Rainbow Snippets: Threats raking at the skin

_{^{Rainbow Snippets is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ authors, readers, and bloggers to gather once a week and share six sentences from a work of fiction–a WIP or a finished work or even a 6-sentence book recommendation.}}

And the World Crumbled is currently going through edits, so I’m going to share a little more by delving into chapter two.
With it being set a few days before the end of In Pain and Blood and following Henrie, an elven spellster, as he tries to escape the events happening around him, it’s the darkest piece I’ve written to date. Lots of death, blood and general nastiness. If gore and depictions of death/dying bother you, don’t read on.

The beginning of chapter two…

He ran through the halls, not stopping to think of his direction. He skirted every dark puddle he could, leapt over bodies and scrambled to keep upright. His lungs burned, straining against his ribs. Both his thoughts and his heart raced frantically. He didn’t dare slow down to let either one settle.

In the spaces between his gasps for air, he caught the limping gait of another following him. The hound. How the man had managed to free himself from beneath the table, Henrie didn’t waste thought on.

“You cannot outrun me!” the hound bellowed, his voice echoing from somewhere far behind. “Sooner or later, I will catch you.” The words clawed their way through the halls to rake at Henrie’s back.

I’ll see you all with more of And the World Crumbled next week. In the meantime, check out these other snippets.