Page 11 of Kissed By the Sun
“Let's see you fight with that new body.” He grinned at me viciously. It was the smile of a battle master, a man hardened by the fight, and willing to find the joy in it if need be. “Any of the corrupted need to die, and if any of them start talking to you, you find me immediately.” He dropped his voice for the second half, and I wasn't sure if anybody else in our little company knew what had happened when we were on the road.
“Understood,” I said before following behind him.
They all took off at a run toward the nearest buildings. They seemed to have some kind of strategy that they used where they split off, each going to a different house. I wasn't sure what the protocol was, and Thorn hadn't had time to tell me, so I just ran ahead and launched myself toward this village center, hoping that if there were corrupted fae still around, they were there.
For some reason, even though the guard had told us there was a horde, I hadn't expected to actually see one. So, when I rounded the corner, heading toward the big pointy object in the town square that looked like a distorted obelisk, I had to pull myself up short so I didn't barrel into the crowd of them.
Some of the ones at the back barely looked corrupted, and they had weapons in their hands, which meant that, in my mind at least, they needed to be taken care of first. If they could attack with weapons, then we were in double the amount of danger.
Moving up behind one of them as quietly as possible, I readied my blade. In a smooth, practiced motion I grabbed a chunk of the male’s hair and yanked back before slicing my blade across his throat, his life extinguished before he even knew what had happened. He bled out without putting up a fight and I was able to grab the sword from his hand before he could drop it and the sound of it clanging on the cobblestone street would draw more attention.
My stealth was all for nothing though as the slight noise that came from his body crumpling to the ground was enough to have some of them turning toward me. A ripple spread through them, and I knew that whatever weird hive mind they could share meant that they all knew that I was there now.
At least I had two swords now, so that was a plus.
Since there was no use trying to hide any more, I darted to one side, attacking the ones closest, aiming for their heads, throats, necks, and if I couldn't reach that, then at least taking their hands and arms. I never stayed in one place for too long. I knew if I did, they would surround me and then I'd be done for. So, I would attack a few and then veer in a completely different direction, sometimes running into ones that were heading toward me.
I did what I could, taking as many out as possible. Thankfully, they were somewhat slow moving. They weren't likethe ones that we had seen on the road when the barrier had been erected. None of them seemed smart enough to be that way.
My breathing slowed, and I knew even though my body was slightly different than it had been, it wasn't enough to change how I fought. Sure, some of my swings might be a little wide or fall a little short, but for the most part, I still found myself entering that calm headspace that I got whenever I was in battle. It was almost like it was a relief. It turned everything else off, and the only thing I could focus on was the enemy in front of me.
When I'd been in the army and trying to advance the human lands borders I had always fought alone. None of the other soldiers wanted to come near me. Looking back, I wondered if they could sense that something about me was different, or maybe they had been able to sense my magic somehow, even though they didn’t know what it was. Whatever the reason, it meant that I was the only one I could depend on in battle, and as such, I had become stronger and faster than anybody had expected.
I’d never put my skills down to magic or even suspected I wasn’t fully human, but now, with all of my fae side on full display, my skills weren’t at the level they used to be. I had lost a lot while Thorn and I were separated and I was only just getting it back.
There was enough innate instinct and muscle memory for me to be able to fight though, so fight I did, and I trusted that the others in our little company would find me when they were done with whatever they were doing. This time I just hoped that they were the type that would fight by my side.
As I looked up ahead, I saw one of the corrupted fae standing underneath the obelisk. He was clad in some kind of strange robe that I hadn't seen before. It made me wary of him for some reason. As though that wasn’t enough, his face was hidden behind a silver mask that had a vaguely animistic look to it. Eventhough I couldn’t explicitly see his eyes I knew when his gaze locked onto mine, and as it did I knew I was right to be scared of this man.
He was smart.
Not only that, but there was something about him that made a shiver run down my spine in the worst way. He raised a hand and seemed to direct it at me. The other corrupted fae surged forth and I couldn't tell if he was controlling them with magic or they were just following his hand signals.
Either way, I had to back up, not only because a whole new wave of them was coming toward me, but because the number of bodies on the floor was starting to become a problem. The last thing I wanted to do was trip over one of them, and have that be the cause of my death. Now, if they tripped over each other, that was different.
The man with the silver mask seemed to vibrate quickly from side to side before disappearing completely. I didn’t exactly have time to study the situation given my current predicament, but it certainly seemed like he’d used some kind of magic to make a quick escape. The corrupted fae didn’t seem likely to hurt him as he had looked like he was controlling them, but magic was strange and I knew dangerously little about it, something I’d have to fix when I got back.
IfI got back.
Looking at the mass of corrupted fae in front of me, and the fact that I still didn’t have any backup, I’d say my chances were about thirty-seventy, with the odds definitely favoring the corrupted fae, simply due to their sheer numbers.
The thought was not comforting, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it as the first wave of the corrupted came within striking distance. All I could focus on now was the fight, and keeping myself alive.
Chapter
Seven
Thorn
I should have known better.I should have made Senara stay with me, told her to shadow me, but I just assumed that she would.
The idea that she'd go running off by herself didn’t even occur to me.
I was still berating myself when I came out of the house I had just cleared and moved toward the next house in our squad’s pattern. Of course, that was when I saw her.
She was a battle goddess standing at the edge of the town square, surrounded by corrupted fae, her swords winking and shining in the light as she moved, her feet hardly staying still as body after body fell in front of her.
The problem was it wasn’t just one or two of the corrupted fae that she was facing, but most of the horde that we were out there to fight. As much as the sight of her made my blood boil with pride and desire, frustration bubbled up in me, not just with her for getting herself into this situation, but with myself, for allowing it.
