The Monster's Caress - S.E. Smith Page 0,83

encapsulate a small portion of her essence, holding on to her sense of self. She had hoped that one day she would grow strong enough to reach out for help from another of her kind.

In the meantime, the evolving entity had divided into more parts. The meteor had become a living ship, formed from the majority of Aminta’s essence. With her knowledge of the star system as a guide, it had proceeded to the nearest planet with life—The Seven Kingdoms.

The meteor ship had crashed into the ocean near the Isle of the Sea Serpent. Two smaller portions had remained behind with Aminta’s depleted form, while the other aliens spread out, searching for new and more powerful hosts to inhabit. The first one had discovered Magna. The others had worse luck, overtaking weaker inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms and burning through them quickly. The possessed Magna had caused so much chaos that no one even noticed the trail of the other aliens, assuming it was more of Magna’s carnage.

The last two had accessed more of Aminta’s memories, eventually recognizing the power that lay beyond the gateway in this world—the power found in the River of Life. They then spent a long time preparing for this war to reach the Gateway. The mountain itself was the biggest obstacle. The aliens could not access it until Aminta had grown stronger—because she was pure of heart.

When it was time, all the aliens in the Seven Kingdoms except the one imprisoned in Nali’s palace had merged and began their assault. Many hosts had died along the way, but at last, now the merged alien was on the mountain. Asahi reeled with the sudden knowledge. He felt as if he had lived centuries in just a few seconds.

“Asahi, are you with us?” Ashure asked, touching his arm.

He looked at Ashure with a start before he nodded. “Yes. Aminta was sharing her memories with me,” Asahi quietly replied.

“Learn anything useful?” Ross asked.

Asahi hesitated, his mind whirling. “I’m not sure. No—the plan is still the same,” he somberly answered, closing his eyes.

I cannot do anymore to help you until the alien inside us is destroyed, Aminta instructed.

He pulled Mr. Gryphon from the sheath. The lion yawned and shook himself as he came to life, then he looked over at Ashure and Ross, twisted around on the hilt of the dagger and glared up at Asahi.

“Well, you took your sweet…,” Mr. Gryphon said in an annoyed tone before he looked into Asahi’s eyes, snapped his jaw shut, and bowed his head in respect. “My apologies, Goddess. How may I serve you?”

“Goddess!” Ross and Ashure exclaimed at the same time.

“I want you to kill the alien inside me, Mr. Gryphon,” Asahi quietly requested.

Mr. Gryphon bowed his head again. “As you command, Goddess,” the lion replied.

Mr. Gryphon wrapped his claws around the hilt and fluttered his wings as he lifted the dagger from Asahi’s open palm. The lion carefully scanned Asahi like an MRI machine, searching for the exact location of the alien hidden deep inside his body. Then the golden gryphon suddenly lunged forward, burying the magical dagger deep into Asahi’s heart.

Asahi gasped and stiffened at the blow but surprisingly felt no pain. The tip of the golden dagger pierced the black matter of the alien. The magic contained within the blade glowed, blossoming outward, and spread throughout Asahi’s body.

Asahi vaguely heard Ashure and Ross cursing. Inside him, the dagger’s powerful magic combined with Aminta’s unique energy and surged through him. Spider veins of gold rippled along his skin, and his blood cells mutated.

Aminta’s calming words flowed through him. Do not be afraid.

I’m not afraid of death. All I ask is that you protect Nali and the worlds endangered by the alien, he replied.

I will do my best, Asahi, Aminta vowed.

Asahi sensed Aminta’s resolve to keep her promise but knew that she was still so very weak from her ordeal. He looked down at the cliffs below, searching for Nali in the light from the explosions. Like a beacon in the night, he saw her. She was his precious warrior.

I love you, Nali, he thought as Aminta took over his body.

Nali ducked under a cascade of falling boulders as Koorgan struck one of the alien trilobites. Three of her elite soldiers were trapped and needed assistance. She raised her sword and struck the trilobite when it swung its spiked tail in their direction. Her sword caught between the joint of two spikes, embedding it in the alien’s flesh. The force