Smolder

Chapter 15

Something bit Russell and he woke up to getting almost beheaded.

For a second there was someone standing over him. A dark figure with a wicked shinny blade raised above their head.

There was a whoosh of wind around Russell, and the figure, along with several others all around, lifted into the air, and slammed down on the ground a few yards away, many screaming. Metal clattered to the ground.

Someone took a whimpering breath, and Russell looked back to see Lupa swiftly get on her feet. Her mouth looked like it was hastily tied. She pawed at the rope and it tore off. Freed, she bared her fangs and growled at the darkness.

Russell looked around. Everyone else was also just waking up. The figures who were thrown to the ground were also getting back on their feet. The question of what threw them away rose in Russell's mind, but the urgency of everything else drowned it. He looked to his left. Vivi was spread out in a star pose, snoring.

"What?" He said, articulately. Lupa barked.

In the darkness, the men looked at them like they're an abomination.

"Get back!" Elli jumped up from his left, bright red fire exploding in her palms. The men scrambled to away from the light. Near Elli's feet, Arron got up with the sword in hand. He took a step away from his sister and his sword blazed up blinding blue. The men looked at the blade and couldn't take their eyes off it. A whisper went within their group.

"What do you want?" Elli yelled, raising her hand higher, her fire brighter.

Lupa heard it before anyone else. Her ears perked up and she barked at a random, dark corner. Russell snapped his head to look, a fraction of a breath before he heard the release.

An arrow aimed for Arron.

All of Russell went numb. A vibration coursed through him, impact at his thigh, and output from the bridge of his nose, nauseating him so much it felt irrecoverable.

Then the arrow bounced away midair. It embedded into something in the dark and made a ping.

Russell didn't remember toppling over. He simply found himself on his knees facing the grass, the world going round and round in front of him. Something warm and furry slapped him on the buttock. He looked back to find Lupa's tail.

And then Elli released hell.

The quite campground roared up as fire funneled out of her palms in a vortex of red. The pyre rose up and then coiled into a large ball overhead. The men ducked, but not before some of their hair caught fire.

Elli closed her fist and the ball of flames went out, dissipating into white smoke.

"I'll ask this one more time," Elli chewed on her words, "what do you want?"

A shout came from among the men, "Murderers!" 

Russell couldn't physically roll his eyes back any further.

Elli looked hurt, though. Her hands were still raised, but her flames dimmed. She lifted her chin, "Listen, I know you're—"

That's when the next arrow came.

Arron moved like a taut Helix. He lunged two feet and his sword swung into the arrow's path two feet from Elli. The arrow exploded upon contact.

Arron was finished even before Russell finished processing in his head. By the time Russell caught up, Arron had lifted his sword again in a guard position, the sword lowered and diagonal to his crotch. A fool's guard.

Apparently there were a sizeable number of fools in the group.

Two man jumped forward, one's sword thrusting for Arron's chest another's swinging for his neck. Arron took a step back and ducked beneath the swing, swatting away the thrust with his sword. Arron's sword flashed, and the other sword cut in half. The other man, going for another swing, caught a ball of fire from Elli.

Another arrow shot forward and it missed the prince and princess to land between Russell's feet. He tried to scramble back and tripped on Lupa, who let out a whine.

Russell lifted his head to see Arron kick someone in the crotch, and Elli deflect two airborne arrows with fire.

Somewhere screamed right behind his ear and Russell looked  behind. A man was being pommeled to the ground by Lupa, who tried to bite him in the neck with her blunt teeth.

The man raised an axe over his head.

Without much thinking Russell wrapped his arms around the man's. The man made a surprised sound looking at him, and yanked on Russell. The arm almost slipped but he held fast. All the while, Lupa sat on the man, scratching his neck. The man kept yanking on his arm, about to axe the wolf on him.

So Russell bit him. He tasted blood.

The man screamed and let go of the Axe.

But Russell didn't care. He tasted blood. He had tasted it before, always his own. But there was something else about this. Something wild, and primal, and... And... Meant to be about how he tasted it now. The blood of the meowing enemy trickling down his throat in the heat of battle clicked for some reason. Somewhere deep deep down, it felt right.

Blood, mixed with his saliva, was trailing thinly down his chin when he catapulted back to his senses.

What the actual fuck?

He moved his mouth and spit, still not letting go of the hand. The taste of irony, sweet taste of the man's blood lingered on his tongue. The man was struggling harder and ever now. The wound on his forearm shed blood in a meagre stream.

Russell heard the wings.

And then, everyone started dancing.

Well, everyone not in their group.

Orpheus dropped from the sky, "Metal swords is a questionable preference against someone who directs lightning, like I do."

The people kept dancing their spasmodic, dissonant dance.

The man whose hand Russell held was still struggled. A figure stepped out of the treeline and calmly stepped on the man's face. It was Len. He kept his foot there until the man stopped clawing on Len's foot.

Orpheus clapped and everyone dropped.

"Thank you," Elli leaned down, holding her knees. Arron put out his sword and stabbed the blade into the ground, where it sizzled. He kneeled beside it, touching his forehead to the hilt.

"Anyone hurt?" Orpheus asked, looking at everyone. No one came forward with any injury.

"The wolf has bruises," Len declared.

The other hand! Russell mentally slapped himself for forgetting that.

Then he remembered Vivi.

And the arrows.

His head snapped to the left.

Vivi, miraculously, was still sleeping. In the same star pose as before. Russell wiped the blood-drool off his mouth as he watched her sleep.

"What're you gonna do to them?" Elli asked, still tired.

"We'll see tomorrow noon," Len said, "They have to be... Duly punished."

"Our citizens—" Elly started.

Len interrupted her, "The people have to go on a gruelling journey for one and a half months. These kind of behavior must be duly punished. Or else we will not make it."

Elly said nothing.

"It's an hour to dawn," Orpheus declared, "I believe you won't be able to get any rest anymore, so I suggest we begin preparations for our departure."

Russell sighed. It's gonna be a long long day.