The Blood King - Chapter Four (Patreon)

Nemyra

The heat from the flames is deadly. I am already weak from using my power before, so now, as the flames grow, it feels painful against my flesh, causing the burn on my shoulder to ache. It drowns everything out that I can usually sense. The heartbeats, the intention behind the scent wafting from them, even my strength has waned, my body swaying slightly to prove it as I glare at my enemy.

Ten men total exit the trees, fully revealing themselves. They are lightly clad in armor, and I note that each of them looks to have been in some kind of fight at one point in their lives . Gruesome scars that have healed over cover parts of their bodies, their eyes revealing the bitter disease that is humanity.

“Stay behind me,” I murmur to Peyra.

The man who is in charge lightly taps his horse's belly with his heels, calling for it to move forward as he approaches the edges of the flames. His skin is slick with dirt and grime, his stringy hair falling into his cruel eyes. I refuse to show him fear as he smiles at me, mistaking my stance for weakness.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day. I thought for sure they were all wiped out right at the start of the war,” he says. “Looks like we’ve found ourselves a massive payday, boys.”

The men hoot around him, drawing their swords and as they do, I pull mine out as well, holding it close to my body as I speak, letting my voice drip with the threat.

“If you think I’m coming with you willingly, you’re going to lose a lot of men this night,” I say.

The man’s eyes widen slightly, his amusement disappearing as he studies me, replaced with confusion. He then shifts his attention behind me, focusing on Peyra.

“Ah…the woman spoke the truth. You have taken in this stray, teaching her the common tongue, and damning us all,” he says, narrowing his eyes at Peyra.

“You know the laws. Do you know what would happen to this forest if they found out you were harboring an Ikniri?” he says, once again adding to the mysterious circumstances that surround a world I have spent most of my life hidden from. The woman screamed something similar to us.

“It is all of you who have lost your way. I regret nothing,” Peyra says behind me. Her voice is strong, and she tries to move from behind me, but I press her back.

The man watches her intensely, scoffing before gesturing to his men.

“Capture the Ikniri. Kill the traitor,” he says.

My grip tightens around the hilt as I realize that these men came prepared. They don’t try to attack me by closing in. They pull arrows from their quiver, dipping them in some kind of liquid hanging from the bags attached to their horses.

The first man takes aim, and I pull in a deep breath to focus as he releases the arrow. It moves at a speed any human wouldn’t be able to keep up with, but I see it clearly as it slices through the air. The moment the soaked tip of the arrow touches the flames, it becomes engulfed in flames itself.

I use my sword to deflect the arrow, but as it hits the ground next to my feet, the flame remains, adding to the heat surrounding me.

“Shit,” I murmur to myself just as more arrows sail into the flames. I do my best to deflect them, keeping my back flush with Peyra. But I can feel the little strength that I have waning. I can’t keep this up forever.

“We have to move,” I murmur.

I don’t wait for a response as I grab Peyra, looking around the flames for a weak spot. I pull her with me as I try to jump through the flames, when a horse appears right in the way, its hooves lifted high off the ground as its master forces it up, whinnying at me threateningly.

“Get back!” I scream, pushing Peyra out of the way just as the beast stomps inches from where I once stood. They’ve trapped us in and have had plenty of time to prepare for this fight. I look around in a panic, but I can’t see anything over the flames. They grow with each passing second—with each arrow they release, knowing I will deflect it.

“Ngh!” I groan as the world blurs.

“Nemyra!” I hear Peyra scream for me, but it sounds distant. And as I try to access some part of me that can somehow get us out of this, or extinguish these flames, I can’t. My body may be changing, but it isn’t changing fast enough for me to protect us. I cry out as something is thrown over me, plunging me into darkness, and my body is shoved forward. As the heat from the flames licks at my surroundings, I realize that it’s cloth.

“Agh!” I cry out as my body crashes hard into the dirt. I quickly pull the cloak from around me, looking back into the flames. Peyra pushed me through the thickest of the flames, where no man waits to crush me on his horse.

“Peyra!” I scream.

