Grimmer (Sequel to Kailin)

Chapter 34: Another Great Has Fallen

The Grimmer didn't necessarily seem too intent on making it to the edges of the trees; they were focusing on the Elves around them. But between bodies I saw Cenna, and then Jason.... Between them were more humans; most I recognized, but not by name.

It was strange to see them so close to the others... and with tall trees behind them, which I had always separated from humans entirely. I caught sight of Jakeller just as I was moving my position to join the Kailin front.

An arm thrust into my belly when I turned back. The next second, I was thrown to the side. I managed to roll with Sireth against my forearm. When trying to jump back up, something jerked my leg down. I fell to my knees — and something else shoved my shoulder forward. I gasped, hitting my hands on the beaten grass below. The Grimmer around that area weren't close enough to have touched me — and they wouldn't have pushed. What —?

I heard my name called somewhere — I thought to look for who had called me, but my head was suddenly focused on what was there —

A solid punch threw my face into the ground. I hit the dirt with a disoriented groan.

One Grimmer ran in my direction; I couldn't wait for his feet to trample over my figure. I clenched Sireth in my fist and launched forward, keeping low as if to tackle the beast three-times my size. Sireth stole up its leg, though, just before I hit the chest — and the beast fell back when I jumped over the shoulder and pulled the chin back with me.

I'd pushed off one abdomen to slick my blade from the innards as another form clipped my shoulder in running past. I had to twist the other direction then to avoid a heavy fist, and from there my blade twisted into other knots of grey skin.

In need of momentum, I pushed forward to start into a run. The Elves may have influenced my next string of attacks; I leapt from one beast to another, not touching the ground, Sireth flying from one throat to the next, and the next. One Grimmer was kicked to avoid the weapon in its fist. One was pulled around to fall against another, and throw it off balance. I was parting a path for myself. One that closed just behind the wake, but a visible path nonetheless.

When I finally turned to look back, I couldn't see anyone. I couldn't even see the tree line; it was hidden behind pockets of grimmer. I did see bodies to the right, however, and not just of my victims. The fight would be over within the hour -- but the count of Grimmer to fighting Elves had to be thirty-to-one. Had I bumped that ratio already? Hopefully.

As I looked behind the oncoming numbers, I saw the bare spots of things they'd had, like provisions, scattered in the far distance of the grasses where they'd been camping. If that was what they'd been doing. Their patches were abandoned. Could this mean, then, that this was really the last confrontation? Was this what we'd been waiting for?

A shadow flashed into my vision and flew toward me. My shoulder was knocked backward. I twisted with the motion to avoid opportunist enemies, and the shadow was gone.

I paused. All enemies around me had fallen or had moved too far away. I looked around, tensed. What had it been?

The shadow appeared again and flew directly at me. I gasped at the sudden advance — and jerked away. Sireth flew from my palm. I leapt back.

I crouched low; growled. My fingers flicked near an extra knife, ready to fight when —

An arm wrapped around my throat. A hand clamped over my mouth. And my scream was sucked from my throat as everything constricted at once — my lungs had seemed to consume my everything — and my struggles to pull away with eyes clenched ended with me on hard ground, cool ground, elbows scraped — throat throbbing and bruised. I coughed; dust was sucked into my lungs and I coughed again. My arm covered my mouth so I could breathe.