22. Thayla #2
Iric, Doren, Nero, and Vullie have formed a line of protection in front of Yemi and me. We brace and hold our power in place as my men, Sevryn, Mara, Gladian, Barir, and Prath spread across the room, surrounding the small army.
“Now.”
Kyzen moves the moment the word leaves Amick’s lips.
He slips through their fractured line like time given form.
One sword slices across a throat while the other drives beneath a breastplate.
Before either body hits the floor, Creed is there, catching a third beneath the jaw with enough force to snap his head back before finishing him with a clean thrust through the chest.
Steel rings through the chamber. Bodies crumple. Black blood spatters against stone. None of the Oblirians or Dark Gods know where to strike.
Amick exploits every opening.
Riven every flicker of fear.
A scream erupts as Sevryn buries his blade between a guard’s ribs and another follows immediately after Barir and Prath stab a god together.
Within seconds, nearly a dozen bodies litter the chamber floor and panic tears through the room.
“They’re everywhere!”
“Fall back!”
“No,” another roars. “Find them. Find them all.”
The order only makes things worse. They shove into one another, trying to fight an enemy they can’t see.
Despite the absolute bloodshed, hope sparks inside my chest.
Maybe…
Maybe this can work.
I want more than anything to do something more than fucking stand here. I could help us get through this faster, but my feet refuse to move.
The beads of sweat forming not only on my but also Yemi’s forehead force me to stay in place and continue doing what I’m doing.
Unsensed and unseen for as long as possible.
I’ll keep my ass right here, holding my power of Boundaries where it needs to be in order for my men to keep the advantage they have right now.
If they somehow get overwhelmed, then I’ll step in.
More footsteps thunder down the corridor and I glare through the door.
Not five. Not ten. Dozens.
The doorway floods with fresh Oblirians. They don’t hesitate at the sight of the dead. They climb over them.
One of the newcomers takes a single look at the carnage before throwing his hand forward.
“Flood the room!”
Dark essence explodes from his palm. It tears across the chamber in a wide arc, striking the walls and the floor alike.
Another follows. Then another.
A lash of power whips across the space, and my eyes widen. My sword hits the ground as my hand stretches out, and my power of Boundaries bursts from my palm.
Prath whirls around, gives me a curt nod, then plunges his sword through the stomach of a guard who steps too close to him.
“Riven, pull back your power,” I command.
Not a second later, the fake Binding disappears, but he continues to giggle as he dances around the room like he’s still happy as can fucking be.
“Yemi,” I bark.
“I know. I know,” she shouts. “Put up protective barriers.”
Our power intensifies around everyone as we shield their bodies as best we can. I fucking grunt every time a hit of the corruption pouring from the hands of the guard hits a surface.
This will only buy them a little more time.
While simultaneously take time from the two of us.
A spear of corruption splinters against one of my barriers, and the impact rattles down my spine. Another follows. Then three more.
The room erupts into chaos not of mine or my little psycho’s making.
Dark essence crashes against my Boundaries from every direction while steel continues to ring through the chamber. My frantic gaze continues to scan over everyone and everything, making sure all our people are as covered as possible.
Creed ducks beneath a swing, drives his sword into a god’s ribs, then rips it free just in time to avoid a blast of corruption aimed at his back. Another wave of power tears toward Amick and I solidify my barrier in front of him.
“Shit.”
That mutter has me whipping my attention to Nero. He and Doren tighten their grips on their swords as a handful of Oblirians charge toward them as if they’re trying to reach the pedestal.
Their bodies smack into an unseen force and fly through the air back toward the doors. The Dark Gods who continue to pour in here don’t give a single fuck about them or their screams as they stomp over them.
Yemi stumbles the smallest step forward and my fingers wrap around her bicep.
“Steady,” I breathe.
“I’m fine.”
She’s not. I’m not.
Gone is the agreement to only use our power on our separate groups. At this point, the only thing that matters is making sure everyone is covered. Sweat drips along our temples, and our breath comes faster than it had only moments ago. More guards pour through the doorway.
