REALMWALKERS

16: An Attack

~ Vianola Sylfiel ~

As soon as we are packed, Madras and Isilynor and I all leave the small hovel of a home behind, slipping down the eerily silent side roads of Ilyena Nytva. Madras leads us down back-alleys and side streets, taking us far from any wandering fae that may spy us and attack.

The three of us reach the edge of downtown before nightfall, but the moment we ascend the steep hill that leads into the woods. Neither of us speaks as we start to run, but the sharp, deep breaths of Isilynor fill the silence. She's struggling to keep up, breathing heavily and trying not to cough.

We race toward the mines that Madras had been working in for the better part of a year. The three of us make our way to the middle of the woods, where the nameless mines that supply the minerals to Ilyena Nytva can be found. The moment we cross into the territory of the mines, though, something in the air shifts.

Stopping before the main entrance, the three of us look around. The setting sun casts long shadows, and the sky above us is getting cloudy too fast for comfort. Madras looks at us, the panic in her purple eyes clear as a bell.

Each of us feel the panic, as a loud laugh echoes through the open area.

"Shit," Madras breathes.

Above us, atop the trees lining the edge of the mine's entrance, is about a dozen fae warriors, decked out in armors of all sorts. And they are all zeroed in on us.

"Hello, little elves! Where do you think you're off to?"

"Just let us go," I say. "You will never see us again. We will leave, and you can continue doing what you do."

A fae with tan skin lined with tattoos and war paint steps forward. Her blonde hair sways in the violent wind, her blue eyes glowing faintly.

"Oh, I don't think so," says the fae. She smiles. "You are not welcome here. You kind are vicious, little pricks. And we here have decided that you do not deserve this life. So, you are going to die. Right here, right now."

The fae move, then. Fast as lightning.

One grabs me by my short, purple hair, then pulls me back to the ground. I yell out in anger, drawing one of my short daggers free. I slash it at the fae, who laughs, pulling out two curved swords.

He then brings the blades down at me, and I roll out of the way. I leap up, slashing his leg as I go. He roars in anger, batting at me with his swords. I lunge forward, stabbing his side, then ripping the blade free. He swings, and I duck.

The fae roars in rage, bringing both blades down, stabbing for my back. I roll out of the way, then slash his hand, causing him to drop one sword. He snarls, and I pick up the fallen sword. Just as he charges forward, his injured hand at his side, his sword at the ready, I drive both my blade and his fallen one into his chest, ripping them free in the same motion.

Another fae pounces onto me. I yelp and whirl, only to get a blade across my shoulder. Hissing, I stab the fae in the neck with both dagger and sword.

A third fae leaps up, followed close by a fourth. They both charge forward, one of them using vines like whips. She raises her hand, and a vine whip cracks, but I dodge the strike. She brings the whip up, ready to bring it down on me, but I roll out of the way. It cracks against the ground.

The third fae brings his axe down on my shoulder, but I parry the blade with my sword. He snarls, pushing the axe down harder, but I then lift my dagger and slit his throat. He gurgles loudly as he falls to the forest floor.

Screaming in anger and grief, the fae with the vines runs at me then. She suddenly skids, stopping in her tracks as a blade pierces her throat. She sinks to the ground, choking on her own blood.

I look up, seeing Madras, her hand clutching her side. She groans. "You good, Vi?"

"Sure," I say. "Where's Isilynor?"

Madras's eyes widen. She spins around, yelling for Isilynor. But our sister and the fae who first yelled down to us... they are both gone. No sign of them.

Madras sighs and looks at me. "We need to find her."