The Edge of Shadow, page 10
part #5 of The Kin of Kings Series
Sanya came up behind the Krepps. “He’s telling the truth,” she said. “I can tell with psyche.”
The Krepps stopped fighting. “Who are you?”
But another Krepp answered in their own language, probably recognizing her from the stadium.
They had a brief conversation among themselves, then darted off while glaring back at Abith and Sanya.
“Who let you out?” Abith asked. “Never mind.” He ran in the same direction as the Krepps, calling to them, “I’m joining you against the traitors.”
Her nagging voice grew louder. Abith’s tone had confirmed what she’d assumed: She was to be a prisoner until executed.
She didn’t move as she reconsidered her options. North to Tenred or east to Lake Kayvol. Abith and the Krepps headed west until they left the field and disappeared around student homes. Again, Sanya had to remind herself of her promise. She would help them no matter what. But it was to the south where she seemed to be needed more than the west, where most of the Tenred troops had gone. Abith and the Krepps had probably headed off to meet up with more of the lizard creatures.
By the time she’d caught up to Tenred’s army, the last of them were making their way past Redfield at the center of the school. They’d separated into many smaller groups by then. Some veered west, others north, but the rest continued south. Soon she heard the sounds of the raging battle, and she gritted her teeth in determination.
The troops running in her direction glared at her and asked something among themselves. She had no weapon, no armor, but she was still confident she could take on the six of them if needed.
“Who are you?” one asked her.
“Come closer and find out.”
Insulted, the man started toward her. But another put his arm out to stop him and told Sanya, “If you are staff of the Academy there is no need for you to die. You will continue to work here but for Crea and the rest of us.”
“I’m not.”
He shook his head at her answer, as if disappointed by her stupidity when she could’ve lied. The first man she’d insulted charged while the others stayed back to watch.
She took him down easily with psyche. As he lay coiled on the ground, she snatched the sword from his weakened grip and plunged the tip into his neck.
The others began to curse as they all ran in different directions. She pained them all and walked after them as they tried to crawl away. One by one, she killed them and took the best sword among them.
An arrow caused her to flinch as it missed to the side. She ran around the nearest wall of the round stadium for cover. Locating the archer to the south, she saw him put his bow back on his shoulder and join the rest of his moving army.
She took a different route than the wide road to the south, going around the mage and psychic classrooms to keep herself safe from other archers. As she neared the southern wall, she heard the battle shifting. Terren was in retreat.
She climbed up the nearest building to find out exactly why he would run from a few thousand Tenred troops, most of them hardly skilled in comparison to the Academy’s warriors.
The wall was broken in several parts, the gate collapsed. Ulric’s troops had broken through and come around to join Tenred’s, forcing Terren’s army out of the Academy.
An arrow flew over her shoulder.
She’d been found. Archers shot at her as she jumped down for cover. The sound of rushing boots forced her to flee. There were too many to face alone. She needed to get around these men to join the rest of the Academy.
She ran west until she no longer heard the patter of boots chasing her. She went south again to put herself in line with the last of the southern classrooms and risked a look. Only enemies were left within the school, now chasing the last of Kyrro’s Allies over the wall.
Sanya ran through the gaping hole where the gate used to bar entrance. Terren seemed to be taking his army into the forest, outnumbered an estimated five to one. But at least there were no more enemies behind him and his troops.
Unfortunately, Sanya was stuck between her enemies and allies, and she refused to let herself think of the Academy’s troops in any other way. It would be too easy to give up on them and leave to make a life for herself somewhere else.
She had to find some way to get around.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cleve fought like a jungle cat trying to evade capture as men came at him from every angle. He’d left his longbow, the gift from his father, at the Academy. He promised himself he would return for it somehow, even though it appeared this battle would be lost, as Peter had said.
He’d cut and lunged his way through his enemies to make it to Terren’s side. There was no doubt about it; his uncle had been the target from the start. But Cleve wasn’t the only one protecting Terren, as everyone left standing would fight until they could no longer lift a weapon.
