Vengeance Blooms by Chloe Hodge

Author:Chloe Hodge [Hodge, Chloe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648599708
Published: 2019-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

Discovery Day

Ashalea heaved black liquid from her lungs, coughing tar onto the beach until a pocket of air whooshed through her body. She gasped, clawing the sand as she retched once more. The ink pooled into white granules, congealing like blood.

So, that’s why nobody sane would try to cross the Onyx Ocean.

Ashalea checked herself for injuries. Her clothes were torn and there were light cuts and bruises already forming. She winced. Her head began to throb incessantly, and her fingers traced a gash where blood had formed a sticky plaster. She stood slowly, testing her legs. A little wobbly but otherwise fine to walk on. Good. She cast her eyes over the island and awakened her senses, finding no immediate danger. Her friends were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, she saw a vast expanse of rock which was somehow embellished with the shapes of creatures and men. From where she stood, the scene looked like a battlefield. All races —humans, elves, dwarves — allied against unfathomable creatures. Only the Diodonians fought for the other side, and unlike the old tales with heroes and victory, this battle was painted in a different light. Bloody.

Creatures with giant fangs and claws ripped out victims’ eyes and Diodonians pounced on throats and removed jugulars. Other creatures squeezed their victims to death, whereas more still disembowelled, beheaded, chopped and maimed. It was a scene of pure horror which twisted Ashalea’s stomach, making her want to vomit again. She quickly realised where she was.

The Isle of Dread.

Vivid images of Kinna and Ondori’s last moments came flooding back and Ashalea’s eyes threatened to spill over. Their faces burned in her mind’s eye. She thought of the crew now drifting in the sea— what was left of them, anyway.

Her legs threatened to cave beneath her as exhaustion crept into her bones. The amount of Magicka transferred and spent obliterating those creatures earlier had weakened her considerably. She felt her determination drain slowly, almost falling to her knees. At this point, if she closed her eyes she wasn’t sure she’d wake up.

Stop it, Ashalea. Get moving.

Sluggishly, she shook her head and trudged along the sandy shore, hoping to find someone, anyone, and praying to the Goddess Everani, protector of souls, that any survivors had just stayed put.

The inky waters lapped at her feet gingerly, pooling in the wake of her boots. Beyond the waves, sharp rocks shaped like jagged teeth cut from the mouth of the earth.

That would explain my head, she patted it tenderly.

Her elvish eyes located a black figure in the distance, sprawled and unmoving on the sand. It was too large to be Shara. She padded along the beach as fast as she could.

“Denavar?” Her feet rammed into the sand as she halted next to him. She put a finger under his nose and felt his chest. No pulse. She pumped his chest the way Wezlan had taught her in an emergency. Still nothing. She opened his mouth, his beautiful lips dry as sandpaper, and puffed a few times before rolling him to the side.

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