Chapter 22 – Clash in the Library (Part I)
The hiss rolled through the ruined library like steam escaping a furnace, low and vibrating. Seth's ears rang with it. His stomach clenched.
He locked eyes with the lizard.
The beast didn't stalk, didn't circle. It lunged.
A blur of green spines tore across the cracked floor, faster than anything that size should move. Seth barely raised his sword before—
CRACK!
Agony ripped through his ribs. The tail's strike lifted him clean off his feet. He flew like a ragdoll, smashing through a half-standing shelf, splinters and dust exploding around him. His back slammed against the wall hard enough to make his vision white out.
"Gh—!" His breath left in a strangled gasp.
The sword nearly slipped from his fingers, but sheer instinct forced his grip tighter. He dragged himself upright from the rubble, chest screaming with pain. Every breath was glass in his lungs.
The beast turned its glowing slit eyes on him. No hesitation. No pause.
It lunged again.
Its jaws gaped wide, jagged teeth glinting in the firelight. Seth rolled aside at the last heartbeat, the snap of its bite echoing like stone shattering. The floor cracked where his head had been. His arm slashed desperately, sword arcing up at the lizard's flank.
TANG!
Sparks skittered across its scales. The strike rebounded so violently it numbed his wrist. A faint shimmer of translucent energy rippled along its hide. Untouched.
"Damn it!" Seth spat blood.
He tried to retreat—too slow. The lizard slammed into him like a living boulder.
His right arm came up by reflex.
CRUNCH!
The bone gave way. White fire tore through his nerves. Seth's scream split the air as his right arm bent the wrong way. The impact hurled him back, spine crashing against a cracked pillar that toppled instantly. He hit the ground hard, his sword clattering out of reach.
Dust choked the air. Seth writhed, clutching his mangled arm, his vision swimming. His chest convulsed with each breath.
Claws scraped the floor. The beast advanced at a crawl now, savoring it. Its spined tail swayed lazily, like a predator certain of the kill.
Seth groaned, blood dripping from his mouth. His body shook as he crawled toward the fallen blade with his left hand, dragging himself across shards of stone and wood. Each movement tore more pain from his ribs.
His fingers brushed the hilt. He seized it, dragging it close. His whole body trembled, his broken arm hanging uselessly.
Too fast… too strong…
He tried to stand, forcing his legs beneath him. The weight of the sword nearly tore his grip open, but he held on, chest heaving.
The lizard's eyes narrowed. Its hiss rattled the cracked walls, dust sifting down in streams. Then it lowered itself, coiled like a spring.
The charge came.
Seth staggered upright, blade trembling in his left hand, broken arm pressed to his side. His feet slid in the dust and blood. His heart pounded so hard it drowned out thought.
The beast's shadow swallowed him whole.
To be continued…