Moonshadow (Book 1 of the Torrent Skies Saga)

Chapter Twenty-Six: Juen'tal the WIldrun, Pt 2

*

Arjiah shot another ice bolt, cutting across Juen'tal's leg, staining the carpet behind him with blood. She reached out a hand and gave more healing magic to Fykes. He was struggling and it seemed it was all she could do to keep him upright, despite the fact she was channeling the healing as fast as she could and never letting it slip from her focus. She moved to stand in front of him protectively, her mace held defensively in her hands.

*

Katerin swung her staff into the back of Juen'tal's knees, and both he and his sword moved with incredible speed to block her next blow. He turned to face her, annoyance written across his face. Stop interfering, his eyes seemed to say.

She swung again, and this time he let it hit, but she could not block his blow. She caught him across the jaw, he grunted and drove his blade across her hip, carving a deep cut just above her thigh. Blood coated his blade as he pulled it back and he circled her, leaving her with her back to Lilly. "Just let him die," he told her, before turning his gaze back to Fykes.

Lilly's swords drove towards Katerin and she ducked one, falling forward onto the rug, as she tried to put too much weight on her leg. The other caught the top of her shoulder, tearing down her back.

She spun around to face the woman, panic rising and threatening her grasp on her consciousness. Ignoring someone's blades was surely an easy way to die. Any more of this and she would be dead. She had been fighting for a while now and never had she felt so outmatched. These were not dead or simple creatures—they were trained killers, not afraid of her. She had no advantages over them, no skills sharper than theirs in this fight.

*

Brazen moved towards Lilly's side, and his axe cut deep into her sword arm, rendering it useless. She screamed in pain, before dropping one blade and stepping forward. Using her other weapon to parry another slash from Brazen, their skirmish echoing down the hallways as he pushed her further from the group of people in the narrow hall.

*

Arjiah moved away from the wall, watching Fykes out of the corner of her eye. She hurled ice towards Lilly, cutting her with arcane cold. Lilly grimaced, holding both her hands out. Light erupted in a terrible flash, blinding her, and she felt the bite of a blade on her calf.

*

Katerin's staff struck Lilly in the back, and she aimed her second blow for the back of the woman's head. Lilly fell forward with a heavy thump and a curse on her lips.

*

Juen'tal did not even glance at Lilly as she fell. Fykes was barely standing, barely moving—an easy kill. He was surrounded and outnumbered, but Juen'tal knew himself to be the better swordsman, so this was just proving the point. He slashed down and across, but Fykes grimaced and dropped back to the floor to avoid it. Juen'tal smiled at him.

It was not arrogant, it was not predatory. It was just a smile. His blade flashed again.

Katerin spun around to watch Juen'tal's blade flash down and forward. The same move he had done as he drew his blades only moments before. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched. She brought her staff up in an arc to bash in his skull, but she knew she would be too late.

*

Fykes swallowed the lump in his throat. If he was going to die he would not go alone. He felt the blade pierce through him, again, an agony akin to nothing he had ever experienced, and he felt resistance against his own blade. Juen'tal had left himself wide open in his moment of victory, and Fykes drove Ahlindrion into Juen'tal's side.