Chapter 71: The Unnaturality
>>Aelin
As the monster attacked, Ruoxy clawed at Draegon too which he barely managed to move away from, The goat-headed monster’s fangs tore into Draegon’s arm, its grip impossibly strong as it thrashed and writhed in his flesh. The pain was sharp and immediate, but Draegon barely let out a grunt as he grabbed hold of the creature with his other hand. His claws dug into its thick hide, ripping it out of his arm with sheer force. Blood splattered across the dirt as he hurled it away from him.
The monster hit the ground hard, tumbling through the grass in a chaotic spiral. Its eight legs flailed as it struggled to regain control of its movements, but its momentum carried it too far, too fast.
Ruoxy tried to move towards me, scaring me and my body jolted. I was getting ready to run when Draegon grabbed her by her hair from behind and threw her right where he threw the other monster.
!!!
I paused right before I could run and looked at Ruoxy who landed right where the goat-headed monster had
It was then we both noticed it.
A jagged rock, half-buried in the earth, caught the creature’s throat mid-slide. The impact was sudden, and the razor-sharp edge cut through the thick flesh like a blade through silk. A sickening tear split open the side of its neck, and dark, inky blood splattered onto the grass.
And there—glowing faintly beneath the torn flesh—was something else.
A core.
It pulsed like a living black heart, a swirling mass of black energy encased in a thin, translucent membrane. Each beat was slow and deliberate, as though the creature’s very essence was trapped within it.