Page 56 of Clash of Kingdoms
“He knows how to kill too.” I launched another attack, and then our swords came together. They danced in the light of the torches, the steel clanging together mixing with the sounds of the dying. The cold ground was slippery with mud because the snow had melted under the heat of their fire, and now the ground was uneven. It was a hindrance to both sides, something I hadn’t prepared for, but I remained level and focused all my efforts on winning.
We broke apart again as we circled each other. A soldier fell behind him, and a demon stepped on his chest, forcing him face first in the mud where he flailed about as he drowned in the dirt, the demon on top of him laughing hysterically.
But there was nothing I could do.
Then a dagger flew through the air and impaled the demon right in the eye. His foot left the soldier, and he stumbled back as his hands grasped the hilt sticking out of his head. It was enough time for the soldier to crawl away, gasping for air.
Aurelias came with his sword and finished the job on the demon.
My eyes moved back to the demon before me.
He watched me, a snarl on his face. “You’re strong for a human. But not strong enough.” He launched at me again, and this time, he gave me more strength than before. His sword came at a slightly higher angle than I was used to, so I had to adapt to that quickly. Otherwise, I would lose my head.
His force pushed me back through the mud, my boots sliding and losing their footing, but my sword always met his. I never failed to block his hits, and that seemed to infuriate him more and, therefore, push him harder.
We kept going, and sweat broke out on my face despite the cold temperatures. We were locked in concentration, each of us trying to break the other’s defenses, my axe still lodged in his chest.
I faked for the first time, knowing he would trust it because I’d never done it before, and then I took the opening to strike my sword into his neck. The blade struck his bone but didn’t slice through. It was lodged the way the axe was in his chest.
He stumbled slightly but didn’t fall, blood oozing down his front. Then he gave me a sick grin as he barreled down on me, holding a sword while I was weaponless.
“Huntley!”
I turned to see Aurelias.
He tossed his sword to me.
I caught it by the hilt and met my enemy’s blade just in the nick of time. “This. Ends. Now.” With a burst of energy, I gave him a flurry of blows he couldn’t match, knocked the sword from his hand—and finished the job.
This time, I got the blade through his neck—and my sword came free.
His body dropped into the mud, my axe sticking out of his chest.
I turned to Aurelias and tossed the sword back. “Thanks.”
He was already gone, rushing into battle to take on two demons at once.
I pulled out my axe, picked up my sword, and jumped back into the battle.
Without the vantage point of the castle walls, it felt like chaos. There was no way to know how many men we’d lost, how many of their side had fallen, if there was an end in sight to this massacre.
My armor was stained with dried mud, and everyone else was covered in the dirt. Dragons flew overhead and dropped their boulders on the enemies below. Every time that happened, the earth shook beneath our feet. The boulders would roll with the momentum, and in one instance, I almost got demolished, but I was able to maneuver at the last second.
I kept my eyes on Ian, who was a short distance away, covered in mud, blood, and sweat. In armor identical to mine that our sister had built for us, he fought on, the same crazed look in his eyes. The only ones who seemed unfazed by the arduous battle were Aurelias and his brothers. They were dirty like us, but they did not possess the same kind of exhaustion. They were always flanked around me a short distance away, close enough to intervene if I was ambushed by a group of demons.
Every time I moved forward in the battle, I hoped to see my son’s face, holding his mighty sword, striking down his enemies before him. But every soldier was another face I didn’t recognize—both dead and alive.
A blue dragon flew just overhead. I don’t see him.
My heart grew progressively weaker, because even if we were victors in this battle, I feared Atticus would be dead…his body covered in a puddle of mud. No father should ever live long enough to see their child die, and I wasn’t sure if I could carry on if that happened. I could look death in the eye and face it, but not if he was there to take one of my children.
A mighty roar issued through the clearing, and then three demons emerged, their eyes moving to mine and locking in place. Once they found their target, they began to run, splashing through the mud and knocking down people in their way.
Keep looking.
I should help retrieve boulders?—
Find my son, Storm. It was the first selfish act I’d committed. Storm could save the lives of my people, but I wanted him to find my son instead. I brandished my sword and prepared for the onslaught of demons coming my way, demons determined to rip my head from my shoulders to demoralize my people. That meant our soldiers were a threat to their victory—and that was a good sign.