Rise of the Wolves

by J E Reed

  A flash, followed by a thundering crack echoed across the field drawing both his and Palindrome’s gazes. Fire burned at their rear. Likely one of the mangonels.

  A second flash then the enemy’s rear forces turned their attention to the new threat.

  “Looks like she’s here,” Palindrome said. “Should we move to assist her?”

  K.J. studied the area to the west, the flashes echoing over and over. Another catapult caught fire. A line of men fell. He knew that rage.

  “Best to let her come to us. Get your team ready and meet her at the front. We’ll push through once she’s at the gate.”

  Palindrome bolted down the stairs. Her team would give them an advantage and with Kiuno at their side this would all reach an end quickly. Provided the girl didn’t exert herself first.

  K.J.’s heart grew heavy. Kiuno had never been one to handle loss well. Her heart clung tight to those she treasured. But he also knew rage would be her first instinct and this latest tragedy would be enough to finish this battle.

  29: Memories & Magic

  Realm: 5

  Day: 296

  Memories poured out with the magic, but Kiuno reeled in the lightning. She couldn’t let her surging emotions tire out her body before finding K.J. and Palindrome.

  Flames burned her enemies to cinders and Elite’s memories took over her thoughts. The pain coursing through her body paled in comparison to the ache settling in her heart. She felt robotic, switched to autopilot. A soldier with a job to do, but nothing to call her home.

  Maltack’s wind slammed into their enemies and expanded to feed the raging inferno. Reece slashed through their foes and his vines twisted through their guts and necks, tearing people apart one by one.

  Memories. Memories of him. The first time they met.

  Their first kiss.

  Kiuno planted her foot, shoved her sword through a man’s torso then twisted her blade. His gurgle fell to her right then Reece’s vines shot through three men charging her left. The flames took care of the rest.

  They’d first met in high school. Back when life was normal. Back before a game forced them to fight for their lives.

  Kiuno ducked beneath a sharp blade and brought her own up to pierce her attacker’s throat. Reece’s arms crawled with vines that carried thorns as long as his hand. Maltack pointed and she continued, a path of destruction left in her wake.

  It was a school project and like so many times before the teachers forced her to work with a partner. With Elite. They’d never spoken before then and she loathed relying on others.

  Wind pulled tendrils of hair from her braid and they plastered themselves against the sweat rolling down her cheeks. Kiuno clenched her teeth and pulsed the flames outward.

  He’d been kinder than she expected, treating her with a respect he’d denied several others. She’d viewed him as arrogant and intolerable, but then he’d told her that those who gave respect earned it. Just as she had.

  A booming sound split the air and those maintaining the barrier faltered, several succumbing to the effects of the enemy’s magic. The wall shifted and part of it caved from the bottom. Heavy stone crumbled to the ground, and those at the top fell to a rocky death.

  Dust rose, blocking her view as the magic users fought to clear the area and assist their comrades. Magic flew from both sides and the enemy poured through the breach.

  Kiuno sprinted toward them, hoping they’d gotten the civilians out of harm’s way. The enemy continued their assault upon the wall and crumbled the rock bit by bit.

  A large stone crushed a man who’d seen it coming and his scream reverberated through her chest. Her mind conjured an image of Elite, but she shook it away.

  A section of magic users turned to them and Kiuno’s advance halted as wave after wave of magic crashed against her fire. The sheer power hit like a wall and she grit her teeth against the force.

  Maltack stepped forward and shrouded them with his shield while Reece kept the enemy from their rear.

  Maltack and Kiuno took a step together. Then another. The wall fought back and more joined from the sides.

  Maltack winced.

  Kiuno pulled at the deep coil in her chest. Her scars pulsed. She broke from Maltack’s shield and let the lightning surge through their enemies, felling those within reach and the magic bearing down upon them ceased.

  Kiuno darted through the temporary path with her comrades on her heels. She leapt back as another stone toppled from the wall and zigzagged around the broken bodies and rubble.

