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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
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  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

She grabbed me and pushed me back against the wall, and then I heard it too. A loud rumbling, and the room started shaking. Books and shelves tumbled over, and I put my arms over my head to shield myself.

70

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Brimstone

Bryn

I ran down the stairs of the ruins and nearly got hit with a giant cat. Tove Kroner stood only a meter away from me, his hands held palms out and his face twisted up in concentration. He had used his psychokinetic abilities to throw the monster cat into the mountain wall.

But the cat was on its feet almost instantly. It was a massive, stocky beast, built like a tiger mixed with a bulldog. The fur was mottled silver, with spots and rosettes of black splattered all over it. It had paws the size of baseball mitts, each lined with five hooked claws like a damn velociraptor’s, and its two sharp incisors extended several inches below its powerful jaws, making it some kind of saber-toothed pit bull of a cat.

As soon as the cat was up, it started charging at Tove. He slammed it back against the wall, pinning it against the stone as its feet thrashed wildly in the air.

Sumi finished killing a supersized spider, and she went over to the cat. While Tove held it in place, she stabbed it through the heart, killing it instantly.

“The kuguars won’t stop coming once they have a taste for our blood,” Sumi said as she came toward us. A small spider scurried at her, and she absently crushed it with her foot. “But I can handle them. It’s the wyrm that’s beyond my skill set.”

She nodded up to the sky where the shadows circled through the smoke.

“You never faced one before?” I asked.

“We stay in the valley, and the wyrms live in the mountain and caves that surround the entrance to Áibmoráigi,” Sumi explained. “We sneak by when we go through, but otherwise, we avoid each other, and on the rare occasion the wyrms hunt in the valley, we hide from them.”

“So your tips for combating the wyrm are running and hiding?” Tove asked.

She shook her head, making her dark coils of hair sway. “I’m only saying that I’ve never seen anyone or anything take a wyrm down, so I can’t speculate on how it’s done.”

“There’s always a first time for everything,” I muttered.

“I’ll need to get closer.” Tove squinted up at the sky. “It’s been flying high.”

“There’s a crumbling tower back that way.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.

“That might be—” Tove began, but he was interrupted by the screeching call of the wyrm.

It dipped low to the ground, its breath lighting up the smog. Trolls ran toward us, away from the wyrm flying at their heels, both allies and Älvolk alike.