Page 75 of Crown of Flame
“Indeed I am,” I say. “But we can talk about that later. Another group of elves are coming.”
“Well, all I can say is that I’m glad you’re on our side,” says the warrior, standing beside me as he readies his weapon.
Serena stands by me, her weapon raised. Our numbers are smaller than the group that approaches, but it’s an easy fight with me here.
The humans hold their own while I take on two or three elves at a time. None wear that damned armor, thankfully. But as soon as we slay the last soldier, we learn the threat is far from over.
“Over there!” shouts Serena. “More of them coming over the hills!”
Again, their numbers dwarf ours, not only that, but these men are tired. I wonder how long they had been fighting before my mate and I showed up.
“Fuck,” cries one of the soldiers. “Look, the shore!”
We look to the shoreline, where two massive warships wash up. Their doors open with a ramp quickly hurling down to the ground, followed by the heavy footsteps of at least thirty elves from each vessel.
I look at our numbers, counting roughly around fifty, and some are bleeding, weakly holding their wounds.
“Father!” calls a small voice behind all of us.
We turn to see a child running up to us, clutching a toy. His face is stricken with tears and mucus.
“That’s Darkus’s child,” mutters Serena, stooping down to the small human. She picks him up and turns to the men. “Has anyone seen Darkus?”
All of the men look to the ground in shame, a clear indicator of the answer. Serena’s face contorts in horror, looking away from the child so that her face cannot be seen.
“Serena, go hide the child and round up any more you can find,” I tell her.
She nods and turns to jog away. I regroup with the men, standing in front of the assembly. Among the warriors, I feel like an outsider, but I stand with them regardless, ready to defend the encampment as one.
I can see the humans looking at me from the corner of my eye, a mixture of faith and fear. I’m probably the last reinforcement they ever expected to get.
“I don’t know if you drink,” stutters the man beside me. “But if you do, I’ll give you my best ale if we survive this.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but if it’s something that will bring me closer to your kind, so be it. Here they come.”
“Charge!”
I let out a guttural roar, shaking the very ground beneath me, thinking of the scream that Serena did when we first approached the camp. I’m not just fighting for her now but for the sake of humankind.
Orbs of magic and flame rush our way. I blast fire, my elements meeting with theirs to counter their attacks.
We clash, the air filling with clanging steel, screams, and blood. Explosions threaten to sever the ground in two as lethal magic rings out in all directions.
Bodies of both men and elves are thrown around. Heads roll and limbs are discarded. Humans and elves fall around me, some fighting with their fists after their weapons are swiped away.
I move forward, cutting the elves down with my flames and draining their souls. I eat as many as I can, each taste of their souls not satiating me, but only fueling my hunger.
Many fall before, but their numbers still outweigh ours. I hold one in my hands as I feed on him when I hear a sudden scream behind me.
I turn to see an approaching elf with his sword already coming down. I have no time to counter and brace myself for the impact, but another sword meets the attackers.
Serena drives him back. She is coated in blood and moves fiercely, like a wild animal on a hunting frenzy. I join her, making quick work of the elf who tried to take my life.
“We just might win this,” she yells amidst the chaos.
“Don’t stop fighting! Watch out!”
I pull her down to the ground, just narrowly avoiding a blast of lethal magic. I land on top of her, with my pelvis pressing between her legs.