The Blood of Three

Chapter 17

Kyle released his wound and held his black-bladed sword in front of him. More metal feathers shot to the ground, filling me with more fear. "Dylan?"

He took a moment and contemplated our choices, already knowing what I was going to say. "There are too many. We need to get back to Safe Haven." Kyle and I nodded in agreement. I took a few steps back before leading up to a sprint through the woods. Kyle ran close behind me and I could only hope Dylan trailed behind him.

We hadn't run very far when I was tackled by another bird. The bird flew at me from the side—out of my line of vision. I landed on my back, the weight of the bird crushing my ribs. I repeatedly stabbed my trident at the monster as it cawed in my face, but the three prongs bounced off the metal feathers as the bronze beak threatened to bite me. The feathers weren't only an offense; they were a defense.

Right before my eyes, the bird faded to a black mist and disappeared. Now, standing in front of me with his hand reached out, was Kyle. "Thanks." I accepted his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

A bird flew at him from behind. He spun around and jammed his sword into the bird's back. The bird disappeared. "You have to get your weapon under their feathers," he advised me.

I nodded. "Xiphos," I spoke under my breath. My bracelet turned into a bronze sword, just as Poseidon had promised.

The large, metal birds surrounded us. There were over a dozen of them, each just as large and angry as the next. Slowly and cautiously, they inched closer. We didn't have a choice; we were going to have to take on multiple opponents at a time. There were too many for us to handle.

Dylan was the first to start attacking. I threw my sword at the closest bird. It hit under the feathers, right where I was aiming. The bird disappeared and my sword flew right back into the palm of my hand.

I did the same thing to many more—killing them before they could get close enough to kill me. We were through killing half the birds, when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulders. A bird had perched itself on my shoulders and refused to let go. I stabbed it with my sword multiple times, but was unable to get under the feathers. My determination only made it angrier. I needed help. "Kyle!" I knew he was the closest to me.

He looked back and gave me his full attention. I tried throwing the monster off, but it was useless. Kyle ran to me and the bird attempted to bite him. The claws dug further into my skin and I yelped in pain. "Hang in there," Kyle told me. I jabbed my sword back again, grabbing the bird's attention. Kyle took this chance and dug his black blade underneath the feathers. The bird disappeared and I let out a deep breath in relief.

I didn't get a break, however, because two more birds flew our way. Fortunately, the two of us were able to take them out easily.

As Kyle attacked the monsters around him, his sword became engulfed in flames. I was surprised that the fire didn't bother him. He acted as if it were just another day of fighting. The flames must have been a power from Hades.

Together, the three of us fought through the flock of bird-like monsters. After ten minutes, there were only a few left. I killed the few that were around me, then watched Kyle kill two more and Dylan attack the last one. He thrust his sword upward catching just under the feather, making the bird turn to mist. The three of us spent the next few seconds looking around for any more.

Kyle sighed and all the flames on his sword disappeared. "I think that's all of them." He placed his weapon back into his scabbard.

"What were those?" Dylan asked. "I've never seen anything like them."