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With shaking hands, I set the nock of an arrow to the bow string and I aimed at one of the night-crawlers grappling with Jarek. I inhaled sharply and held my breath before releasing an arrow, but it veered to the right where Martin was locked in combat with a night-crawler. The arrow struck Martin's enemy in the arm. It howled, recoiling in pain.
The disarming moment of surprise gave Martin the chance to attack and he slashed his sword downward over the night-crawlers head a few times, killing it.
I continued shooting arrows at night-crawlers, but none hit any of my intended targets. After several failed shots, one of my arrows came horrifyingly close to grazing Keiran, veering past him and striking a night-crawler in the upper torso. The foul creature reared itself back. Then, its bloodshot eyes scanned the area for the offending bowman before its gaze landed on me. Next thing I knew, it was charging in my direction.
"Ellis!" Keiran yelled.
Between the pounding of my own heart about to burst out of my ribcage and the ear-splitting noise of battle, I could only form one clear thought.
Defend yourself.
I dug into Keiran's saddlebag and pulled out a short sword, moments before the night-crawler came within striking distance of me. It leapt up into the air and swiped at me. I held the sheathed sword in front of me to block like a shield. The sword took the blow, but the force knocked me off my horse.
I fell backward and crashed into something wet and foul smelling: a decapitated night-crawler. Blinking, I shook my head loose of the vile innards in my hair.
My horse's screeching brought me back to reality. The night-crawler was on my horse, sinking its fangs into her neck.
Get up. Get up!
"Ellis, watch out!" Keiran yelled, sprinting toward me.
Another night-crawler hurtled in my direction. Its fangs were fully borne, and it was about to collide into me. There was no time to stand. No time to run.
I held the unsheathed short sword up, diagonally across my body.
Suddenly, there was a change in the air pressure. My ear popped half a second before the night-crawler was within reach.
Smack!
The night-crawler never touched me. It smashed into what seemed to be an invisible barrier between me and the creature.
What was that?
Before I could even speak, Keiran was by my side, and then in front, as if to shield me from attack. My eyes were drawn to his double-edged sword, which now glowed a brilliant white.
"Keep behind me," he said.
I scrambled up to my feet and finally unsheathed my sword before taking a few steps back.
The night-crawler slowly circled us, aggravated that it couldn't reach us. It threw itself at the barrier and that's when I noticed a golden rim of a six-foot circumference floating in front of us.
The golden rim barrier disappeared and Keiran dashed forward, sword in hand.
The night-crawler sidestepped but wasn't quick enough to save its arm from getting slashed.
Keiran crouched down briefly before launching himself several feet into the air.
Impossible.
He seemed to float for a split second before striking downward with a cry, driving his sword through the creature like a javelin through a soft target.
"El!" Martin said, grabbing my hand.
I jumped, completely caught off guard. Jarek and Ilta had fought their way back towards us, locked in fierce combat nearby. A quick glance at Martin from head to toe and I knew that he wasn't in good shape. He had a hand around his stomach and was hunched over.
I threw his arm over my shoulder so I could support him. "Martin..."
"I'm okay," he said, heaving.
Keiran, Jarek, and Ilta formed a defensive ring around me and Martin.
"Stay in the circle," Ilta said, her gaze remained locked on our approaching enemies. All three of them wielded weapons that glowed a brilliant white.
This must be what fighting with the power of corin looks like.
I watched in awe as Ilta's arrows seemed to explode with incredible speed, finding their mark with impunity and cutting clear through flesh and bone. Jarek wielded his axe with a trance-like precision, cutting down his enemies like trees to be felled. Keiran was cleaving through night-crawler flesh, parrying each swipe and following through with the business end of his blade.
It was their ferocity and sheer skill that kept us alive that night.
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Lost Identity: Eloria Series Book 1 | ✓
Fantasy|| WATTYS 2021 SHORTLIST || Since Ellis Moore was found a year ago with amnesia, she has tried her best to fit into a normal life; but she is anything but normal. Nightmares and inexplicable visions seem to be the only link to her past until she enc...