Too many. Far too many.
A blade whistles past Mara’s shoulder, and a burst of power follows. Then another. Every attack that misses one of my men or friends crashes into one of our barriers instead.
Each impact feels like someone driving a hammer into my chest.
“Thayla!” Creed bellows as he tears his sword free from another corpse. “Hold strong!”
Fuck.
The warning isn’t for my barriers.
It’s for me.
For Yemi.
They’ve reached the limit of what steel alone can accomplish.
Ropes of black leave Creed’s palms, and I convince myself the dark shadows crawling across bodies are also his power, although I know they truly belong to Prath.
Gladian’s Strength has the floor groaning.
The pounding of footsteps slows as Kyzen commands time.
Riven’s giggle rings louder than the screams Sevryn’s ripping from throats.
The room explodes with essence.
I grit my teeth and clutch the Binding so tight I’m surprised the fucking globe doesn’t crack.
“Yemi…”
“I know.”
The separation between us and the rest of the room begins to strain.
Like glass waiting to shatter.
A jagged fracture races down my spine, and Yemi’s sharp inhale tells me she feels it too. I stagger back a few steps as I force myself to give it my all, push everything I’ve got left in me toward the connections I’m separating.
Yemi does the same.
It’s not going to be enough.
One more wave of guards and their power is all it’ll take.
One more blast of essence. One more barrier. One more heartbeat.
My gaze sweeps across the room, taking stock of my men and friends. Where they’re at and what they’re currently facing.
Kyzen has been driven nearly to the doorway. He continues to cut down as many guards as he can.
Amick and Riven stand back-to-back, steel meeting the flesh of those that slip past Kyzen.
Creed is surrounded. The Dark Gods don’t know they’ve formed a circle around the God of Death, but they will the second my power fails.
Sevryn, Mara, Gladian, Barir, and Prath continue to fight with ruthless strikes. Even Doren, Iric, Vullie, and Nero have had to inch into the fray to keep the horde from getting too close to Yemi and me.
Too many. There are simply…
Too many.
The second they see us, they’ll stop swinging blindly. They’ll recognize who it is they’re fighting. They’ll come straight for my men. Capture them. Kill the others.
I tighten my grip around the Binding, and my glare watches the blackness swirling within it. Yemi’s bellow has me snapping my attention toward her and the light blazing from her outstretched palms. She screams with all her might as she holds strong. I can barely breathe.
The pressure of the power ready to burst free has my jaw locked so tightly I can’t force it to unclench.
The second her separation shatters…
I let mine fall.
Blackness as dark as what’s swirling in the Binding erupts from me as I command my Obliteration free. It rushes across the chamber in a blinding wave before devouring everyone I want it to devour.
Screams die as quickly as they begin. Bodies dissolve.
Swords don’t even get to clamor against stone as my power swallows those whole as well.
The scream I let burst free along with my command slowly fades to nothing more than gasping pants. My Obliteration snaps back inside of me and settles into my throat.
Ash drifts lazily through the air, coating the stone floor in a darker shade of gray. There are piles sitting in the now empty, silent hallway.
I didn’t even leave the corpses lying around.
A breathless laugh escapes me as I scan the awe on the faces of those who remain standing.
My men. Our people.
“Shit…” Yemi murmurs, catching my arm before I pitch sideways.
My entire body trembles. Every muscle aches and every breath burns. The taste of ash on my tongue doesn’t help, but for once, I’m not going to complain.
Everyone’s alive. Everyone’s okay.
“Run,” I rasp. “We have to get out of here. Now.”
No one argues.
With Yemi’s help, I take a step forward.
Gentle, familiar hands settle against my shoulders and every hair on my body stands on end. Warm breath ghosts across my ear.
“Welcome home, Thay.”
My blood freezes.
Yemi’s fingers slip from my arm.
“Thayla!”
My realm lurches and charcoal swallows my vision.
Then…nothing.