Chapter 7 – Heart of Stone
The roar still rang in my chest as I hit the clearing. Dust and shards spun through the air like sparks, stinging my face. The crystal beast reared, a mountain of green-veined glass and muscle, its tail whipping hard enough to break stone.
Luka's twin blades flashed, slicing along the creature's flank. The sound was like metal on ice; cracks flared across its body, glowing green. Chyron darted beneath its legs, quick and fluid, slashing where joints met crystal. Every strike made the beast stagger—but it didn't bleed, and the cracks sealed almost as fast as they opened.
Nox roared and leapt, landing on the creature's back. His claws drove deep, muscles straining, mane blazing gold in the sun. "Now, Maise!" he shouted.
I lunged forward. The air was thick with heat and dust, the ground trembling beneath the beast's weight. My claws caught the rock, propelling me upward. For an instant I saw the creature's eyes—vast, gleaming, and filled with something ancient—and I struck. My claws raked across its neck, and green shards exploded outward. A shock tore through me, cold and burning all at once.
The beast screamed, the sound so high it split the clouds. I fell back, hitting the ground hard enough to drive the air from my lungs. Luka's arm caught me before I rolled into the rocks.
"Still breathing?" he asked.
"Mostly," I gasped.
Nox dropped from the beast's back, landing beside us. "Its heart's still whole. We need to expose it."
Chyron darted in again, blades flashing toward the creature's chest, but its tail slammed down, sending him sprawling. Dust plumed. I saw him move—barely—and relief flooded through me before the ground shook again.
Nox charged. The beast swung, claws like knives, catching his shoulder. The strike sent him spinning, blood splattering across the stones. I didn't think. I just moved.
Heat ripped through me. The world sharpened, every sound a thread of clarity—the rush of Nox's heartbeat, the scrape of crystal on stone, the echo of my own pulse. I leapt, landing between Nox and the beast. My roar filled the clearing, a sound that wasn't entirely mine.
The creature hesitated. For a breath, it stared at me, its eyes flickering from green to gold. And then it lunged.
I met it head-on. My claws sank into its throat; pain and power surged through my arms. Behind me I heard Luka shouting, the scrape of blades as he struck again and again. Chyron's knives flew, embedding deep in the creature's chest. The cracks widened—thin green light spilling out like fire.
Nox was on his feet again, blood streaking his arm. He sprinted forward and slammed both hands into the glowing wound. With a roar that made the cliffs tremble, he ripped the crystal heart free.
The beast shuddered once, then stilled. The glow dimmed, fading to dull stone. Silence fell, heavy and absolute.
I stood panting, claws dripping with dust, the scent of crystal thick in my nose. Nox dropped the heart onto the rock beside us. It pulsed faintly, green light flickering like a dying star.
Chyron whistled low. "You don't see one of those often."
Luka glanced at me, then at Nox. "You all right?"
Nox nodded once, eyes still bright with the wild light of battle. Then he looked at me. For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The wind carried the faint hum of the dying crystal, and the air smelled of stone, sweat, and heat. My heartbeat slowed, though the wildness inside me hadn't faded. I could still feel the echo of that power under my skin, as if the beast's energy had brushed against mine.
Nox bent, lifting the heart. "Green," he said quietly. "Fifty years for whoever claims it."
Chyron tilted his head. "Then who takes it?"
Nox's gaze flicked toward me. "She struck the neck first. The kill is shared, but the heart's hers to decide."
The others looked at me, waiting. I stared at the stone pulsing faintly in his hands, its glow reflecting in his eyes. My body ached, every muscle trembling, yet the thought of what that crystal meant—life, strength, recognition—sent a strange thrill through me.
I met his gaze. "Then we all take it," I said. "No pride survives on one heartbeat alone."
Nox studied me for a long moment before his mouth curved, not quite a smile but close. "Spoken like a lioness."
He cracked the stone cleanly, shards glinting in his palms, and handed a piece to each of us. When the light touched my skin, warmth spread through me—quiet, steady, alive.
We stood together in the hush after the battle, the sun spilling gold across the rocks, the corpse of the crystal beast cooling behind us. The wind carried our breath into the cliffs, where the echoes whispered and then faded, leaving only silence and the steady rhythm of four beating hearts.