Taboo Online

Their new method worked better than forcing an entire vision into Luke’s mind during the fight. Even those brief flashes came with a cost, however. The glow across Lauren’s blindfold pulsed unevenly, and the hand gripping Luke’s belt trembled whenever she sent another one.

She’s pushing herself too hard again.

Luke wanted to turn and check on her, but another bird moved among the trees. Losing focus now would only place her in greater danger.

He needed to finish the fight first. Afterward, he could deal with the headache she would almost certainly pretend she did not have.

Lauren tapped near his shoulder.

The bird above him dipped toward his neck, but Truth Behind Motion showed no real commitment in the movement. It wanted Luke to raise the spear and expose his side.

This time, recognizing the trick came almost immediately.

Luke ignored the feint and stepped toward the real attacker instead of waiting for it to reach him. His blade crossed the path Lauren had marked and caught the pale knot inside the bird as it passed.

Black water scattered beneath the rain.

Excitement rushed through him.

The birds were still fast, but they no longer seemed impossible to follow.

The feinting creature changed direction and went for Lauren, but Luke had been expecting it. He reversed the spear and drove the metal-capped end of the shaft into the knot inside its chest, bursting the bird against the roots before it could slip past him.

At the same time, the creature wrapped around his spearhead began crawling farther down the shaft.

Lauren’s fingers dug into his lower back. Another image flashed through Luke’s mind, showing the knot near the joint of one wing.

Instead of fighting the bird’s weight, Luke rolled the spear in his hands and cut across the point Lauren had revealed. The creature poured off the blade as black water, leaving the weapon light and balanced again.

He almost laughed from relief. At least he would not have to fight the rest with one stuck to his spear.

Luke stopped using deep thrusts after that. Short cuts and jabs kept the weapon from becoming trapped, while shifting his grip let him fight at close range without stumbling backward.

Lauren remained close behind him with one hand locked around his belt. Her other hand moved across his back whenever another attack came through the rain.

Once they found the right timing, the swarm could no longer bury Luke beneath too many threats at once.

Another bird dropped toward them, and Luke stepped forward to meet it. Truth Behind Motion caught the commitment in its dive, while Lauren’s fingers marked the angle of the attack.

Luke turned the spear, let the creature pass the shaft, and cut through its exposed knot.

The movement came faster than he expected.

A grin tugged at his mouth.

He blocked the next bird with the shaft, turned another aside, and cut whenever Lauren showed him an opening. More black water splashed across the soil, and each successful strike made his grip feel steadier.

Luke’s breathing quickened, but not only from exhaustion. This time, he had actually known what he was doing instead of barely staying alive while Lauren searched for an answer.

A bird dived from the left, its talons spread wide. Luke caught the intention behind the movement and shifted before Lauren even touched his back. Her fingers traced the attack’s path a heartbeat later, confirming what he had already read.

He met the creature halfway.

The spearhead missed the knot by an inch, but Luke did not freeze. He rolled the shaft across his palms, redirected the blade, and struck again before the bird could reform.

It burst beside his boots.

Excitement tightened his chest. He had corrected the mistake himself.

Another bird swept low through the rain. Luke blocked with the shaft, felt the impact travel through his arms, and used the creature’s momentum to throw it toward a tree.

Lauren pressed two fingers against his back.

A pale knot flashed near the bird’s spine.

Luke lunged only far enough to reach it and pulled the spear free before the collapsing water could trap the blade.

Their rhythm grew smoother with every attack. A touch, a line, or a fragment of sight was enough, and Luke filled in the rest.

They were fighting together.

That mattered more than Luke expected. Lauren was still revealing weaknesses he could not see, but she no longer had to carry the entire fight through her visions. He could take the fragments she gave him and act on them before the next attack arrived.

The thought made him push forward harder. Each clean movement left him wanting to try the next one, to see whether he could read it sooner or answer it faster.

More wings moved among the branches, though the Black Rain swallowed every sound.

Truth Behind Motion pulled Luke’s attention toward a bird on the right. Its wings spread as if it meant to dive at his chest, but its weight shifted toward Lauren instead.

Luke stepped into its path before it launched.

The bird hesitated, and Luke’s grin widened.

It attacked anyway.

Lauren’s fingertip struck the center of his back, and a knot appeared near the creature’s throat. Luke lifted the spear, let the bird commit to the dive, and drove the edge through the weakness.

Black water burst across his arms.

When he looked up again, only five creatures remained among the branches.

For several seconds, they did not attack.

Luke watched their bodies settle lower against the wood. Their heads turned toward Lauren, and their wings opened just enough to prepare for the same movement.

A cold feeling settled in his stomach, cutting through some of the excitement.

They’ve given up on me.

None of them intended to fight him directly. They planned to rush past him together and overwhelm Lauren before he could stop them all.

Five birds were still dangerous, but Luke no longer felt helpless against them.

He adjusted his grip and shifted closer to Lauren.

Luke planted his feet in the mud and raised the spear, eager to see whether their new rhythm would hold against all five.

The birds dropped from the canopy.