

Alea slowly advanced, her hand out. He wanted to yell at her to run, to get away from the panicked animal.

After a tense stare-off, Chloe’s drail lowered his head and nudged her palm.

Alea smiled. “There you go.” She stroked his head. “You’re fine.”

Gayel let out a breath. He helped Chloe off and then swung down.

Alea turned. “He’s fine now. Did you feel that tremor? It spooked him.”

Gayel eyed the animal. It seemed perfectly happy now with Alea stroking it. Gayel didn’t blame it.

“Chloe, are you all right?” Alea asked.

“Oh, fine. Thanks to you and King Gayel.” She ran a hand through her curls. “That is one ride I do not want to do again.”

“Will you be okay to ride with him slowly, now he’s calmed down?” Alea asked.

The woman nibbled her lip, then gave a decisive nod. “I really don’t want to walk the whole way back to the palace.”

Alea scanned the meadow. “What spooked him in the first place?”

“No clue. He’d been fine up until then. Really docile.”

Alea stroked the drail again. “Maybe he picked up a small tremor that we didn’t detect.”

Maybe. If there had been an earlier tremor, Gayel would’ve felt it.

“Okay, Chloe, up you go.” He helped the woman up and gave her a minute to settle.

“Good boy,” Chloe murmured.

Suddenly, there was another tremor, stronger than before. Alea stumbled and Gayel caught her.

All three drails side-stepped and snorted.

“Oh, no,” Chloe whimpered.

Gayel grabbed the harness of the woman’s animal. Alea tried to calm the drail.

“Does this area get a lot of quakes?” Alea frowned.

“No. None.”

They scanned the meadow. A breeze was making the grass and flowers dance. It looked peaceful on the surface.

Something tickled along Gayel’s senses, but he couldn’t tell what it was, or where it was coming from.

All of a sudden, another tremor hit. Ahead of them, the ground burst open, spraying dirt into the air.

A giant creature pulled itself into the sunshine.

Alea gasped and Chloe gave a short scream.

Gayel stared. It couldn’t be.

It looked like a targon of old—a beast of myth and legend. It had four powerful legs, a stocky, scale-covered body, and two huge horns topping its powerful, triangular head. But it looked different from the pictures he’d seen. Mutated.

Slime oozed off it in globs, and drool dripped from its fangs. It had patches of raw skin, and oozed green blood.

Green blood.

The Kantos had green blood.

“Get her out of here,” Alea yelled, as she swiveled to face the creature.

The beast stomped one scaled leg, then lifted its head and roared.

Cren.

“Hold on.” He slapped the rump of Chloe’s drail. It took off back toward the hunting party.

“What is that?” Alea asked.

“It looks like a targon. A fierce, scaled creature that used to live on Eon.”

“Used to?”

“It once was hunted by the warriors, but it’s been extinct for centuries. Some scientists believe that they went into hibernation, deep beneath the ground. But this one, it’s different. Corrupted.”

“It has green blood.” Her gaze met his. “Kantos?”

“I don’t know how, but I’m assuming yes.” He morphed his armor, scales flowing over him and his sword forming.

The creature stomped once more, its crazed, red eyes locking on them.

“How do we kill it?” she asked.

“Legends say that they can be killed by destroying the heart.”

Her eyes widened. “Which I’m guessing is inside its scaled, heavily protected chest.”

“Yes.” Gayel wanted her far away from the tainted targon. He glanced back. Chloe was almost back at the others, and he saw his warriors racing toward them to help.

“Alea, get on your drail and go.”

Her face hardened. She yanked her knives off her thigh.

He took half a second to enjoy the fact that she was wearing them. But she couldn’t fight this monster with knives.

“No,” she said calmly.

“I’m giving you an order.” Fear was not an emotion he was familiar with.

She gave him a faint smile. “You’re not my king, Gayel. I’m not leaving you to deal with this thing alone.”

The targon threw back its head, its massive jaws unhinging. It let out a deafening roar.

Cren. Its mouth was full of rows of long fangs. It was a meat eater, and its teeth were designed to tear flesh.

Alea raised her knives.

Gayel shoved fear for her aside and lifted his sword.

The targon roared again and charged toward them.

It towered over them, giant and fierce.

There was no fear in Alea’s face.

“Come on, Your Highness, let’s take this monster down.”

* * *

The targon smelled bad—likerotting garbage, dirt, and sewage.

Alea gripped her knives and wished for her combat sword. Gayel stepped closer, his gaze locked on the creature.

His black-scale armor fit him well—outlining his powerful form. His sword was in hand, with glints of purple along the blade.

With a roar, the targon rushed them.

Alea darted left.

The monster locked on Gayel—no doubt seeing him as the biggest threat.

Big mistake.

She raced to its side, taking in the thick, brown scales. She rammed her knife in.

Ugh, it was tough. She worked the blade in deep, grunting.

She finally hit something soft. The targon screeched and reared. She yanked her blade free and darted back.

Gayel slashed with his sword, attacking the creature’s neck. It snapped at him and he dived.

He hit the ground, then rolled back onto his feet.

She ran his way. “The scales are too thick.”

He gave a brisk nod. “The underbelly is soft. So is the inside of its mouth.”

He’d been assessing it for weak spots as well. So, get under its massive body or dance with its massive fangs?

Choices. Choices.

