Breach

Chapter Nine

The cries are awful. High-pitched, terrified, anguished. What could make many people cry out so vehemently? I dart a glance at Ceena. She gazes back, eyes wide and frightened. But there's a grim set to her jaw. She won't let anything get in the way of finding her brother. Without a word, we start sprinting. Breaking free of the forest, we are met with a sight almost too unbelievable to be true.

Smoke belches over the village in thick, dirty grey clouds. Like eels slithering through water, huge beasts ride the skies, sliding through the smoke. I squint, trying to make out what they are, but I've never seen creatures like this before. They have vicious beaks like raptors the tails of scorpions, wings with slashing blades at the end and talon-tipped claws. Every part of them is designed for delivering death. And they excel at it.

Aghast, I stare at the broken bodies of villagers strewn from one end of the field to the other. Blood stains their clothes bright red, seeping into the soil as the life drains out of them. I scan the faces, hoping for some sign of life, but I only find the empty eyes of too many friends. Where are the warriors?

They're not among the dead. The smoke blows clear of the village for an instant, and I notice an accumulation of the monsters there. In that moment, I know I've answered my own question. I barrel up the hill to the village entrance. I'm almost there when I realize Ceena's right behind me.

"What are you doing?" I yell over my shoulder.

"Finding Tamaan," she snaps.

Fair enough. She won't be dissuaded from that, but if I've learnt anything about Tamaan at all since we began training together, he's more worried about his sister than himself. "You do know he'll fight better and be safer if he knows you're alright?"

"Why do you think I'm tailing you?"

Apparently, I misjudged her motivation. "As long as you understand you should get to safety as soon as he sees you, we're good."

"I have no desire to get my brother killed by splitting his focus," Ceena grates.

Alright, I'll leave it at that. We hurtle toward the congregated monsters, a beacon for our destination. I choose the path that will take me past my home while avoiding the fires burning in several houses. It takes only a few seconds to dash inside and grab my weapons. By the time I'm outside again, Ceena's caught up to me.

We reach the village center. Blood spatters the walls, the ground, the warriors still standing, those already fallen. Its coppery stench assails my nostrils. The anger that was simmering just below the surface boils over and with a bellow, I join the fray.

Slashing at the nearest beast with my spear, I'm stunned to find the hide almost impenetrable. My spear only sinks in an inch or two. I shove harder, but the wooden shaft bends. Retracting the spear before it breaks, I stare at the monster. How is this possible?

It ducks its ugly head toward me, and I glide sideways to avoid the beak with its serrated, razor-sharp edges. I almost gag as I catch a whiff of its foul breath when the beak passes by, so close that it's impossible not to see the blood staining it. I'm so focused on the beak that I almost miss the talons that follow. I dive onto the dirt and roll away. Bouncing back up onto my feet, I begin strategizing.

"We can't gain ground," I hear someone shouting.

"Our weapons don't work on these beasts," I yell back. "Not unless they have a vulnerable spot. Anyone know where that is?"

"Between the scales on the neck," someone else hollers.

Recognizing Tamaan's voice, I'm amazed at the relief I feel. Hopefully Ceena heard him too. But there's no time for distractions. We need to find weapons that will be more effective against the armored hides of these mutants.