The Warhorse of Balrok

Chapter 13: Separate Paths

It's alright, guys. Actual chapter this time. Hope you liked my little seminar, though. Very educational!

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Chapter 13

Separate Paths

Talnerr's POV

Talnerr looked around the trees suspiciously. "Demons?"

"Get on my back!" Fehnir ordered.

Talnerr immediately obeyed, but Zand hesitated. She surveyed the forest, probably looking around for their enemy.

"I don't see anything." She told them. "Are you sure?"

A spear was launched from somewhere in the forest and embedded itself into a tree by Willohshai's head. The elf's slanted eyes narrowed. In one swift movement, his bow was loaded and drawn. The arrow was released, and a second later, there was a feral shriek not too far away. Talnerr had heard that type of noise once before. The cut under his eye smarted at the memory.

"We're quite sure." Lunareclipse snapped. "Are you going to run like cowards, or will you stay and fight?"

"I cannot let any harm come to these two!" Fehnir snarled.

The foliage began to rustle. Snapping twigs and growling creatures echoed from all around them.

"How did they find us so quickly?" Talnerr asked, extremely serious.

"Demons are gifted trackers." Fehnir informed him sadly.

"And they have us surrounded." Astrid observed grimly. "Fleeing isn't an option now."

They could see the demons now. Misshapen figures closing in on them. Talnerr bit back the fear that sent shivers down his spine. If he was the son of one of these creatures, he shouldn't have been afraid of them. But, he had no weapons and no fighting experience. Neither did Zand. They were going to end up cowering behind Fehnir.

Willohshai drew a pair of knives and threw one to Zand, who was still standing on the ground.

"Try not to kill us with that." He cautioned. Zand gripped the hilt. She looked like she was just coming to grips with the reality of the situation.

The first demon launched itself into the clearing, sword raised. Lunareclipse kicked it in the chest and sent it backward into a tree, where it was impaled on a branch through a chink in the armour. She picked up its sword and handed it to Astrid.

The other demons advanced. There was no less than twenty of them, Talnerr observed. And no more than six of his allies, including himself. This wouldn't end well.

Willohshai released his bowstring. A demon fell to the ground, an arrow sticking out of its neck. That was three down. And several more to go.

Zand dodged a blow and stabbed her blade through the opening in the demon's helmet with more skill than Talnerr had believed she possessed. Fehnir reared, neighing loudly and striking at the attackers with his hooves, while Talnerr struggled to keep his seat.

To a seasoned warrior, it would've been seen as a skirmish. To Talnerr, however, it was the most chaos he'd ever been in the middle of. Everywhere he looked, he saw violence. Lunareclipse was tearing a demon's throat apart with her fangs. One of the creatures had hit Astrid's face. Small streaks of blood were trailing from her nose and mouth as she tried to kill it. Willohshai shoved Zand out of a sword's path, getting an arm wound as he did so.

Suddenly, Talnerr felt as if his arm was being ripped out of its socket. He tumbled to ground, landing hard on his side. Winded and bruised, he struggled to rise. Several demons grabbed him by the arms and legs, then spread their wings, preparing to take off.

"Talnerr!" Zand shrieked. Fehnir galloped forward, but was swarmed by demons who were determined to stop him.

Next thing Talnerr knew, Willohshai was grabbing Zand, holding her against him and sliding his dagger across her throat.

"No!" Talnerr screamed. All the demons immediately took to the air, taking him somewhere he really didn't want to go. He really wasn't concentrating on that, however. His mind was playing the same image over and over again. The last thing he'd seen before the tops of the trees had hidden his view.

Willohshai bent over his twin sister's body, covered in her blood.

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What'd you think? Too short? I feel like I got something wrong in this chapter. It just didn't come out the right way. Whatever. I guess that's for you to decide, audience.

Be back with chapter 14! Please comment and tell me what you thought of it.