Chapter 21 · Voidbound - Chapter 21: Not the First

"What do you mean I'm not the first?"

The Voidling didn't answer. It crouched in the corner of the cell, the shard still lodged in its chest like a glowing tumor. The whisper had scraped through my head seconds ago, and now it just watched me with those black, wet eyes.

Mira grabbed my shoulder. "Kael, we need to move. Now."

"No." I shook her off. "It said something. It—"

"It's a creature. It doesn't say anything."

"It did." I stepped closer. The Voidling's body rippled, its shape solidifying in the dim light. Claws. Spines. A mouth that split too wide. "Tell me what you meant."

The Voidling tilted its head. Then it moved.

Fast.

It lunged past me, through the blown door, into the corridor. Mira yanked me back, her pistol already up, but the thing wasn't attacking. It was running.

"Damn it—" She fired once. The shot hit stone. The Voidling was already gone, deeper into the ruin.

I ran after it.

"Kael!" Mira's voice echoed behind me, sharp and furious, but I didn't stop. The bond mark on my arm burned hot, hotter than it ever had in the Pits.