The Ashen Wrath (Watty's SHORTLIST recipient 2018) CHAPTERED VERSION

*41

The sound of thundering hooves rolled through the valley as we galloped into the unknown. With the moonlight proving inadequate, we relied on the stars to guide us. Rastin proved a steady mount, responding to even the slightest tilt of my body as I trailed Daun across the plain.

I was praying to see some towering pines break the dark horizon when Tenslin reared up violently in front of me. Daun flew from her saddle into the gloom, landing heavily somewhere in the grass.

"Whoa!" I yelled, pulling back on Rastin's reigns. The gray mare pitched and spun away, ignoring my commands. I hopped from the saddle and fell into the grass on my side.

Hearing a moan, I crawled along the ground until I found Daun lying on her back. Blood was trickling from her scalp. "Are you—"

A terrifying squeal rang out without warning. I saw Tenslin lifting into the air, her body gushing blood as a row of constricting blades lacerated through her middle.

"No!" screamed Daun, jumping to her feet. I grabbed her from behind as she tried to kick away from me. The eyes of the robotic serpent shined bright red as its shredding coils wrapped tighter around Tenslin. Seconds later, the horse's bisected body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

Daun buried her head against my shoulder and screamed. I searched in the darkness for Rastin, but there was no sign of her. "We have to run!" I said, pulling Daun backwards.

Something else was approaching fast. Heavy impacts shook the plain as a white blur streaked past us, accompanied by a sparking blue flash. Daun and I both froze, too consumed by fear to take another step.

A second bright streak cut through the black of night and collided against the serpent's jaw, creating a shower of sparks. The impact sent the machine reeling, its ratcheting segments thrashing in a frenzy. Another flash of sparks erupted, followed by the sharp sound of metal scraping across metal. A spear of steel pushed through the beast's neck, illuminated by its red eyes.

The ground shook as the mechanized horror collided against the earth with a deafening boom, its tail whipping wildly through the grass. Electricity arced along the snake's convulsing length until it went still and caught fire.

A lean figure on horseback appeared—silhouetted in the flames. The stranger approached the monster and retracted the gleaming spear from its jaw. Daun and I rose from the dirt, sensing the danger was over.

Our rescuer leapt from their mount. The woman was exceedingly tall, with legs nearly longer than those of her ivory-colored horse. She had silky blonde hair that reached to her waist, topped by a pointed, wide-brimmed hat—the same shade of crimson as her tight, leather clothing. A longbow and a quiver of arrows were strapped to her back, reminding me of fanciful illustrations I had seen within The Ten Tomes.

The mysterious woman pried open a hatch on the felled ebony serpent with her spear. She reached inside its innards then yanked something large away from the flames. The object stood up on two legs, revealing itself as a naked man. A Thrall. The woman watched calmly as the guy ran away in a panic.

The woman disappeared after remounting her white steed. She reemerged from the dark moments later, holding Rastin by the reigns. Both horses clopped happily alongside each other.

Daun and I were speechless.

The woman rode closer and peered down at us. She handed Rastin's reigns to me. "Lose something?"

"Are you Sheln?" I blurted.

The snake slayer's blue eyes shined beneath the brim of her hat. "How do you know that name?"