Blood of the Ancient - The Helix Rebellion saga #1

Chapter 32

Logan was immediately confronted by an aggressive assault team, hammering down on him with swords and spears. Two lines of riflemen lay frozen dead on the east side of the outer-bailey, adjacent to the hangman's gallows, various limbs and weapons protruding from the icy casing. A trooper was thrust viciously through the air, landing against a rusty, but empty prisoner's cell. A spear-man was held to the spot while Logan exchanged blows with two other master swordsmen. He swung his huge blade in great flowing arcs to block then back up the soldiers he was facing. To the left of the gallows, he briefly spotted Samiel hacking and slicing at a team consisting of four swordsmen. The Marshal gave the impression that he was enjoying the sword exchange, parrying then countering, blocking then side-stepping. It was like sport to him, whilst the troopers grunted and strained to keep pace with him.

Rhea joined Logan, and her advance grabbed the angry attention of the second trooper, who now focused on her. His first attack came from high over his right shoulder, swinging wildly at her neck. With a quick side-step, she used the wakizashi in her left hand to parry the chop, spinning low down and slicing through her opponent's thigh. She stood quickly and turned again to face him, sword en-guard. The trooper hobbled, cursing his terrible judgement of opponent's skill, as he attempted to regain his footing. He lifted his sword in front of his body, holding his ground and inviting Rhea to come forward. He was now giving his adversary a little more respect, and hoped he could surprise her with a sneaky counter-attack. She darted towards him, fast as lightening, blocking his initial faint-strike as he spun away in the opposite direction, circling away from Rhea's attack and swinging his blade with all his strength back around towards her body. He had hoped to cut her in half with the force he generated, and was startled to find she had disappeared. He turned quickly and felt a sharp prod against his belly as she rammed into him then nimbly jumped backwards. He wondered for a split-second why she was lowering her weapon and suddenly turned away, casually walking away and leaving herself open to an attack from behind. As he attempted to step forward, he received his answer.

Rhea heard the man fall to his knees, as she made a rapid observation of the enemies surrounding the outer-bailey, searching for her next target. A new group of excited swordsmen were entertaining Logan, while Samiel had numerous bloodied bodies lying at his feet, as he continued to toy with the troopers that were brave enough to try their luck with him. The trooper that took down one of the first class elite would be remembered fondly in their ranks for a very long time. Target selected, she began to run towards the two men stood waiting near the main gate.

"Rhea stop!" Ezra's sudden outburst made her halt in her tracks, just as a snipers bullet landed inches in front of her position, tearing a great tuft of mud and dirt from the wet ground. She quickly scrabbled her way backwards out of sight of the hidden sniper. She threw an angry stare at the troopers, who were now laughing like hyenas as their plan of luring her into the open had almost worked. She turned to face Ezra, who was bobbing in and out of the shelter, firing a burst into the watchtower that over looked the outer bailey from behind, then ducked back in for cover to avoid the retaliatory round. "Ah sod this!" He shouted, as he swung the M8 in front of his body and quickly released a grenade into the sky behind him at the tower, before quickly returning once again for cover. A bullet exploded nearby, and the sound of the explosion came much later than he had hoped, so he knew the shell must have missed the watchtower. He reloaded and prepared for another shot. "Don't go past that overhang kid." He shouted to Rhea, pointing to the edge of the gate sheltering. She nodded, understanding where the snipers line of sight began.

Logan was using his telekinesis with considerable ease now. Effortlessly halting any trooper that had slipped into a slightly precarious position, and dealing with or releasing him at will. He was able to split his focus and use it to overwhelm the movements of up to three enemies at any one time. Even if they were out of his line of sight, he could still mentally control the body using his senses and feel where to adjust with a push or a pull, maintaining their bound position. His astute awareness was sharper and sensitively faster, somehow becoming more and more acute. He could sense, and to a degree, control the particles and molecules reverberating throughout the atmosphere in which he was located. His gift not only empowered him, it also frightened the hell out of him, worrying that with continued use he might succumb to its evil and possessive embrace. He knew how such a feeling of godliness had already manipulated the mind of a pure man in the past. The ethical and hugely honourable science student that mastered in chemistry and biology, who became one of the most recognised and respected Professors in the Northern Territories. Quinton Crow. He had lost his mind, body and soul in his quest for power and immortality.