43. Trust can birth the ugliest Truths
Trust can birth the ugliest Truths
KYRA
Ink-ish blood streaks my chin as the gloom’s howls are smothered. My blade pierces through the bottom of its chin with my other in its neck.
“Behind you!” Niro shouts, but another advances from my front. Shit.
Removing both blades, I kick the lifeless body forward–a slight distraction, then drop down, spin and rise up, slicing another gloom through the middle and watch its innards pour out as its body separates.
A breeze flutters past the top of my head, chills stinging from a too close encounter as I strike my next foe through its mouth and detach everything above its tongue.
“That’s strike two. Your second time trying to kill me.” Letting my nerves settle, I watch him fling oil-like plasma from his hands.
“Duck.” I drop to my knees, hands over head, and feel another passing breeze graze my knuckles as his chakram returns. “All clear.”
I know this asshole’s smiling. Peering up, sure as shit–from ear to ear. How upset would Rebecca be if a sudden accident happened to Niro. Like, oops, he was caught in my blast. Don’t worry about his arms being cut clean off. It happens, but he’ll be missed.
“Do you prefer waddling in mud, or can we continue?”
“You have one more time…” I say, holding up a finger as I stand. “One. More. Time.”
“Not the moment for going over your favorite music, but sure, it’s a good song. Now let’s go. We need to find the others.” He runs off whilst holding his gorgeous smile as wisps of black blood fling from his cheeks. *Sigh*
Left and right, screams and fire surround us. This peaceful chunk of land is guarded by some kind of illusion ward, and in fact, was a very robust town. Houses are now collapsed, bodies are motionless, and my panic is higher than ever.
Engulfed by Niro’s shadow, we rush towards more glooms attacking an elderly couple, who appear to be guarding kids.
“There,” I shout, “we stick to the plan.” Now I understand in full what it means.
Rescue and save as many as we can before they turn into an enemy.
It’s fucking sad, and my heart is broken since Niro had to end one of this town’s older fays.
Caspian, where are you and the others? I’ve been reaching out, but he hasn’t responded with a sign. I’m fighting the worst-case scenario, but my mind isn’t fully there yet.
Bodies break beyond a cloud of smoke. Midnight claws reach for my chest, drenched in someone’s crimson, liquid essence. Blood. I slide to halt, inches from its grasp, meeting razor sharp teeth, twig-like claws, and a decomposing body. Fuck. This gloom has size and reminisces of muscles.
Two more have Niro in hand to hand combat, but I can’t focus on him and this…thing.
Drool pours down, sizzling the grass beneath it as another howling scream trembles the ground. “No!” Shouting, I launch my dagger for its throat. Twenty minutes into fighting them, and I know it’s their call for reinforcements.
Swatting my attack away in a blink, its claws grasp my throat. Growling, it stares like I’m the perfect feast. Pointed nails bite into my skin as I strike its arm, but to what end? Another hand claps my chest, digging past my leather until a burn scorches into my core.
I cough, biting back more words whilst muffling the screams it’s inducing.
My slickened hands are coated with their blood, and they falter as I try to grip my last weapon, but I won’t die here.
A miniature, crystal dagger manifests behind it, doing my bidding by striking the back of its head and exploding on contact.
I’m flung to the ground, meeting pieces of melted brain and charred skull.
Energy vibrates from the explosion, and I’m glad it wasn’t my regular sized dagger.
Rolling on my knees and hands whilst inhaling with the little time I’m allotted, my fingers grip the soil, thankful for Alex and Ethan’s teachings.
“Are you okay?” Niro shouts, his steps sloshing through pieces of my enemy flung about.
“Yeah. Just–”
“Here.” He reaches out, and I accept the help. “Let’s keep going. Who knows what has the others held up. We might be their reinforcements.”
I shudder from the thought. Rebirth’s finest students, our strongest, battle ready, and deadly…depend on me and a transfer. If things are this bad… No, keep going.
He helps me stand, smirking, exuberating confidence, and I question why. My next step forward reveals a crunch, and we both peer down.
“Fucking hell!” I shout, witnessing a pair of bright orange eyes fade into a muted hue under my boot. Trembling, I notice it’s not my nerves or fear causing the shivers racking my body–but instead, a group of glooms quake the soil as they tread from the tree lines. “Niro–”
“Yeah, I know,” he huffs, “we can’t move past this point without taking them out.”
