Flashback ( PDFDrive )

about the importance of holding on to at least one weapon only after
the beast dodged that blade and she had zero options left—except to
turn and flee.
“HEY, NEWBIE, OVER HERE! I’LL BE WAY MORE FUN TO
EAT!!!” Keefe shouted—but the newborn stayed fixated on Sophie as
she sprinted away from the glow of the one remaining force field,
hoping to lose the beast in the darkness beyond.
She channeled every single drop of energy into her sprint, knowing
she’d never be fast enough to outrun the bloodthirsty beast, but
hoping she could at least lure it far enough away from her friends that
they’d have time to seal the hive and flee to safety. Her muscles burned
and her lungs screamed for air, but still she kept pushing, pushing,
pushing, barreling through the darkness with no idea where she was
going, turning down any path she spotted. But no matter which way
she went, she could still hear the newborn gaining on her—and it was
so much more terrifying than the mental monster she’d been battling
for so many weeks. Until finally, the beast was close enough to leap.
She braced for impact, hoping it would finish her quickly and—
—a mass of gray tackled the newborn away, both creatures
tumbling into the trees with a snarl and a screech.
“That was close!” Ro shouted, and Sophie spun around, squinting
through the shadows until she picked out the shapes of Ro and three
goblins running toward her down a moonlit path. The light was too
dim to see that it was Grizel, Lovise, and Woltzer until they were
much closer. And Sophie was glad they were safe—and grateful for the
backup—but . . .
She hated knowing that all the crunching and snarling in the trees
was happening to Sandor. And if he ended up like that ogre . . .