Page 32 of A Dream Shrouded in Fury
She stumbled in her footing, and I heard a sharp “By the fucking blood” from under her breath, and then my blindfold was gone.
Even in the middle of the night, the world was too bright for those first few seconds, the near-full moon spilling its ethereal glow through the trees to douse the battle and turn the spilled blood black.I blinked through the adjustment and pulled my daggers, then set my back against Kalla’s and let the fae come.
There were more than I’d thought.There had to be at least twelve, not including the few I spotted dead in the grass.All city guards, I noticed.No royal emblems among them.
Birch was down as well—not dead, but not far off.Ria faced off with two, and Cliff fought three on his own while he strove to protect Hethyr and Pimmin.
Ria spun out of one fae’s reach and cut through Pimmin’s blindfold, who rushed to take off Hethyr’s.Corban stood on his own, spinning left to right as I had done, gauging where the greatest threat was so he could avoid it.The vampires were too busy to watch out for him—or didn’t care enough to protect his ungrateful ass.
Fucking sky, we needed him here.The man was a beast with a sword.Abandoning Kalla, I tore through the trees towards Corban.A fae cut in front of me, and I ducked under his swinging arm, jabbing up with my dagger to catch him under his armpit, in the slim gap in the armour.Blood spurted from the wound, and he stumbled to the side, leaving enough space for me to veer around him and yank Corban’s blindfold free.
As I whirled around to defend myself against the fae I’d cut, a scream rang out that turned my blood cold.
Kalla.
Kalla
XXIV
The fae’s blade drove deep into my right shoulder, piercing flesh and sinew straight through to the other side.The pain was sharp, hot, cold, everything at once, and it spread until my arm turned numb and my dagger slipped from my weakened fingers.
The soldier leered at me from under his helmet, his golden eyes filled with knowing malice.He didn’t plan to kill me yet.He intended to toy with me while his friends kept the others busy.
I dared him to try.
I pulled my lips back to bare my fangs and relished his confusion followed by disgust when he realized the nature of his foe.The quickening of his heartbeat drummed in my ears, and with it came the spicy scent of his blood.My mouth watered, my fangs elongated, and I latched my fingers around his wrist to drag his blade out of my shoulder.He shifted his weight and slammed a weapon home a second time, bringing his helmeted face so close to me I could smell his sweet breath.
More pain cut through me.Whatever these fae weapons were made of or coated with, they were not friendly to vampire kind.My arm may as well have been severed for how uselessly it dangled by my side, and now the numbness was leaching across my chest.What would happen when it reached my heart?
Fear trickled through me over the fact that this sneering fae might have ended my long life, and his eyes sparkled with dark enthusiasm when he recognized it.
I thrashed against his hold, refusing to let the bastard take me down without a fight, and he struggled to maintain his weight on the dagger.The blade twisted inside me, and my lips parted in silent agony.
“The sun blessed my night,” he purred in my ear.“Never thought I’d be lucky enough to rid the world of a leech on a simple scouting mission.Be sweet for me and scream again.”
I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood but still couldn’t hold back my cries when he thrust the weapon deeper into the wound.
Movement in the corner of my eye jerked my attention away from the guard, and a whimper escaped me at the sight of Jael looming behind him.Blood spattered his face and white hair, and the curl of his lip was written with murderous rage.
“The sun blesses nothing here,” he growled.“You spilled her blood, now the night will have yours.”
He swung his arm down and drove his dagger deep into the guard’s throat, The fae’s face turned purple as blood spurted from between his lips, his eyes rolled upwards.and he crumpled to the ground.
Without taking his eyes off mine, Jael closed the distance between us, gripped the guard’s dagger, and wrenched it out of my shoulder.I wavered on my feet as stars burst through my vision, pain making me retch over the empty ground.He made to speak, but something behind me caught his eye, and he grabbed my arm to jerk me closer.His dagger flashed as he stabbed it into another guard’s eyeball.
My heart warmed at his words and protectiveness, but I had no time to bask in it.The sound of a snapping twig alerted me to someone sneaking up on us, and I tightened my grip on my remaining weapon.Although my sluggish muscles delayed my defensive sweep, I managed to catch the fae’s blow before his sword struck.He pulled back, arm raised to swing again, and I ducked out of the way and darted behind him with a burst of vampiric speed to lodge my blade into the gap at the back of his neck.
The numbness in my chest crawled outwards, snaking over my collar bones and down.I tried to shake it off, the sensation nauseating, but a heaviness pressed on me.
More fae approached, and Jael filled the empty space behind me, his back to mine.Relieved that I wouldn’t need to cover all my angles, I allowed myself to appear vulnerable, and the guards were foolish enough to take the bait.My right side was open, but I was no stranger to fighting one handed.Thorn had trained us well.I kept my feet moving and used my speed and dexterity to my advantage, never letting them get close enough to land a blow, leaving them guessing as to where I might strike next.Duck, dodge, blade to the gap behind the knee.The fae dropped to the ground but raised their sword to strike from below.I looped my arm around Jael’s and spun us, giving me a chance to stab the fae coming for him while Jael sliced his fae-made dagger through the downed guard’s shoulder.
Two more came to replace them, and a ragged moan escaped me.How many others were there?
With their armour as bulky as it was, I couldn’t make out the whole scene, but I spotted Corban being dragged away by two guards.Ria and Pimmin were on them before they got far.I thought I caught a glimpse of Cliff’s brown hair between another few fae, but a towering guard charged me, his eyes filled with writhing hatred, and I didn’t know if my friend was still fighting or if they’d taken him down.
I jabbed out with my dagger, but my aim was off, my left arm weak with the spreading numbness.The fae’s sword sliced through the thick leather at my waist, and a fresh burst of pain made me cry out.Rage filled my blood, shoving out my fear, and I fought harder, moved faster.With my grip steady on the guard’s arm, I leapt off the ground and rolled over his shoulder.A snap echoed in my ear, followed by a sharp squeal, and when I landed in a crouch, he fell on his back, clutching his shoulder.My blade was already in my hand, and I skewered his throat.
Blood warmed my face and my heart hammered against my ribs.Pain aside, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had so much fun.Especially with Jael fighting with me.He stuck close to my back, fighting off one, two, three fae as they crowded us.His moves were quick and focused.No wasted steps.He wasn’t a natural fighter but had clearly practised until every strike came smoothly.
