My legs couldn't find their bearings. They tripped and stumbled and wobbled as the faeries hurled volley after volley of something gigantic at the mountain face. Although I was extremely anxious at the idea of the walls collapsing, none of the mongools seemed perturbed - they had absolute faith in their stronghold. After a while, when the shaking kept going and the walls stayed sturdy, I minutely relaxed.
"This way!" Prenjaw called from in front of me, his tail flicking around a corner. I followed breathlessly, his dagger held awkwardly aloft in my right hand.
"Prince Prenjaw!" A mongool grabbed Prenjaw's arm. "You're needed at the mountain base - "
"I cannot." He replied firmly. His eyes met mine in the shadowy and trembling tunnel. "I need to guard our guest with my life."
The mongool he was conversing with just stared at me.
"You go on, Taff." Prenjaw clapped the mongool's shoulder, a movement a lot like his father's.
Taff blustered. "I'm just a messenger - "
"You're the finest knife wielder in your age group." Prenjaw interrupted. "Go now. I have complete faith in you, soldier."
Taff drew himself to his full height, nodded importantly. and rushed past us. Prenjaw beckoned to me, and we continued down the tunnels. The tunnels were a flurry of activity. Mongools hurried by in both directions, calling or yelling in Chinese to each other and brandishing knives and swords and clubs.No one had time to bow to Prenjaw anymore.
Finally, my breath ragged, we reached another hidden opening. The smell of impending night was sharp and sweet, mixed with what smelled like rust and smoke. Prenjaw paused and looked around the mountainside, his eyes searching for something my weaker eyes probably wouldn't see. I leaned over the edge carefully; tiny dots were moving in a flurry at the mountain base. Fires dotted the battle here and there, and as I watched, two more broke out.
"Where are all the women and children?" I asked Prenjaw hoarsely.
"On another mountain, for their safety." He replied promptly, his eyes still flicking keenly. "I'm taking you there now."
I couldn't help but sag a little in relief. Maybe I wouldn't have to use his dagger.
"Aha!" Prenjaw suddenly leapt over the edge of the opening, his giant feet gripping the rocky face easily. He moved a couple yards down and picked up a rock that was roughly the size of my head.
"What are you doing?" I called down to him.
He was turning the rock over in his hands, peering at it closely. "Hagal is in charge of moving all the women and children. She leaves behind stones at every entrance alerting us to which mountain they have sought refuge in. We're not supposed to look till after battle. Its better if we don't know where they are if someone tries torturing the location out of us."
That was super smart. They can't tell their enemies if they didn't know, and the lack of information kept the bulk of the population safe. The stones could be found easily after everyone was safe, and the weaker mongools would be untouched.
"Alright." Prenjaw muttered. "According to my sister's terrible writing - "
I had the breath knocked out of me as something collided with me.
I hit the mountain face so hard stars exploded in my eyes and my whole body felt like it was shattering. My attacker let go of me, and I slid to my feet with a moan. My eyes fluttered and I looked up to see my scared reflection in two round, black panels of glass.
It was the hooded figure again.
The sword in his hand glinted in the fading light, and I saw with horror that someone's silver blood was dripping off its curved edge. He seemed to be watching me from behind those two black circles; neither of us moved as we stared at the other.
There was a reptilian hiss as Prenjaw leapt into the hooded man. Two daggers were ready in both hands, and he stabbed surprisingly fast toward my attacker's chest. He dodged out of the way, but only barely.
"Lilah! Get away!" Prenjaw managed to call to me before the hooded man swiped with his wicked blade.
I stared, dumbfounded, at the fight ensuing in front of me. Get away? Where? I couldn't go back in; the mongools in there weren't prepared yet for attackers inside, and I would only surprise them with my hooded entourage. I couldn't just run the circumference of the mountain either. I gulped as I glanced down; there was a long way to go.
It was the only choice. If I could reach them, the mongools there would outnumber the strange hooded individual.
I took off running.
Immediately, I could tell something was wrong. My path was lazily spiralling and swooping, and I was seeing double everything. I touched my hand to my temple and my fingers came away wet and crimson. If I wasn't dizzy already, the sight of my own blood took care of that.
There was a snarl behind me, and I couldn't help but look back. It was obvious the hooded figure was trying to follow me down, but Prenjaw was hindering him. They fought haphazardly; their feet sliding on loose rock and the angle benefiting neither of them. Prenjaw literally looked like a lizard in battle: he was on all fours, and he skittered and jumped away from his opponents attacks with animal speed. He had a blade between his teeth, and as I watched, he lifted a hand to grab it between two fingers and flicked it like a ninja star. I couldn't see its trajectory, it was that fast, but as the hooded figure ducked, I saw the tip of his hood fly off.
"Don't stop!"
