Page 183 of Rebirth Of Order
I cough, biting back more words whilst muffling the screams it’s inducing. My slickened hands are coated with their blood, and they falter as I try to grip my last weapon, but I won’t die here. A miniature, crystal dagger manifests behind it, doing my bidding by striking the back of its head and exploding on contact.
I’m flung to the ground, meeting pieces of melted brain and charred skull. Energy vibrates from the explosion, and I’m glad it wasn’t my regular sized dagger. Rolling on my knees and hands whilst inhaling with the little time I’m allotted, my fingers grip the soil, thankful for Alex and Ethan’s teachings.
“Are you okay?” Niro shouts, his steps sloshing through pieces of my enemy flung about.
“Yeah. Just–”
“Here.” He reaches out, and I accept the help. “Let’s keep going. Who knows what has the others held up. We might be their reinforcements.”
I shudder from the thought. Rebirth’s finest students, our strongest, battle ready, and deadly…depend on me and a transfer. If things are this bad…No, keep going.
He helps me stand, smirking, exuberating confidence, and I question why. My next step forward reveals a crunch, and we both peer down.
“Fucking hell!” I shout, witnessing a pair of bright orange eyes fade into a muted hue under my boot. Trembling, I notice it’s not my nerves or fear causing the shivers racking my body–but instead, a group of glooms quake the soil as they tread from the tree lines. “Niro–”
“Yeah, I know,” he huffs, “we can’t move past this point without taking them out.”
“I lost count at fifteen.We need to go. I’ll send us somewhere–”
“Do you trust me?” he asks, turning his back on our imposing doom.
“No, I don’t trust you.”
“Good, because I have a plan.” Insane, and I’m stuck with him. “Shield your body in those cute little dragon scales and surround us in your winged shield. While at it, and I can’t stress this enough, Kyra, use two of those large, glittery blades.” There is no time for me to feel insulted, but he will hear about this later. My magic isn’t cute, little, or glittery. “Some time this evening, troublemaker.”
“It won’t be enough to kill all of them,” I combat, bringing more energy and magic into my palms.
“The plan isn’t for your attack to kill them, it’s to keep them from running away upon seeing mine.”
He smirks, and as warm as it appears, a sense of dread tickles my neck.What kind of attack will send glooms running away?He turns his back on me, and I create red scales to coat my frame, and the winged shield surrounds us, leaving minimum room inside to conserve what remains of my aura.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, I make my creation surround Niro’s body. “An extra layer.” And two crescent blades float high above, targeting a spot about twelve feet away.He better be right.
“Aww, see, you do care if I live.” He grins.
I’m not able to respond when another quaking howl presses into my shields, and my focus remains on keeping it up. “We don’t have all night, Niro. Do something, or I will.” I add another crescent above.
His choice of weapons dissolve as blue flames spark along his arms. “Step back,” he announces, no hints of playfulness crossing his features.Shit.With a flick of his wrist, red flames merge into his blue tones, shrouding the inside of this dome in a sweltering heat.
I retract as far from him as possible, but even still, it’s not enough. Flaming wings explode from his back, blocking him out entirely, and my jaw drops. Blue and red, whimsical embers dance intandem, batting around his frame. I raise a hand, shielding my vision when he shouts, “Now!” signaling my attack.
All three crescents fall from above, detonating on impact as he fires a wide range of heat. A two-toned attack, mixing and scorching the ground, leaves a flash of otherworldly devastation. Shrieks and cries burn in its wake. Bodies become crisps, ashes, and a shadow of their former husks.
His heat becomes unbearable, and my winged shield dissolves after lasting a few seconds. I drop to a knee, breathless whilst watching the flames of his attack simmer out. Beyond the crater of my creations…there is nothing. Not even the tree line remains.
“You did good protecting me. Here, stand up,” he demands in a kind tone. “Let’s move. Our attack will draw more. They crave power, and the stronger you are, the better your odds are for being targeted.”
“You,” exhaling, I continue, “keep a list of bad news handy. Don’t you?” But I’m rewarded with a smile and nothing more.Attractive…Stressful…Sporadic. He is an ass, but I would be in worse shape if he wasn’t here. And I’m not telling him how amazing his attack was. No need to inflate his head bigger than what it already is.
“Come one. We need to find the others.” I race past him towards more weakening screams. “The elderly couple was killed and changed. No need going that way now.” Drying blood is splashed across the ground, but no bodies tellsthatmuch.
We make it towards the entrance of their town, finally, and a few smaller glooms spring from the flames. Their lifeless eyes crave a taste of us. Niro tosses up a hand, spraying blue fire, which drowns them in a sea of sparkling embers. With a snap, heat crystallizes, impaling his victims on what appears to be small trees made of ice.
Nodding, we move, searching for any survivors or either of the four pairs.
“Look.” He points, revealing a patch from Russ’s white leather. “They were here.”
“Then where are they now?” I question, observing our surroundings.I have every right to scream for him, but I’m not dumb enough to do so. Wails, much closer this time, call from our right. There are two kids doing what they can to hold back three glooms who seem to be toying with them. “This way.” But another call sounds from our left. A mother holds her child, and my limbs go numb.
