Song: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked - Cage The Elephant
The fighting started the moment the reached level ground. Even Althira armed herself in favor of hand to hand when they were rushed by a group of half a dozen soldiers. They fought ruthlessly, Lythias only hoped she could forget the scenes in front of her one day as she fought tooth and nail between her two kilthra as they made progress to the pass. By the time they'd reached it another half dozen soldiers had arrived and were pressing them hard toward the unstable ground. "Althira, first!" Lythias shouted when she saw a gap for the woman to break through. Lythias dove in to cover her as the woman turned and began leaping quickly on the rocks furthest uphill. If any shifted between her feet Lythias was unable to see as she parried the blow of her new opponent.
"Aakine!" She called to the smaller kilthra and he yelped to let her know he was responding as he took off after Althira. Othanis and Lynsias edged closer as she dispatched the person she was fighting. Two more took its place quickly but she was ready. "Othanis!" She called next as he was the closest to the escape route. He followed her with another yelp as she backed up dramatically. Lynsias was shoulder to shoulder with her now. "Down the path, don't wait, I'm coming." She said quickly. He started to argue but she didn't give him the chance when she suddenly turned and began leaping into the rocky marsh behind her. He was forced to move back as their enemies rushed forward to follow her.
Two of the remaining five were smart enough to stop before they entered the mess but three were hot on her heals. The first made it far enough he felt comfortable stopping to swing at her. Lythias ducked without missing a beat, keeping her feet shifting constantly and quickly over the rocks. If she was right it would be only be about knee deep here but that was still enough to get trapped. If the person was unlucky enough the rocks could crush their legs if they thrashed too hard. Lythias avoided letting her feet get submerged as she bounced among the larger rocks. Her essence was beginning to seep from her skin as flames began to dance along her fingers, thankfully exposed to save her gloves.
She could even feel flames licking at her exposed eylashes as she peered over her shoulders at the others. The second one was knee deep in the water while the first had fallen entirely upon loosing his balance in his swing. He was now thrashing wildly. Lythias tore her eyes away as the rocks seemed to pile on harder with every movement. She had to keep moving. She noted that the third had caught on to how the rest of the group had passed through and was making his way to the more stable rocks. She was running out of time as she rushed to do the same. She spared quick glances behind her but kept her eyes firmly on the ground as she danced inhumanely quick over the rolling ground.
Once she hit the more stable rocks she began moving even faster. As she ran she felt a familiar pressure begin to form in her jaw. Her fingers were still alight but if she focused she could feel a familiar sting in the ones wrapped around the handle of her blade. She ran even faster, pushing off the earth with essence boosted movements with each stride. Glancing back she noted that the other two had joined the third remaining fighter and now three were pursuing. She wasn't concerned, however. Instead she felt a smile begin to form on her face. She couldn't hear any signs of fighting in front of her and the three behind her would never keep pace, let alone catch up to her. She was finally free of immediate danger for the first time in a week.
Finally she reached the other side and hit solid ground at a dead sprint. It was open on the other side for nearly half a mile and she needed to cross that before she could regroup. It was part of the plan. Which was why she was irked to find both Othanis and Lynsias waiting for her, flanking her at their own sprint as she ran. She glared at both of them from the sides of her eyes as they weaved their way down the open hillside. They were vulnerable to spell fire and archers for the next few moments so they needed to make themselves harder to hit. Just as the thought came to mind she heard a familiar thunk, as an arrow was released from a bow. She called out a warning just in time for Lynsias to veer out of its path at the last moment.
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Rykka (Beastborne: Book 1)
FantasyLithias was starkly different than the rest of the world. Marked by her ancestors with what she would argue was a curse, her fate was sealed from the moment she opened her amethyst eyes to the world. By thirteen she found herself alone in the world...
