Endless Knight(97)

“I have no idea.” While my barricade thickened, I spied something along the back wall . . .

A rosebush. My lips curved. Oh, Aric, you shouldn’t have.

As Lark lined up her wolves in front of the barricade, I grew the rose until the thorns were as big as blades, the stalks like chains. Recalling another Arcana’s tactic, I positioned the stalks just so for Ogen. A last backup.

Finished, I turned to Lark. “You could leave the wolves and go hide.” When she hesitated, I said, “Weirdly, I care if you live or die. I’ll be more concerned with saving your bony ass than taking him out. You can’t help me against him.”


“That doesn’t feel right. I’ll stick around—”


Rock and rubble exploded down from the ceiling; not fifty feet from us, Ogen had punched his way through the floor of the manor!

He lowered his head through the new hole, sharpening his horns on the jagged side of the opening. “Smell BLOOD!” When he dropped down into the warehouse, tremors rippled beneath our feet.

Lark’s face paled even more. “Oh. Shit.”


Ogen wouldn’t have to negotiate a jungle before he got to us, wouldn’t be weakened.

When the wolves hunched down, snarling to fight, I snapped out of my shock. With a wave of my hand, vines shot out to lasso him. They bound his wrists and ankles, coiling around his horns.

Once he was caught, the wolves attacked as one, going for his belly. He roared with pain as the three snatched chunks out of his hide. Greenish-yellow goo seeped from his wounds.

The falcon dove into the battle, hovering above Ogen’s head, scratching and pecking at his eyes.

“It’s working!” Lark cried.

I’d just nodded at her when Ogen thrashed, ripping free from all my vines. He whipped his head around, jabbing one horn into the falcon’s breast. A bloody bundle of feathers thudded to the ground.

Eyes wide, I threw everything I had at him, unending vines. The wolves took turns snapping at any exposed hide.

Despite this all-out assault, he began to advance, shuffling past a minefield of plants. If I could restrain his right arm, he used his left to peel off the bindings. If I managed to snag one leg, he’d drag it behind him until it pulled free.

Where was he getting this strength from? Was he growing even larger?

“NO boss.” He grinned, dripping saliva. “Now FEAST!”


When he reached the barricade, the wolves redoubled their attack—


He scooped one up, twisting its body like a blood-soaked rag. I cried out when he broke Cyclops over his knee. He trampled the third under his hoof.

Through each attack, Lark jerked and gasped for breath. Turning watering eyes toward me, she sputtered, “Wh-what do we do now?”


We were trapped in the back corner, with only one barricade to keep Ogen out.

With a slobbery grin, he squeezed his right hand into a fist. I braced myself, knowing what was coming. He launched that fist at my barrier, punching a hole through it, sending agony all over my body. Though I fought to seal the rift, he’d already gotten one leg in.

He yelled, “ALTAR!” and busted through. Lark scurried out of the way, but he was too quick. With the back of one hand, he swatted her. She flew into the wall—and didn’t move.

My fear gave way to the heat of battle. “You’re going to die for that.” Needing to get him into position, I skirted closer to my trap. “Come, Devil. Touch.” In our Arcana battle at the riverside, Gabriel had surprised Death with a net. I had one of my own at the ready.

When Ogen lunged for me, a net of rose stalks cascaded over him, giant thorns sharper than barbed wire.

“But you’ll pay a price.”


He roared as I tightened the stalks around him, their blades razoring his hide. Tighter, tighter, cutting to the bone. “Don’t you remember your commands, Ogen? I’m telling you to stay . . .” My words trailed off.

Ogen was morphing again. As I watched in horror, he grew even larger, his height stretching toward the lofty ceiling.

That sly brute had been sandbagging all this time. He’d hidden the true magnitude of his power. Did Death even know?

When his horns speared the sunlamps above, raining glass down, I knew I couldn’t hold him.

Ogen flailed against his bonds. They disintegrated, pain scoring me. The giant had freed himself.

Hunching over, he stomped closer to me. I backed away from him, throwing vines between us.

My back met the wall. Nowhere to run.

He snatched at me, seizing me in one of his enormous hands. “Pretty meat!” He inched me closer to his face.

I slashed at him with my claws, but he didn’t seem to feel them.

His slitted pupils expanded as he sniffed me, his foul breath hitting my face. “DEAD meat.” He slammed me to the ground, wrenching a scream from my lungs.

He began strangling me as he had once before. Only this time he took my neck between his thumb and forefinger, savoring, making it last.

The pressure was excruciating. Did he mean to pop my head off, like a doll’s?

Did this doll no longer have teeth?

As consciousness wavered, I thought I heard Aric bellowing for me to hold on. Delirious. I’d never see him again, would never get a chance to convince him how different I was. Would he pass another seven centuries of misery?