“I lost count at fifteen. We need to go. I’ll send us somewhere–”
“Do you trust me?” he asks, turning his back on our imposing doom.
“No, I don’t trust you.”
“Good, because I have a plan.” Insane, and I’m stuck with him.
“Shield your body in those cute little dragon scales and surround us in your winged shield. While at it, and I can’t stress this enough, Kyra, use two of those large, glittery blades.
” There is no time for me to feel insulted, but he will hear about this later.
My magic isn’t cute, little, or glittery. “Some time this evening, troublemaker.”
“It won’t be enough to kill all of them,” I combat, bringing more energy and magic into my palms.
“The plan isn’t for your attack to kill them, it’s to keep them from running away upon seeing mine.”
He smirks, and as warm as it appears, a sense of dread tickles my neck. What kind of attack will send glooms running away? He turns his back on me, and I create red scales to coat my frame, and the winged shield surrounds us, leaving minimum room inside to conserve what remains of my aura.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I make my creation surround Niro’s body. “An extra layer.” And two crescent blades float high above, targeting a spot about twelve feet away. He better be right.
“Aww, see, you do care if I live.” He grins.
I’m not able to respond when another quaking howl presses into my shields, and my focus remains on keeping it up. “We don’t have all night, Niro. Do something, or I will.” I add another crescent above.
His choice of weapons dissolve as blue flames spark along his arms. “Step back,” he announces, no hints of playfulness crossing his features. Shit. With a flick of his wrist, red flames merge into his blue tones, shrouding the inside of this dome in a sweltering heat.
I retract as far from him as possible, but even still, it’s not enough.
Flaming wings explode from his back, blocking him out entirely, and my jaw drops.
Blue and red, whimsical embers dance in tandem, batting around his frame.
I raise a hand, shielding my vision when he shouts, “Now!” signaling my attack.
All three crescents fall from above, detonating on impact as he fires a wide range of heat. A two-toned attack, mixing and scorching the ground, leaves a flash of otherworldly devastation. Shrieks and cries burn in its wake. Bodies become crisps, ashes, and a shadow of their former husks.
His heat becomes unbearable, and my winged shield dissolves after lasting a few seconds. I drop to a knee, breathless whilst watching the flames of his attack simmer out. Beyond the crater of my creations…there is nothing. Not even the tree line remains.
“You did good protecting me. Here, stand up,” he demands in a kind tone. “Let’s move. Our attack will draw more. They crave power, and the stronger you are, the better your odds are for being targeted.”
“You,” exhaling, I continue, “keep a list of bad news handy. Don’t you?
” But I’m rewarded with a smile and nothing more.
Attractive…Stressful…Sporadic . He is an ass, but I would be in worse shape if he wasn’t here.
And I’m not telling him how amazing his attack was.
No need to inflate his head bigger than what it already is.
“Come one. We need to find the others.” I race past him towards more weakening screams. “The elderly couple was killed and changed. No need going that way now.” Drying blood is splashed across the ground, but no bodies tells that much.
We make it towards the entrance of their town, finally, and a few smaller glooms spring from the flames.
Their lifeless eyes crave a taste of us.
Niro tosses up a hand, spraying blue fire, which drowns them in a sea of sparkling embers.
With a snap, heat crystallizes, impaling his victims on what appears to be small trees made of ice.
Nodding, we move, searching for any survivors or either of the four pairs.
“Look.” He points, revealing a patch from Russ’s white leather. “They were here.”
“Then where are they now?” I question, observing our surroundings.
I have every right to scream for him, but I’m not dumb enough to do so.
Wails, much closer this time, call from our right.
There are two kids doing what they can to hold back three glooms who seem to be toying with them.
“This way.” But another call sounds from our left.
A mother holds her child, and my limbs go numb.
“We can’t separate,” Niro breaths. “But if we can save both…”
“We don’t have time for this. As fucked up as it is, I’m going for the kids. The mother can buy us some time.”
“Not against an elite, she can’t.”
“What!” I snap my head in that direction. Fierce, it stares down the mother with elongated tentacles dragging behind it, covered in icy spikes. Yeah, it’s an elite. Fuck.
“Niro, I need to save the children.”
“We’ll meet back here.” Are his last words before using his ungodly vamp speed and disappearing. This couldn’t be further from the plan. “Stick together, and under no circumstance should you separate from your pair.” Blaise’s text before everything went to hell in a handbasket.