Page 235 of Of Empires and Dust
“I’m not leaving you.” Calen stepped up beside Arden, a purple níthral bursting to life in his hand. When had that happened? “We do this together.”
“I’ll be right behind you, little brother. But I will not let you die here.”
“Haem—”
“Go!” Arden roared, his gaze still fixed on the Chosen, who now marched across the sand. He looked to the satchels of eggs Calen had dropped in the sand. “Get those eggs out of here, Calen. Valerys is injured. You need to leave while you still can.”
Blood streaked from Calen’s lip, his jaws clenched. The mention of Valerys’s name softened his stare. For a moment it looked as though he was going to argue, but he nodded. “Thank you.”
“Always,” Arden whispered as Calen sprinted up the sand towards the rooftop, scrambling to throw the satchels over his shoulders as he did.
The Urak Chosen moved forwards, a snarl on his scarred lip as he stared after Calen.
“Ah, ah,” Arden said, shaking his head. “You can have him. But you’ll have to go through me first.”
The creature snarled, then spat a mixture of saliva and blood into the sand. Liquid metal flowed from the collar of its armour, and its helm reformed as it charged, crimson Soulblade levelled.
The first strike came at Arden’s head. He blocked it in a burst of light, tightening his grip on the hilt of his Soulblade. Three more times the creature tried with blunt force to take Arden’s head from his shoulders. Grace and poise it had none, but the thing hit like a rampaging bull.
Arden glanced over his shoulder to see that Calen had vanished over the parapet of the building’s roof behind him.
Don’t look back.Arden reached out to Kallinvar through the Sigil, letting the Grandmaster know he was ready.
“Come, demon,” he said, circling the silver beast. “Let us see whose god stands taller.”
Arden charged. He swung his Soulblade at the creature’s thigh, then its shoulder, then ribs. Quick and hard. The Chosen blocked all three but shifted backwards with each, feet sinking into the sand.
It swung its crimson blade in a wide arc meant to cleave Arden at the waist. Arden dropped to one knee, spinning, switching his blade into his left hand. He was half a second from slicing through the Chosen’s shin when a pulse of the Taint erupted from the creature and sent him crashing into the wall of the building behind him.
A striking pain ignited in his lower back, punching the air from his lungs. He recovered just in time to throw himself to his right as the Chosen’s crimson blade slammed into the stone where his neck had been.
Arden hit the sand and rolled. He sprang to his feet and drove his Soulblade at the creature’s back only for something heavy to fall on him from above. He staggered backwards and collapsed into the sand, an Urak kneeling over him, howling as it swung its blade above its head.
Arden released his Soulblade, pressed his fist against the creature’s side, and summoned the ancient weapon once again. Green light burst from his hand and ripped through the creature’s torso. Blood poured out around the light-wrought blade, and Arden shoved the lifeless creature to the side, rising. Six more Bloodspawn now stood in the sand-filled street, the Chosen warrior at the centre.
He didn’t like those odds. Arden sent another pulse through the Sigil to Kallinvar, more urgent this time.
“My god, warrior of Achyron, seeks to cross into this world, seeks to fight for the things he loves. What does your god do? Cowers while you die. Where is he? I do not see him.” The Chosen’s voice sent a shiver down Arden’s spine, two voices overlapped, both harsh and preternatural. “You fight well. A worthy soul for my blade.”
“And you talk too much.” Without giving the Bloodspawn time to react, Arden rushed towards the one closest to him. He sidestepped the thrust of the creature’s spear, hacked through itsarm, then split its face from the bottom of its jaw up through its skull. The body stood for half a moment before slumping into the sand as Arden leapt over it.
He made for the roof. Fighting the creatures in the street would have been easier, but he would die either way. He needed to put distance between him and them. He needed to give Kallinvar time.
Lyrin’s voice rang out as Arden reached the top of the sand slope and crested the roof’s parapet. “Down!”
Arden dropped to the ground, Lyrin’s Soulblade slinging past his head and removing that of a Bloodspawn who had leapt through the air after Arden.
The head hit the stone in front of Arden, red eyes wide and staring, blood seeping from its severed neck.
“Where’s Kallinvar?” Arden pulled himself to his feet, then he and Lyrin moved backwards in tandem, holding their guard as the Chosen and more Bloodspawn charged towards them.
Lyrin tilted his head towards a set of rooftops nearer the tower where green and crimson Soulblades clashed. “He’s a little tied up.” Lyrin dropped his shoulder and rammed the first Bloodspawn over the parapet, sending it soaring down, then spun to parry the swing of a blackened steel blade, splitting its wielder’s stomach open. “Where’s that brother of yours?”
“Safe.” Arden swept past Lyrin and sent three Bloodspawn to wander the void as they leapt over the parapet, his Soulblade carving through flesh and bone.
The Bloodspawn kept coming, more and more flowing over the parapet, pushing Arden and Lyrin back across the roof. The silver armour of the Chosen rose clear above them all, gleaming ruby in the moonlight. Smoke drifted from the runes set into the creature’s armour. Three more of the creatures had joined it, and now moved at its side.
“There are too many.” A touch of fear painted Lyrin’s voice. He grabbed a Bloodspawn by the back of the neck and slammed his helmeted head into the bridge of its nose, blood bursting, then drove his Soulblade into its belly before ripping the blade free and opening another beast’s throat. He glanced over the rooftops to where it looked like Kallinvar and the others were still fighting.
