Adeline

Prologue

My head was pounding. My hands are blistered from the shining sword in one, and the lethal anelace in the other.

The air lingered with the smell of smoke and death making me want to gag, but I must keep going. For my people, for my family back in Nyxale. I'm here to protect the five realms and I will fight until my last breath if I must.

My aching legs charged forward, sword slicing the throat of one man and the anelace puncturing another's lung through a hole in his chest plate. I avoided looking into the eyes of my victims, that would only ever add salt to the guilty wound.

That was one advantage of being a woman in a man's battle, they underestimate me. It is there that I thrive, lingering in the dark shadows like a snake ready to strike.

The battle is ending quickly. I blink and two, three, four more enemy Hacos men are struck down. A sense of power washed over my body, chilling my spine and raising goosebumps. I wiped the stray brown hairs away from my sweaty forehead, likely covering my face in soot.
My eyes scanned the area, stopping when I notice a particularly large man attempting to corner our captain of the guard into the wall surrounding the battlefield.

I sprinted forward, grabbing the axe from a knight when he led it out for me. I swung the axe up, striking it directly into a gap at the back of the hostile's neck. He fell limp almost on top of my comrade.
I stood and watched the body fall onto the muddy floor with a squelch and thud before looking up at my friend, a smile on my sooty face. "Hey Vince, think I found his off switch." Vincent chuckled at my statement, breathing heavy he lifted a crossbow off the floor and shot straight past my head. The sound of someone's demise came from close by, any closer and he would probably have tried to go for me.

"Focus, Addie. The realm needs you to be alive and breathing.  Actually you might not be breathing after this view." He gestured his head past me and whistled quietly. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned in the direction of  Vincent's view. In front, on a jet-black stallion, sat a tall man. He can't be much older than me, maybe 20 or 21, his hair was a shade of dark brown along with his clean beard that was cut close to being stubble. His leather-made jacket was tight fitting, accentuating his muscles on his arms and his upper body. "If you don't go for him, I will." Vince continued from behind me.

My staring was cut short by an enemy Hacos charging towards the two of us. I tossed my loosely braided hair over the back of my shoulder and drew my sword out in front of me. My steps came quick before the mud gripped the soles of my boots. I lunged my leg forward, cleanly kicking one in the knee and with a snap, he was sent crumbling to the ground where I then swiped my sword across his throat. Blood gushed out of the wound towards me, splattering crimson red over my face.

Turning my head back to Vince, I spoke. "Now, where were we."

"Oh shit, oh shit." He muttered. "Uh, hot enemy Hacos guy is walking this way, and he is carrying a sword."

"Vince, go do your job. I'll take care of him." I said, my face suddenly serious.
"Fine. But don't go dying, I need you to date him first." Vince smirked before grabbing the axe out of someone's spine and charging off in the opposite direction, leaving me to face this guy.

"Hello, what might a lady such as yourself be doing in a place like this?" His voice was deep and musky, it almost sent a shiver down my spine. I recognised his demeanour, his cocky attitude that would probably gain him many play things and maidens back in Hacos. "I never imagined Nyxale had such fair maidens, nevertheless ones that are permitted to battle against the armies of Hacos."