The closest Braky roared as it neared, its long teeth looking even sharper in the daylight. Its eyes landed on Sloane, standing alone in front of the gate, and its mouth twisted in a malicious grin that struck true fear into Sloane’s heart.
Sloane braced herself. They were so close now she could smell the decay their bodies reeked of. The first one advanced on her, like a predator would its prey. But then it stopped and looked up at the wall behind her.
Its eyes watched the wall in a calculating manner. Then it dropped to the ground and rolled to the side as a lone arrow pierced through the air towards it. The twanging sound of a hundred bows letting loose followed, and a storm of arrows took to the sky. They slowly soared upwards, lingering high overhead for a moment, before hurtling downwards, gaining momentum as they plummeted towards the first wave of Brakys that charged the castellum.
Brakys dodged and dived out of the way of the aerial onslaught. Many of them were hit, but it didn’t stop their progress. Arrows continued to rain down upon them, but still the creatures kept on coming like they couldn’t feel the metal piercing their bodies or notice the long shafts protruding from their limbs. They paid no attention to their wounds and moved steadily towards the gate and Sloane.
She tried yelling through the gate again and banging on it with all her strength. But still, there was no answer. She even tried yelling up to the men on the wall for a sword, yet she received no response. Sloane swore. She was in this alone.
The Braky that led the assault eyed Sloane and began to steadily stalk towards her. With each step closer it took, her leg seemed to stab with more pain. It didn’t matter how many arrows pierced the creature, it never stopped and barely slowed.
Sloane knew it would reach her at any moment. She did her best to assume a fighting stance and prepared herself for the fight of her life. As she readied herself for the attack, she heard yells from the wall above her. A glint of silver caught her eye, and she looked up to see a man dropping from the wall to land on his feet beside her.
His chest was covered in silver armour, and he wore a metal helmet on his head. Sloane had no idea how he hadn’t injured himself falling from the wall, which reached at least fifty feet into the air. The man glanced down at her and winked one of his ice blue eyes at her through the helmet’s visor, before pulling two swords from the scabbards at his waist. It was Rhyn.
‘Are you crazy?’ she yelled.
He grinned recklessly and tossed a sword to her. She caught it with two hands, noticing the slight blue shimmer to the metal as she moved the blade.
‘I’ll try to leave one or two for you,’ Rhyn said.
He turned and lifted his sword to greet the Brakys, before charging forwards. He moved deftly as he approached the first one, never giving it an opening and never pausing to consider its moves. He was so fast as he struck out at the creature, but it was equally as quick as it twisted and danced out of the sword’s reach.
These things were smart and quick. Not to mention they were scary enough to require copious years of therapy to forget. Rhyn didn’t hesitate though. He continued on towards them, the predator now becoming the prey as Rhyn advanced.
Sloane’s leg may have felt useless, but she wasn’t about to miss out on a fight. She felt a grin form on her own lips as she moved towards Rhyn. This was the thing they both lived for.
As a Braky charged towards her she was hyper-focused and could feel the cool calm take over that she usually felt before a fight. She didn’t question its fighting style; she already knew these creatures went straight for the kill. Its movements were quick, but she’d been training with Rhyn for weeks, and its speed didn’t come as a surprise.
The Braky launched at her but went for her body rather than her neck. She wasn’t expecting it and she darted to the side, whipping her sword through the air and connecting with the creature’s flank. It cried out in alarm, but did not stop.
As soon as it landed it turned and hurled itself at her again. This time she pre-empted its move and drove her sword through its chest. The stab was deep, and Sloane could see the life draining from its eyes as it fell to the ground. She pulled her sword loose and spun, awaiting the next enemy attack.
With the fresh surge of adrenaline pumping through her, the pain in her leg faded from the forefront of her mind. She could constantly feel the throbbing ache, which only grew worse as the Brakys came closer. But instead of being consumed by it, she pushed the pain aside and focused on the fight.