  The stone cracked again, but the trio raced into friendly territory before it came crashing down. Kiuno kept running until they were beyond the clutches of the enemy’s magic and placed her hands on her knees and fought for breath.

  Memories assaulted her again.

  Elite’s proposal behind his parent’s house, the full moon as their witness. Their simple wedding with friends and family to celebrate. The promise of a life spent together.

  All she had left were the pictures stacked in her closet back home. Friends and family would wear black and offer their condolences, but after they mourned, she’d sit in the living room alone. With no one to quell her fears.

  Kiuno clenched her fists, struggling to contain the tears. She’d taken so much for granted. Their simple life, the easy stress of jobs, school, and money. Through all those struggles they were safe.

  Screams echoed from within the wall. Enemies slid down on ropes and vines and used their magic and blades to impale the innocent. Fires took over houses one by one and water rained down from above as more magic clashed.

  Kiuno ran toward them. They should have cleared the civilians by now. They’d already sealed the inner gate so why—she slid to a halt and her heart constricted.

  Liam.

  Kiuno clenched her teeth. Why the hell was Liam here?

  The young boy held a sword and stood defiant against four men three times his size. Kiuno’s breath hitched when one swung his sword. Liam ducked around his enemy, but he pinned his back against a wall in the process.

  Kiuno ran toward him but her legs wouldn’t move fast enough. Another sword fell toward her young friend. He blocked, but the strength from the blow sent Liam to his knees.

  Four tendrils of vines shot past her, all sinking into vital areas of the men threatening her friend. They fell and Liam remained on the ground, his chest heaving.

  Kiuno grabbed Liam’s wrist and wrenched him toward her. “What are you doing out here?”

  He didn’t respond, his eyes full of fear. He tilted his head to a shop where someone’s head ducked behind a broken wall. Reece opened the door and several people screamed.

  Reece spoke softly and coaxed them out. Five children, none older than ten. One girl clung to a sewn doll, tears running down her cheeks.

  Kiuno cursed, glanced at their surroundings, then gestured for them to follow. The children gathered at her back, the nearest clutching to the tail end of Kiuno’s shirt as she peeked around the corner.

  Men. At least twenty and their sole purpose seemed to be burning everything in sight. She glanced at the kids then to Reece. He watched their rear, his eyes darting this way and that as the battle raged around them. She had to get these kids through the inner gate.

  A war cry echoed from the opposite corner and friendly forces attacked those setting fires. Kiuno grabbed the child’s arm and darted across the street. She only glanced back to be sure the others followed.

  A guard gestured for the inner gate to open before they were even upon it. He ushered the children inside the small opening. Liam hesitated, but one look from Kiuno had him following the children without argument. He wasn’t built for war. Less than a year ago she might have said the same about herself.

  With the children safe, Kiuno glanced toward the wall and the chaos ensuing around it. Fires burned. Men screamed. Steel clashed with steel.

  Water particles pulling into a clustered mass drew her attention and Kiuno sprinted toward the nearest
tower.

  She met opponents in battle. Some with her sword, others with fire. Kiuno didn’t pause to ensure their death. Those stationed at the base of the wall would do that. She needed to reach the top.

  At the tower’s base, Kiuno rushed through the door and began climbing the stairs. Her legs protested as they ran around and around, climbing higher and higher. Her breath came in ragged gasps, as did the others behind her by the time they reached the opening to the tower wall.

  Enemies swarmed the exit.

  Reece shot his vines around her, some coming so close the leaves grazed her skin. Maltack’s fire soon spiraled past and hers joined it, wrapping whoever dared challenge them in its fiery clutches.

  Kiuno glanced at Reece then to Maltack. Sweat poured down both their faces, but neither showed any signs of stopping. They were just as determined to ensure the safety of their home.

  With a moment of reprieve, Kiuno glanced to either side of the wall. Bodies littered the ground. People trampled their fallen comrades. Thankfully there wasn’t as much carnage on the inside, but still. There was enough.

