My mind barely pieces together what’s happening before long, black claws, tips red as rubies, punch through his chest, ripping it open from the inside out.
The force splatters our clothes with blood.
The thing inside him sinks its claws into the wood, anchoring itself. And then it begins to pull free.
A head emerges first, covered in long black hair that falls forward like a curtain that conceals its face.
Below it, its rib cage gapes open, filled with organs in all the wrong places. It’s wrong,twisted.
I have never seen anything like it.
What the fuck is this thing?
I move.
My blade drives forward, spearing through its gaping ribcage, straight into the twisted mass of organs.
The thing lurches, screeching. Its free arm snaps out toward me.
A flick of my wrist.
A razor-thin arc of magic slices clean through its limb, severing it mid-motion.
The howl it releases is deafening. Raw agony laced with fury. A sound too sharp and layered, like a chorus of things screaming at once.
My ears hurt.
My blade stays buried, pressing deeper, searching for what I hope is its heart.
Kalix moves.
His blade swings in a deadly arc.
The head separates cleanly, sent rolling across the now blood-slicked floor.
The creature writhes, convulsing—then, stillness. I hold my stance, taking controlled and measured breaths.
A few seconds pass.
Nothing. It doesn’t reanimate.
Kalix exhales sharply, nudging its decapitated body with his sword.
“Should we take it to Iris?” he murmurs reluctantly.
Neither of us want to touch the damn thing.
I exhale, dragging my hand down my face before re-sheathing my sword. “This is a problem.”
I glace at what’s left of the Duke. His body is ruined, but the bigger question remains.
“How the hell did this get inside him?” My voice is quiet, more to myself than Kalix. “If he was dealing with the North…what the fuck are they dealing with?”
We need answers.
Kalix mutters a string of colorful curses, something about Iris owing him for this. I smirk.
“As if you could command her of all people,” I jest. Kalix snorts but doesn’t argue.
