For All Things Eternal

Chapter 4

Muscle memory and instinct took over as I pulled my blade from its sheath, the metal whining as the blade came free. My power hummed and in an instant my shade was standing beside Corym, ready to defend him at a moment's notice. The others followed suite, Averen readying his bow as Thalia moved to his back, crouched with her teeth bared like a cat. Before Katar could draw his greatsword I heard a soft whine and turned quickly to see an arrow hit him right in the temple, killing him in an instant. His body hit the ground with a hard thud and I stared in horror at him for a moment before I heard the whine come again. This time my body reacted without warning and I reached out, catching an arrow only inches before it would have embedded itself in the back of my head. My heart raced as I looked past the iron tip and saw a dozen figures emerging from behind the trees. There was no cover, we were completely surrounded on all sides and my heart lurched.

These were not just some run of the mill bandits. They were smart, cunning even. They knew who to target to make the fight go more in their favor. Take out the strong ones, the fast ones, then pick off the stragglers. My eyes met Corym's and saw terror cross his face. I had to get him out of here, to safety. Averen was already moving, firing his bow with rapid precision taking down two of the figures while Thalia stuck to him like glue. If any were to get too close she would take them out in a heartbeat.

I raced for Corym, reaching him in only a matter of seconds and placing myself on his other side, forming a protective barrier around him between my shade and I.

"Now would be a great time for some fire Corym." I muttered, cursing as another arrow flew my way and I was forced to try and deflect it with my blade. I barely was able to knock it away before a hiss of pain escaped my lips as another arrow grazed my thigh. I could feel the blood welling through the gap in my leather armor as Corym began chanting under his breath, preparing a spell that I knew well and have seen him use many times. I cursed as my shade deflected another arrow. "You're using that spell!" His only response was a grin as he moved his hands in front of him, clasping them together and forming a point with his two index fingers. I glanced to where he had turned, where he planned on releasing the spell and noticed Averen and Thalia slowly backing into its range. One of the attackers had reached them and Thalia was fighting him off furiously.

"Thalia, Averen, move!" I yelled over the chaos that was quickly beginning to form. Averen's wild eyes met mine for a split second before he reached out and grabbed Thalia by the back of her collar, launching her out of the way with one hand and hooking the bow around the man she was facing with the other. Just as he spun, sending the man flying directly into Corym's path, Corym pointed his clasped hands forward and finished chanting the last of the spell. A massive cone of fire erupted from the tips of his fingers and completely engulfed the man. He didn't even have time to scream as the blast hit three more behind him and ignited the trees in an instant.

The next few moments went by in a blur of movement. The seven remaining attackers charged us all at once, separating Averen and Thalia from us as three ran for us. My blades met theirs as steel clashed and fire began raining down around us. Corym and I fought together like a well oiled machine. He would cast spells, protecting my back, while my shade and I fought around him keeping the enemies from reaching him. As I fought I slowly began to piece together who exactly we were fighting as I dodged a man lunging at me with his fangs bared. Another swung for my head just as Corym hit him with a blast of fire so hot I could feel it singe the tips of my hair as it had come loose from the ponytail it had previously been in. None of them looked out of breath, or even appeared to be breathing at all.

My eyes caught on one man in particular. He was tall, taller than Katar and built like he had been fighting in battles for centuries. Even under his armor I could still see the taught muscle rippling with every movement. Bold tattoos peeked from the neckline of his brutish plate armor and long wavy black hair hung loosely down past his shoulders. His back was turned to me as he crouched down to inspect Katar's fallen body, dipping his fingers into the blood now pooled around his head. A massive ornate great sword was strapped across his shoulders. One so big no man should be able to wield it due to how much it must weigh.

My attention was drawn back to Averen abruptly as he came barreling through the two men he was facing, Thalia tucked close to his side. They reached us just as a loud whistle pierced the air and my gut lurched as more men and women emerged from the trees, double what we had already been facing. I turned abruptly, noticing that the path we had followed to get here was now clear thanks to a few well placed shots from Averen and I quickly grabbed Corym's arm, twisting him and launching him down the path.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" I hissed as we all took off in a sprint. Averen and Thalia quickly overtook us and led the way as my shade and I took the rear. I risked a glance behind us and cursed as I saw one of the things chasing us had feline features and long legs meant for speed. They were clearly one of the cat-like races from the western portion of the continent, where nothing but desert spanned the earth for miles upon miles. They were known for their speed, and were exceptionally hard to take down. There was no way we were going to outrun it, and there were at least two more close behind it. Someone had to stay behind, to fight, or none of us were making it back to safety.

I took one more glance at Corym, finding his eyes were already on my as he shook his head. "Don't..." He gasped, already winded from the brisk pace. I gave him one last sad smile, not knowing if this was a fight I would come out of. "I'll see you back at Andarius." I whispered, the horror in his eyes making my heart ache. Without another word I turned abruptly, running away from the path as fast as my feet could take me while my shade slowed its pace to allow the feline figures to approach. As I suspected, they still considered me the biggest threat even though Averen and Corym did most of the killing. They truly had no idea how right they were.

Two branched off to follow me while the third continued on after my shade. For some reason, despite how this mission had gone horribly wrong and I was probably not going to survive the day, I found myself smiling. For some wicked, twisted reason a laugh escaped my lips. Not one of joy, but one that would normally make anyone's blood freeze. Its sound was cold, malicious as I turned my course again. Straight back to that clearing where two dozen enemies were charging straight for me. Enemies that I now knew exactly what they were, and I was not afraid.