She raises her eyebrows at me. I don’t know if she’s impressed or concerned. Maybe both.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
I pause. “Probably not. But I’ll deal with that later.”
A sad reluctance passes over her features before she turns and runs off through the onyx night. I follow.
The large expanse of land between us and the soldiers is still very dark, even with my small orb I picked up. I’ve almost tripped on a couple bodies, but we keep going, moving carefully, letting the lights from their torches guide us straight to them. Deciding it makes more sense to remain unseen, I chuck the orb.
“They just keep fucking coming,” Rhydra notes.
More elven soldiers.
How many do we have? I know they said my father has upped his military recruiting and presence in the last year and a half, but this is overwhelming.
“How the fuck are Daegan and Raef supposed to know where we go so they don’t blast us,” Rhydra mutters as she leaps over a bloody corpse.
“He told me to stick to this side of the circle. Behind them. So, I guess we don’t cross into the other half?”
“Which means the two of us have to handle the whole force that’s entering from this side.”
“Two fucking badass princesses who will bring doom and death upon them. They’ll be sorry.” I almost laugh as I speak the words, because it seems ridiculous. I’d never have called myself a badass in any aspect of life, but here I am, high on the adrenaline of the battle, my will to survive and protect my allies burning through me. I refuse to accept that we won’t make it out of here tonight.
“I’m not a princess,” Rhydra mumbles beside me, her long legs barely moving at a slow jogging pace as mine work three times as fast to keep up.
“You are.”
She shakes her head and smiles over at me like it’s a big joke, her red, coiled, blood-stained hair bouncing in the wind.
Once again, the soldiers ahead don’t even notice us. They’re focused on the two massive forms on the other side of the battlefield.
That’s fine.
Let them underestimate us.
Rhydra and I give each other a quick, reassuring nod, where so many things pass between us with one glance. My heart clenches at the thought of having a sister beside me, fighting this battle together. How we ended up finding each other, on nearly the same path, I’ll never know. But I’ll always be thankful.
We look ahead, charging into battle side-by-side. We take the first cluster by surprise, swinging and stabbing our way through bodies, knocking them down one after another. With a mixture of my water and ice attacks, plus my magically guided sword, I’m tearing through bodies with unfathomable speed.
Rhydra falls behind me.
With only the use of her staff and a few knives, she doesn’t take out nearly as many as I do. I lock in, stabbing, slicing, and driving forward with every strike. Blood sprays across me, but I don’t stop. Something primal takes over, and I won’t relent until we’ve carved a clear path out of here, every one of my friends still beside me.
More than half of the group we launched a surprise attack on ignored us, charging forward toward what they think is the bigger threat. This group is thinning out tremendously. I vaguely register a stab at my leg, but then it goes numb, and I carry on. Without even glancing down, I reach and pull a knife out of my thigh, come face-to-face with an elf I’ve never seen before. His grayeyes meet mine as I stab the knife straight through the side of his neck, his eyes widening with shock as he drops. Now they’re lifeless.
A scream sounds behind me. There have been many screams and wails around us, but this one, I know. I turn and run through the fray, searching for a head of voluminous red hair. She’s taller than most males, making her easy to spot. But I can’t find her.
Panic rises in me. I lower my gaze, scouring the ground instead.
“Rhydra!”
I hear her grunt nearby, and I know where to go. I feel a sharp burn on the side of my arm, but I keep going.
Three soldiers have their backs to me, and on the other side, Rhydra is in a low crouch, fighting for her life, swinging her staff with everything she has, keeping them at a distance.
I use all of my concentration, all of my might, and I focus on the three elves. I cover them each in water and quickly freeze it. They’ll suffocate and freeze within seconds. The ice statues topple over, each one remaining intact.
“Rhydra!” I rush over to her, noticing the hand that’s placed on her stomach.