Her heart thudded loudly in her ears as she fought, and instead of the usual overwhelming rush she experienced when fighting, time almost seemed to slow. Rhyn’s training must have been paying off, because her sword began to feel like it was a part of her as it cut through the air, and her movements were sure and fast.
Rhyn seemed to have more Brakys to contend with than she did, but he was a force to be reckoned with and almost impossible to get past. He whipped his sword around and sliced through them with ease. Never letting one past and never letting them gain an edge. His movements were so fast and fluid that Sloane couldn’t see what he was doing at times. Watching him move that way made her desperately jealous of his skills. She wanted to be just like him and knew she wouldn’t stop until she was.
He probably could have driven them off single-handedly, but Sloane dealt with her fair share. She didn’t know if it was minutes or hours of fighting the constant onslaught, but eventually they began to retreat. Another barrage of arrows flew overhead, and the last of the Brakys scattered away towards the far edge of the plateau.
Now that she was no longer fighting, the pain in Sloane’s leg came back with a vengeance. Sloane chewed hard on her lip to keep herself from groaning from it. She thought the scratch on her leg had fully healed, but it now felt like she’d been clawed all over again. The pain lessened though as the Brakys retreated, and once the last one disappeared from sight, the pain became more of a dull ache.
She slumped with relief once they were gone. The thrill of the fight was fading, and she felt something strangely warm spark inside of her when she caught Rhyn’s eyes as he walked back towards her. He’d risked his life to save her.
‘We should do that more often,’ she said, beaming from ear to ear as he approached. Her eyes were bright and filled with excitement.
He let out an unexpected laugh. He sounded so relaxed for someone who had just fought off an army of monsters. ‘Only you would wish to try that again. It was a good fight though.’
He smiled down at her approvingly, and she stared at him in amazement. She’d never seen him so high-spirited before, and he was clearly still buzzing from the fight. This was a side to Rhyn she could get along with.
She shook her head to dislodge the thought and looked at the Brakys lying dead on the ground before them. ‘I thought there were more,’ she said, frowning at the bodies. There were maybe a dozen of them, motionless in the snow, with jet-black blood forming in pools around them. She’d easily killed a dozen herself—or so she had thought.
Rhyn glanced down at them, not looking the least bit concerned. ‘I told you; they’re difficult to kill. A wound that would kill a human won’t kill a Braky. They’re completely relentless when they attack. It takes a lot to get them to retreat.’
The gate to the castellum opened, and Rhyn looked up at it, his face turning passive again. Sloane glanced over her shoulder at the man who came storming out. His shoulders were tight with anger and his lips formed a hard line. Sloane had begun to notice something unique in the Unfaih’s eyes when they had been alive for a long time. There was a certain knowing wisdom evident in them, and she could tell from this man’s eyes that he had been around for a while.
Sloane had seen him briefly before while training with Rhyn, but he was rarely around, which was surprising as he was Rhyn’s second in command of the Unfaih warriors.
‘Elyx,’ Rhyn said, as he approached.
‘Are you mad?’ Elyx shouted at Rhyn, in Unfaih. ‘What were you doing? They were under control and you to
ok an unnecessary risk.’
Rhyn straightened his shoulders and stared his second down. ‘I did what was necessary. The arrows weren’t enough to get the Brakys to retreat. They needed more convincing. If I hadn’t done that they’d be clawing their way up the walls by now and you know it.’
Elyx glanced at Sloane before he continued. ‘You were just doing it to impress some girl.’
‘Some girl can understand you,’ Sloane interrupted, in perfect Unfaih. Her last few weeks of practising the language with Orelle had finally begun to click. She looked to Rhyn. ‘Is that true?’
‘Of course not. I am in charge while my father is away. I would not take such an unwarranted risk for one person.’ He looked back at Elyx. ‘I did what was necessary,’ he repeated to him. ‘Now, if you are done criticising me, please arrange the disposal of the bodies.’
‘Yes, Rhyn,’ Elyx replied, before bowing and returning to the castellum.
