Rune Mage [Fantasy/Adventure | Book 1 +2 | Complete]

CHAOS MAGE Chapter 33: Survival of the Fittest

Cazadia meandered forward, hands clasped behind her dark blue silk uniform, the split hem of which floating with every step.

"Are you going to talk now? Or shall we wait until Soleus is done with that other Karman to – ooh, he's done already."

Seiren's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't move her head. If she strained, she could possibly trick herself her toes curled, just a little. Desperate eyes darted up at Ravin, who smiled apologetically at her.

"I couldn't figure out how you got over Saraphes's venom so easily, but she has multiple sacs, so... you'll be fully paralysed until I give you anti-venom—"

"Stop spilling your secret to everyone, you mouthy cretin!" Cazadia snapped, swiping at his shoulder. Ravin almost fell forward from the impact. Rubbing his arm, he shot her a grudging look and averted his eyes when she glared back. "Go get the other Karman."

"Where's Soleus?"

Cazadia jerked her head. Seiren strained her neck, forcing the sluggish, half-paralysed muscles to comply. She couldn't see Soleus, but his chunky daemon lumbered into the distance. Furious hisses and the sounds of heavy rampaging monsters striking stone echoed all around, reminding Seiren of the battle of the beasts when Acrise was last breached by sky and land demons. The silent statues watched with judgement. Magus must be engaged in battle with Fautos – and Fautos was about to get reinforcement.

Ravin dragged Madeleine back with great difficulty. Seiren didn't have the strength to turn her head back to see her sister, but the sound of Madeleine gurgling and grunting in pain broke her heart. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. Magus had warned them; the Daemonium were in a league of their own. Seiren strained against her own unresponsive body. Ravin's venom worked well into her bones; even her eyelids opened and closed at the speed of cold sap trickling down a tree.

"Burns through your veins, doesn't it?" Cazadia said to Madeleine with an infuriating giggle. "Maroni's venom is second to none. You'll be wishing you were dead by the end of this, Karman."

With the tip of her shoe, Cazadia turned Seiren with a not-too-gentle nudge of Seiren's cheek. Seiren stopped breathing.

Madeleine's cheeks and lips were swollen, her neck puffy, her skin scarlet. Tears streaked down her face, mixing with snot and saliva, pooling where her head met the ground. One of her plaits had been ripped off; the other lay curled above her, the ties coming undone. The plain robe she'd worn was ripped, showing lacerated skin that oozed with a clear liquid. Her muscles clenched and unclenched, making her arch her back and then curl up at irregular intervals, accompanied by strained cries squeezed through a narrowed airway. Her legs kicked out, her calves spasming with every movement.

"Madeleine," Seiren whispered hoarsely.

"Your friend looks pretty done for, doesn't she?"

"Twins," said Ravin in a small voice.

"What? Stop mumbling, pipsqueak."

"They're twins."

Cazadia whirled around, eyes bright. Leaning down, she studied Seiren's face; even her breath smelt of cinnamon. Seiren wished her mouth obeyed her to spit in Cazadia's face, but all she could do was drool out of the corner of her lips.

"They look nothing alike." Cazadia sounded disappointed, squinting at Madeleine.

"That's because of Maroni's venom. I've seen them twice now – they definitely are identical."

"Twins are bad luck in Hanna, you know that?" Cazadia's lips curled. "I had a twin. I killed her when we were five years old. Nature's aberration – we don't need two copies of the same individual. The fittest survive. I survived."