43. Trust can birth the ugliest Truths #2
“Get away!” One of the minis shouts, and I sprint. Niro can take care of himself, those kids can’t. You’d better come back alive. These nightmares are hell bent on destroying everything. The more we kill, the more they spawn.
A few meters away, another gloom dives, swinging for my skull.
Without stopping, my knees scrape across burned dirt and debris as I duck under its attack.
Sliding and creating a red bladed dagger, I plunge it deep within its stomach, hopping to my feet and continuing forward.
A sweltering screech bellows as an explosion goes off behind me.
One less gloom to contend with.
“Hold on,” I call to the little ones, “I’m coming!”
This can’t be a repeat like the car accident. I forbid it, and if Destiny has any say on it, she will either agree or join my list permanently.
They’ve reached their limits, both children fall upon their knees and embrace one another. Our distance is still vast, and I don’t know if I can reach them in time. And my magic will be their downfall if I use that attack.
Think, Kyra. Think!
With our enemies so close, using a sigil to remove them won’t work…but sending me, would. Readying another metal dagger, I toss a sigil in front of me and track through it, planting the crimson tip into a skull of a now dying gloom, forcing it to release the littlest fay from its grasp.
“I got you, hold on.” I tell her. The smallest of the two.
On cue, three more glooms spring from taunting her brother, targeting me–a more powerful soul for the taking.
I signal for the male to come to me, and as expected, the glooms give up on the defenseless fay, happier to get their greedy claws into me.
Her brother makes it over, unharmed, and I advise them to stay back, placing an invisible shield around them “Shall we?” I gesture a bow to my enemies, then step away.
One rushes me, and I fling a mini dagger into his neck in tandem with coating my body in dragon scales. The gloom slides to a halt beneath my foot as the blade explodes, separating his head from his body.
“Who’s next?” I ask, crushing down until a popping sonance fills the air.
All at once, the remaining two charge towards me, yelping like banshees in war. With a pull on my magic, I manifest two crystal daggers and leap into the shield, blanketing the children’s vision as two earth shaking explosions go off.
“Hey, hey, look at me. We’re okay. Are either of you hurt?
” I don’t bother to check behind me. These smaller glooms are quick, but not durable.
I’m more than sure rotted flesh is still raining down.
Removing my shield and stepping back, I smile.
For once in my life, I actually saved someone.
Mini twins, female and male that are identical.
Even down to the freckles coating their little noses.
“Are you…a God?” Her brother asks, and I chuckle .
“Of course she’s not. She’s an Angel. Gods don’t care about us.”
My heart both purrs and sinks. The God’s don’t care? “Where are your parents?” I ask, crouching so they no longer have to crane their necks. The oldest points, his hands coated in dirt and blood. A single body lays upon smoking wood, drained of blood and missing what made them fay. Their soul.
Swallowing acid, my throat burns from the rising bile.
No. Not in front of them. What am I supposed to do?
Leave them here to become an easy target.
Turning to look for Niro, I can’t see him anywhere, and my decision to leave him begs the question if I made the wrong decision. Fuck! Caspian, please. Where are you!
“Stay close and follow me.” Placing them inside another invisible shield, we embark towards the spot Niro and I agreed to meet at, but he is absent. Glancing past the smoke and charred earth, I can see that he–the elite–and the woman and child are missing.
My legs buckle from the simmering adrenaline. Noting I’ve used more magic than anticipated, I reach my safety zone. Creating two new metal daggers, I wince from my aura’s pull. From here on out, close combat will have to do.
I hope Angie and Ethan’s teachings will keep us alive long enough to find the others.
Massive shadows dance behind a bulging smoke clouds, showcasing large beasts towering over the trees. I wave a hand, signaling for us to run as quakes vibrate the soil. Hand to hand combat against whatever is behind us will not be possible.
“They’re coming!” the littlest one shouts. Turning, I witness a herd of glooms, ranging in all sizes, snarling with glowing eyes, hole ridden bodies, and murderous intent. They speed towards us.
“Listen.” Facing the mini fays whom I can’t see, I tell them, “I’ll transport you to my Academy where you’ll be safe. Find a fay named Blaise. Shout his name until he comes and tell him what’s happening.”
