Tumbling in Time Read Online Free PDF

unscathed.
    A pained yelp cut through the sounds of battle. Tasha couldn’t bear not knowing if Arikk had been hurt. She’d never heard such a sound and hoped it hadn’t escaped Arikk’s lips, but she was sure he was in the thick of things. Anything was possible.
    As quiet as she could, Tasha scooted around the edge of the desk, staying on her knees to maintain a low profile. Between the smoke and the magic, it was hard to discern who was winning. She gripped the knife in her sweaty palm. She crept a couple of feet closer to the battle. Arikk fought back-to-back with the angel sorcerer. Their swords sliced appendages off the demons, but they weren’t successful in killing many of them.
    There had to be something she could do to help. If she could just get close enough without being spotted, she could use her dagger on the weakened, wounded demons. The smoke was thicker the closer she got to Arikk. She pulled her shirt up over her nose and mouth and took precious seconds to wipe tears from her eyes.
    Slinking along the wall next to the stairwell, she made careful progress. She wished Arikk could cast his cloaking spell to keep her hidden while she worked. How perfect would that be, she wished.
    “Tasha, no!” Rafe seethed as he approached her. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I can help you guys win.” Tasha pleaded with Rafe. Her eyes traveled between Rafe and Arikk. She couldn’t let the angel distract her from keeping her wizard safe. Yes, admit it, she scolded herself. He is your wizard, he just may not be convinced of it yet.
    “Please, get behind me. Arikk will kill me if he finds you exposed like this.” Rafe moved in front of her, shielding her from one of the cloven-hooved monsters who wielded a bubbling concoction in a crystal sphere.
    Tasha looked to Arikk who was pinned to the ground by a demon bleeding black tar. “Noooo!” she screamed and darted out from behind Rafe.
    With a surge of adrenaline, she launched herself at the demon’s back. Wrapping her arms around its neck, she plunged the dagger into the gap between its throat and the suit. Tasha knew she hit her mark when she heard the eerie shriek leave its mouth. Goose bumps covered her skin, but they only gave her courage as she twisted the dagger in clear to the hilt. The demon took one last breath before slumping to the floor in death.
    “Good work, Sunshine!” Arikk pulled her to her feet and wrapped his left arm around her shoulders. “Come on, hurry! We’ve got to get you to safety.”
    A deep, menacing voice had them pausing. “Not so fast, wizard.” He sniffed. “What’s this – a human?”
    Arikk turned to face the demon head-on while shoving Tasha behind him. “Nothing you need to worry about, devil. In fact, you won’t remember her after I cut off your head.”
    Sulphured breath licked over the pair’s skin as the demon gripped its stomach in laughter. “No, wizard, on the contrary you and your companion will not soon forget me. I will be sure to make your death a symphony of screams.”
    Tasha was glad Arikk didn’t wait for an invitation to spring into action. His sword sliced and stabbed at the evil monster in front of him. This demon was older and more experienced than Arikk in fighting tactics and techniques. He easily parried Arikk’s strikes; his lithe movements drew Arikk away from Tasha.
    Before Arikk realized he was no longer in contact with Tasha, all three of the demon’s claws, dripping acid, shredded the arm of her shirt and the skin beneath.
    Tasha bit her lip, stifling the wail desperate to escape, and fell to the floor, overwhelmed by the pain. She wasn’t going to go without a fight. Before the demon could move to attack Arikk, she thrust her dagger into its calf and then sliced open the back of its knee. She wasn’t able to kill it, but her strike served to disable it.
    “You will die.” The demon stared at Tasha as he crumbled to the floor. He launched a fireball from the palm of his hand directly