  Her gaze lingered on the fallen stones a moment too long and a sword swung too close. Kiuno ducked and drove her blade through her opponent’s stomach. He grunted when she twisted and she shoved him to the side, withdrawing the blade without a second glance.

  Kiuno reeled in her magic as their comrades came into view. She, Reece, and Maltack threw enemies from the side and broke ladders as they continued to run. Her gaze stayed focused on the water and the familiar way it snaked through the air.

  As they drew closer, droplets dampened her skin and hair. She’d seen Scorpios surround himself with magic before, but this far exceeded anything she’d ever witnessed. A serpent coiled itself above and around the area, the body ever expanding.

  Kiuno paused at Scorpios’s side, struggling to catch her breath. He inclined his head toward her but kept his concentration focused. She glanced up toward the inside of the coil looming at least twenty feet above, then to the width that matched it.

  Veins stood out on Scorpio’s arms and neck as he continued to build the water around himself. Maltack joined him and their energy permeated the area. Fierce, yet steady. A strange sensation formed in her core and more memories clawed their way to the surface.

  Memories of their adventures. Of hiking, camping, and picnics. Memories of their love and laughter as they separated themselves from the world.

  Scorpios widened his stance, planted himself, and shifted his hands. Maltack mimicked the action and the massive serpent responded.

  It uncoiled and reared its head downward and went soaring from the wall in a beautiful yet deadly display. The water crashed against their enemies and Kiuno tugged at the lightning in her core. It crackled across her skin and she let it melt into the pathways made by Scorpios and Maltack. Maltack would be able to control it long enough to reach their enemies.

  The water soaked up her electricity and spread to those still able to stand at the bottom. They wouldn’t rise again.

  Kiuno’s vision blurred, but she fought against the rising fatigue and continued the pulse until she, Scorpios, and Maltack were all left panting in the aftermath.

  Even with those enemies down, more surged forward. They were like cockroaches. Kill a few and more took their place.

  Kiuno took in a steadying breath. “You guys ready?” They needed to prevent any more enemies from crossing the wall on this side.

  Reece’s vines wrapped around their bodies and her stomach dropped as he lowered them over the edge and toward the charging enemy below.

  When her feet hit the ground, Kiuno charged forward. She struggled to maintain her balance over the fallen bodies. Maltack fanned his flames, Scorpios hardened his water to daggers of ice and Reece’s magic erupted on all sides as greenery shot from the ground to fell their foes.

  An enemy’s blade clashed with her own and Kiuno’s forearms threatened to give. She gritted her teeth and shoved. Blinding pain shot through the back of her skull. She fell to the ground with the world spinning.

  Footsteps shifted in the shadows of her vision and specks of color flew behind her closed eyes.

  Voices rippled. Muffled. She struggled to anchor herself back to the waking world. He stood over her. He raised—

  “Get up!”

  Sound slammed back as steel clashed against steel. Kiuno wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her blade then placed one heavy foot beneath her body.

  Fight. Push until the enemy falls. It wouldn’t be long now.

  Kiuno tugged at her sluggish magic. She lifted heavy arms and kicked off the ground, slicing through those around her with the flames in her wake.

  A roar pierced the air above their heads and Cybele jumped from her felinian’s back, spear in hand. Milo snatched the enemy from the ground and tossed him into the air. His companions ripped the man apart and let the pieces fall to the ground.

  A thick droplet slid down Kiuno’s face and she wiped the red liquid away.

  Her body tottered.

  Magic swept through the area like a fresh wave of the ocean cleaning away remnants of sand.

  Kiuno stumbled back, confused and a hand wrapped around her shoulders. More moved in, their allies she presumed, but Kiuno couldn’t convince her body to follow.

  “Are you al—”

  30: Aftermath

  Realm: 5

  Day: 296

  Clink, clink, clink.

