"Shit." Felix staggered forward to where his silver sword lay in the dirt. His hand had just wrapped around the handle when the first wolf reached him.
Felix slashed the sword across the wolf's chest. It tumbled to the ground, but its outstretched claws grazed his arm as it went down. He cried out in pain. The sword slipped from his hands.
Another wolf pounced on him, slamming him onto his back. He poured what little strength he had left into summoning electricity. The wolf's face twisted in pain as lightning raced across its fur. It only froze for a moment, though, before powering through and pushing a paw against Felix's chest. He gasped as claws sank into his skin.
Mason reached Felix and swiped at the wolf's side with his dagger. It yelped in pain but kept its hold on Felix. Another wolf charged Mason, forcing him to jump out of the way.
Felix turned his head in time to see Arisa crash into the ground nearby. She rolled onto her side, her face away from him. "Arisa?" he called weakly. No answer.
The world tilted. The edges of Felix's vision darkened. He didn't have the strength to feel fear. All he wanted was to sink into the earth below and sleep.
"Felix!" Mason's voice was far away, as if he were yelling underwater. "Arisa!"
A blinding light flooded the clearing.
The wolf's weight disappeared. Felix forced his eyes open and lifted a hand to shield his face. The wolf stood next to him, head tipped back, snarling at something above them.
Sebastian hovered in the air. The undersides of his boots shone with white light. His face was barely visible through the glow.
The wolf next to Felix jumped high into the air, jaws snapping at Sebastian's boots. Sebastian lifted a few more feet, and the wolf missed. The other wolves backed toward the trees, apparently deciding that one more opponent was too much. Sebastian's cold laughter echoed around the clearing.
"Too late," he said. "You were dead the moment you attacked my students."
A beam of light shot down from the sky and pierced the closest wolf's body. It silently toppled over next to Felix.
As Felix pushed himself up, he looked to the others. Mason stood over a white wolf, lifting his dagger to strike. The blood staining the wolf's fur indicated it had been pierced by light, too. Mason finished it off with one quick blow.
Arisa looked to be in worse shape, but she was climbing up off the ground. More bloody wolves lay around her. One started to move, and another beam of light struck it in the chest.
The wolf next to Felix twitched. He picked his sword up and prepared to finish it off, but his hands trembled too hard to get a good grip on the weapon. Even as the wolf rose to its feet, he couldn't bring himself to swing.
The wolf's mouth opened wide.
A figure dropped to the ground between them. Sebastian brandished a dagger in his hand as he rose to his full height. A cold smile touched his lips, but his eyes glinted with rage.
Felix briefly wondered how much of the blood staining Sebastian's clothes and skin was his. He had a slight limp as he moved forward, so he wasn't completely unharmed.
The wolf's jaw snapped shut. It turned and started to run, but a burst of light in the air in front of it blinded it. While it stumbled to the right, Sebastian drove his dagger into its back. His other hand reached into his jacket and drew out a second blade.
Felix turned around. Mason lay on the ground nearby with his eyes closed. Arisa knelt next to him.
Felix rushed over. "Is he okay?"
YOU ARE READING
A Drop Of Haunted Blood
FantasyWATTYS WINNER 2023 | Sixteen-year-old Felix Carver carries the ghosts of magicians in his blood. He can communicate with them and use the magical abilities they wielded against monsters when they were alive. His newfound power would be pretty cool...
