Sinful [malexmale]

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

There was a very thin layer of frost on the ground. A cold bitter morning cloaked in the shadows cast by mountains that towered high over our head like natural daggers growing out of the earth below us. The faint hum of the wind twisting and turning through the rocky terrain and rustling what few trees lay scattered about. The scent of blood clung to the air like a thick web, mingled with the natural cold scents of the morning mountains. The sunrise stained the sky red and orange, making what could be seen of the mountain tops glow.

It was a dangerous and quiet morning.

Jaques and Coyotl walked on either side of our troops, the back protected by Jericho, Kasey, and Constantine. Dev, Anza, and I led the front line of troops marching along the pass. A long and wide gap between steep rocky cliffs. We were traveling uphill until we reached level ground in the further reaches of the mountain, and from there, I could see the camp that the archers had told us about.

It was huge. Crawling with dark dots that made up the soldiers, and even worse, was the flow of Greek soldiers moving closer and closer to us like a black sea of death. The sight of it was spine-chilling.

But there was no turning back.

Not now.

We were soldiers, not cowards. The moment we signed up for this, our fates were sealed. We vowed to defend and protect those who could not. Too many innocent people had already died, and today we were going to let the Greeks to know exactly who they were messing with.

My life was insignificant, compared to the thousands of people whose lives would be destroyed if I didn't fight. We needed every able-bodied person, and over a hundred of them stood with me now, all prepared to give their lives for our realm.

Hell wasn't a fiery pit created to inspire fear and torment. Hell was a new beginning to those who needed a fresh start. Hell was the haven to those limping from life's beatings.

We were the army of Hell.

"Do we have our men hiding in the mountains?" I asked under my breath to Dev, who nodded. Anza glanced up at the rocky cliffs that hid our most agile archers as they climbed and jumped over obstacles to move ahead of us and report anything that could be seen as a surprise attack.

"Any word?" I asked. Dev shook his head. Anza frowned, reaching up to touch her link, then agreed with a head shake. I nodded to that. We continued to move until the first few Greeks began to appear. They belted our snarls and war cries, banging their swords against their shields, but I ignored their attempts to intimidate us. My gaze was locked on the head of their army.

His black, gold trimmed armor glinting menacingly in the sunlight, dark hair swept back from a cruel sneering face, and red eyes glowing like the blood he'd spilled, Julius made an evil sight. His mouth twisted in a smirk as he raised his sword toward us. I did the same, refusing to back down from his challenge. I could see the fear glowing in Dev's eyes and, surprisingly, Anza even appeared uneasy.

And I knew Jaques was making his way to the front of our group.

Before he could, I shouted and lunged first. Julius moved next. Our troops surged forward as one, sprinting at each other at full speed. The first soldiers made contact and there were fierce growls and screams of rage. Shapeshifters shifted into stronger creatures. Even worse, a Greek shift took the form of a dragon and slammed its massive paw into the mountain side, crushing whatever troops we had on those walls. I cursed, ducking the falling rocks and rolling off the side. I shot back to my feet and whirled around, slashing my sword at an enemy soldier's legs, cutting them off right at the knee so he fell to the ground. I smashed my foot down on his skull and it broke open like a pinata, spewing blood everywhere.