Damien hurried down the tunnel. Jen wouldn’t have any trouble dealing with four monsters. The way she fought, he figured she’d catch up to them long before they reached…wherever they were going. The thud of steel on flesh mingled with hisses of pain. He grinned in the dim light.

Go get ’em, sis.

Five minutes later they reached a blank dirt wall and Jen still hadn’t caught up. Damien allowed himself a moment of worry before he brushed it off. No way she’d lose to some stupid monsters. Jen would be along any minute. Which begged the question: what were they supposed to do when she got here?

Damien leaned over the box to check on his passengers. Leah was still out, eyes closed and breathing slow and steady. The old druid didn’t look so good. He wheezed and coughed, his eyes fluttered under his lids, his face was ashen and sunken in. Whatever Eleck had done to him it knocked him for a loop.

Much as he hated to bother the wise one, Damien had no idea what they were supposed to do now. He shook the wise one and his eyes fluttered open.

“We’re here. What now?”

The wise one raised a shaking hand. “Help me touch the wall.”

Damien guided the box over beside the tunnel wall so the wise one could reach it. The moment he did a glow surrounded his hand and a faint tremor ran through the tunnel. Damien drew power, ready to reinforce the walls should it become necessary.

The end of the tunnel rattled, and clumps of dirt fell to the floor revealing a wall of roots and vines. The strands of wood pulled back, some going up into the ceiling and others down into the ground. When the shaking ended the tunnel continued on, sloping a little downward.

Down didn’t seem like the way they wanted to go, but he had no other options except back the way they came and that seemed unlikely to take them anywhere safe.

The wise one slumped back into the box. “We need to go.”

“Just as soon as Jen catches up.”

“Have to hurry.”

“We will, but not until my sister gets here.” Damien didn’t care what the old man said, he wasn’t going anywhere without Jen.

The minutes ticked by one after another and still no Jen. He was about to go looking for her when she staggered into view. Damien sighed in relief. She was still alive, but clearly the fight hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped.

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A figure loomed above her. A black-scale. The biggest one he’d seen so far. Its core blazed with power. It must have drained Jen. That was why she looked so weak. Clearly she was in no shape to fight. Damien drew his sword and dagger and charged.

Jen stared at his bared weapons. “What are you—”

Damien drew a bit of soul force and flew over her head, sword leading. The giant black-scale twitched aside at the last moment. Instead of his sword piercing its eye he only managed to scratch its cheek.

He landed behind it, rolled to his feet, and spun. Just in time to angle his sword between him and an incoming claw.

Damien slammed into the tunnel wall, pinned by a hand big enough to wrap around his chest.

He drove his dagger into its wrist three times in rapid succession. The monster roared and snatched its hand back.

The bleeding wound sealed and vanished in seconds. Its core dimmed a bit as well. Damien raised his weapons. There was nothing for it. He’d just have to keep cutting until it ran out of healing energy.

The black-scale roared again as Jen’s sword burst from its thigh. A backhanded swipe sent his sister flying toward the end of the tunnel. Her sword went one way and she went the other.

Damien took advantage of the distraction to stab three deep wounds in its side. The black-scale shrank visibly as it healed the wounds, its core more than halfway depleted.

It attacked again, quicker this time. Not warlord speed, but fast enough that it took all of Damien’s skill to dance around its claws. He didn’t even dare try and counterattack.

Fortunately he didn’t need to. His opponent was burning through its stolen soul force in a hurry to increase its speed. It got smaller and slower by the second.

Damien dodged a snapping lunge and countered with his dagger, opening a thin line along its jaw. The wound didn’t heal at once. Its core was empty.

Damien grinned. He had the advantage in speed now. He feinted at the black-scale’s throat and when it twisted its head Damien dropped his sword tip, piercing it through the chest.

He dropped back on guard, but the fight was over. The black-scale slumped to the tunnel floor facedown. Just to be safe Damien ran it through twice more. When neither wound closed he nodded, cleaned his sword on the hem of his tunic, and went to check on Jen.

She groaned when he helped her sit up. A quick glance revealed the still-depleted state of her core. It would be hours before she could fight at full strength. He looked back up the tunnel. At least there were no monsters in the immediate vicinity.

“Are you okay?” Damien helped her to her feet.

Jen wobbled like a drunk then got herself under control. “I’ll live. Just need a few hours’ rest. I thought I killed that thing.”

Damien put her arm around his neck. “Lean on me.”

They hobbled their way over to the others. Damien conjured a seat on the edge of the box. “Take a load off.”

“I can walk.”

“You can barely stand. Sit down. We need to move faster than you can stagger.”

It was a sign of just how exhausted she felt that his sister didn’t even argue. She slumped on the seat and Damien conjured a belt around her waist so she wouldn’t fall off. He sent out a tendril of soul force. The golden thread wrapped around the hilt of her sword and pulled it to Damien. He scoured the blood off it with a burst of power and slid it in the sheath on her back.

Jen never even flinched. She’d fallen fast asleep.