“It’s got some very raw patches of flesh,” she said. “We can attack it there.”

He nodded.

Suddenly, it opened its mouth and flames poured out. It turned its head toward them, spraying fire.

Oh, shit. Gayel hit her, lifting her off her feet. He jumped so damn high, then they dropped. They fell on the grass.

Both of them leaped into a crouch and turned.

Where they’d been standing before, the grass was burning around a large black scorch mark.

“It breathes fire?” she said incredulously.

“I had been hoping that part was just a myth.”

“Okay, we need to keep it busy, so one of us can get underneath and open it up,” she said.

“My sword is better for the opening part.”

“Agreed. That leaves the distraction bit to me.”

He didn’t look happy about the plan. Then he grabbed her. “Alea, don’t get hurt. Or I’ll be very, very unhappy.”

She traced his strong jaw with her gaze. “Right back at you.”

They faced the monster.

Alea stared at it. “Okay, you big beast. Look at me.”

She ran to the right, and it tracked her. It roared and she jumped at it.

She clung to its neck and stabbed at its eye. She missed, the blade hitting hard bone. It shook its massive head.

She leaped free. She couldn’t see Gayel anywhere. She ran again, using all the speed she had. She stabbed her blade into its side. Stab. Stab. Stab.

The targon roared and stomped.

She wasn’t doing any real damage, but she was definitely keeping it distracted.

Now, the creature’s body shifted, and she spotted Gayel. He was crouched, sword in hand, ready to run beneath it.

Alea waved her arms at the targon. “Come and get me.” She couldn’t let it spot Gayel.

She took aim and threw one of her knives.

It hit the creature’s eye. It reared, and in a flash of movement, Gayel lunged beneath it.

She smiled.

That Eon sword drove right into the lighter underbelly. Gayel powerfully stabbed at the creature.

Now the sound the targon made was earsplitting. Alea winced.

It stomped its massive, claw-tipped legs.

Then she froze.

Gayel was crouched, shaking his head. He looked dazed.

Oh, no.Her pulse went crazy. With his enhanced senses, the loud noise must have hurt him.

The targon spun, still stomping—

It was going to hit Gayel.

No.

Alea ran and leaped onto the creature’s back.

She threw her arms out for balance, and ran up its spine.

It jerked, trying to buck her off.

Dammit. She fell, slapping facedown on its scaly back. She drove her knife into the thick skin and clung to it.

The targon spun and her body flew out wildly. She gripped the knife and saw Gayel stabbing at the creature below.

Time to go.

She leaped off.

She started to run, when suddenly, the targon collapsed. The ground shook.

“Alea!”

Gayel was running toward her.

A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. The ground shook harder.

Another targon burst out of the soil, right in front of her, spraying her with dirt.

A massive claw swiped at her. It lifted her off her feet and threw her.

She sailed through the air and slammed into the ground. Pain exploded through her body, and for a moment, she couldn’t move.

“Alea!”

Painfully, she pushed to her knees. Gayel was running to her.

“I’m… Okay.”

She hoped that wasn’t a lie. She hurt all over. She looked down at three slashes across her shirt. They were bleeding, but she was upright, and they didn’t hurt too badly.

“Come on,” she said. “We need to kill it.”

She saw the targon eye its dead mate. It backed up.

Then it started shaking.

“What the cren?” Gayel barked.

“Come on, we can’t let it get away,” she said.

She jogged past the dead targon. Its massive head was still, and she leaned down and yanked her knife out of its eye.

The new targon arched, body shaking. Then its belly burst open.

Fluid and flesh sprayed, splattering Gayel and Alea.

Oh, gross. She grimaced.

Three smaller targons landed on the grass, each about the size of a grizzly bear.

The mother collapsed.

They were all corrupted as well, oozing with green blood, and their eyes blazing. Two targons fixed on Alea and Gayel.

The third backed up.

“It’s going to run,” she cried.

“We can’t let it get away,” he said.

From behind them, shouts echoed. Gayel’s warriors had arrived and were circling around the beasts, drails flying.

Together, Alea and Gayel sprinted at the monsters.

The first targon leaped at them. Gayel’s sword slashed so fast it blurred. The creature fell to the grass in a spray of green blood.

Alea jumped at the second targon and threw one knife. The blade embedded in the scales, and the creature roared.

Her vision blurred for a second, but she held it together. She couldn’t afford to go down now.

As the targon roared again, its jaws wide, she smiled. Got you.

She threw her second knife right into the creature’s mouth.

The targon froze and jerked. It stumbled sideways. Green blood poured from its mouth and it went down.

Two down.

She swiveled. Gayel was sprinting after the last targon. Warriors were closing in from the other side as well. Gayel leaped, his powerful body sailing through the air.

Man, he sure was nice to watch.

He landed on the smaller targon’s back and raised his sword up, blade pointed down.

He brought the sword down, right into the back of the targon’s neck.

It died instantly. Like a puppet with its strings cut, it collapsed.

Gayel jumped off.

He swiveled and caught her gaze.

She fought to stay upright, and smiled.

They’d won.

He strode to her, his intense gaze locked on her.

In that moment, it was only the two of them.

They were covered in blood and gore. Clearly, he didn’t care. He swept an arm around her, and kissed her.

Heart thumping, Alea didn’t care either.

She kissed him back.