Immediately, the Air Ward dropped, exposing our army to attack. As Leal released the hold on her magic, she threw her knives with scary accuracy, a new one in her hand and flying through the air before the first had even struck. Each found a home in the throat or face of an enemy Mage, felling them as she raced for cover behind the obelisk in the middle of the courtyard.
Magical attacks came from every way, both in front of and behind me, as both sides realized the barrier had collapsed.
Men and women screamed in agony as attacks struck true, calling for their mothers in their final seconds. The scent of burnt flesh and urine clouded the air, nearly sending me into a spiral of memories.
It was always like this when the battle first started.
Ilyas and I charged forward, swords at the ready as we dodged attacks, hacking as we went. Our goal was to ground the enemy, make it easier for our Mages to attack. I lost myself in the swing of my blade, the feeling of my Bonded by my side.
The metallic taste of blood clung to the air as bodies were opened and guts spilled on the ground.
Blood ran down my hand, causing my grip to slip more than once on the pommel of my sword. I cursed loudly, hastily wiping my hands on my just-as-defaced pants. My moment of distraction nearly cost me my life as I saw a wooden spear hurtle toward my exposed torso.
With a shout and a curse, Ilyas threw himself between me and the weapon, taking the brunt of the hit in his side.
He cried out in pain before wrenching the spear from his side, blood instantly soaking his black tunic.
My eyes widened and hands shook as I reached for him, but he pushed me away.
“Pay attention,” he gritted between his teeth, ripping an unsuspecting Mage’s stomach open so his intestines snaked out, landing with a wetplopon the ground. The man didn’t even have time to scream before Ilyas took his head.
“I am fine,” he said again. I shook my head to rid myself of the stupor, moving to cover Ilyas’ back.
“I lost sight of Sasori,” I panted, fatigue starting to wear at my muscles.
“You’re thinking of that bitch right now?” he roared to be heard over the sound of battle.
My eyes canted about, searching for the woman in question, but all I saw was chaos. Battle lines were nonexistent, fights breaking out all across the courtyard and even in some of the buildings. I saw the flash of light inside a home before the entire building collapsed, killing whoever was inside.
For now, we were holding our own against this much more formidable force, but it was only a matter of time before we faltered. We had significantly fewer soldiers, and it was evident these Mages were honed with a viciousness that far surpassed anything we did at the Academy.
It was as if there was no sanctity of life—no regard for who or what they were killing.
The thought made me uneasy.
“Fuck!” I swore, my distraction nearly costing me my life yet again, as my cheek and neck were singed by an errant fireball. My clothes smoked slightly, the overpowering odor of burnt fabric and flesh momentarily eclipsing all else.
Already, I could feel the skin cracking and oozing, the pain of the burn intensifying with every swing of my sword.
Groaning, I switched arms, attacking with my non-dominant right.
“We need to make our way back to the Academy,” Ilyas called. “Reform our defenses and bar the doors!”
I nodded my agreement, our steps slowly making our way back to the relative safety of the Academy.
“Where is Faylinn?” Ilyas panted as he parried a strike from a Mage who had conjured a blade of ice.
I shook my head. “Not here. She followed Rohak.”
Ilyas grunted a curse, but said no more as he was locked in a fierce battle with the ice-wielding Mage.
“Sol!” I shouted as she and Thandi fought against three Mages at once. Sol combined her Air Magic with that of a nearby Water Mage to encase two of their adversaries in bubbles while Thandi battled hand-to-hand with the third. I came behind the trapped Mages, stabbing hard through water, flesh, and bone. Bubbles escaped their mouths as they screamed in pain, the water turning black with blood.
With a gasp, Sol released her grip on her magic, falling to her knees as she caught her breath.
“Lex . . . this—we can’t hold them,” she rasped. “Look.” I watched as she pointed to where we had collapsed the alley, Mages scrambling over the rocks like ants to join the fray.
“It’s no use,” she whispered. The sounds of battle nearly overwhelmed my senses then as I watched the fresh, fully powered Mages join the fight. They outnumbered our soldiers three to one at this point, fights becoming increasingly uneven. With cries of pain and despair, I watched as our Mages fell.
