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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
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  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
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  33. 31
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  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

The wyrm let out another crackling howl, then dive-bombed down from the sky. Ragnall was too stunned to do anything, even when the dragon bit into him. As the wyrm flew higher, chomping down on Ragnall’s body, blood dripped down, and his severed leg fell and landed on the bridge with a wet splat.

63

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Crossing

“This isn’t happening,” I said in a voice that was barely more than a breath. “This can’t be happening.”

I blinked, but the wyrm still languidly hovered in the sky above me, gulping down what was left of Ragnall Jerrick.

And something else was crawling through the waterfall.

It had a long leathery neck protruding from a bony ginger-colored shell, and it had a mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth, like a gharial crocodile. The rest of the body was a primeval mash-up of a snail and a snapping turtle. It slithered along the ground at a horrifyingly fast pace, considering it was the size of a Tralla horse.

I had seen enough of what was coming from Alfheim, and I didn’t want to be anywhere near the bridge when that thing decided to cross.

I ran back around the mountainside, where everyone was still fighting around the temple. Many of them were bloodied and ragged, and a few of them lay in the dirt, unmoving.

A group of Älvolk were still crouched behind the blazing red flames raging underneath the temple. They clawed through the dirt and ash, desperate to get any last drop of the blood pudding.

But none of them had tried to cross yet—no one except Ragnall—and everyone else was focused on staying alive. Dagny climbed halfway up the stone remnants of a once-great tower, giving her a good vantage for shooting her arrows. Sumi was facing off against three thrimavolk herself, Alfie had backed another into a corner, and Pan was in a fistfight with a teenage Älvolk.

They didn’t know about the dragon.

“Run!” I shouted—screamed to be heard over the noise—as I ran toward the fighting. “You all need to run! There’s a dragon!”

Most everyone kept fighting. Maybe they couldn’t hear me, like they hadn’t heard the monstrous roar. But Pan decked his opponent, knocking him out, and he looked at me in confusion.

“There’s a bloody dragon!” I yelled as I reached him. “We have to run!”

“What?” he asked as I gasped for breath.

“The monsters are coming.” I blinked back the tears in my eyes. “I don’t know how we can stop them.”

“We’ll . . .” Pan swallowed. “We have to try.”

I nodded. “I know.”

The wyrm roared again—loud and close so everyone stopped and looked up as it rounded the peak. When it dove down toward us, everyone screamed and took off running, including Pan and me.