Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The creature did indeed resemble the small crustacean in its long, slender body and numerous tiny legs. The whole body was a rainbow of vibrant colors that, because of its transparent exoskeleton, reflected all the hues around it. There were some very important differences other than the sheer size. Its tail ended in a sharp point like a scorpion and the antennae atop its head were wrong. They were as long as one would expect but far more flexible than I could have imagined. Those things weaved about like the writhing snakes atop Medusa's head.

The creature's bulbous eyes zeroed in on me and it opened its mouth to reveal four long rows of chompers stacked one on top of the other. My face fell and my eyes bulged out of my head. "Oh damn."

The gourd shot past my head and struck the center of the shrimp's chest. The creature let out a high-pitched scream that nearly shattered my eardrums. I clapped my hands over my ears and shrunk beneath the towering thing as it flailed from side to side. The concoction Clara and I had created ate away at the creature's exoskeleton and exposed some of its innards.

My heart skipped a beat as the monster's long body flopped wildly, including in my direction. I stumbled back but one of the hairy legs slammed down near me. The vibration made my shaky legs lose balance and I fell onto my butt. Another of the tap-dancing appendages rose in front of me and I threw my arms up in preparation for impact.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around me and yanked me out of the way a second before the appendage crashed into the sandy spot I had just vacated. Tegan carried me toward the porch but the tail stabbed the ground in front of us. We skidded to a stop and an ominous growl made me look up. The shrimp's dark beady eyes glared down at me as if it knew how many of its brethren I had consumed. I had flashbacks to all the shrimp linguine I had ever eaten and now regretted every delicious mouthful.

Clara scurried up to the edge of the porch and reached into her pouch. "Hey, scilla!"

The creature turned its attention to Clara. She shoved her hand into her pouch and threw the contents at the creature. The mess of herbs and spices sprinkled over the thing's face and the creature let out a terrible cry. It reared back and tumbled into the sand, writhing and clawing at its face.

"What did you do to it?" I asked her.

She scurried over to us and patted her pouch. "Just some spicy herbs to sting the eyes, but it won't last long."

"Then we had better run!" Tegan shouted as he grabbed my arm and one of Clara's before tugging us across the sand.

The creature's thrashing body, however, still blocked our way. It shook its head and cleared the herbal debris. Its red-shot eyes glared down at us and it opened its mouth wide enough to swallow all of us at once.

Clara threw up her hands as the thing flung itself at us. A brilliant white light burst out of her palms and enveloped us in a thick barrier. The scilla clamped its teeth down on the glowing wall and the magic shuddered. Clara winced as the thing exerted more pressure, sapping her strength and causing the barrier light to flicker.

She glanced over her shoulders at us and I could see the exertion take its toll on her withered looks. "If you have an idea on how to get out of here now would be a good time to say something!"

Tegan had a dire expression on his face as he drew me closer to himself. "I could distract it with my claws and give you two time to escape."

"That's it!" I shouted as I whipped my head around to Tegan and practically stuffed my finger into his face. "Stab me!"

He blinked at me. "What?"

I shoved my palm into his face. "Use those claws and poke the tips of my fingers! Now!"

Tegan pursed his lips but extended one clawed hand and grasped my hand to lower it. He tapped the tips of his sharp nails against the fronts of my fingers and created five wounds that were deep enough for a steady stream of blood to roll out. I spun around to face the writhing beast and the creature decided to draw back and attempt ramming speed on the shield.

"Put down your magic!" I commanded Clara.

She stared at me in disbelief. "Have you gone-"

Tegan didn't give her time to finish before he socked her. Clara fell limp into his arms and the barrier immediately collapsed. The scilla barreled down at us with its mouth open wide. I swiped my injured arm in front of me and my blood splashed across the creature's front. That included the boiling mess of magical goo Tegan had thrown at it.

My splattering of blood struck the concoction and a massive explosion blew us back. I tumbled across the ground and came to a hard stop against one of the porch posts. Tegan landed nearby with the unconscious body of Clara still in his arms.

A shadow over me made me jerk my head up. The explosion had caused a small sandstorm to fill the air with thick dust. The shadow loomed out of the sand and showed itself to be the lower half of the scilla. The upper half had been completely blown off and only a bloodied stump remained. The creature crashed to the ground and made a horrible squishing noise as its guts were strewn about the place. I clapped a hand over my mouth as a terrible stench filled the air.

That, and its innards. The scilla sought its revenge on me splattering it with my blood but coating me in its bowels. I scrambled behind the porch post and Tegan shielded Clara's body with his own. The rain of gore ceased in a few seconds and all was right with the world.

"Kate!" Tegan shouted as he abandoned Clara and scurried over to me. He grasped my arms and looked me over. "Are you alright?"

I swallowed the bile in my throat and nodded. "Y-yeah, I think so."

He enveloped me in a tight hug and his whispered words floated across my ear. "Smart girl."

I snorted and drew us apart before I looked down at myself. "You could say I have guts."

Tegan followed my gaze and beheld the mess of innards he had left on my front. He gave me a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that."

I patted him on the shoulder. "We have matching outfits now, but what about Clara?" I looked past him and at Clara. "Is she going to be alright?"

He nodded. "She's just going to wake up with a headache and a new aroma."

Tegan ensured I was steady on my feet before he moved over to the creature. I pressed my hand against his chest to stop him. "You sure that's safe?"

He chuckled. "Only vampires come back from the dead. Besides, we need to see if we can find any clues to our foe who's desperate enough to enlist the help of such a creature merely to keep us from attending the next trial."

I reluctantly let him move over to the scilla and I followed on his heels. "Do you think they controlled the creature with magic or kibbles?" I wondered.

Tegan's sharp eyes fell on something on the ground. He stooped and snatched it up before examining it in his palm. "With this."

I stood on my tiptoes and frowned. "A rock?"

"Not quite." He lowered his hand to my level and opened his palm to reveal a square stone. A few etchings showed through the gore. "A rune stone."

"Those are starting to pop up a lot lately, aren't they?" I mused.

Tegan tucked the stone into his pocket and stood. "Too much to be a coincidence." He half-turned to our unconscious companion. "But we should get Clara to Lusio as promised."

My heart skipped a beat as I recalled one other problem. "What about Miles?"

"He'll wait until we get ourselves to the safety of the house," Tegan suggested as he strode over to the witch and scooped her up in his arms. "Stay close and keep your eyes out for more trouble."