I turned away at Prenjaw's command. I was slower than I could have been; my head was pounding and there were thickets of weeds and loose rocks that were grabbing and twisting my ankles. The base of the mountain barely looked like it was getting any closer. The sky had darkened to purple and blue bruise, and the battle cries and shrieks from below rent the air like the buzz of a city. The smoke from the fires crept up and made it hard to breathe.
There was the screech of metal on metal behind me, and I looked back just in time to see the hooded stranger's sword fly in a graceful arc away from him. Prenjaw grinned gleefully and pulled out another pair of daggers from out of nowhere, his hands twirling them easily.
"Anything you'd like to say, enemy?" Prenjaw snarled.
I screamed out as the stranger reached out with two gloved hands and grabbed Prenjaw's head. He swiftly slammed the prince's forehead once, twice, three times on the rocky face before flinging him away. I was still shrieking, begging Prenjaw to get up, but his body was still.
I felt like I was going to pass out. Black blood was streaming over his scaly skin, and the hooded figure was still again, simply watching me. I was sobbing now, tears running down my face, as I realized just how much danger I was really in. The glassy panels betrayed nothing, and the hooded figure flew up till his feet were no longer on the ground and began to drift languidly toward me, his hands flexing leisurely.
He was enjoying this.
I turned and ran flat out. There was a chance, maybe, that I could make it to the bottom. Someone would recognize me, someone would help -
A gloved hand wrapped around my shoulder and spun me around so fast I lost my footing. My head slammed into the ground and I slid over the loose shoal a couple feet. The pain in my head was now blinding, and my breath was coming in gasping sobs.
When I opened my eyes, he was standing over me, just staring.
"What are you waiting for!" I screamed up at him, fully aware just how hysterical I was. "Get it over with, you coward!"
He tilted his head, as if I was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.
I was suddenly angry. Who did this guy think he was? Trying to murder the whole world and its mother, flying around in that stupid hood like he owned the place. I was suddenly so sick of it, all the anxiety over this ridiculous war, watching people fight and scream and die, seeing enough blood to fill my whole body up again. I was furious that this figure had started this all, when there was absolutely no moral reason to do so.
He wasn't expecting it when I suddenly leapt up. Even I wasn't expecting myself to do it. But I was suddenly on him, the slick, cool material of his heavy suit under me, and my hand curling tightly around the dagger Prenjaw had given me earlier. The thought of the dead mongool, with his kind eyes and soft, cultured voice, just fuelled my anger even more. I was letting out inhuman, blood curdling screams as I plunged the dagger into the hooded figure's shoulder again and again and again. I barely even noticed as golden liquid exploded from his wound, didn't notice his hands trying desperately to push me off of him. I was running on pure adrenaline and fury now though, so my grip on him was like iron.
The golden liquid was flowing freely now, and the figure suddenly rolled so I was underneath him. His hand grabbed the wrist holding the dagger in a hold so tight I heard bones crack. I cried out in agony, dropping the dagger, and in my distraction, he picked it up and held it over his head, obviously aiming for my heart.
Before he could deliver the fatal wound though, his body suddenly spasmed. The dagger clattered harmlessly onto the rock beside my head as the hooded figure whipped around.
There was a dagger imbedded to the hilt in the centre of his back.
I looked around his legs, and sure enough, Prenjaw was on his feet, teeth bared in rage. He looked truly terrifying in that moment; black blood dripped in rivulets over his hard skin, and his muscles bulged as he poised for another attack. The daggers in his hand glinted fearfully, and in the deepening darkness the cold metal seemed to wink. He was obviously ready to take on another fight.
My attacker, however, was not. He swooped to where his sword had dropped before flying off and away from the mountain. It was clear we had done damage; his flight pattern was dipping and halting as his figure grew smaller. As I watched, his body flew around another mountain peak and he was gone.
"Lilah." Prenjaw was immediately beside me, his face crinkled in concern despite his own gash in the head. It was like he was immune to pain. "Are you hurt? Is it your wrist?"
I was still crying ridiculously hard, my tears mixing with snot and that weird golden liquid, but I risked a glance at my right wrist. Bone jutted haphazardly against my skin. I turned my head and vomited.
"It's alright." Prenjaw soothed, touching my shoulder gently. "We can get that fixed up quick. Do you have any other injuries? Did he manage to cut you?"
I shook my head violently and wiped my mouth with my uninjured hand. "I hurt him though, real bad."
For the first time, I noticed I was absolutely covered in the golden stuff. It was sticky and warm, and with horror I began to realize it was the attacker's blood.
"Good." Prenjaw said firmly. "He deserved all the hurt. I had no idea the solstae were on the faerie's side-"
I cut him off. "Solstae?"
He blinked at me. "Well, yes. I assumed you knew. Only the solstae bleed this colour."
I stared down at the golden blood drenching the front of my armour in shock.
It was a solstae that was murdering all the faerie children.
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Yay for super graphic scenes! Hope you guys morbidly enjoyed that as much as I did :P