The Healer ✔

Chapter Nine

The high-pitched screech that the monster let out pierced Elora's ears, and for a second afterwards, all she could hear was ringing. In her distraction, something whipped across the shore and knocked her to the ground. Water red with blood lapped at her feet as she pushed herself backwards.

A scaly tail flicked towards her, attempting to curl around her legs and drag her in. That must have been what had grabbed the mermaid, what happened after that she did not know. Hands grabbed under the arms and pulled her back and away from the water and whatever could be found within. She looked up and saw Mikhail, his eyes wide and body smelling of sweat and fear.

The monster screeched again as Elora finally climbed back onto her feet. Standing in the shifting sand with ringing ears and the darkness gathered all around her, she got her first look at what she was facing.

A sea serpent, the size of a fully transformed dragon, wriggled about in the water. It splashed and hissed, opening its mouth to show off the three sets of thin, razor-sharp teeth within. Something fell from its mouth, something Elora could only assume was the remains of the poor mermaid she had tried to help.

Half of it hovered above the water, squirming like a snake in the sand, its beady eyes watching the four of them intently and judging their movements. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ragen move towards the serpent. It saw him a split second later, screeching and flicking its scaled tail towards him.

He jumped back, kicking up sand. "What in Veridun do we do?!" His eyes were wide and staring at Elora, who was looking all around the beach in the desperate hope that she would find the answer.

The serpent screeched again, kicking up water towards them in a wave that stood taller than any of them. Before Elora could do anything, the wave crashed down on her, pushing her to the ground and soaking her wings. She couldn't fly with soaked wings. It would only make the battle even harder if she couldn't get into the air.

Despite her hair and clothes sticking to her body and her wings feeling like two boulders on her back, she gathered her magic once again. With a deep cry, she shot it forward, watching it pierce the scaled side of the serpent, listening to it roar in pain and blood spewed into the choppy water below. She hit it again and again and again, but all it did was scream and drop back down into the water.

It stayed there for only a second before shooting back up once more and pushing more water towards them. This time, Elora turned and ran from the wave, spying Mikhail hanging back near the cliffs, half transformed. He would be of no help in this battle.

She joined Ragen and Nyal in the middle of the beach, their shoulders pressed together, magic flowing around them. The air Ragen blew whipped at her hair, her face stinging where it hit her soft skin.

She had been lucky enough to not have to face such a beast back during the first war with the Zlohiel, but now part of her wished she had. That way she would know what to do and how to kill it. Her attacks were barely doing anything, only just slicing the scales open to reveal a thin stream of dark green blood.

Towering up high above them, it stared down at Elora with its huge black eyes that reminded her vaguely of her own. It bared its sharp teeth, and before Elora could register what was happening, the monster was racing down towards her. She gasped, fumbling to gather her magic, cursing in her mind when she knew she had been too slow.

She could see into its mouth, see the remains of the mermaids that had gotten caught in its teeth, see the sharp points ready to tear her apart. And then it was gone, flying to the side in a blur of scales and something that looked a lot like fur.

Falling back on to the sand, her wings flaring out and kicking up a thick cloud of sand, Elora's gaze followed the head of the serpent as it roared. Mikhail was swiping at it in full wolf form, sharp claws gouging into the thick scales on the serpent's face.