I can’t see her through the flames. It’s too bright, too large.

“Run, Nemyra! You cannot let them—hck!” Her words are cut off, and as I stand, I hear the heavy thunder of hooves beating towards me. Except this time, I am out of the flames.

I turn to see a man coming towards me, his sword drawn. I try to focus, but the thought of Peyra burning alive to protect me holds my focus more.

The man swings, his blade coming inches from my chest. But I dodge, twisting enough that I am facing him as he rides away. I use the opportunity to slice through his arm, forcing him to drop his sword as he shouts in pain. I scramble for his discarded weapon, but the moment I grab it, another horse comes, its feet high, and tries to stomp me.

I jump out of the way, dodging before grabbing the horse’s reins to pull myself up. The man’s expression is that of shock as I swing up, my feet colliding with his chest to knock him off the beast. It whinnies in shock, but I quickly steady myself, looking around at my enemies. They remain on the other side of the flames, watching me carefully.

A few have their arrows aimed and ready, while others have their swords drawn. I briefly look into the flames, my breath hitching when I see Peyra’s body. She’s sprawled on her side, multiple arrows protruding from her still form.

An audible grunt escapes me as pain squeezes every inch of my body. Tears burn my eyes, and suddenly, my heart beats louder than the roar of the flames. I don’t think, letting the rage fuel me as I attack. The horse charges forward with me atop it, and the men release their arrows.

I easily deflect them using my blade, riding up on the closest of them. He pulls out his blade, ready to fight, but I quickly climb to my feet, launching myself from the horse, my blade running right through his heart. I hear his grunt as we both hit the ground, both horses taking off.

But I’m up before there is another attack. I pull his sword from his scabbard, throwing it with all my might at the nearest archer. It hits him in the neck, his arrow releasing a second too late to hit the ground a few feet away from me. As I look around, finding my next victim, I note the look of fear on these men’s faces. Fear that wasn’t there seconds ago, when they trapped us, trying to take me hostage.

I hold my blade tight as I find my next target. Another man is trying to hit me with his horse. I run at him head-on, ignoring the whiz of an arrow as it passes my face. The horse and I are directly in front of one another, and I make sure to keep it that way until I come inches from its body.

I shift to the right at the last second, using all of my strength to grip its neck enough that the momentum carries me, allowing me to swing myself up.

“Argh!” I groan as my arm screams at me for straining myself in this way.

I land behind the man, my hand coming inches from snapping his neck, when an arrow suddenly hits him right in the neck. Before I can react, another hits my sword, knocking it out of my hands.

“Agh!” I cry out as pain ripples up my arm.

The man slides from the front of his own horse, but the beast suddenly comes to a halt, flipping us over. My stomach dips as I go flying, and as the world twists around me, I have a chance to see the flaming arrow now sticking out of the poor animal’s leg.

I hit the ground hard, the air ripped from my lungs. My body feels heavy as I stare at the moon. Smoke from the fire billows over my head, blocking out the stars, but the moon continues to shine through. I groan in pain, rolling to my knees when suddenly something heavy travels up my throat.

“Kergh!” Blood spills from my lips, covering my fingers and the dirt, just as the world begins to blur around me.

“Mngh…no,” I murmur to myself. My fingers dig into the dirt as I look up. The flames have grown, and now, the smell of burning flesh mingles with the night air. My arms tremble as I try to put weight on them, but they can’t hold me up. The bit of adrenaline I had has worn off.

“Peyra—Ah!” An arrow hits me between my right shoulder and chest. But I barely feel the pain. I try to keep my focus on the flames, praying that she will get up—that she can run. That my fight gave her the chance to run. But as I sway on my knees, and the acrid scent of human flesh burning grows more intense by the second, I am forced to face the reality that it isn’t going to happen.

My hand trembles as I hold it out in front of me, reaching for her beyond the flame. I try to call on the power that lies dormant in my body, but nothing happens. The darkness around the edges of my vision creeps in more and more by the second, and I can no longer feel anything.

“Ngh..” I groan, falling over just as darkness envelops me.