Free The Forbidden Library by David Alastair Hayden Page A

her. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”
    “Watch yourself,” Iniru whispered. “They’re wicked fast. Faster than me.”
    Turesobei smiled. “It’ll be okay.” He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, then said to the wraith: “I’m ready when you are.”
    Almost instantly razor-sharp claws struck Turesobei’s chest and tore through clothing and armor to scratch him. Despite only hitting the surface, pain sparked deep into his flesh. Turesobei stumbled backward and jabbed clumsily with the spear. The wraith darted away and moved in so fast Turesobei barely saw him. Another swipe struck him across the face, cutting into his cheek. This time a chill went deep into his bones along with the pain. He felt a trickle of fire kenja leave him.
    Turesobei jabbed again with the spear, trying to make a good show of it. He missed again, badly. The reitsu in the circle laughed and taunted him. The reitsu champion circled him, grinning. 
    “You shouldn’t play with your food,” Turesobei told him.
    Snarling, the reitsu darted toward him and then past him without attacking. Before Turesobei could spin around, claws scratched hard across the back of his neck and jabbed into his side, near his kidneys. The pain was so intense he cried out. 
    He stumbled, turned, and swept the spear out in an arc. The reitsu caught it by the shaft and snapped it in half. With his fist, the wrath hammered Turesobei’s broken arm. Again he cried out, bending over in agony. Claws jabbed into and out of both thighs and then both his arms. Pain wracked him while cold burrowed deep into his soul. An elbow struck his chin and downed him.
    Turesobei’s eyes rolled. He took deep, rapid breaths and tried to focus on staying awake. He couldn’t fall unconscious. He had to be awake when the reitsu tried to drain him. The wraith knelt on Turesobei’s chest, pinning him down. Laughing, he latched both hands around Turesobei’s neck. Warmth fled from Turesobei, his internal kenja depleting rapidly. The wraith threw his head back, rolled his eyes, took in a deep breath, and licked his lips. Chill bumps spread across Turesobei’s skin. He felt as if he were lying naked on the ice. Aches like those from a fever set into his bones. His mind became muddled. He hadn’t expected the process to happen so fast.
    But if the reitsu wanted warmth, Turesobei had more than enough kenja to give him. Focusing, Turesobei altered the channel the wraith instinctively used to draw energy and rerouted it to the Mark of the Storm Dragon . He wouldn’t have to risk opening it. He could just let the wraith draw from it instead.
    The channel shifted. Raw power flowed into the wraith. The reitsu screamed as he burst into flame. Turesobei kicked free and rolled away. A burst of fire shot outward and the wraith fell into a pile of ashes. 
    The wraith’s draw on the sigil resulted in a leak of storm kenja into Turesobei. Even though he hadn’t opened the channel, Turesobei fell into the dream of the Storm Dragon.

Chapter 11
     
     
    Turesobei fought against the dragon. “I did not call on you,” he said. “I did not call on this power. I do not accept it.”
    He woke to himself suddenly, covered in ash. Motekeru stood guard over him. The amber hounds, Rig and Ohma, flanked him. Based on their positioning, he had strayed only into the dragon dream and had not physically shifted.
    War Chief Sudorga argued with Lady Umora who was snarling, eyes blazing, and screaming. The wraith and goronku had separated and faced off, each side prepared to fight. Iniru had drawn Enashoma and Zaiporo away from the conflict. 
    Fighting through the tremendous pain from his injuries, Turesobei grabbed onto Motekeru and pulled himself up. Lady Umora saw him and stormed over, pointing. Motekeru put himself between them.
    “You cheated!” she shouted.
    “I received no outside help and we fought to the death,” Turesobei gasped. He clutched a hand to the wound in his side to stop the blood that