Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors #8) - Anna Hackett Page 0,14
down on the rock creature’s elbow. A small chunk of rock fell off.
“Go,” he yelled, leaping off.
She and Thane sprinted out of range.
“How the hell are we going to take it down?” she yelled.
“I’m not—”
The creature stomped on the ground, then waved a hand in front of its body.
Loose stones floated up in the air, hanging there.
Oh, shit. “Down!” She dived at Thane.
As they fell, the rocks flew at them like missiles. The pair of them hit the ground, the rocks flying overhead.
“Distract it,” Thane said.
Kaira moved into a crouch. “What’s your plan?”
He pushed up. “I’ll let you know once I have one.”
“Thane!” She didn’t want him to get hurt.
He sprinted and circled around the alien.
“Hey.” Kaira waved her arms. “Look here, stone man.”
The creature’s soulless stone face moved toward her. It took a lumbering step in her direction.
“That’s it.”
Suddenly, the creature moved. It was faster than she expected.
The stone giant swung an arm.
Kaira ducked. Its fist smashed into a tree, splintering the trunk.
She leaped back. Yikes. Note to self: do not let the stone creature hit you.
She ran, and the alien spun to keep her in sight. Loose, small rocks flew past her, and she dodged. One hit her back and she winced.
Thane attacked from behind with his axe.
The creature turned, grabbed the axe and yanked it out of Thane’s hand.
Dammit. Kaira ran and jumped. She landed on the creature’s arm.
Distracted, it spun again, and shook.
Kaira held on. Hell, it was like being on a bucking bull.
She lost her grip and flew off.
She smacked into the ground, the air knocked out of her. Her ears were ringing.
“Kaira, move!”
Thane’s shout made her roll over.
The stone creature was stomping closer.
Oh, shit. She pushed up to move, but her boots slipped on some loose rocks.
“No!” Thane roared.
He ran at full speed, a newly formed axe in his hands.
The stone alien spun, its giant arms whirling.
A fist slammed into Thane, lifting him off his feet.
Kaira’s heart stopped.
He flew through the air beyond the giant stone circle of the ruins, and crashed into a tree trunk. He dropped to the ground.
The creature focused on Kaira.
Crap. She needed to get to Thane. He wasn’t moving.
Be okay, warrior. She fought back the tendrils of fear.
The stone alien stomped in her direction.
Kaira backed up. Her boots stepped off the stone floor and onto the grass.
The stone alien froze. It cocked its head, looking right through her.
Frowning, she stepped forward again, and as soon as her boot touched the stone, the alien stiffened and its attention zeroed back in on her.
Quickly, she backed off the stone and onto the grass again.
The creature paused, then turned and wandered to the center of the ruins, like it didn’t have a care in the world.
As she watched, the rocks forming the creature fell apart, reforming the stone archway.
Her pulse jumped. The alien was somehow linked to the ruins.
She skirted the temple’s stones, then ran toward Thane.
He was facedown in the rotting vegetation. She dropped to her knees beside him.
“Thane?”
No response.
She slid her arms under him and carefully tipped him over. With a shaking hand, she pressed her fingers to his neck. His pulse was strong, and it sent a small tremor of relief through her. He was alive.
“Thane?” She touched his face. He groaned and she saw he had a new bruise forming on his cheek.
She touched his stomach and he groaned again. She probed. She didn’t feel any broken ribs or anything that would indicate internal bleeding. But that didn’t rule it out.
She touched his helian band and felt a jolt of warmth from it.
“Heal him,” she whispered.
They couldn’t stay here, exposed. She needed to find a spot for him to rest and recover.
She quickly scouted around, shoving at bushes and hoping she didn’t come face-to-face with something poisonous or hungry.
Several huge trees speared into the sky. One had a large trunk, with a hole carved into the base, like a small cave.
Maybe created by some alien creature. She found a stick and poked around inside, cleaning out the dead, rotting leaves.
A small, spider-like creature skittered out.
She went back to the still-unconscious Thane and hooked her arms under his armpits.
“Okay, short trip, warrior.”
She tugged and grunted, using her leg muscles. God, he was so heavy. Every inch of him was muscle.
Slowly, they inched across the ground and reached the tree.
With some more grunting and maneuvering, she got them inside the shelter of the tree.
She pulled out the water and dribbled some in his mouth. There wasn’t much left.
“You’re safe.” She