Summoning a sigil–nothing happens. Again and again, but still nothing appears. Why isn’t it working? I still sense my magic at play, meaning the shield remains here and in place. Being low on magic wouldn’t hinder a sigil…would it?
Shrieks and devouring growls track closer by the second, and a much different, harsher reality sinks in. Save myself or all three of us will perish. My training hasn’t nearly prepared me for such a moment, but I’m not ready to give up yet.
“New plan, you two stay here and hidden. Don’t move, and regardless of what happens, stay in this shield.” Pebbles tremble as the glooms’ roaring battle cries grow louder.
Backing away, I pull on more of my aura, sending a sting throughout my veins as magic draws to my hands. Then creating two large crescent blades, I launch them towards the outsides of their ranks, not giving them a chance to flank me on all sides.
Readying my daggers, ensuring I’m far enough from the minis, I know this may possibly be my last stand. Dust settles, showcasing I’ve managed to take out three, maybe four, rows of their ranks, but my gaze is locked on a mountainous beast and gargantuan glooms that still race towards us.
Terror commands my decision as more magic swells from inside. Creating two–three–four more crescents, I make them fly, exploding on impact.
I take a knee, but it’s too late. The smaller glooms are much quicker, closing the distance using determination and hunger, hoping my soul is worth taking. One bursts from the ground, a few feet in front, and my reflexes strike for its head, spewing black blood as I pull my dagger and stand.
Another leaps from behind, snarling and latching onto my back, digging its vine-like fingers into my clothes and piercing skin. I howl in pain, but adrenaline returns fiercer than ever, turning this into a wrestling match between life and death.
Falling back, I feel a winded shriek burn my ears, but the foul beast continues its hold. Gripping my cheek with its other hand, it draws blood. I raise my dagger, striking and slashing behind me, hitting it or dirt until my muscles ache .
Heavy steps draw near when the scratching stops, and I promptly stand, finding one of the most terrifying glooms towing above. Its companions wait and watch, seeming afraid of the one drooling puddles of black tar. Fuck. He’s. Big. Even my thoughts are winded.
Blue smoke filters around my ankles, glittering with a gentle touch, enough that even this monstrosity takes notice. Magic crawls up its frame, twisting, binding, and shrouding it in the mists, and I flutter a few blink. That’s all it takes for organs and ink-ish blood to shoot skyward.
Impaled by thick spikes of solid blue light, more fog comes from behind them and wraps the smaller ones in its embrace.
“Don’t stand there; I can use some help,” Yasmine announces, and I can’t turn fast enough.
Covered in both red and black fluids, her outfit is damn near ripped to shreds, exposing more flesh than I’m sure she enjoys. But damn am I happy to see her.
“Yas,” I shout as she steps closer, buckling against my arm. “Are you okay?”
“I’m better. Now.” The wrinkles across her forehead tattle, giving away she is worse off than me. “Tell me you’re not alone and the others are around.” I demand, lifting her back on both feet.
“Wait, you were separated too?”
Heavy feet pound towards us, and with a hasty glance back, a sharp pain spreads from my center as four crystal daggers materialize and fire, striking four glooms through their chests and detonating. Even more are slaughtered from the explosion.
“Damn, Kyra. No wonder you took down Tish so easily.” Yasmine attempts at joking.
“The others, and where’s Ashlyn?” I take this moment to breathe.
“Yeah, we were ambushed.” She flings more energy around us, taking out tens of their kind. “Ash went one way, and I another. Not allowing them to close us in, it felt like the best option–shit!”
I turn, aligning shoulder to shoulder as five smaller ones stride our way, on top of a fucking half man half horse that follows them. “What the hell is that?”
“Centaur, or at least it was before they got ahold of it.”
Not taking a chance on witnessing what a centaur can do, I fling my metal dagger across the field, striking its eye and taking those around it out with the accompanying explosion. “Did you see anyone else? Alex, Russ–”
“No, but traces of them were left on my way here. I assume they too were ambushed.”
My breath shakes, and my lungs burn from what has transpired. But fate has more in store as she sends two colossal glooms bounding our way. “Russ, shit, I forgot about this.” Pulling my collar back, I reveal his gift. “Ivy!”
A fog of lightless smoke detaches from my skin, growing larger, until–
“Ivy? He leant you, Ivy?” Yasmine says, pulling me back.
“What does…Oh. Damn.”