“We have to separate,” Terren told Sneary as they got behind the cover of the first trees of Raywhite Forest. “They’re coming around for me. We don’t have the numbers to keep them from flanking. Just leave me Groups Seven and Eight.”
“Got it,” Sneary said with surprising speed, too easily giving up on Terren. “All Groups but Seven and Eight, follow!” he ordered.
Almost the entire army moved southwest with Sneary, half the enemies following and still outnumbering them. Many family members of the Academy had been recruited to the school weeks ago. Half had left when the Takary army threatened them with the destruction of their homes. The rest who stayed now fled with their kin.
There were no more than thirty mages and warriors left from Group Seven and Eight, none with family beside them. One thousand against thirty, Cleve estimated.
“Go with them!” Terren ordered Cleve.
“I will not leave you no matter what you say!” Cleve screamed as he blocked an attack and cut two men with one swing.
“They focus all their efforts on me. We have to use it against them.”
“Cleve.” It was Reela’s voice. “We must go with the rest. It’s the only way they’ll have a chance.”
“You go,” he screamed back. “I’m staying. Keep them alive and we’ll meet again soon.” Reela had her mother to worry about. Airy would follow Reela wherever she went, though she was smart enough to stay at the back of the battle.
“Cleve!” Reela implored.
He chanced a look over to see Vithos dragging her away with the rest. Soon she stopped resisting and disappeared behind the dense trees.
“Basen, where are you?” Terren yelled.
“I sent him north to help Effie and others escaping from the medical building,” Cleve said, dread tightening his chest. So his uncle had hoped to use a portal. Cleve didn’t see how that was possible in the forest. Perhaps in all this chaos Terren hadn’t remembered the limitations.
“That’s fine, Cleve. We’ll find a way out of this.”
One enemy stood out above the rest. Cleve had no name for the giant in full steel armor, not until his comrades yelled to him. “Rockbreak! The headmaster went this way.”
Rockbreak had proved to be an unstoppable force with no weak spot on his body, a boulder. The only thing keeping him from demolishing Kyrro’s Allies was his slow speed. He yelled in frustration as Terren continued to retreat.
From behind the enemy army, Rockbreak’s deep voice sent a chill down Cleve’s spine. “Terren’s head is mine!”
Enemies ran to come around on Cleve’s side. If he wasn’t already busy fighting two or three at once no matter how many he killed, he could’ve done something about it. But all he could do now was shout a warning. “Flanking us!”
Suddenly the skilled swordsmen working their way through Cleve’s defenses dropped and screamed. Annah stepped toward them and yelled to Cleve, “Block those going around!” She bent toward her enemies with her knife drawn. She was supposed to have left with the others, but Cleve was glad she was here.
Their screams became gargled with blood as Annah killed them while Cleve put himself in front of the flanking dozen of swordsmen. None of them had armor like Rockbreak, but they had twice the skill that those from Tenred possessed.
Cleve attacked like a swarm of bees, his bastial steel sword too quick for them to stop. He’d cut down half of them when he heard screaming from behind.
“Flanking other side!”
Cleve moved backward as he fought to keep in line with the small group of his army remaining around his uncle. Their enemies began to charge.
We have to give the rest of our allies more time.
Terren must’ve been thinking the same thing as he screamed for them to run.
They rushed through the trees while chased by as many men as could fit in all forest lanes. There was no chance to hide, nowhere to take cover. They could keep running to stall these enemies from meeting back with the rest and overwhelming their Academy allies, but was there any way for Terren to get out of this alive?
I love you, Reela.
It felt as if Cleve’s heart had shattered to pieces when another group of enemies appeared in front of them. Terren cursed and came to a stop. He dropped his sword and put up his hands.
