Hive Queen by Sinclair, Grayson (ereader iphone .TXT) 📗

a sigh of relief as I lunged forward and slammed the side of my shield into her face. I expected it to strike home, but heavy resistance stopped it cold. She’d blocked my shield with her four limbs just as I’d blocked her tail. The tips of her legs peeled back to reveal sharp claws that quickly latched onto every side of my shield.

“A pity. You fought well, Duran.”

She had me pinned, and I couldn’t react fast enough as she brought her scorpion tail overhead and brought it down on my shield. It shattered through my chitin like glass and sent shards scattering across the stone as they fell, reflecting the light of the sun shining through the stained glass.

They clattered to the ground, and a sharp pain radiated from my left arm.

I looked over, and the pain only intensified.

Her scorpion tail broke through my chitin and tore through my forearm; the tip stuck out the other side.

I jerked my arm free, and blood rushed from the ragged wound. Shit. Not good. I’m partially immune to the poison, but I can’t deal with the side effects or a bleeding debuff right now.

A terrible realization came over me, and I cursed as cold dread settled in my heart. She’s going to kill me if I don’t stop her. I don’t have a choice.

I’m sorry.

I clenched my teeth and threw myself in a roll as she struck again. I came up and wielded my hand and a half sword in both hands. The timer for Aura of the Arachnid was running low, and I had two minutes to finish this.

It would be over in half that.

Jasmine struck again, but I’d seen her tricks. She was fast and unbelievably strong, far better than I was at handling the mantle of Hive Knight. But her combat skills were lacking. She relied too much on brute force. It left her vulnerable.

I stepped forward as she struck with her limbs. Instead of dodging, I turned my body as they glided past, barely licking at my chitin. As they struck air behind me, I used my own limbs to pin hers, and I struck.

I put my entire body behind my thrust and aimed for the spot on her chest that I’d hit earlier, where the chitin was weakest.

The blade hit dead center, and her armor couldn’t withstand another strike. It buckled and caved under my steel, and it slid through her chest and stopped as the chitin of her back held.

I pulled my sword from her chest as the eldritch glow from her eyes dimmed. The smooth chitin peeled away, retreating under her skin. Blood welled at the corners of her mouth, and she collapsed. I caught Jasmine before she hit the stone floor and cradled her against my chest.

Without her armor, she seemed so frail as I held her. My own chitin faded as I canceled all of my abilities, and I sagged as my battle fatigue rose as I prematurely shut down Aura of the Arachnid.

My legs failed me, and my knees hit the stone hard as I held onto Jasmine. Her auburn hair covered her face and stuck to the blood that cover her cheek.

“Someone, help her!”

I pressed my hand to her wound as her blood painted my hands, staining them crimson. I looked up at Magnus and Aliria, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “Magnus, help her! She’s going to die!”

He shook his head, softly, just once. “She’s already gone, Duran. I’m sorry.”

“She’s not, Jasmine’s fine!”

I brushed the blood away from her mouth, only to smear even more blood across her tawny skin. Her head nestled in the crook of my arm, and her once-beautiful eyes of honey were nothing but glass.

He was right. Jasmine was gone.

“No, no, no.” I glared up at Magnus. “Help her! You’re a chronomancer, bring her back!”

“I can’t.”

What? No, that’s fucking unacceptable! I laid Jasmine down as gently as possible and rose to face Magnus. I marched across the floor and ascended the steps of the obsidian throne, ignoring the concern across Eris’s and Raven’s faces. I grabbed Magnus by the collar of his black silk tunic, balling it in my fists and yanking him from his seat.

“Bring. Her. Back.”

Magnus stared into my eyes, his too-light green burning a hole straight to my heart before he looked away. He swept his eyes to Jasmine’s supine form, and he quickly brought his eyes back to mine. A tear fell down his cheek before he brushed it away with his thumb.

“I can’t!” he seethed. Magnus brought his fingers to his eyes and wiped away any more tears before they could escape. “I can’t bring her back. Not anymore.”

“Damn you!” I threw him back and walked back over to Jasmine. Her blood pooled beneath her body. I crashed to the ground next to her and tried to fight the grief that rose in my heart. Damn it!

“Place your hand on her, knight.”

I paused. Why?

“To reclaim her chitin. It will replace what you’ve lost and will be a great boon to you…it is also a way of honoring a knight who has fallen in battle. Her chitin will be carried on.”

With only minor hesitation, I placed my hand on Jasmine’s still-warm skin, and a heat crept into my palm as her chitin absorbed into my skin. Within a moment it was over, and as much as the Aspect had said it was a way of honoring her, it felt like desecration.

I’m sorry.

I opened my mouth to find the words, but whatever I’d been about to say was silenced by the soft vocals of a woman singing.

Magnolia knelt by her daughter, holding her head in her lap, singing softy while she ran her fingers through her hair as she cried and sang.

I couldn’t understand the