Glass Throat - Chapter 7

With a roar that shook the heavens, the beast raised one of its paws.

“Scatter!” yelled Thaelon.

The stormcast all scattered in different directions. The massive leg slammed down, its footprint as wide as a house. The concussive force of the stomp nearly knocked Elia over.

She didn’t see who, but someone must have been underneath because a sudden flash of lightning erupted from under the foot and surged towards the heavens.
The blast of lightning was a shock that sometimes killed any nearby bystanders, and at the very least sent them reeling, but the beast didn’t even seem to notice.

“We need to get back and warn the others!” Ardevan yelled.

Elia pointed at the afterimage of the lightning bolt. “We’ve already got someone heading home to warn them!”

Ardevan nodded, pulled back his bow, and loosed a crackling arrow of energy towards the beast’s face. It seemed he’d predicted the beast’s movement perfectly, as the arrow went straight into the beast’s mouth.

The beast didn’t seem to notice.

At the same time Rykhar stormed the paw in front of him. He’d left his shield on his back and had his hammer gripped in both hands before taking a massive swing at the house sized paw in front of him. There was a loud clang and his hammer ricocheted from the glass. He grunted in effort as he struggled to keep his grasp on his hammer.

Rykhar turned. “Not even a crack from…”

The beast’s other front paw swung through him and his body was flung forward into the air. Before his body could even strike the ground, it dematerialized into lightning and shot towards the heavens.

Elia grimaced. Two down and she’d barely done anything.

Ardevan had loosed three other arrows by this point. Nothing had happened. “I can’t even scratch the beast!” he yelled.

“Fall back towards the realmgate!” Elia yelled. “All of you, go! Prosecutors to me!”
Ardevan and Syris started backing up.

Elia took a step towards them and pointed over their shoulders, fury writ across her face. “GO!”

They turned and ran towards where she hoped the realmgate was. She couldn’t see any other stormcasts. She threaded between the beast’s paws and ran under the beast’s body. What was she going to do? She wasn’t afraid, but she was angry. Angry that she might return to the God-king without having found Vornus.

She looked around. Where were those prosecutors? She caught a glance of brilliant set of wings up near the beast’s head. A javelin crackling with lightning energy shot towards the beast. It bounced harmlessly off the glass, but at least it seemed to be distracting the creature.

“Serida! Cassivar!” She yelled.

Thaelon appeared at her elbow. “What now?” he asked.

“I sent back Syris and Ardevan. Go guide them to the realmgate.”

“I’ll never find them,” Thaelon shook his head. “Plus Syris is our best tracker. If anyone can find the realmgate without your lantern, he’ll be able to do it.”

Elia looked up at the beast’s body hundreds of feet above them. The magnitude of the task in front of them was daunting. She didn’t think she would be able to do it. She wasn’t afraid, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be realistic.

“Why aren’t you using your lantern?” Thaelon asked.

“The light can cut through shadows and shadow magic, but that solid glass hide at this distance?” Elia responded. “Plus, I may not have enough energy for more than one shot. I can’t afford to waste it.”

Suddenly Serida’s crisp voice rang out. “Elia!”

Elia looked up and both prosecutors were hurtling towards her.

“Time to move,” Elia yelled. “Bring us up!”

Serida grabbed her under the armpits and took to the skies. Elia glanced over and saw Thaelon similarly in Cassivar’s grip.

“We can’t pierce the glass hide,” Elia yelled, trying her best to be heard over the beast’s cacophony, “we’ll need to get back inside to see what damage we can do there.”

“Are you ready to die for Sigmar?” Thaelon yelled.

Elia grinned, and she could faintly hear Serida chuckle over the sound of the wind whistling by her.

As Serida’s powerful wings beat them upwards, Elia noticed a feeling of warmth coming from her shield sister through the physical contact.

We can do this, she thought.

The two prosecutors brought them up above the beast’s head. It saw them, and lifted its head roaring.

Without a word (or at least, not one that Elia could hear above the beast’s roar), Serida tilted forward and the two of them plummeted towards the beast’s jaws.

A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that Cassivar and Thaelon were hot on their heels.

She tightened her grip on the lantern. She only hoped it would be enough.

One way or another, this would be decided soon.