Page 136 of The Knucker King

He lunged towards Avice, his webbed claws thwacking the air as she stumbled back. By some miracle, he snagged on the cliffside as he tried to ram his massive body through the gap.

It gave her precious moments to shove herself up and run.

She bolted down the sands, clasping her basket to her chest.

“TRETH, NO!” John shouted from somewhere behind her.

The cracking sounds of rocks met her ears, quickly followed by the earth-shaking sprint of the Morgowr. His giant steps became louder and louder, squelching in the sands behind her.

He was close.

She could feel his hot breath on her neck.

Avice did not look back as she fumbled for her pendant and formed the image of her Knucker in her mind. “Trewoofe! I need you! I am at Lamorna Cove, near the sea caves!”

50

Chapter 50

Trewoofe

The hunt for Orfeo was not going well.

Every tunnel Trewoofe entered immediately sparked to life. The crystals upped their hum, and more flowers bloomed from his paws. Before he even got close, Orfeo would smell or hear the magic that flowed from him and bolt for another passage.

“Nature’s blessing, will you stop!” Trewoofe snarled at the sparkling flora.

Just as he rounded into another tunnel, the rich earthen walls gave way to crystallised granite, and the air was heavy with the scent of sea salt.

He heard her.

Avice.

“Trewoofe! I need you! I am at Lamorna Cove, near the sea caves!” she screamed.

Her cries came not only from the purple crystal closest to his head but echoed over the sound of crashing waves. The briars around his chest tightened, nearly squeezing the breath from his body.

He could not lose her.

“AVICE!” he roared. “I AM COMING!”

Trewoofe plunged from the sea cave and onto the sands. He was momentarily dazzled by the change in light and blinked away the glare. His blood boiled at the sight that met him. His crest – flared red – fanned out, and rage shadowed his vision.

The huge Morgowr snapped his jaws at Avice, the sound pulsing through the air with a vicious crack. She jumped to the side and stabbed her iron knife into his eye with a brutal squelch. He roared in agony and tossed his head back, knocking her from her feet.

“AVICE!”

Trewoofe thundered down the beach like a storm, kicking up sand with each furious stride. He slammed into the other Sidhe King with the force of a tidal wave against the cliffs. Trewoofe crunched down on Morgowr’s neck and caught the sight of Avice fleeing from the clash. A red-headed man offered her his hand and tugged her away from the fray.

The Morgowr was half a size larger then Trewoofe and had him beaten in mass and length. But Trewoofe had much to protect. He could not lose Avice; he could not lose his future. The invasion into his Kingdom and the assault on his little witch had him intent on violence.

He was not letting this Sidhe King leave his shore alive.

The Morgowr bucked and writhed in the clamp of his jaw. Trewoofe ragged his head, ripping scales from his flesh and tasting his sweet silver blood. The Morgowr kicked up his webbed hind paws, thrusting into Trewoofe’s belly and knocking the air from his lungs, making him release his neck with a gasping hiss.

Before the Morgowr could crunch him, Trewoofe struck out like a snake, snapping his fangs down onto the back of his neck. The Knucker coiled his long body around his bulk, intent on squeezing the life out of the much larger Sidhe King. Trewoofe raked his claws down the Morgowr’s hide, tearing off his scales and cutting into his flesh. The Morgowr shrieked and bucked beneath him, each writhe weaker than the last as Trewoofe constricted him. His corded muscles burnt with the effort of suffocating his enemy.

Trewoofe’s ears twitched as shouts between Avice and the red-headed man down the beach reached him. They were just out of his eyeline, but he caught snippets of their words over the gasps and whimpers of the Morgowr.