“Nothing we can do now,” Terren told them. His teeth bit down on his lip in obvious anger, while his eyes squinted with a sad look. He glanced at Cleve coming over to join him, then at Jackrie on his other side. “Let them take you prisoner,” he whispered.
Everyone dropped their weapons as the circle of enemies closed in on them. Everyone but Cleve. He valued his bastial steel sword almost as much as his life. To be captured was the same as losing it, nearly the same as death.
“Put it down, Cleve,” Terren demanded.
Cleve compromised and put it in its sheath instead.
The enemies made a path for Rockbreak. The giant came through huffing, removing his helmet and wiping the sweat from his forehead. He did not have the face of a man but of some gargantuan creature, with a bulbous forehead and a square chin.
“You will suffer for making me run!” Rockbreak boomed.
Cassius pushed through to stand beside the giant and frowned at the sight of Terren giving up.
“I expected more out of you,” Cassius complained. “I admired you when we were enemies in the last war. You were hailed as the best swordsman in Ovira, the leader of the courageous Academy army, outsmarting the best of your enemies. This should’ve ended with a duel between you and Abith, but you’ve become soft and made him so as well somehow.”
“I’ll cooperate with whatever you want so long as you take the rest here prisoner,” Terren demanded.
“Soft, like I said.”
Furious, Cleve almost drew his blade and charged Cassius right then. But as Cleve took a step, Terren put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“It’s over,” Terren said.
“Almost,” Cassius corrected. “I’m sure Rockbreak will agree with me that we want to see the old Terren one last time before you die.”
“Agree,” Rockbreak said.
“Spread out,” Cassius ordered. “Form a circle.”
Rockbreak moved into its center. He jabbed his bastial steel sword into the ground to remove his armor, the weapon nearly the same height as an average man. With his mammoth arms, he had the advantage of reach over Terren, an advantage Terren was used to having over his own opponents. Cleve feared the worst was inevitable. Even if his uncle won, the archers would shoot him down.
Enemies shoved Cleve and his allies into place to make up the center ring of the wide circle. Then they were pushed down to their knees. The men behind Cleve grabbed his bastial steel sword out of his sheath and let out a sound of surprise. “Where did you get this?”
Cleve didn’t answer. It took all his will to remain still as he desperately wanted to fight the person who had laid hands on his sword.
“There will be time for questions later,” Rockbreak grumbled as he continued to take off his steel armor.
Cleve was beside Jackrie and Annah, the three of them glancing around for a way to escape, fight back, anything to avoid what was about to happen.
Something blunt struck Cleve in the back of the head and blurred his vision. “Keep your eyes on the duel,” said the man behind him.
Rockbreak finished removing his armor. Basen was right—the man was larger and stronger than any Krepp. It was as if he had legs for arms. No doubt his shirt had been made specially for him, though it still stretched to contain his chest as if all the fabric from the tailor had been used and it still wasn’t enough.
“If you want a fair fight,” Cleve said, “you will let Terren use my bastial steel sword.”
The man behind Cleve grumbled a curse at him.
“Give Terren the sword,” Rockbreak demanded. “He will lose anyway.”
Terren approached and let out his hand. The man gave the weapon to Terren blade first, letting go of the handle before Terren had a safe grip. But Terren pinched his fingers and twisted his wrist, spinning the light weapon so the handle flung toward him. He grabbed it out of the air with familiarity as if he’d used the sword for years.
He looked down to send Cleve a message with his eyes. What he was trying to say, though, Cleve had little idea. In his uncle’s eyes was sadness but also love. Terren stared for a bit, then looked to Jackrie. He turned his head slightly, lifting his eyebrows. She jumped up and hugged him before anyone could get their hands on her.
Cleve heard her whisper, “Cleve, come here.”
“Enough of that,” Rockbreak complained. “No time. More people to kill!”
Enemy soldiers closed in but not before Cleve jumped up and squeezed through to join the embrace. Jackrie whispered, “I will distract them so you and Annah can escape.”
