Resist

45

Essie's POV

My eyes were closed so I only heard the clang, so loud that it jarred my teeth and hurt my eardrums. My eyelids flew open to see the mace crossed with a scimitar, another blade sailing for the soldier's head. The Xave was forced to step back to avoid the hit and I had move to room.

"Essie get off the floor!" Will yelled as he swung at the soldier again. "I'm gonna kill you for almost getting killed!" A smile pushed its way through the pain at his words of irony. I struggled to get up, my side still screaming at me and my hand pulsing from being stomped on. "Go!" Will told me, glancing from his peripheral vision to watch my slow progress. I was finally up and moving through the crowd, leaving Will behind to fight the Xave. I pulled a knife from my belt and slashed left and right as I went, warding off any soldiers who tried to hinder me. Most were already locked in battle with members of The Recovery and couldn't try to anyways.

I broke through the last few people, stumbling out of the chaotic crowd of fighting and into the space between them and the wall where Tucker had laid Jack. In the time it had taken me to get here, a soldier had come and engaged Tucker, their weapons clashing together repeatedly as they fought. Jack lay behind Tucker, tucked beside the wall.

I moved as fast as I could, sharp breaths all I could take as my lungs burned from the mace's attack. I got closer and pulled my bow over my head, removing it from where I had stored it hanging across my body, and pulled an arrow from my quiver. The soldier was dispatched easily at such a short distance and Tucker was free to usher me over with a rushed movement of his hand.

I flung myself down beside Jack, kneeling despite a bite of pain in my shin. Glancing, I saw that a chunk of flesh had been removed from the front of my leg, recognizably the work of an arrow nicking me. "Crap, they have an archer somewhere," I told Tucker. He immediately began scanning the atrium, looking for the soldier I had mentioned.

My eyes then landed on Jack, fear taking over me as he lay perfectly still. "Tucker, where did you find him?" I asked.

"Dungeon, shackled to a wall," he replied curtly, eyes still scanning for the enemy archer. "He needs medical attention Essie, you have to be able to do something."

"Wait he's not-"

"No he's not dead!" Tucker interrupted, eyes flicking to me, shocked that I had thought so.

His words pushed me into action, whipping the small pack from my back that I had filled for the raid. I dug for a moment before pulling out a roll of bandages and a small jar of ointment Eden had given me. She said it would keep any flesh wounds from getting infected until she could look at them when we got back from the raid. I only hoped we would be returning to her.

"Why is he unconscious?" I asked Tucker. Jack's face was bruised, purple coloring his jawline and there were minimal small cuts to his appearance, but nothing that should have rendered him in this state.

"Look at his back," Tucker told me.

With shaking hands and some difficulty, I rolled Jack over. A gasp left my lips as I saw the blood soaking through the Xave uniform someone had put on him. Before I could investigate any further, Tucker spoke.

"We have company," he told me. I turned and saw a small group of Xave break off from the crowd, moving our way; three sword-wielding foes pursued by Bower as he tried to intercept them and keep them away from Jack.

I grabbed my bow from where I had dropped it beside my leg and nocked an arrow, aiming at the lead of the group. Tucker was already moving forward to intercept them, swinging his ax back to ready for the first blow. I shot the arrow just as he reached them, the distraction of Tucker's approach keeping the lead soldier from dodging my arrow. It anchored in his neck and he slowly fell, like a wilting flower, as he was unable to draw air. Tucker collided with the second, the ring of their weapons hitting echoing across the room and melding with the noise from the thick of the fight. Bower was engaged with the soldier in the back, attacking him first from behind and then ending up exchanging blows face to face.