Fifty
Ithought for sure that the bloodbath would begin the moment the first soldier stepped into the courtyard, but instead, he held a hand of innocence into the air.
“I’m sure you know why we're here,” the male's voice bellowed through the iron of his helmet as he scanned the corpses before him. “I see a good amount of your people lost to our Hykahs. If you would like to retain the rest of your lives, then I suggest you listen very closely.”
Sebastian stepped forward, out of the crowd and putting himself on full display. “Do you know what your so-calledkinghas planned? Do youtrulyknow, or are you choosing to believe the lies he has told you?”
The Draemornian launched himself towards Sebastian, halting maybe a yard away from where he stood. “He has told us everything we need to know. Most of us are in favor of his plans, and the ones who aren’t—” He chuckled, gesturing to the Hykahs behind him.
Sebastian started to speak, but the soldier drew his sword in a swift motion, angling it at his neck.
“I need you to listen very carefully. Don’t waste your breath on trying to reason with me. I will not falter,” the Draemornian growled, inching his blade closer.
I tried to jump forward through the crowd, but someone ripped me back by the underarm.
“Let me go, Sawyer,” I spat under my breath, but he tightened his grip, pulling me taut against his chest.
“I’m here for Maeve. And before you try and argue, let me explain your options.”
Sebastian bared his teeth, bending his neck back to avoid the tip of the man's sword.
“This must seem like deja vu for you all. Your options are about to be quite similar to your ones back in Caelestis, however, should you decline, this time we are confident we will win,” the soldier spat, though lowering his blade.
“It may seem like deja vu for you all when we kick your asses, but certainly not for us,” Sebastian sneered.
“Maeve can come back to Draemor with us, and we will leave the rest of you unharmed. Or we can fight this out the old fashioned way.” The Draemornian shrugged, jutting the tip of his sword into the grass and then leaning upon its hilt. “The choice is yours. I’ll give you a moment to decide amongst yourselves.” He gestured to our group.
Sebastian's back arched as he sucked in a deep breath and pivoted on his boot, sword still tightly in his grasp. His expression was nothing other than a glower as he started towards us. His eyes locked with mine, and he paused in his tracks, granting me a quick wink before whirling back around and charging for the Draemornian.
Metal skewered the man, then Sebastian ripped his blade upwards, severing the man's throat and dragging it all the way up through his opened mouth.
I gasped, my hand meeting my mouth as my stomach lurched.
Sebastian didn’t stop there. The man was as good as dead, but he sliced through his carotid anyway.
The soldier dropped to his knees, vibrant blood spraying anything within range.
Sebastian looked up at the Draemornian and Hykah army, then stated in an overly simple tone, “He was right. Itdoesgive me deja vu to kill one of you.”
At the blatant confirmation of his decision, fifty plus Draemornians stormed our soldiers, their Hykah companions stilled outside of the courtyard.
Sawyer released me at last, though only to run ahead, putting himself between me and the enemy hurtling towards us.
My vision scoped out my surroundings and I forced myself to make a quick decision. The Mealiorian soldiers could handle the Draemornians. I would take on the Hykahs.
Breaking into a sprint, I met Sebastian in the center of the courtyard, where another body had just fallen by his feet.
“I'm going for the Hykahs. You coming?”
“Absolutely.” He charged after me, both of us running until we reached the other end of the courtyard, where the creatures stood beyond the barrier of the covered terrace, in front of the forest.
“Why haven't they come in?” I asked Sebastian as if he would know the answer.
“Maybe they have means of controlling them,” he suggested. “I’m not going to wait to find out, though. The quicker we kill them, the better.”
While the others focused on the immediate threats, we ran, not offering anyone a second glance despite the numerous battle cries.
We slowed when we approached the open archway that separated us from the creatures.
