The Curse's Breath

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Celni took in quick breaths of steamy, scalding air. She would have to kill him. She would have to kill Ashnule.

Ashnule let out a long blast of fire straight toward her. Celni rolled to the side, ducking for cover behind a thick, ashy-gray rock. Her hands shook. The tip of her sword clinked against the rocky ground with each quiver of her fingers.

There was another blast of fire. Srenya slid into cover beside Celni, tiny bits of rock scattering underneath her feet.

"Just can't seem to stay away from me, can you, princess?" Ashnule growled. Celni heard him padding forward. His claws scratched against the ground beneath him. "Looks like you brought a friend with you this time. Maybe she'll have the guts to actually kill me." His words aimed to hook on to her pride, but instead drowned in her cold fear.

There was no getting out of this. Even right now, her very movements were being broadcasted to the entire human population. She would have to kill him.

Next to her, Srenya muttered under her breath, "Of course you would know him."

Celni frowned. Before she could figure out what Srenya meant, the girl leapt out of hiding with a yell. There was a roar of pain, and then scuffling. A blast of fire. Claws sliding down a shield. The snap of teeth.The edge of a sword biting into rock surface.

She had to get in there. No matter what happened, she wouldn't let Srenya be the one to kill Ashnule.

She stood up, strength turning her hands into hard fists filled with energy. Celni's boots dug into the ground as she ran. I can do this.

Ashnule had reared up onto his hind legs, batting at Srenya with his claws. She raised her sword up to block his blows. Celni saw her sword arm twist, getting ready to cut upward at his chest.

Celni bowled into her. She went crashing into the ground, while Celni slid evenly on her feet and plunged her sword into his hindquarters.

He snarled and lashed at her with his tail. She felt her weight leave the ground. Her back crunched against a hard surface, and she crumpled to the ground.

She heard a yell from Srenya. More sounds of metal against scales and teeth against black crystal. A fireball exploded into the rock next to her. Celni ducked, feeling the heat around her grow even more intense.

She had to move. She was a sitting duck out here.

"Twenty-five minutes until eruption."

Pain scorched through her spine as she tried to stand up. With gritted teeth, she focused on her adrenaline and washed out the pain signals that were loud in her brain. She launched back into battle.

Srenya was on the ground, Ashnule on top of her. His teeth glittered in the low light as he reached down to bite her arm. She let out a half scream, half grunt as her armor buckled.

Celni bolted forward, leaping off the ground and soaring up toward Ashnule. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she went past. His head jerked down with her weight. He quickly shook her off.

She tumbled on the rock, her armor clattering as she rolled to a stop. Her back was hurting like crazy. Get up. Get up! She growled at herself. Forcing herself to stand once again, she picked up the shield next to her on the ground. Celni raised it just in time as fire blasted toward her.

Ashnule stepped forward, his orange eyes burning like embers. "You've got more spark in you this time. But it isn't enough. You're still a coward," he hissed, baring his teeth. He kept getting closer to her, making her back up.

Celni glanced behind her. She could see what he was doing. He was backing her towards the lava.

But there was nowhere else to go.