The Mutari

The Mutari Ch. 5

She couldn’t bear to see the blurry vision of her closest friend being cut down right in front of her. As that black blade descended, her eyes shut tight, tears escaping out of the corners of them. She wished she could close her ears, too, not willing to hear the gruesome crunch of metal through bones.

            Except it didn’t come. She waited, but she didn’t hear anything in front of her.

            Open your eyes. Even in her head, the voice had the sigh of disappointment. He obviously saw them as pathetic.

            Letti cracked an eyelid. Then both popped open as she realized the knight was absolutely still, frozen in time. The scimitar was hardly an inch from the base of Carella’s neck. In a moment, she hopped up and yanked her friend out of the scimitar’s reach.

            Her friend gave a shout at the tug. Letti clapped a hand over her mouth, fearful that the noise might suddenly startle the knight into action. She brought Relli’s face to hers. The other Prime’s

            This is my only act of mercy. Don’t waste it.

            Suddenly, Letti was tackled from behind, but it was a light force that hardly made her stumble. Warm arms wrapped around the two girls. Letti tensed up, but relaxed a degree when she heard sobbing and wetness soaking the back of her shirt.

            Twisting her head, she spied Avelina’s brown hair burrowed into her back. The girl started blubbering out apologies. Letti looked at the knight, then the throne anxiously.

            “It’s okay, Avey. We are both fine. Please, stop because we need to move now.” With that near-death experience, Letti’s nerves were wired so tight, she was about to implode. None too gently because she couldn’t care enough to be gentle at this moment, she grabbed both girls’ arms and took off like a rocket, speeding around the stationary knight.

            Within moments, they reached the throne. Letti let go and sprinted up the white stone steps, trying not to trip in the darkness. As soon as she cleared the last step, she launched herself into that rather uncomfortable, elegant chair.

            The effect was immediate. As soon as her butt made contact, the continuous clangs of metal on stone ceased. The silence was filled only by the snarls of Kole and Bront. A moment later, the torches, even the ones whose flames had been extinguished, lit the entire room. Their fire burned bright as if gasoline reenergized them. Letti couldn’t look straightly at the light they gave off.

            She looked at the still battle scene before her. A strike of fear pierced her heart unnecessarily as she noticed two knights had been right on their tail.

Hunter and Bront were crouched around Tammy’s slump form, surrounded by half of the knights. Their chests heaved in a mixture of adrenaline and fatigue. Sweat wet Hunter’s brow, but he was unmarked. Letti gave a relieved sigh. Despite their lack of movement, the two Ferus’s eyes were trained on the knights.

            Kole was not as well off. Three knights had completely encompassed him. He was already injured. The blood staining his hind leg was not quite masked in his black fur. In a matter of seconds, he could have been a dead wolf.

            Just like the knight the mysterious man had saved them from, none of them moved. They were all stock-still in what position they’d been in when she’d sat down.

            Abruptly, everyone tensed as all the knights moved as one. From their offensive position, they stood straight up in perfect posture. Their weapons rested at their sides, no longer poised to strike.