Destiny's Blood by Marie Bilodeau (superbooks4u txt) 📕

Malavant might be insane, but she had a joy for living that was hard to match.

“I can’t believe I’m from here and I just hit the woman who’s supposed to be my queen,” Avienne mumbled again, and Yoma laughed.

“Call me queen again and I’ll be the one to punch you!”

Avienne grinned widely. “Some fun for another day, then!”

“We can settle this on the way.” Zortan, who had wisely stayed back, now stepped in. “Now we should go. With Adina gone,” he swallowed hard, as though poison clung to his throat, “they will be even more protective of you, Yoma.”

The two women nodded, and resumed walking. An inhuman scream pierced the night, and seconds later an alarm sounded, slow at first but then strong and intermittent, urgent and impossible to ignore.

That alarm alone would make me panic! Yoma thought. The bunker’s strongest spotlights blazed to life on and aimed at the outskirts of the red glow. They struck far, and at the edges of the light, where it was most diffused and almost gone, the land seemed to be moving, as though the earth itself was taking many quick deep breaths.

“What the…” Avienne started. Zortan grabbed both Yoma and Avienne by their upper arms and twirled them around. The two barely stayed on their feet for his speed, mostly carried by his strong grip. The door of the bunker was opened and then shut behind them in a second, and Zortan locked it and tested the handle.

“Let’s go,” he said as he released their arms and stepped over the two guards.

Seconds later, the walls shook with gunshots and explosives.

They were in an old bunker, filled with villagers and peasants, and no army.

And they were under attack.

CHAPTER 36

To the ships!”

The cry echoed off the walls, to be shouted again and again in low voices of disbelief and in high, panicked tones. Yoma led the way, followed closely by Avienne and Zortan. Some settlers desperately tried to grab their few remaining belongings. In the chaos of the packed bunker, parents screamed for their children, answered by faint yet piercing youthful cries.

Yoma crossed a wall, flapping the red sheet aside and sidestepping to avoid a small family that clung to one another. A wife, a husband and a little girl huddled together as though they had run far enough, and could go no further. Yoma clenched her jaw and walked past their dim faces, turning back when she heard Avienne’s shout.

“Blood and bones, die here if you will, but let the child go!” The redhead had already pushed the father down and was now trying to release the mother’s clutch. Zortan walked by Avienne and, without stopping, grabbed her upper arm and pulled her around hard, tugging her along.

“Let go of my arm, you filthy bark-eating Gratka sewer monger!” Satisfied they were following her, Yoma worked a path through the crowd. The crush of people grew thicker as they neared the staircase to the surface.

An elbow caught Yoma in the gut and she quickly kneed back, wincing for breath. The crowd jostled her, closing in on all sides and blocking the stairs. Tightly packed people fought each other with knees and elbows, their arguments only temporarily silenced when an incredibly loud explosion rolled through the bunker. Guards shouted desperately over the din, but their commands to remain calm and go one at a time were ignored.

“We’ll never bloody get through!” Yoma shouted as the others joined her.

“Bloody, useless, genetic variant of pond scum!” The redhead screamed, pulling her arm free from Zortan’s grip. She shot the tall man a venomous look. “There will be an exit for the royal family, I bet you, from within the castle itself. Let’s head there instead!”

Yoma smiled and shouted above the crowd. “Good thought!”

Avienne shrugged and grinned. “Insane, not stupid!”

The three took off sideways, no longer fighting the crowd. The guards were not even bothering with the entrance to the palace, which stood on a ledge overlooking the entire bunker. Just as they reached the cavern, screams rose beyond them. Yoma turned and saw oddly shaped tar-like creatures slithering into the bunker. A few settlers were immediately trapped, vanishing in the tar, their screams coming to a sickening, gurgling end.

The creatures were fast, and although Yoma couldn’t identify any limbs, she could imagine where they were. The settlers screamed and fanned out, the panic on the stairwell boiling as people began fighting one another to save themselves.

Yoma heard a faint scream over the rest and turned. The family Avienne had tried to break was surrounded by the creatures, the little girl clinging desperately to her mother. The woman looked up and caught Avienne’s eyes, hers shining blue with tears as she clung to her little girl.

Avienne turned around, her face set in stone. “Let’s go.” Yoma swallowed hard and followed, Zortan staying close.

The sound of the waterfall soon rushed around them, blocking some of the artillery noises and screams. Avienne was running up ahead, Yoma and Zortan not far behind. When Avienne reached the entrance to the valley, she stopped dead in her tracks, Yoma catching herself before crashing into her.

The valley rocked from the weapons, the whole mountain shaking.

Crack! Above them a huge stalagmite broke free and fell into the side of the palace, rocks crumbling as two balconies broke and crumbled. Dust fell freely from the ceiling, and so much condensation was being shaken free that it felt like rain.

Another stalagmite broke free and fell into the lake. A huge wave crashed into the crops, ripping them free of the tender earth.

Yoma swallowed hard, her hands and feet tingling with adrenaline, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Quickly!” Zortan pushed them both and they began scaling the steps down. They took two and three steps at a time, hoping the adrenaline and fear would keep them from losing their footing. They had just reached the valley floor when an odd gurgle sounded behind them, and Yoma chanced a glance back. At the top of the stairs,