Guardian (Sequel to Fearless)

Chapter Seventy Six

"Loose!" General Zayn called out. Master Dyran shouted a similar command to his legion.

Several of the men toppled from their rushing horses. One of them died courtesy of the huntress. Azabela strung another arrow, ready for more.

"Nock!" Zayn called again. "Loose!" came the consecutive command.

And then, when the cavalry got closer, the general issued a final set of orders. "Archers, fire at will!" he shouted. "Hold the line! Hold the phalanx!"

The mounted infantry slammed against the wall of Eldian pike-men in a wave of force. Even still, the soldiers of Eldia held the line. Already, the grounds were awash in the blood of friend and foe. The phalanx ripped holes in the cavalry, felling horses and their riders alike. The dips in the phalanx were reorganized and reformed. The rest of the baron's men came bursting in moments later.

And then, the real fight ensued. At Dyran's command to charge forward, Hench met them head on. She was the first. Large, muscular legs carried her forward. The weight of her maul in her hands was comforting. She let the rage pump her heart. These were the men that had hurt her -that had hurt her friends. These were the men that had hurt her mother.

Hench let a hell-rending growl rip from her chest, and she threw herself forward at the first pocket of enemies that she could reach. They watched her leap out in front of them. There were three of them, and they were all swordsmen. One with a shield stepped out in front of three, and with no hesitation, he lunged forward at her. She was quicker than he'd accounted for. Her body whirled out of the way of the strike. With the momentum that spun her, she came back around and slammed her maul into his shield. The weight of the swing shattered the wooden barrier, crumpled his body, and flung him far backwards.

He was dead not long after he collided with the ground. Another turn of her body had her hammer whipping through the air again. Her strength pulled it to her next victim, crushing his skull in his head and sending him to the dirt in a burst of red.

The third's sword came for her, and by the time the first two had died, two more joined in her fray. Hench jumped back from the attack. She sprung forward again, disorienting her current opponent. She was a death sentence. She killed the one that had dared swing at her. It was a good way to start the battle, but she feared once the bulk of the force came in that it wouldn't be quite so easy. It didn't take an especially long time for the sides to clash after that. The Remorda Guardians came around her like a black wave.

Combat was everywhere.

Among the front lines was Kayde Vorantis. An exquisite curved sword poised itself in one of his palms. His body immediately shifted into his striking cobra stance, graceful and lethal. He swayed ever so lightly. Soon, Kayde was approached. From his left came an armored man with a broadsword, ready to cut him apart. The broadsword came in, and Kayde parried with the flat edge of his sword. His weapon swished down and pulled the opposing swing with it. His curved sword twisted up in his hands and parried the next quick attack that came at his chest. The broadsword was fast to strike, but Kayde Vorantis was faster.

Kayde's form veered as a snake, and he dodged the sharp kiss of metal. Just as the cobra, he waited for the right moment to strike. And when he did, he struck quickly. His blade was an actual Eruthan blade, light yet strong. He'd gotten it from Erutha on his very first visit to Eldia's western neighbor with his father and grandmother at sixteen years old. Its honed edge was perfect for poking a man full of holes as well as cutting him apart.