Ever So Lightly- Book 1

45

His wounded arm aching, Jasper let out a war cry, slamming his sword against the weapon of a soldier trying his best to slip past into the tunnel. He was pretty sure the movement reopened the stitches across his chest. The pain caused him to falter, only for a moment, but a moment was too long. The enemy took advantage of his hesitation, opening a new gash across Jasper's arm. He growled, retaliating with a barrage of blows that had the man retreating.

With the handful of rebels he'd been able to bring back with him, they were doing well enough holding the enemy off until reinforcements could arrive. Jasper thanked the stars that the tunnel was narrow, bottlenecking the enemy as they tried to get in. He couldn't help but think this attack was hastily, poorly planned, but that hadn't stopped several of the enemy combatants from slipping through into the tunnels before Jasper and his fellow fighters could stop them.

A shout behind him alerted Jasper to a threat, and he turned just in time to see the man fighting behind him fall, an enemy combatant now raising his sword to strike at him. With the new injury to his arm, Jasper just couldn't raise his sword fast enough. Throwing his other arm up, he braced for the impact, for the pain.

In the space of a moment, a snaking line of water wrapped around the enemy soldier's face, choking off his battle cry. He stumbled backward, dropping his sword. Tendrils of water from the fall began shooting through the air, cutting of the shouts of the enemy. Jasper looked back to see Frederick Devereaux running toward the fighting, his arms flung out before him, a look of fierce concentration lining his face. Behind him, a fresh group of fighters followed, ready to relieve Jasper and his men.

The men behind those drowning seemed to be catching wind of their now huge disadvantage, some beginning to pull away. Frederick stopped next to where Jasper now slumped against the rock wall of the tunnel. His teeth were gritted, as though using his apparent Gift took everything he had.

"Go," the older man forced out the word. "We've got this. Matthew couldn't find Zephyr." Jasper's heart slammed at the words. He began to retreat back down the tunnel.

"Saria and Bennet were headed into the meeting hall," he heard Frederick continue behind him, "they might know where she is." Jasper took off at a run, the sounds of fighting slowly fading behind him.

~

Saria ran toward Matthew, Bennet close behind her. They had just bumped into one another moments earlier in the tunnel outside the meeting hall when chaos seemed to erupt everywhere at once.

"What's happening?" She struggled to keep her voice steady as she addressed the old man.

"Enemy soldiers have breached the tunnels," he said, eyes alight with panic. "Have you seen Zephyr?" Before she could respond with a no, the doors to the hall slammed open. They all turned, other conversations around them growing quieter. Jasper, covered in blood that she hoped wasn't his own, ran toward them.

"Have you found Zephyr yet?" His face reflected Matthew's panic. Saria shook her head, words eluding her.

"It's okay," Bennet said, and their small group whirled on him as one. "I know where she is."

Before he could say more, the doors to the hall burst open once more. Stars above, what now? Saria turned to see, exasperated at the interruption. Oh.

Soldiers in black and purple poured through the door, taking up a perimeter around the room. She heard Bennet slide his sword from its sheath as a big man she recognized from back in Bremerton entered the room. His men barricaded the doors behind him, trapping them all inside the hall. Gasps had Saria turning back to face her group. Kade materialized behind Jasper, a knife to his throat.

"Drop the sword, DeGrae."

Gritting his teeth as though the action pained him, Bennet let his sword clatter to the ground. Saria stepped closer to him, pressing into his side. Bennet pushed Matthew behind him and stepped backwards, away from Kade.

"Where is she?" Kade asked calmly. No one responded. The big man walked up to wear Chira stood with her guards. In a flash he'd stabbed both of them and grabbed Chira, his own sword pressed to her throat.

"Somebody really should start talking, it'd be shame for Ende here to die just so you can hide a girl." Saria felt her hands begin to shake. Kade let out a dramatic sigh.

"I'll only ask one more time," he said, his voice laced with annoyance. "Where is Zephyr?"