Wraith(59)



The Worm screeched, immediately putting all its efforts into flinging me off. It shook violently, first one way then another. Its skin was damp and cold to the touch, leaving me covered in a filmy goo wherever I touched it, but I was damned if I was going to let go.

Gabriel shouted again and there was a flare of light as he sent some Dark Elven magic bolt into the Worm directly below my own body. The Death Worm screamed again in agony this time rather than frustration. It writhed while the muscles underneath its slimy skin twitched and tensed. It heaved out of its hole, its tail lashing out as it fought to twist round and face Gabriel head on.

I wrapped one arm tightly round the Worm’s girth, digging my toes into its fleshy folds so that I didn’t slip. Once I was confident that I wasn’t going to slide off, I used my free hand to start searching. This might be a monster but all Death Worms had vulnerable points; one was usually on its belly and the other was somewhere beneath its shoulder blades.

‘Saiya!’ Gabriel yelled. ‘You need to get off! I can’t shoot it again with you in the way!’

I flung out a hand irritably, gritting my teeth as I continued to search. Most of the Death Worm’s body was soft, with springy tissue that shielded it from the wear and tear it would receive while moving around beneath the earth’s surface. I was looking for a hard nub of bone.

Despite my body getting in his way, Gabriel found an opening and sent another bolt of magic towards the Worm. This time the creature was better prepared and decided that enough was enough. After recoiling from the hit, it hissed loudly and whipped its tail. It took a moment to breathe in before lunging forward. It wasn’t built for defence; Death Worms were so-called because they preferred to be on the attack.

It slithered towards Gabriel with preternatural speed, mouth opening as it drew close enough to snap. Gabriel gave a loud war cry and leapt backwards, managing twice the height and distance that I would have been capable of. It didn’t matter though; the Death Worm had him in its sights now and wasn’t going to give up however far Gabriel jumped. It lunged again and this time I felt it collide with Gabriel, knocking him off-balance. Although my heart was hammering against my ribcage, I didn’t look up. The only way either of us was getting out of this was if I found the weak spot I was looking for.

The tips of my fingers sneaked under yet another fold of pale, flabby skin, brushing against something furry that sent a rippling shudder of disgust through me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Gabriel was back on his feet again. He was more sensible this time and dived to his right to shelter behind a garden fence. It was only flimsy wood and it wouldn’t hold for long but it would give him cover to regain some of his strength. And at least I knew he was still breathing.

The Death Worm seemed unimpressed at this lack of bravado. It reared up, flinging its body backwards. My left foot slipped and I felt my arm, which was wrapped round the thing’s neck, starting to slide as well. I cursed under my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, stopping my desperate search in favour of doing everything I could to stay on its back.

The Death Worm lashed out, using the side of its long head to smash against the fence and break the brittle wood into smithereens. Gabriel thrust out his hands and another bolt of magic flashed out from his fingertips. It streaked through the air and smacked into the Death Worm’s left flank but I knew without looking that the magic hadn’t penetrated its tough hide. Gabriel de Florinville might have extraordinary power at his disposal but, unless he knew where the Death Worm’s vulnerable spots were, he had no hope it bringing it down. Fortunately, I did.

As the Worm jerked away from what must have been searing pain, I found it jutting out from underneath one of the flaps. The bone was horn shaped; all I had to do was to grab it, yank it upwards and snap it off. I’d only get one chance and it was a two-handed job. I needed the Worm flat on the ground for this to work.

‘Gabriel!’ I yelled. ‘I have it! I need you to run! I need to be flat, not riding this damn thing like a prancing pony! Let it chase you!’

Gabriel’s eyes fixed on me with an unfathomably dark expression. He nodded and did as I asked, turning on his heel and sprinting away. The Death Worm, apparently sensing that it finally had its prey where it wanted it, slammed down and started to follow. It could move faster on its belly – but now I was virtually horizontal, I could do what I needed to.

With a hole running the length of the street, Gabriel’s options were few. Instead of streaking ahead in a straight line, he was forced to jump to the far side where the pavement lay. The pavement was ruptured, however, and every time he reached another gaping fissure, he slowed as he bounded over it. The Death Worm’s size meant that it could slither across each gap with barely a bump.

With the Worm’s muscles rippling underneath me, I raised myself upwards, my feet flat against its back. I brought up my arm until I was gripping the hooked curve of bone with both hands. Swinging this way and that, I yanked upwards as hard as I could and almost immediately there was a cracking sound as the bone gave way.

At the same time, the Worm reached Gabriel, its jaws snapping at him. No longer able to run, Gabriel was forced to face the monster. He flicked out a bolt of magic just as it slammed him down to the ground. Wishing I still had my knife, but knowing I’d have to do this the hard way, I raised one hand to jam it into the gap created by breaking the jutting bone so I could pull out the Worm’s main artery. As I did so, the Worm belatedly realised the danger it was in and let out another ear-splitting shriek. Then, abandoning Gabriel, it slammed against a wall, doing everything it could to shake me off.

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