(eng) Linsey Hall - Dragon's Gift, Valkyre 01 by Undercover Magic

Author:Undercover Magic [Magic, Undercover]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“It’s one of the decorated crypts,” Cade said. “Like in Rome.”

My gaze traced over the space, which was about the size of the entry hall back at the castle, with columns supporting the arched ceiling.

Every wall and the entire ceiling was covered by thousands of bones, all laid out in decorative patterns. There were swirls made of skulls, geometric shapes made of leg bones, and even some full skeletons dressed like monks. They were pinned to the walls with attachments I couldn’t see. Ragged brown robes hung loose around their forms, and their skulls grinned at us. In the ceiling, a headless jeweled skeleton was the centerpiece. Like the room we stood within, the water was about calf level.

“Monks,” Cade said.

“This must be why Ricketts built his headquarters here. And the magic keeping this place from flooding is older than we expected. It might not be his at all.”

“Aye. Ricketts chose well. There will be an enchantment in there. Something to keep us from passing.”

I glanced at Cade, struck again by his strong competence. We were technically underwater and about to walk into the lion’s den, facing magic meant to destroy us, and Cade didn’t look a bit worried.

Me, on the other hand?

I was shaking in my boots.

Whelp, that’s my cue.

“Let’s do this thing.” I leapt into the room, sword raised in front of me.

Magic exploded in the air. All around, the skeletons burst to life. The robed monks that were attached to the walls jumped down to the floor first, their skeletal hands reaching for us.

I lunged for one, slicing out with my blade. I severed the thing’s spine, and it tumbled into the water. Another came from behind it. I took the head, but it kept coming. So I went for the spine again. It collapsed.

“Go for the spine!” I said.

At my side, Cade fought like a tornado, his sword flying and bones clattering.

I hated to see the destruction of something as historic as the crypt, but if this was magic, it’d probably go right back to normal once we were gone.

Sweat dampened my skin as I swung my sword, every strike colliding with a skeleton. Their bones fell into the water, which wasn’t as muddy in this room. Beneath the surface, I could see the bones of the skeletons crawling across the ground to knit back together.

As they reformed, more bones broke off the walls and formed more skeletons. They charged us, dozens at a time.

I panted, trying to keep them off of me.

“Back to back!” I shouted.

Cade and I lined up with our backs to each other, fighting off the skeletons that came at us in a circle.

One skeleton wasn’t too scary. But masses of them? Some wearing the ragged robes of ancient monks?

Yeah, creepy.

As I sliced through the spine of one skeleton, another got ahold on my arm. Like the zombie, it squeezed with a grip that could crush titanium. My eyes watered as I heaved my sword at the attacking skeleton, slicing down through its arm and straight through its spine.

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