His grip doesn’t budge.
“There are more coming. At least three. Over there.” His gaze slides to the stretch of trees on the opposite side of the hill—the same direction that the others are running towards. “I can’t handle both groups at once.”
Understanding what he’s asking of me, I hang my head. “I might not be much help, especially right now.”
The warm hand encircling my arm tightens. “Look at me, Orelle. You have more fight in you than most will ever have. Forget about comparing your abilities to theirs and focus on wielding your own strength. Just like we practiced.”
My heavy eyes glance between his, drawing from the steadiness I see in them. Perhaps this is the reason Kalden focused most of our training with me on my back—as if he’d known there’d come a time when agility would fail me.
Stiffly, I dip my chin. “I’ll do what I can.”
His fingers trail down my forearm as they release their grip, and a wave of energy collides against the tingling, magnetic presence of power in my mind and palms.
It’s gone before I can blink, as is Kalden.
“Just like you practiced?” Gem asks sharply, letting go of my wrist.
I shake my head, wishing I had more time to fill her in on everything. But a new set of thundering echoes breaks through the tree line ahead. Demi and Yvonne slide to a halt, heads turning wildly, searching for which way to go next.
Wincing with every footfall, I stumble my way past the frozen duo while releasing my blade cuffs and trusting that Gem will follow.
She does, and I shout, “All I need to do is get my hands on them. It should be enough to incapacitate them, but I’ll need help finishing the job. Once they’re down, that’s when you strike.”
“What are y?—”
A screech drowns out the rest of Gem’s words.
Towering tree trunks snap like twigs as four Sols barrel through the forest, using flares of raw power to boost them forward at an impossibly fast pace. They switch to a regular sprint when they spot me, likely to avoid frying the ripe human before they get their fill.
Three creatures aim straight for me, duking it out for dibs on thefirst snack, while the fourth splits off towards Demi and Yvonne as they scurry towards the ocean.
The tallest of the bunch, a Sol with long legs to rival Kalden’s, takes the lead. As the distance between us dwindles, its blackened tongue lashes out. Instead of dodging, I throw my hands forward, wrapping my fingers around the base of all six pincers as the creature slams its body into mine.
Stars explode across my vision as we crash into the ground, splintering the polarized lens of my helmet. Fresh pain lances through my already throbbing brain, but it isn’t alone. The heat coursing through my veins intensifies, demanding to be used. I grit my teeth and release the vibrating energy, sending it into the Sol’s writhing, splintered tongue.
Hot saliva drenches my cracked helmet and leathers as it wails in agony, then falls silent.
Before I can catch my breath, the creature is hoisted off me by its greedy kin. Talons rip past my leathers into my throat, heaving me off the ground by my neck. The burnt flesh around its mouth stretches open.
I shove my right hand onto its wrist. The tips of my nightstone blades graze the creature’s skin while broiling power pours from my palms.
The Sol flinches away with a shriek, dropping me to the sand and collapsing at my side.
This time, my knees take the brunt of the impact, yet my head is still swimming from the first collision. Legs trembling, I try to stand, but the world tilts off its axis. Or is that me? It’s hard to tell up from down as the ground falls out from beneath me, and I buckle onto my stomach. Streaks of crimson drip from my throat, soiling the sand. Blood whooshes in my addled brain, and my body feels sodamn heavy. It takes all my focus to roll onto my back and prepare for the next attack.
The third Sol hesitates. Though I’m immobile, it must be catching on that I’m not the easy prey I appear to be. Its burning bloodthirsty eyes shift towards Gem, who’s too preoccupied with piercing her blade into the heart of the first Sol to notice the third leaning into its haunches a few feet away.
My breath catches, a scream forming at the base of my marred throat.
I won’t be able to send a solar flare without direct contact. I plead with my useless limbs to get up and move, but it’s like gravity itself is pinning me down.
“Gem!” I try to call her name, to warn her, but it comes out too slurred and soft.
By some small mercy, she hears me and tugs on the hilt of her poniard, yanking it from the first Sol’s chest.
The third creature pounces.
Gem rolls to the side, narrowly escaping the Sol’s outstretched arms. While it’s course-correcting, she makes a run for it.
