Glass Throat - Chapter 4

Elia blinked. A creature emerged — snake-bodied, with the head of a quill lion. As thick as her shoulders, it stretched deep into the shadows behind it.

“It hasss been a long time sssince we had guessstsss,” it said.

“Do you guard here?” Elia demanded.

“What creature doesss not guard itsss home?”

“Let me pass, I mean you no harm.”

The corners of the lion’s mouth turned up. “I alssso mean you no harm,” it said, as it slowly bowed its head with exaggerated politeness. “After all, I ssshall leave your sssoul intact after I eat you and sssubsssume your life.”

Suddenly, Elia was slammed from behind.

She sprawled into the dirt, though she managed to keep hold of both her lantern and sword.

Her leg was wrenched out from underneath her, and she dangled in front of the monster, held aloft by the back end of the monster’s tail. Her cloak trailed against the ground and her white hair hung from the top of her head.

“My babiesss are hungry.”

The torso of the snake started to bulge and move, as if there were a nest of creatures inside of the monster, struggling to get out.

“Careful,” Elia said. “I’ve got claws.”

She curled her torso up and swung with her broadsword at the tail holding her up in the air.

It went right through it. As if the snaketail was insubstantial. An illusion.

Shadow magic, she thought.

The monster cackled. “You’re a fish out of water. You can do nothing to me - a lightmouse in the dark. A snack for my prettiesss.”

Elia sent some of her will into the lantern. It blazed bright. The monster hissed, recoiling. “That does not hurt,” it said, though it clearly seemed bothered.

With a grunt, Elia curled up and swung her sword back into the monster’s tail. This time she felt resistance, but just for a moment. Her sword passed cleanly through the tail and nearly chopped it right off. Elia fell onto her back.

The force of the blow knocked the lantern out of her hand.

Immediately, the light began to die — not fade, but collapse, like breath leaving a body.

The monster was thrashing and screaming, and blood was pouring out of the nearly severed stump.

Elia dove for the lantern before it extinguished itself and she managed to get her hands on the handle just as the light fully disappeared.

The monster was still thrashing, absorbed in its pain. Elia sent some of her will into the lantern and stepped forward to take another swing.

Her sword took another piece out of the snake, and with an ear-splitting screech, the monster launched itself into the shadows, vanishing in a smear of motion.

Elia took a step after it. “Gone? Or just waiting?” she muttered, before stopping. The monster was as good as gone. And she had a mission at the Mirrorhold.

Panting, she wiped the blood from her sword on the ground. “This lantern is heavy,” she said.

The magic in the air still crawled over her skin. She hadn’t realized how tightly she’d been gripping her blade.

She dimmed the light from the lantern and started towards the Mirrorhold, not bothering to sheathe her sword.

This time she noticed that it did not get further away from her.

It was, in fact, getting closer.

~

She trimmed the light again, as low as she dared. Just enough to cut through the shadow magic of the Throat of Lies — and not a flicker more.

Elia had managed to get it dim enough that, though it was still exhausting her, she was pretty sure she would make it to the citadel.

The steps started to blur together. Her sword had started to weigh her down so she’d cleaned it on her cloak and put it into her scabbard. She switched the lantern to the other side. She hadn’t felt this weak since she was mortal.

Still, she was most of the way there, and she was confident she would make it.

“Hey! Wait!” a voice rasped.