Page 115 of Renegade Kings

We had to trust they’d find their way to us for now, though, because Arik’s forces swarmed closer and it would take everything we had just to keep fighting. I felt Ryder move to my back, and I felt better knowing that my brother was here.

Flames coated my arm in defence as I threw out my hand and sent a rope of fire towards the nearest man. It wrapped around him, curling up his body as he screamed and writhed, dropping to the ground and rolling to extinguish the flames.

My stomach rolled as I stared at my hand in horror. It had been a reflex. I hadn’t intended to… had I?

But weakness on the battlefield was like a flag being raised, and before I could spiral, four more soldiers were moving to intercept me. Ryder was engaged with his own troubles. I was on my own, at least for now.

I became a whirlwind of motion as I sliced and dodged, moving constantly to avoid the blades that tried to end me. My magic lashed out, and the burning ropes of power slowly disabled every fighter around me while I did the best I could just to survive.

This was warfare on a level we’d never experienced before. It was up close and bloody and so much different from staring down the sight at someone. I couldn’t avoid seeing their faces. From knowing that the person in front of you was as much of a living, breathing individual as you were. I could see the desperation on their faces to be the one that survived, and the bitter acceptance when they realised they wouldn’t be.

I wouldn’t be the same man I had once been when I came out of this, and I was feeling like the magic that ran through my body was nothing but a curse, as a ball of fire exploded from my hand and slammed straight into the face of the nearest man. He didn’t even scream, and a piece of me died on the battlefield right alongside him. It seemed like we were the only monsters on this battlefield.

As I heaved in a breath to calm my mind, my gaze caught Rhidian through the crowd of fighters. He pushed further ahead than any of the rest of us, and was isolated amongst Arik’s soldiers. Rhidian fought with the viciousness of someone who had seen battle before. Someone who had something to live for, and my mind turned to Alyssa once more.

But I didn’t have a chance to think about her because the more I watched, the more I realised how stupid he’d been.

Rhidian’s movements were slowing, his reaction time taking longer as he was swarmed with more and more soldiers. He couldn’t keep this up. He’d gone too far, taken on too many. It was only a matter of time. Even the fire that coated his hands and sword was starting to dim.

“Fuck!” I screamed out, knowing what I needed to do, and also knowing it was going to put me in just as much trouble as Rhidian now was.

“What?” Ryder gasped.

He was coated in sweat and panting already.

“Rhidian’s in trouble.”

I nodded in his direction, and Ryder quickly glanced over his shoulder. He didn’t have time to do anything more as another soldier moved in to attack.

“Go!” Ryder shouted, raising his sword and darting forward once more. “I’ll catch up.”

What other choice did I have? I couldn’t leave him to face this alone, though. There was simply no way he could survive, and I wouldn’t have his death on my conscience as well as all the nameless others.

I pushed forward, shouldering one soldier out of the way and trusting my magic to make sure he stayed down. It wouldn’t fail me now.

A sword swung at my head and I was only just able to raise my blade to intercept it. As the metal clanged together, I caught sight of the man wielding it and realised it was one of our own. The look of regret on his face screamed how much he already knew he’d made a mistake.

“Get your head in the fight!” I shouted at him as I pushed on, leaving him to face the soldiers I left in my wake.

I didn’t have time to coddle him. He knew what he was getting into when he came here. The reality of war was that we wouldn’t all survive. All you could do was fight with everything you had and hope you could live with the things you’d done in the end.

But when I turned back in the direction I was heading, Rhidian had disappeared and was nowhere in sight.

Worry hit me hard, and I fought through the crowds, letting more and more of my fire loose, knowing that time was running out.

I was so close when I finally spotted him again. Laying on the ground, crawling backwards trying to get some distance between him and The Endless slowly walking towards him. Rhidian’s sword wasn’t in his hand and blood flowed quickly from a wound on his arm. He threw a ball of fire at The Endless and it hit his breastplate before disappearing, not even leaving a scorch mark behind.

This wasn’t good.

I put on a burst of speed, reaching out and feeling that telltale heat at my fingertips as my magic formed.

But I was too slow.

Too late.

And I watched in horror as The Endless grasped the hilt of its sword with both hands and drove it down with all its strength, straight through Rhidian’s stomach.

Tank appeared out of nowhere. His bear slammed into The Endless as they rolled together, battling for the upper hand. A roar accompanied the sound of crunching metal and I knew he had the situation under control as I skidded to my knees at Rhidian’s side.

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