Sword and Veil (Everstone Series book 1 preview)

Chapter 10

Whatever animosity Drax and Eva shared vanished in the moment, both of them falling into battle mode.

"Get to the Southern perimeter!" Drax ordered, drawing his sword from his side. Eva nodded before sprinting out of the tent, her heart in her throat. Lucas already left, thank the Heavens. She prayed Maya was alright.

She quieted her racing thoughts, as she bolted across camp, thrown into a sea of chaos. Warriors, both Swordsmen and Chiefs alike, ran to their stations with weapons drawn. The warning bell persisted, still audible above the chaos of shouting and activity, each clang sending a chill down her spine. Swordsmen began barricading their tents and hiding valuables. The most important resources were strategically placed in the center of the camp for this reason, but it didn't make it impenetrable.

Heavens help them if Guardians were here.

Before Eva reached the edge of the camp, clashing swords and screams of battle sounded to her left– the East gate.

Willing her legs to carry her faster, she reached the entrance to the camp on the South side. Drax intentionally assigned her to the greatest vulnerability of the outpost. Four Zentari Operatives, and a Captain, were engaged with the dozen Swordsmen at the entrance.

Eva wasted no time, attacking the nearest Zentari by throwing a small dagger from her right side. The male warrior, distracted by battle, took the dagger near the left collar bone. He screamed before being overrun by her comrades.

She jumped to her right to strike the next enemy. The male Operative pulled his knife from a swordsman's chest before turning to Eva. She sliced for his neck with her longest dagger, but he deflected the blow. He rammed his shoulder into her, sending her falling backwards, knocking the dagger from her hand.

She rolled back onto her feet just as his sword swung down into the dirt. She palmed a small blade and threw it with, before lunging forward and cutting another slice. The Operative received the thrown dagger to his left shoulder with a grunt, but met her other attack with his sword.

He yanked the dagger from his shoulder and swung his sword in a wide arc. She ducked under the attack, the air kissing her face as his blade rushed overhead. She righted herself and swung around, kicking his feet from under him. He stumbled backward and landed with a grunt. Eva jumped onto him, thrusting her knife toward his chest. He let go of his sword and grabbed her blade, pushing against it with all his might.

Their movements were frozen, each willing all their strength into moving the dagger. Eva pushed harder, leaning her body weight into the blade watching it fall steadily, until it reached the Zentari's armor and pierced his skin. He inhaled sharply, his eyes wide as Eva gave one final push, and the blade sunk into his chest.

She spared no solace and stood as his body went limp. Gathering her surroundings, she collected some of her dropped knives. The remaining three Zentari were dispatched, but noise of more fighting erupted from the other side of the camp. Another Swordsman carried a wounded warrior toward the medical tent, his screams grating in her ears.

She waited alongside the other five surviving Swordsmen. It took everything in her to stay put, standing alongside her brethren, to believe in her comrade's strength.

Don't make the same mistake twice. Stay at your post

She paced, her adrenaline keeping her senses heightened. She couldn't drown out the relentless sounds of war– the clanging of metal, the shouting of warriors, the screams of death. She even heard the owls in the trees outside camp, the crickets still calling for a mate, and her heart thundering in her chest. She could smell the sweat and blood in the air, feel the gentle shake on the ground each time a body was thrown down. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath– demanding silence.