Book One – Chapter 5

The avian beasts took no notice, but two relentless crustaceans pursued Yves and Midnight, unaffected by Yves’ illusions. They were too fast – Despite the danger that more energy brought to the fight, Yves needed to block their path with several shard walls.

Then the earth shook. Rocks and entire formations that had shaped the cliff broke and crashed into the sea, revealing an undulating, pulsating mass beneath. Deep under the rocky plateau lay a monstrosity covered with roots, rotten mosses and foul mushrooms, and littered with gnashing mouths that opened into seemingly endless abysses. Yves had faced giants, but they could not compare. This abomination was the land itself. Each swelling mouth exhaled a multi-layered, soul-chilling drone that shook the earth and scattered all birds and sea beasts. They were not fast enough. From within the mouths, hundreds of netted tendrils shot outward with such force that not even the storm could deviate their path, capturing everything within reach, tearing at crustaceans and galebiters, ripping wyrren from the sky.

Yves got caught, ensnared within the tendril’s sticky net. As the tendril recoiled into its gaping maw, the net constricted around him, strangled him, choked the air out of him, countless pores dousing him with their poison.

Midnight dodged vigorously, contorting and twisting her body in what was instinct given form through raw power. She sprinted by his side, leaped onto Yves and tore through the tendril with claws and teeth just before the monstrous maw captured them both. The acidic residue of the ruptured tendril sprayed over them, penetrating the protective layers of Yves’ enchanted clothing and Midnight’s fur.