  Kiuno shifted, but her eyes didn’t open.

  Clink, clink, clink.

  She groaned, pressed a hand to her forehead to rub away the throbbing, and cracked one eye open. There were beds on either side of her, some empty, others filled with sleeping persons unknown.

  Clink, clink, clink.

  Kiuno sat up and blood rushed to her temples. She took a moment to steady herself.

  “You’re awake.”

  Kiuno followed the voice and found the source of the annoying noise. “I am now.”

  “Sorry, I’m mixing a medicine to ease your headache.”

  Kiuno glanced at his face and her heart skipped. “Vincent?”

  He smiled and set his bowl at the foot of her bed. “Glad to see your memories are in working order.” His fingers traveled over the tender area on the back of her head. She half expected them to come away bloody, but they didn’t. Vincent continued stirring the mixture.

  “The woman who brought me here,” he paused in thought. “Palindrome? Yes, I think that was it. She set me to look after you and others who are recovering.”

  He lowered his voice as if just remembering they weren’t alone. “She stopped the bleeding, but I’m afraid no one has the energy to spare for taking care of the pain.”

  “It’s all right. What happened?”

  “We pushed the enemy back and chased down those who tried to flee. Some managed to escape. There are several injured, not to mention the dead, but we fared pretty well all things considered.”

  Kiuno shifted so Vincent could sit beside her. “Are the others okay?”

  “Your friends you mean? Yes, yes. Maltack?” Vincent said the name as if he wasn’t sure and she nodded. “He was persistent in helping Palindrome with the wounded. The others are assisting in other pressing matters.”

  “When did you get here?”

  “Less than a week ago. I assume you found what you were looking for?”

  Her heart skipped, and Kiuno averted her gaze as the memories resurfaced and hit her like a punch to the gut.

  Kiuno clutched her head. “I—”

  What could she tell him? She’d found happiness only to have it stripped away?

  Vincent’s voice softened. “It seems I’m only meant to find you broken in more ways than one.”

  He stood and poured the contents from the bowl into a folded paper before handing it to her. “It won’t taste good, but it’ll ease the pain. I’d advise rest, but I doubt you’ll listen so just take it easy for a few days.”

  Vi
ncent looked as though he wanted to linger, but he moved to another patient, whispering as a courtesy to those still resting.

  Broken in more ways than one.

  Yes. He’d found her after Kikyo and Elliott’s death. She’d been broken then. Kiuno glanced at her fingers. Is that what she was? Broken?

  Her fingers trembled and joints ached. Her skin burned, but just as Vincent predicted she couldn’t sit around. Kiuno moved her legs to the side of the bed and pulled on her muck covered shoes.

  She stood and the world spun, but Kiuno grabbed the post to her right and let her swimming mind steady.

  Noise assaulted her as she exited the door. People rushed from one place to another, but one thing was clear. The battle had ended.

  Kiuno limped across the field at a slow pace and walked through the inner gatehouse. Several people hammered away on the structure and the resounding noise pulsed within her skull.

  Several stones had been shifted and sat at the base of their previous fixtures. The rocks from the catapults were gone, leaving scars in the earth where the heavy stones had skidded across the ground. The bodies were absent, but blood still lingered like a fog in the air.

  She’d killed again, but this time she didn’t regret. Instead, it felt no different from feeding the animals or moving storage. Just a task that required completion. Did that make her a monster?

  Her gaze shifted to the wall as she recalled Scorpios and his magic. He’d never used something so powerful in their sparring matches. The raw force that had crashed over their enemies was relentless. Her lightning added a final touch, expanding his reach to any who contacted the water’s surface.

  The familiar stench of burning flesh clouded the air and she gagged as she continued toward the crumbling outer gate house.

  “Ki?”

  She paused and turned to the familiar voice.

  “I’m surprised you’re up,” Reece said. He gently took her by the arm and guided her away from the exit. “Trust me when I say you don’t want to go out there.”