I clash with another Sentinel that steps in my way with an axe. He swings at me, and I lean back just in time to avoid having my head split open. My blade slices up his side. Pivoting around a downward slash, I slam a sword into his upper back. I release the magic for that sword and call another, but I’m intercepted by two more Sentinels before I finally reach the guy with the wings. Surprisingly, he’s just standing there waiting for me, excited anticipation radiating off of every inch of him.
A battle soundtrack sounds off all around me; weapons clang and smash together, shouts and war cries rent the air. Bloodlust bubbles up in my chest, and I feel in every fiber of my being that it’s not just my life riding on the outcome of all of this, but the lives of everyone who is now connected to me.
It’s Bastien’s face that flashes in my mind as I bring my sword down to clash with the claymore now gripped in the angel of death’s hands. Valen’s smile that lights up my insides as I spin and land an elbow in the winged man’s side. It’s Knox’s touch that fortifies me as I swing another blade down and draw first blood along the winged Sentinel’s thigh. I shake off a bone rattling hit to my right shoulder and focus on the acceptance that’s always waiting for me in Ryker’s blue eyes. I let go of the magic of my long sword and step in closer to my winged opponent.
I force myself inside the reach of his sword and call on my throwing knives. Sabin’s voice as he speaks the wordsI love youplays over and over in my head as I become a tornado of movement, slashing, defending, and marking up the arrogant Sentinel I’m fighting. I get a blade up under his wing, and his pained cry is drowned out by the phantom feel of Torrez when he holds me and whispersminein my ear.
Pain flares in my stomach, and I look down to see the hilt of a long dagger sitting dead center in my stomach. I look up into the satisfied aubergine eyes of the winged asshole who just stabbed me, and I smile. He thinks he has me.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” I challenge as I call on a short sword and slice up the front of his arm. I can feel the ghost of Siah’s fingers in my hair, and it’s as if he’s pushing it to the side so he can kiss his mark on my shoulder. Each of them have put their trust and faith in me. They’ve accepted me for what I am and have worn my marks with honor, love, and devotion. I am theirs, and they are mine. And I will not fucking lose against this prick.
The dagger is ripped from my stomach, and I bite back my cry of pain. I won’t give this fucker the satisfaction. I lift my leg to kick him away from me, but a shout behind me has my blood running cold.
“Enoch, behind you!”
Nash’s panicked warning goes off like a cannon shot behind me. I try to turn to see what’s going on, but I’m stopped when a flash of purple magic pulses through the fighting and I’m thrown backward. I fly through the air and slam hard to the ground. I land on something large and giving, but I’m too dazed to focus on what. I’m muddled from the hit and slow to get up. I try to shake the fogginess out of my mind and figure out what the fuck just happened. I blink sluggishly, trying to bring things into focus.
Bodies litter the ground. No one is left standing. Terrified, I look to where my Chosen are. The barrier around them is still intact, and I let out a relieved breath. A groan sounds beneath me, and I look to see I’m wrapped up in wings and long black hair. I roll off of the guy I was just doing my best to kill and push up onto my feet.
Dread starts to takeover, and I search for Enoch and the others frantically, fear whirlpooling inside of me. Sorik gets to his feet close to where my dad and my Chosen are. He runs a concerned gaze over me and seems to relax a little until his eyes land on my stomach. I look down to find blood soaking my shirt. I whip my shirt over my head and press it hard against my stomach. I ignore the pain as I scramble through the bodies still on the ground, looking for my Shields.
I spot Enoch and run toward him. He groans and pushes onto his back, coughing as he does.
“Fuck, are you okay?” I ask, skidding to my knees next to him.
“Fine,” he croaks out, but my relieved sigh catches in my throat.
“Enoch...what the hell?” I whisper, shocked.
I lean forward to study the new marks that he has on his throat. Four of the marks I recognize. Enoch, Kallan, Nash and Becket have them lining their middle fingers, but the top rune is unfamiliar. It’s a crescent moon on its back with a smaller one directly underneath it. There’s a black vertical line through the middle of both the crescents and three dots at the bottom end. All of the runes run up the front of Enoch’s throat. He covers them with a hand as if he’s trying to protect them.
“Where the fuck did those come from?” I ask, not sure what the hell is going on.
“They’re mine,” a female announces from somewhere behind me.
I rise and spin around quickly. Sure enough, the owner of that statement has the same marks on her throat.
“Who the fuck are you?” I ask, taking in her armor and her long tangled red hair. She looks like she’s my age, but I can’t be sure.
“No, the question is who the fuck are you? What have you done, bringing filth within the barriers?”
Enoch gets to his feet, and her loathsome stare moves from me to him. Her hazel eyes trace the runes on his throat, and I can practically see the fury boiling up and scalding her from the inside out. The reality of what the fuck just happened goes off like a bomb in my mind, and I stare at the woman in shock. The tic in her jaw pulses with fury. I scan the now slowly moving bodies for Kallan, Nash and Becket to be sure. I only spot Nash as he slowly gets to his feet, but the five runes running down his throat confirm everything.
Whoever the fuck this chick is, she marked my Shields as her Chosen. Judging by the virulence in her eyes, she’s not fucking happy about it either. Well, fuck her, that makes two of us.
10
People shake off the shock from the hit of magic and start to get up. The more others shake it off and stand, the more threatened I once again feel. The wild looking redheaded Sentinel across from me just stares angrily like she’s waiting for something. I realize slowly that it’s backup.
We were unsure of what would happen once we found Sentinel City. Would we find acceptance and answers or something else? I watch the other Sentinels rise and ready themselves for another fight. Well, I guess we have our fucking answer.
I unlock the vault in my soul that houses all my hate and rejection. I invite all my outrage and hurt feelings to come out and play. I well up with anger and pain, well past my limit for all of this bullshit. The runes on my body light up in response, and I feed their glow with my frustration and malice. This bitch thinks she’s pissed? That she can call my friends and family filth and attack us with no consequences? Think again.
I take a step forward, magic storming through me. Power demanding punishment. The other female’s vicious stare flicks to me when I move, and shock immediately replaces her outrage. The winged asshole Sentinel that I was fighting steps up behind her, and a thunderous roar of building magic starts in my chest. I pull on my endless cavern of magic, ready to cut everything and everyone who stands against us to the ground. The female lights up as well, but I’m fresh out of fucks for this Sentinel bitch and her vitriol.
“I came here looking for answers, looking for others like me,” I snarl, my voice filled to the brim with power and disgust. “But I can see there’s no decency or honor among you, and I won’t find what I’m looking for here. We’ll leave, and you can go back to whatever fucked up ways guide your addled minds. If you try to stop us, then I’ll slaughter each and every one of you, and then we’ll leave. I’m good with either option.”
The winged Sentinel I was fighting smiles like my threat is funny to him, but it doesn’t mask the worry in his eyes. The redheaded female who marked my Shields looks around like she’s working out just how much damage I could do before they could stop me. Her eyes land on mine, and we take each other in for a beat. I see the calculation in her gaze and give her a ruthless smile.
