Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (positive books to read .txt) 📕

It raised a heavy fist and brought it toward my head. I threw myself into a roll as it sailed past me, landing heavily on the stone floor and cracking the slate into dozens of pieces. I came out of my roll and sliced its leg with my blade.

I hewed a thin groove from it as my shadowsteel ripped through the rock, but as soon as I brought my sword back, the rock shifted. My slice faded as liquid rock dripped from its chest and repaired the minuscule damage I’d done.

“Well, fuck.”

It kicked me in the chest, and I went flying. I landed a few feet away when my back crashed into a pew.

Damn, it’s faster than I gave it credit for. New plan, then. I wasn’t going to destroy the golem, not without Aura of the Antimage. And if I used Dance, I’d have solved my immediate problem, but I’d be helpless after, and I wasn’t that desperate yet.

I’m stronger now. I can handle this. Probably.

Chitin Armor held up to its kick, though I didn’t think my organs would relish a repeat performance. I stood from the pew and clenched my sword tight.

What if I run in between its legs as it attacks? It took a second or two to recover from that last smash, so I’d have at least a few seconds to kill the mage before the golem turns and crushes me to a pulp. It was the best plan I could come up with that didn’t involve me maxing my fatigue.

I raced headlong to the golem, my sword raised.

Glass crashed from above and drew my attention. A figure jumped through the window and swung down on a rope. As the stained glass broke against the ground, the figure hit the floor and rolled, his katana blade glowing an exquisite, ghostly blue.

Mika stood and slashed through the golem, his blade phasing through it like it wasn’t even there. When his sword passed through the entirety of the golem, it dissolved, turning back into nothing but a pile of lifeless rock and stone tile.

As the mage and the dwarf whose neck I’d cut stared at Mika, I just laughed.

“Null Blade, really? You’re still rocking the primordial swordsman class?”

“Saved your ugly, bug-lookin’ ass, and besides, if it ain’t broke...”

“I had it under control, but let’s deal with the rest of them and get out of here.”

We charged the remaining dwarves.

“Dibs on the mage!” I shouted as Mika engaged the one with the slit throat.

“Fine by me, I got Bleedy!”

I tuned his fight out as I focused on the woman. She backed up, her hands going in front of her face, but I knew she was close to mana depletion. She had to be after summoning a golem of that size and strength.

A muddy brown Script circle flared to life, but it was small; she didn’t have the time to build a proper spell. She recited a short incantation, but my sword cut her voice off before she could finish it.

As the light from her circle fizzled out, so too did her life.

I ripped my sword from her neck and turned back to the first dwarf, the one who’d gotten away.

He was in half, both sides glowing cherry red and smoking as Mika withdrew his glowing white sword. The sharp tang of burning metal and roasting dwarf stung my nose, and I coughed.

“Sorry, Mika. I forgot to bring anything to the barbeque.”

He laughed, waving his hand in front of his face. “Shit, I forgot how nasty it is to use Volcanic Thrust indoors.”

“Well, let’s get the hell out of here. We need to be far away before the alarm is raised. We’ll never get out if that happens.”

Mika sighed, sheathing his sword. “Too late for that. Guards already on the way. I came in here to warn you while I left David and Johns to guard the gate,” he said, heading for the door out of the vault.

I followed his lead, sheathing my sword and heading out. As soon as I housed my blade, the Aspect decided that I was no longer in danger, and Chitin Armor faded back under my skin. Mika glanced over and whistled. “Seems like we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“You’re telling me. You think the rent-a-thugs are okay?” I asked as our footsteps echoed in the empty cathedral.

“I’m guessing they’re already dead or will be soon enough.”

“Harsh. Accurate, but harsh.”

He snorted, a laugh bubbling from his chest. “They were insufferable—and not very good at their jobs. I was going to ditch them after this quest anyway.”

We reached the entrance to the cathedral and pushed the heavy wooden doors open. We were alone, but that wouldn’t be that way for long. The gates in the distance opened, and dozens of guards poured in from Gold Hightown.

“I’m guessing they didn’t make it,” I said, deadpan.

“Five silver says you’re right.”

We looked over at each other, and I grinned despite the situation. “Just like old times.”

He nodded. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

We turned and booked it off the stone path and toward the wall. If we could reach the wall and climb over it before the guards saw us, we could escape and head back to the surface without incident.

We rushed into the night. Once we got off the road, the ground became rocky and dangerous, as there were protrusions and dips at random. In the dark, with only the faint glow from the mana far above us, we could barely see.

I banged my knee on something at least five times and nearly fell into a hole, but the inky drop was just darker than the rock next to it, so I hopped over it at the last second.

A handful of minutes later, and we