Warsong | Celeste Academy Series Book #4

Chapter Twenty-One ⚜ Bolt

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Chapter Twenty-One ⚜ Bolt

They retreated to the opposite direction and ran from the incoming mob of sleepwalkers. Valeriana panicked at the sight of them, feeling an uncomfortable rush from the adrenalin. They were confronted by another set of stairs which they climbed as rapidly as their feet could take them.

Unfortunately, before they could reach the top, they found another crowd of sleepwalkers peering at them. Shocked, they stopped short. Valeriana grabbed Brindon's shoulders as Eres held out a hand to stop them from advancing.

"Stop," he said.

"This feels seriously like a zombie survival," Valeriana muttered.

The sleepwalker lunged for them. Eres reacted by pushing his group out of the way. 

"Move!" he exclaimed.

However, Keelan, who was at the tail, ended up being tackled back to the bottom. Valeriana gasped and instinctively held out a hand, catching Keelan's extended arm before he even fell over. Brindon caught Valeriana by the collar when she stumbled and they were all pulled steady by Eres.

The sleepwalker clung to Keelan's torso and when all was fairly well, he kicked the male sleepwalker back and had him stumble down himself.

"That felt disgusting," Keelan muttered, cringing. "He was definitely groping me."

"Oh god, don't tell me." Valeriana shook her head.

"Don't." Brindon imitated her as well.

Eres climbed the stairs to receive the blow of the mob from above, shielding his group. He pulled himself to a steady stance before ramming straight for the mob unapologetically, pushing them back. They fell right over and on top of each other. Eres kept them down and nodded for the group to go forward.

"Go, go!"

Valeriana passed by him and flicked a thumb. "You're awesome, man."

After they were clear, Eres let go and ran after them. The mob stirred and stood up to follow.

"We have to find the baron," said the crown lord.

"In a place as big as this one? Where do we start?" Keelan inquired, this time leading the group. "Oh wait—" He stopped short as they came to a turn. He pressed himself against the wall and peeked past the corner as inconspicuously as he could. He looked harder for a few moments before advancing wordlessly.

"Keelan!" Valeriana half-whispered, half-yelled. "What's going on?"

Eres urged the group forward as the mob was drawing close. "I'm suspecting the orb has the demon in it."

"It does."

"Guys!" Keelan yelled. "Come over, quickly."

Valeriana went after the eleventh-ranker, Brindon and Eres right at her tail. She saw Keelan crouched over somebody lying flat on the floor. Curious, she increased her pace and stopped just beside her comrade who was trying to resuscitate the person with compressions. His head was bleeding and there was a huge gaping wound on his side.

The fifth-ranker gazed about observantly, feeling the broken shards under the soles of her shoes. She followed the trail and found a broken window where the previous guard must've fallen. There was also another person a few feet away, a blade deep in his chest. She shivered and looked away, unable to take it in.

"Val! I need help, please press on the wound to help stop the bleeding." Keelan nodded to his bleeding side.

"O-okay." The fifth-ranker nodded and knelt, pressing the cloth tight against the wound. Her fingers were met with a damp but warm feeling which made her stomach recoil. She held herself down and swallowed. "We cannot dawdle, though. Those guys are coming."