Chapter 43 #2
“Sure,” I agreed. “Just remember to keep your magic hidden.”
Kyra’s smile turned manic, and she darted forward as Cassius rolled to his hands and knees while the scorpious spider ran for him.
I cursed myself for getting involved in this madness then gave in to the call of the fight as I ran forward too, raising my sword and crying out to draw the beast’s attention my way as I took a running jump and severed another of its legs.
“Drake?” Austyn’s surprised voice found me as I spun away with my agility, managing to avoid the blood shower which followed my strike as I sped beneath the belly of the beast.
A roar announced another fire drake swooping down onto the roof and I lost sight of the princess as a cloud of fire separated us, instead focusing on the fight as I aimed a savage blow at the belly of the monster above me.
My sword crashed against the armoured plating which covered the scorpious spider’s belly and I twisted aside as I failed to pierce it, my arm yanking painfully as I fought to keep hold of my weapon.
The monster moved with unexpected speed, leaping aside and making room for its stinger to crash down, aimed right for me.
I threw myself aside, rolling across the roof and keeping up the movement as its stinger slammed down again and again, the monster chasing after me with a furious screech.
Cassius leapt over me suddenly, a roar of fury leaving him as he swung his sword over his head like a battle axe, bringing it down on the tail of the beast just as the stinger struck the roof once more.
Blue blood burst from the wound as he hacked into its flesh, the stinger left dangling from the half-severed appendage as the scorpious spider yanked it away with a howl of pain.
I leapt to my feet and ran for another of its legs, carving through it like I was felling a sapling, laughing wildly as the monster pitched sideways, almost crushing me beneath it.
The tattoo on the left of my back felt as if it was on fire, burning against my skin, while energy coursed through me. The thrill of the fight gave me a high unlike any other as I leaned into my Affinities and bathed in the power of wielding them.
Kyra whooped excitedly from somewhere behind me and I twisted around, finding her locked in a battle with a scarrion beast. The millipede-like monster reared back on its hind legs, bearing sets of razor-sharp teeth at her before it lunged with unnatural speed, blocking my view of her and making my heart catapult into my throat.
I ran towards the creature, its long, red and brown body twisting around and around, coiling over something which just had to be my little goddess.
“I’m coming!” I yelled as my heart beat a war rhythm in my chest. But before I could get any closer to the thing, I was forced to jump aside as its severed head was thrown my way, the lump of flesh thumping wetly against the roof and rolling past me, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
Kyra grinned as she scrambled up onto the headless corpse of the monster she’d just killed, the knives she held now wet with blood and a feral look in her golden eyes which made me bark a laugh.
“Nice work,” I commented, and she flushed with pride before turning and running off to find her next victim.
Cassius’s yells of battle made me turn his way again and I found him fighting to finish the scorpious spider, slashing at the creature’s face while it tried to snatch him into its pincers and eat him whole.
Austyn was fighting beyond him, her movements fluid as she fought against the fire drake which snapped and lunged at her, backing her up towards the edge of the roof as it herded her there with blasts of fire from its powerful jaws.
I spun my sword in my hand as I broke into a sprint, heading for the drake as it blasted fire at Austyn.
She was forced to leap aside, her boots smacking against the edge of the parapet and the fall below calling her name as her arms wheeled to keep her balanced.
A shriek of fright escaped her as she teetered on the edge.
I yelled out at the fire drake, trying to draw its attention away from her as I ran for it, seeing her death hanging in the balance as she ran out of room, and it lunged at her again.
Cassius slashed at the scorpious spider’s bulging eyes, catching it in the face and breaking away from it as it jerked back, hurling his sword towardss the fire drake just as it raised up onto its back legs, heading straight for the princess.
The sword caught the drake in the side of the neck, and it toppled forward with a dying howl, making me lose sight of the princess beyond it and all knowledge of her fate was stolen from us.
Her screams were lost to a tremendous roar tearing from the scorpious spider as it pounced at its now unarmed prey.
I spun my sword in my hand as I broke into a sprint, hacking through yet another of the scorpious spider’s legs just as the thing managed to slice its pincers into Cassius’s gut, carving into his flesh and spilling his blood like wine from a chalice.
Cassius bellowed in agony as the monster carved into his body and my gaze met with his as his death hung in the space between us.
“Kyra!” I roared as I ran on, cutting through another of the scorpious spider’s legs, felling the beast like an overgrown tree and springing aside as it slammed down onto the roof just where I’d been standing a moment before.
I leapt up onto the creature’s spiny back and ran for its head as it kicked and squirmed pathetically, trying to get up on its few remaining legs.
Cassius was punching the thing in the face as it still slashed at him with razor sharp pincers, cutting into him over and over again and spilling so much blood that I knew he didn’t have long for this world. The thought of that sent my gut twisting with fear as I upped my pace and ran for him.
I raised my sword above my head and leapt forward, throwing all of my weight down into the blow and sinking the blade deep through the many eyes of the monster that was trying to send Cassius into death, spilling blood and gore as it heaved a final cry of pain and finally died.
Kyra appeared beside me so suddenly that I was almost certain she had materialised from thin air, but I had no energy to waste on worrying about witnesses as I jumped down from the beast’s back and made it to Cassius where he was half pinned beneath its dead body.
“You must get to the princess,” he coughed out around a mouthful of blood, and I cursed his unending loyalty even in his dying moments.
“Do you agree to Kyra healing you?” I barked, slapping him as his eyes rolled back and the end threatened to come for him before he could even agree.
His eyes lit with surprise, moving to Kyra as she dropped to her knees beside us, and he nodded.
“Yes. But you must get to Austyn. You have to-”
“You heard him, Kyra,” I growled, and she nodded.
“The princess,” Cassius gritted out, but I was already on my feet, doing what he wanted regardless of his fucking orders.
I ran from the two of them, trusting in Kyra’s magic as she worked to save the most infuriating man I’d ever known. I made it to the twitching body of the fire drake which had been trying to kill the princess before Cassius had thrown his fucking sword at it like he had a death wish.
I climbed over the body of the beast and dropped down beyond it, fear capturing me for a moment as I failed to spot her anywhere. But as I took a step towards the edge of the roof to look for her on the ground far below, a muffled curse spun me back to face the fire drake once more.
The glint of silver armour caught my eye beneath the corpse, and I threw my weight against the monster’s scaley body, knocking it aside and finding a thoroughly crushed, thoroughly alive princess trapped beneath.
Her helmet had fallen off, lying beside her on the roof tiles, and her silver hair pooled around her like liquid moonlight.
“Well look at that,” I said, giving her my best cocky grin while she panted beneath me, all bloody from battle and looking nothing like the primped little princess she was supposed to be. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”