The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

impotent fury of the demon trapped within her broken body, feel its smoldering disappointment at her failure. Its power and malice had been all consuming to her for so long...

But it could not stand in the mortal world without a willing host.

And while the Chimera whimpered out her warning into the mud, standing over her was her undoing.

“I’m supposed to be gracious in victory.” Nina remarked while looking to her glowing hammer, bemused; “That is the pledge that was handed down to me. But you make it really fucking hard... Evadne.”

“You d-don’t get to decide for-” The dark monster rasped out blearily, blood matting her hair along with the rain and mud.

But the Gigas didn’t let her finish.

Instead she punctuated her own words by bringing her glowing hammer down again and again on the broken girl’s head and back.

“I’m - talking - DEAD!”

When the giant’s assault ended Evadne was still forever, and the demonic shadows of hate that had held her in sway for over a thousand years dissipated from her lifeless body, washing away like ink in the rain as finally, fatalistically, the Chimera were truly extinct from the world.

Dark blood sizzled on her weapon while Nina looked up into the rain, the water likewise hissing and spitting against her heated skin as the weight of her actions settled upon her.

But she was the mountain, and she would carry it.

Shaking off the grim thoughts, Nina turned from Evadne’s remains and approached the kneeling Dragon.

Xalanth bowed her head to her.

“Without your aid my story would have ended this day. You have my thanks, Drakkan-freend.”

The Gigas sniffed.

“All good. You dead?”

With great effort the ancient monster girl regained her feet again, one wing trailing limp behind her as she raised her head to smile at the Gigas.

“Not as yet. How did you know-” The Dragon coughed and spat out another gob of blood; “How did you know you could withstand my flames?”

“Didn’t.” Nina grunted, then winced as she traced her fingers over the claw-marks across her face.

Before Xalanth could respond though, cries of alarm sounded from all around.

“What’s happening to them?!” One of the volunteers screamed.

The Tenebrae were convulsing; the golden light that had been a flicker in their eyes now spilled out and burned the darkness away with its radiance.

“I have a pretty good idea.” Miranda staggered through the mud towards Xalanth and Nina.

She and hers had headed back into the fight after securing Yana, but now she was limping.

Of all the things that could have happened to her she had slipped and rolled her ankle, and she wasn’t happy about it.

“Armstrong succeeded?” Dawn Morrow asked, leading a number of people in search of wounded.

“Seems to be the case.”

“Miranda, is my lady safe?” Xalanth demanded.

“She’s still got five Antlion queens with her. We came to see what all the screaming and fire and death was about over here.”

“Just me settling things with Evadne, wanna see?” Nina gestured at the Chimera’s grisly remains in the mud.

Miranda chuckled darkly.

“I’ll take your word for it. Your people were worried about you, something about some Ogres? And why do you always end up in the buff when shit goes down?”

Nina didn’t bother to answer the second question as there was little humour in Miranda’s words, and she had even less desire to address the first.

Meanwhile the convulsing of the Tenebrae ceased and the light faded.

“Is it over?” A grizzled looking Wolfen asked from nearby, blood matted her hair as she scanned the field for any threat.

“Almost, we still need to catch that prick Jonathan, and make sure the kid is okay.”

“I broke his jaw earlier. Jonathan’s I mean, not my guy’s.” Nina said.

She frowned as she licked her fingers and touching her still-glowing hammer with a faint sizzle. Her own skin had cooled in the rain, but evidently the heat of Dragon-fire was slower to fade from her weapon.

“Good.” Dawn Morrow began to give orders again; “Miranda, take Nina and secure the murderous bastard. The rest of you, the medical teams are up to their eyes in wounded, so if you can walk and talk you can help with triage. Move it Aegis! There are still lives to save!”

Though only a few days prior she was much lower in the Aegis’s command structure, humans and monster girls alike scrambled to obey her orders now.

The Tenebrae were still unconscious, though their eyes were no longer black or gold but had reverted to their natural colours.

But as they walked towards Wayfelt and the shed she collapsed on Jonathan, Nina’s head snapped up.

“Master…” She whispered, fear naked in her voice.

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Miranda demanded.

“Someone else can help you with dickbag! I need to get to my man!” The giant shouted even as she ran off.

“Nina!” Miranda cried out at her fleeing back.

Chapter 53:

Despair

Nina sprinted through the muddy field and up the hill towards where she’d last felt Nameless, the giant having to dodge between the wounded and those helping them as she ran.

No!! Master please!

Her heart ached: emptiness had taken the place where her bond-mate had lived.

Less than a minute later she pulled up short of plowing through the protective ring of Undines.

They were all crying.

With her heart in her throat she pushed past them as she heard her bond-sisters doing the same.

Milly was lowing non-stop in desperation, while Erica was likewise yowling in despair.

Only Volka shed no tears, her head slumped and her arms wrapped tenderly around the form of William Nameless Armstrong.

He was still.

“No…” Nina whimpered.

Her hammer fell from her nerveless fingers, the Dragon-heated iron hissing as it landed in the churned up earth.

All around heads hung low as the monster girls