“Not until the end of the duel,” Terren said. “Let them fight each other over your sword, Cleve, and then run.”
Tears stung Cleve’s eyes as enemies pulled him and Jackrie away from his uncle. Terren and Jackrie had just accepted their fate. Both of them would soon be dead.
Terren had cared for Cleve like a father. He was the last of Cleve’s family…there was so much Cleve needed to tell Terren. There was no one left in this world who Cleve loved in the same way that he did Terren. There was no other man like Terren. But Cleve could say none of this, as the duel had already begun.
Terren tried to circle around Rockbreak to get a better feel for his opponent, but the giant charged him. Faced with an overhead attack too powerful to block, Terren’s only choice was to get out of the way. Rockbreak seemed to know he would, swiping at Terren in the same moment he dodged. Had Terren simply stood still, he would’ve had a clear opening to stab his weapon in Rockbreak’s chest. The giant was a smarter fighter than he appeared.
It took a master like Terren to get his weapon up in time to save himself. He seemed surprised by his own agility, but it was really the light weight of the bastial steel, Cleve knew, that caused his shock.
I should’ve given him the weapon to train with long before this.
Terren attacked as if he had a heavier sword, putting more than enough power into each swing to slice his blade through bone. Speed was what he needed, not additional power. It took no more than a moment for Cleve to see that Rockbreak was indeed a master like Terren.
The giant fought fluidly, better than he’d spoken. His movements looked instinctive as he moved his weapon as if it were an extension of his body.
Terren soon had to look out for more weapons than just Rockbreak’s sword. The giant swung his elbows with enough force to crack Terren’s skull if they connected. Later he tried to smash his head into Terren’s as he came in close.
Cleve had trained his whole life to fight like Rockbreak, with his entire body, and much of his time had been spent with his uncle. Terren should know what to do—he had to create opportunities to attack by taking risks, putting himself closer than he clearly wanted to be. But there seemed to be no weaknesses in Rockbreak’s defense, just as there were none in his offense. He was stronger than any human should be, yet he matched Terren’s speed. His sword covered every part of his body and attacked from every angle.
Unfortunately, Rockbreak soon caught onto Terren’s strategy of attacking and then retreating. He charged Terren again, just like in the beginning, only this time he smothered Terren with attacks and continued to press.
Terren retreated to the edge of the circle, where he was just about to trip over his own troops until they told him he was coming to the edge. He planted his feet and defended all of Rockbreak’s blows, but they never seemed to end. Trapped against the edge of the circle, Terren almost looked to be defending his own people from an inhuman creature. Terren’s size over the kneeling students made him appear fatherly, the determination on his face showing everyone that he would protect them until his last breath.
Rockbreak chipped away at Terren’s strength as he slashed down and swept his weapon across over and over, forcing Terren to block every attack. Terren amazed Cleve at how precise his defense had become since the last time they’d sparred. There was no doubt that his lessons with Abith were the only reason he still hadn’t been cut. But time was not on his side.
He finally found an opening and darted around Rockbreak. Frustrated, Rockbreak charged for the third time. Terren ran at him, to Cleve’s surprise. At the last moment, both men dodged to opposite sides and slashed hard. Their weapons clashed with a deafening ring. But Rockbreak’s strength was too much for Terren, knocking Cleve’s weapon out of Terren’s hands.
Without giving Terren a moment to turn for the sword, Rockbreak spun to keep up with his momentum and cut Terren deeply across his chest. Terren fell backward, toward the fallen sword. He grabbed it before Rockbreak could stomp over to him, but his grievous injury made his movements slow as he put it up to defend himself. Rockbreak slashed the weapon out of his hand again, then turned his grip to bring his sword straight down into Terren’s heart.
Cleve screamed in rage.
“Don’t,” Jackrie wailed, her cheeks wet with tears. He didn’t realize until then that he was struggling against his captors to get to his now dead uncle.
