Page 170 of Commanding Flame and Shield
SEVENTY-TWO
LAST STAND
ALVARA
All I could feel, all I could see was fire. It had seeped into my bones, my blood, my soul. The rain turned to sizzling steam in my wake, even the storm incapable of suffocating the blaze.
I screamed the curse as another giant bore towards me and threw out a wall of flame, the gravel in my voice betraying the desperation in my bones. It was a suffocating feeling, being unable to stop when every muscle and organ begged for their distressed reprieve. The flame engulfed the front runner, and he fled, screaming and frantically batting at himself, towards the river. The earth gave another deep groan and shudder, and I looked to the other three, who had surrounded me, wolves on the prowl. Their obsidian eyes were red rimmed, and grimaces stretched across their ashen faces. Loss left them nowhere to turn. If they left one of us breathing, we would come for them, and they knew it. That kind of motivation made them even more savage than their fear of Adrastos and Agamemnon ever had.
Slowly, I stalked in a tight crescent, eyeing them with all the abhorrence I could muster. All the while, judging the distance to the veritable cliff behind them. We had reduced the Renown to wounded, cornered animals. I cocked my head, using the heartbeats of rest to refill my screaming lungs. Again, I slowly circled, hands splayed open towards the earth, ready to summon my power. The one with the scar across his neck flinched, and my eyes rested on his marred face. He was likely beautiful once, now tarnished by corruption and a life of blades. He pulled his lips back in a grin that was all teeth. I hissed and summoned fire in my palms, the roar of it engulfing my arms.
“Bring. It. On.” I growled through my teeth. Skinhead chuckled, the sound sick and contemptuous. But he held steady.
Eye Scar dove first, and I dodged sideways to avoid the thrust of his outstretched blade, pulling on the steel telekinetically. He held it with all his might, and I released the hold so that he jerked the hilt back into his own gut. As Skinhead shot forward, I ducked low, swinging my leg to pull Eye Scar’s feet out from under him. I used all my strength to throw his body weight over my own, shoving him towards Skinhead right as his blade thrust for my chest. He impaled his comrade, and a furious shriek tore through the thunderous rain.
The earth swelled in waves reserved for the raging sea and I swore, staggering for my balance as Skinhead threw himself for me, his steps just as off kilter as my own. An arctic chill ran goosebumps up my flesh, and my heart wrenched. Crawlers. Drastically outnumbered, there was no help coming for me. Nobody left to hold my six.
Skinhead steadied on his feet as the earth solidified again. He didn’t hesitate as he swung a great clenched fist for my face. I dodged, but received a knee to the gut, knocking the wind from me. My ribs felt on the edge of shattering as I collided with the ground, the giant’s weight collapsing on top of me. The clamp on my ribs slowly eased, and I gasped for air, but Skinhead settled his weight over my hips. I bucked them against him, but his weight was too much for my worn muscles, and he sneered as his power was confirmed. Neck Scar was advancing too, his face terrifyingly drawn into a toothy grin as he spun his blade between his fingers.
His heavy fists pounded down, and I caught one in both of my outstretched hands. The other collided with my mouth. My teeth sang. Blood filled the wells below my tongue and down the line of my gums. I blinked away the rolling tears and growled at him.
I forced a breath into my breaking ribs, just enough to spit blood into his face. Skinhead lunged for my throat, but my palms slammed into his face. I braced into the earth, not about to topple into that chasm looming beyond. His arms were longer than my own, and he wrapped his enormous hands around my throat.
“Not…today…Satan—” my voice was hoarse and barely audible. I gasped for oxygen and finally loosed the word, “Ignus.”
His eyes grew wide as my power surged through my hands. He flew back, but I followed his retreat, pressing my hands deeper into the meat of his cheeks, simultaneously mesmerized and horrified as he screamed in agony. He clawed at his chest as orange light illuminated his flesh until the flames engulfed him completely. The flailing fireball rolled off the cliff with a scream.
“Fuck!” I sputtered, inhaling as deeply as I could. Struggling to my shaking feet, I looked up, resting my hands on my legs for a moment as Neck Scar surveyed me. “Your funeral, fucker!”
Between pants, I spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground by my feet, and grinned at him, daring him to advance. Neck Scar sneered and lunged forward. I parried and tore his sword from his hand with the power still tingling in my fingers. Telekinetically thrown, the blade twanged into the earth with a harsh sting, and the metal reverberated into stillness.
I forced myself upright, and winked at him, taunting. My hands were nearly limp at my sides, legs long since turned to Jell-o, but Neck Scar was dragging too. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘here goes nothing’ and dove forward. The shield I summoned wasn’t quite strong enough, and he collided with me, low and forceful, and we plummeted to the ground, fighting for dominance in a sputtering tumble. Blow for blow, we brawled against the dirt. He was stronger than I was, but I was faster and nearly dodged all his attacks. His fist smashed against my face again, and somewhere in my mind, the agony registered. But I wrapped my arms around his neck, and head butted him with all the strength my bones possessed. Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and he spat in my face.
“Bitch!” He panted. My breaths became hot daggers in my throat.
I pulled water from the earth, and flooded him, but his outstretched hand brought a wall of clay straight into my side, knocking me on my ass. My trembling arms shoved through the blanket of Earth, and my battered body fought to its feet again. He was gasping as he rose, and we circled each other for a moment, before he glanced to his sword, still planted in the ground before the cliff face, merely a dozen yards away.
We dove.
SEVENTY-THREE
CATCH
AUGUST
Alvara had sprinted forward in a race for the sword, and judging by the agony in that scream, the giant had won the brawl. I leaned into my run, eyes trained on the shapes only one hundred yards away. Vaguely aware there were people in pursuit, my eyes demanded a glance.
Freya. In step with Aren and Alec. Thank God.
I sprinted towards the circle of bodies left in Alvara’s wake, and could see her on her knees, the monster’s bloody hand wrapped around her throat.
“No!” I bellowed, throwing my hands out.Hold on!
Sending every ounce of energy left in my body, I hurled my power forward. She opened her eyes and threw her hand out for me. Her pale fingers dripped red and trembled in the air. Her eyes flashed a luminescent green, and she splayed her fingers open, reaching and desperate.
Power surged forward from my center, a great wave of anger and strength, body and soul willing it towards her, falling to my knees. Someone shouted my name, but I couldn’t tell who. The world had grown muffled, like being submerged under water, with all the sounds suspended outside it. White hot pain tore through my chest and drilled through my mind as my energy transferred to my queen.
SEVENTY-FOUR
