Ezekiel swallowed hard. The monster was there with them. The massive creature was beyond anything he could compare it to, and for once, he had no desire to pull out his book and write down notes about the creature. Of course, that would wait until after the fight was over. If he survived.

Meanwhile, Sophia was on the ground, and she had yet to awaken. They had to hold off the creature until she woke. Ezekiel worried that there had been too much weight on her shoulders recently. He knew she barely slept while in the mountain. Even though she didn’t seem to need it. He studied the way the mountain magic seemed to affect her in ways that it didn’t touch them. That information led him to more discoveries on the mystery that surrounded Sophia and her past, but he would keep his findings to himself until he was sure. He didn’t want to give false hope to Sophia. She needed definitive information, and he had a little more research to do before he could tell her much of anything.

Andreas moved to Sophia’s side, and Edric stood at Ezekiel’s other side. Ezekiel stood to Sophia’s left as the tunnel they were in seemed more like a passageway for soldiers to storm the surface than being used for supplies as he had originally thought. He wasn’t quite sure where the tunnel would lead them, but he knew for sure the location wouldn’t be good. Not with this creature.

Haris groaned behind them, stomping at the ground. He nudged Sophia with his snout, and her eyes fluttered.

“Mmm… tiny morsels,” the creature uttered in a dark, gravelly voice. It sniffed the air and said, “My meal has been delivered to me.”

Ezekiel forced back a shudder. He felt strength returning to him, being closer to the surface. The pull of the mountain magic was diluted here. They needed to wake up Sophia now. “Keep nudging her, Haris.”

The creature zeroed in on them and let out a loud roar.

Sophia startled awake, and she climbed to her feet as she focused on the vexsnare.

Ezekiel studied her. She didn’t seem phased that she had passed out in the middle of the tunnel. He wanted to think that she fainted, but it seemed deeper than that. He would have to wait and ask her after everything was done and over with, when they were safe and out of the threatening grasp of the terrifying creature, talking about eating them.

She returned his gaze with a small smile and a nod.

She was fine. He accepted that look for as much and pulled on the energy that pooled underneath his skin. There wasn’t much yet, but he felt it returning as the seconds trickled by.

Sophia and Edric both pulled on their swords. The creature charged. As it drew closer, Sophia met with it, looking tiny in comparison to the massive creature. Ezekiel quickly summoned fire and tossed it at the creature, hitting it with blazing flames. When that did nothing but anger it further, he sent ice toward it, hoping it would numb the creature’s limbs and make it slower.

As the vexsnare advanced, and Zeke drained his power the more he used it, they were pushed deeper into the tunnel, coming up to a sealed gate with magical wards.

Edric and Andreas lunged at the creature, taking jabs where they could and avoiding the dangerously sharp claws that swung at them. With each successful jab at the creature, the closer to the warded gate they drew.

Once their backs were pressed to it, Ezekiel said, “Let’s get him to charge the gate!”

Edric said, “How do you suppose we do that?”

Ezekiel smiled and shifted his gaze to Edric, “Piss him off.”

Edric balked, but he jabbed the tip of his sword at the creature while Sophia shot fire at it. Andreas danced in front of it, and Ezekiel shot daggers of ice. Each shot drove the vexsnare a step backward. It would shake its head and growl with each attack. The plan was working.

Finally, when the creature had enough, it lowered his horned head and snorted, running its back legs behind him to gain more traction.

“When he charges, press against the wall!” Edric shouted.

Everyone braced for the charge. And when the creature did, they dodged to the opposite sides and pressed against the wall as the creature rammed the gate. It shuddered but didn’t give way.

“Let’s do it again!” Sophia called out and started attacking the creature, shifting between the point of her sword and blasting fire at it.

They repeated the maneuver two more times before the creature broke through. Instantly, screams of fear and terror filled the air, echoing back to them.

“Shit, this led right into Nighthelm!” Edric said, rushing after the creature. Sophia, Andreas, and Ezekiel rushed after him.

The tunnel led out from underneath the castle and right into the town square. The people of Nighthelm fled in terror as the creature became distracted by all the fleeing food.

They quickly surrounded the vexsnare, repeating the same tactic over and over again. The vexsnare snapped its sharp teeth at them and swiped at them with its razor-like claws. It managed to get Ezekiel in the arm. Stinging, burning pain rocked through him, blurring his vision and making his casting more difficult.

Still, he didn’t miss a beat and launched more ice at him. This time in its face. The creature roared and clawed at its muzzle to attempt to free the ice from its vision.

“Prey blinded me,” it said. “Prey die worse now.”

Sophia let out a loud battle cry, and her whole body was covered in the electric arcs. A purplish-blue aura surrounded her, and she lifted from the ground. Her eyes turned white, and she crossed her body with her arms.

“Take cover!” Ezekiel yelled, and he, Andreas, and Edric dashed behind carts and into alleyways behind barrels.