Cain braced himself.
He waited for the burn.
He waited for the tearing pain in his chest, for the invisible chains of the blood pact to tighten around his heart and crush him from the inside.
But nothing came.
Instead, before him, the giant crimson owl continued its assault.
The beast did not simply kick Oneal away this time.
It moved with terrifying intent.
Its massive beak snapped forward and clamped down on the young man's shoulder, lifting him off the ground as though he weighed nothing more than a sack of grain. Oneal's scream tore through the forest, high and raw, and the owl's talons rose and fell like heavy hammers.
Bang.
Crunch.
Bang.
Each impact made a thick, sickening sound as ribs bent under force that no mortal body could withstand. Leaves fell from nearby trees with every strike, shaken loose by the sheer violence of it.
The servants froze.
At first, they could not understand what they were seeing.
