Rising Tides | 2

21 | R a g a n

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The war raging around me was anything but pretty as we ran. The sand was soaked with blood and chunks of moist flesh that I wished I'd never seen. I didn't want to know who or what it belonged to.

The smell of sweat and smoke burned my nose. There were dead bodies splayed all around, Guard and rebels, some burned to crisps while others looked deformed and mutilated. I tore my eyes away and focused on what was in front of me.

Fire swarmed across the beach, engulfing crashed planes and palm trees. Smoke swirled into the dark sky. Hundreds of people battled each other under the gaze of the Demon King. I felt like an ant crawling towards the boot.

Some demons had broken out of the fire cages and were lashing out at their captors. One demon jumped on an Arser rebel, knocking her to the ground, and sank its claws deep into her face as she shrieked.

I clenched my fist as I ran, power surging through me, and the demon exploded in fits of black flesh all around the girl. I dropped to my knees in front of her, examining her face.

Her brown eyes had already glazed over, staring wide and empty at the grey sky. Her lips were parted from her scream. Bright blood poured down her pale face from the deep gashes the demon had left. Her black uniform was tattered, and her dark hair was matted to her cheeks with sweat. She was young, just a girl.

I shuddered and ran my fingers over her eyes, closing them so she could rest.

Ember pulled on my sleeve. "We need to go."

Standing, I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and vowed that she would not die in vain.

Ember and I weaved our way through fights between the two armies, having to defend ourselves now and then. We pushed forward to where the others were, watching each other's backs on the way.

"How much farther?" I asked, jamming the hilt of my knife into a demon's eye socket. It shrieked and wrapped its black claw-like fingers around my arm. I blasted it off, and the demon shrilled once again. I kicked it in the stomach, sending it flying through the sand.

Colonel Peros bashed a wave of ocean water into the side of a Guard soldier. "We need to keep going," he yelled back.

I nodded and pushed on, boots digging into the sand. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck making my hair stick to it. It was hot under the layers of clothing and armor that I wore, and I almost wanted to throw myself into the waves beyond the battle. The only thing stopping me was the force of demons and elite warriors that stood in front of the water.

It probably wasn't the best place to stand, though, because a giant tsunami of a wave rose over their heads and wrapped around them like a giant hand.

A short girl in a rebel uniform standing on the rocks above us pumped her fist in the air. "Hell, yeah!" she yelled, jumping down and landing in the sand next to Wren.

"Was that you?" he asked, eyes wide.

She began running with us, short legs moving fast to keep up. The girl looked proud of herself. She nodded, "I'm Isla Peros. The general gave us the order to clear a path for you."

As she spoke, more rebels appeared around us, creating a small protective barrier. I caught the movement of golden-brown hair swaying in the wind and looked that way. About eight girls of the exact same features ran side by side next to me. They lashed out and attacked demons around us.