MALAKAI (The 'Mala Series' book 1)

ct-28 prepare for battle

It was pretty easy since he had hands that were trained in fluid movements by painting.

Then Gruff stomped past Kai. Kai could have sworn he deliberately kicked his boot.

"Excuse me?" Kai said as calmly as he could. Gruff turned back and looked at Kai, no remorse in his stare.

"You should watch where you put your foot Malakai." Gruff said.

But this wasn't really about his foot.

"We have no quarrel Troll." Kai said, going back to sharpening his sword. He deliberately added as much disrespect as he could to his tone.

In his mood, he was ready for a warm up before the main battle.

Gruff walked and towered over Kai's sitting form. A deliberate move to deliver a statement.

I am above you.

Kai didn't bother looking up at him.

"You're suppose to be the Ye juai's chance of survival. And even those bloody humans. But since you arrived...your energy, though it's unlike any kind, has been utterly pitiful. You're weak. Your large sword and fighting skills will not defeat the evil. Only the raw ye juai energy within you can stand a chance. You may think you brought hope...but you took what little of it we had." Gruff ended and walked away.

Kai wanted to be angry. Wanted to get up and beat up the troll that was literally twice his size. He wanted to blow up.

But he couldn't. Because Gruff was right. So far Kai had no control over any power he had in him. His speed was useful but he barely had good control over it. His mental powers would be useless in battle.

He was useless.

Kai threw the stone in his hand away. Then angrily jammed heros into the ground. It went through, standing on its own.

It was amazing how strong the sword was.

Hours and hours passed. The evil had yet to cross the valley sized ground pummeled by the trolls.

The sun would set soon.

Abel had at some time come to sit beside Kai. Everyone looked restless except for the chief who stood patiently, watching the other side of the valley.

"What if we got the area wrong? Maybe they're going through a different route." Abel said.

"I'm sure the chief is counting on the fact that the evil can sense our location. If they do, this is the only route to the village." Kai explained to Abel.

"But —" Abel was cut off.

"Hush." The chief said to no one in particular.

He stepped forward again, intently studying the other side of the valley where the trees hid its contents.

Then Kai felt it. Just as others around him began to rise and gather from their location.

Kai rose, Abel rising too.

It felt like the serpent in the woods. Like the shapeshifters from Belvedere. Like Viktor's mind.

Only where the other minds felt like it was clouded by fogs, these ones felt like...death. The emptiness in them was so heavy that Kai wished he couldn't feel their minds.

Then something stepped out of the cover of the trees. Kai walked towards the edge of the land before the valley to have a closer look.

It was pale white. Stood on two's like a human. Naked but no private part. Long claws on both hands and legs. Canines that looked sharp and strong enough to cut through the hardest bones. Eyes that glowed red. A head without a single hair.