shake off the pain.
It was fair to say it didn’t look happy and so Emma quickly followed up on her attack by throwing a nail file. This time it didn’t even stop when the weapon bounced off its thick skin, just continuing to charge at her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Loni was dragging out the limp, injured bodies one by one.
Emma held up her sword and waited until the darkhel was almost on top of her before she used all her strength to thrust it upward into its chest. The sword plunged deep into the darkhel’s body and she felt herself grunt with satisfaction in knowing that this time she had actually damaged it.
But her elation didn’t last for long as the creature once again reached out with its talons. She ducked just in time, but her sudden movement threw her off balance and she went crashing to the ground. Every part of her hurt as she realized that the creature really was stronger than it had been before. Now it was looming over her, bearing down on her, its red eyes full of loathing.
However, before it could strike at her, Curtis suddenly appeared and tried to drive his sword through the creature’s ribs. The ploy didn’t work and she could see him wince in pain at the exertion of the movement. However, it gave her time to get back to her feet, though as she did so, she realized that the darkhel was no longer trying to attack her. Now its deadly gaze was fixed firmly on Curtis.
“No,” she screamed. Then, in what seemed to be Matrixlike slow motion, the beast lunged at him, its deadly poisonous talons aimed directly at Curtis’s throat. One scratch and Curtis would be dead. Instinctively, she pushed him out of the way and they both went crashing down to the ground.
She groaned in pain and she tried to wriggle into a sitting position as the darkhel raced at them again. Next to her Curtis was groggily rubbing his temple as the darkhel pivoted around and once again tried to slash at them.
“Curtis, move,” she yelled, too late, realizing that his white sunglasses were lying in a broken pile on the floor. Emma felt the blood pound in her temples as she caught sight of Curtis’s grim expression. Oh God, what had she done?
“Your glasses. I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t pushed you—”
“Then I would be darkhel shish kebab by now,” Curtis managed to say as he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the damaged glasses. “So stop looking at me and concentrate on what it’s doing.”
Emma spun around just in time to see the darkhel once more coming at her. This time she didn’t raise her sword. Instead she just held it in her hand until the creature was almost upon her. At the very last instant she lifted it up and thrust it deep between the creature’s ribs.
For a moment the darkhel paused, then reached out and swiped her with a deadly talon, but before she could parry the blow, Curtis stepped in and blocked it with his crutch, then ducked and struck the creature just above the knee.
Emma gasped as she realized that Curtis, without his glasses, was working purely from intuition. The creature, meanwhile, just stared at the crutch for a moment before reaching out with a giant arm and sending Curtis flying back into some tables. Emma instantly leaped forward, but the moment she did, the darkhel flicked her away like she was an irritating mosquito then picked her up and threw her back into the tables. She felt the wood splinter as she landed awkwardly on her ankle. She groaned in pain as the darkhel’s foot came crashing down on her chest, slamming the air out.
“Enough.” Its voice was low and throbbing with malice. “It’s over. And although I know I should kill you, I think it would be more fun to let you live. So you can reflect every day for the rest of your miserable life on how you failed to stop me. Just like your mother.”
“My mother didn’t fail.” Emma gasped for air as the creature pressed its heel harder into her chest. “She banished you. That’s called winning in my book.”
“Oh, foolish human. You are truly pathetic.” The creature loomed over her. It was so powerful now that she felt the strength draining from her just by looking at it. “Not to mention stupid. Do you really not