Passion (Book 1 of "The Fantasy of Life" Series)

Chapter 43

Ashanaya

I saw Cullen come running out of our tent, Marhara out of his, and they both came toward me quickly. Kel held her hands up and a thousand crows began flying overhead. I quickly drew the rune for the void and opened it, digging out Marhara's sword and Cullen's daggers. I threw their weapons to them as safely as I could then slammed the void shut. They all ran out toward the Ashen dotted around the camp. Based on the first few I saw, and the others that had dropped from the trees around, there had to be at least 15.

Cullen was stabbing at different ones at random intervals but he wasn't doing much real damage. Marhara was doing the same, though he was hurting them more with each hit, but much slower.

I pulled an arrow back and closed my eyes, saying a silent prayer. A rune appeared at the end of my arrow and I let it fly. It was unlike the first, though this one probably wasn't the greatest idea. It stabbed into the chest of an Ashen, then the Ashen caught on fire. The rain was putting it out but before it could the Ashen burned to death and fell to the ground with an awful sizzling noise.

I looked to my tent, I could see the silhouette of York inside where Cullen had left him. He seemed to be holding something close to him with his head down, probably feeling awful because he couldn't help. It was for the best that he was in there, he really shouldn't be fighting, but it'd make this a lot easier if he was fighting too.

I stabbed an Ashen with the edge of my bow. It didn't go deep or anything but it made him stop and wince in pain. I kicked him back and quickly launched an arrow into his chest. He fell backwards but there was another one just behind him. I swung my bow around drawing a quick rune then I kicked it to him. It wrapped around him and an invisible force held him in place. I nocked another arrow and shot it into his forehead. His entire body went limp but the invisible force kept him up.

Cullen was beginning to struggle as a group of Ashen began to close in on him. He looked around worried. I began to run up toward him but something flashed over his face. A flash of hope. He reached down to a dead Ashen body below him, all the Ashen in front of him looked at him confused. He held up an indoctrinary and held it tight. It began to glow a bright purple colour. He closed his eyes and the indoctrinary grew into a long staff with a point at the end like a very large arrow. He swung it around and held the purple spear at his side. An Ashen ran toward him, he spun his spear around and stabbed it into the Ashen. It gleamed brightly, slowly burning out the inside of the Ashen, a light pink light streamed from the wound in the Ashen's stomach. Cullen smiled and twisted the spear then quickly yanked it out. The pink light grew brighter and brighter, and as it did the Ashen began to shriek, it slowly getting louder. It clawed at the glowing hole in it's chest trying to figure out what was happening and make it stopped. It clawed harder and harder, it's scream becoming harder and harder to listen to. The light began to get so intense that the Ashen eventually just disintegrate into dust and another indoctrinary, heaped onto the ground.

Cullen had a satisfied smile, he began swinging the spear around stabbing some Ashen and simply beating some of the other down with the other end. After hardly any effort each time they disintegrated, much less dramatically than the first and much quicker. I stared at Cullen, astonished as he tore through almost half a dozen Ashen with ease. I had a feeling that he really had some ability to help in combat, but this wasn't what I had expected. A stronger one of the Ashen came up to him and began deflecting his attack. 3 more of them fell from the trees and began closing in on us.

One of them lunged at me, but I fell back and rolled away, then steadied myself on one knee and aimed at it. I said a silent prayer and let an arrow fly, impaling the Ashen in the centre of it's chest. It almost disappeared, falling into hardly even dust.

Valen was over in the distance, 20 feet in the air kicked dozens of swords down at the Ashen. Kel was a few yards to my left, she'd throw a dagger, usually hitting in a very fatal place, and whatever life the Ashen had left would be taken by the crows as they flew toward it and pecked at it.

Marhara was just swinging his sword at them, thankfully he was strong, as long as no more than three attacked him he'd be okay.

I saw an elven woman turned Ashen walk out from all of the carnage coming straight toward me. I recognised her, she was the elf from the city that I'd seen in the vision Shirajiin had shown us. She smiled and began sprinting toward me.