Sloane pushed down a smile as she and Rhyn slowly followed after him. It was nice not to be the one on Rhyn’s bad side for once. ‘Remind me to never piss you off,’ she said to him.
Rhyn slowly shook his head at her. ‘Has it really taken this long for you to learn that lesson?’ She rolled her eyes at him.
‘Why wouldn’t anyone open the gate for me?’
‘They couldn’t,’ Rhyn replied. ‘Once the Brakys breach the cliff tops the gate is shut and will not be opened for anyone. We cannot risk letting them inside.’
Sloane nodded and turned away, rubbing her eyes. She felt exhausted after their encounter with the Brakys and, though her leg felt better, she could still feel the ghost of the pain that had crippled her.
She wished she knew what had caused it to happen, but she wasn’t game enough to ask Rhyn. Not when she didn’t know how he would react. If the poison was still there, maybe it was spreading. She didn’t want to think about what that would mean, but her mind was already jumping to bad conclusions.
What if Orelle hadn’t managed to completely heal the scratch? What if she was becoming one of them? Would Rhyn gut her right there if he thought that was happening? She’d probably gut herself if she discovered she was turning into one of those creatures.
‘You should rest before you return to the village,’ Rhyn said, suddenly. She looked at him, but his gaze was fixed firmly ahead. ‘You can sleep in my room if you would like.’
‘That’s kind of you, but I should really get back.’ Sloane tilted her head as she looked at him. She tried to remember when things had changed. When had she stopped seeing him as the enemy?
‘I would prefer if you stay here for the next few hours in case there’s another attack,’ he said.
Sloane groaned in response, but agreed to stay. She was exhausted at any rate and a bit spooked. She didn’t want to go down to the village alone right now. ‘Are you sure I can stay in your room? Aren’t you tired?’
‘No. I have a lot to do. The Brakys haven’t attacked the castellum in daylight for years. I need to meet with the elders to discuss what this could mean, which may take some time. I will come and fetch you when it’s done and we can head back to the village together.’
Sloane nodded tiredly. She allowed Rhyn to guide her to his room and crashed on the bed as soon as he left. Sleep did not come easily though. Her thoughts kept repeating the same alarming question: what if she was becoming one of them?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Sloane awoke to two eyes watching her closely. She jerked up in bed. ‘How long have you been there?’ she asked Rhyn, who sat in a chair next to the bed.
He looked away quickly. ‘Not long. Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I was just thinking about something.’ He actually looked embarrassed as he stumbled over the words.
She would usually respond with some smart-ass comeback, but she was watching him closely and he seemed oddly troubled. For once, annoying him didn’t hold the appeal it usually did. ‘Should I head back down to the village now?’
Rhyn shook his head. ‘It’s the middle of the night and too dark to take the stairs now.
‘Have I really slept all day?’ Sloane asked, surprised. She’d fought hard against the Brakys but shouldn’t have needed so much sleep to recover. She lightly touched the leg that had been crippled during the fight. There was no pain there now, and it felt like it was back to normal. Perhaps that was the reason for her exhaustion.
‘Yes. It was surprisingly lazy; even for you.’
Sloane could feel her cheeks reddening. ‘I’m not lazy!’ She threw one of Rhyn’s pillows at his head, which he effortlessly caught.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. ‘You did sleep all day,’ he replied, chucking the pillow back at Sloane. She caught the pillow mere inches from her face and stuffed it on the bed behind her. Her eyes narrowed on him in a scowl, but for some reason her reaction only caused Rhyn’s smile to grow wider.
Her gaze stayed locked on him as she slid to the edge of the bed, almost daring him to say another word. She was many things in life, but lazy wasn’t one of them. Rhyn smartly kept his mouth shut, though she could still see the amusement in his bright blue eyes.
‘What did the elders say?’ she asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
Rhyn stood and strode away from her, before turning back. ‘The Brakys behaviour was strange,’ he said. ‘It was almost like they were testing us, searching for weakness rather than attacking. Did you notice how most retreated beyond shooting range once the arrows started to fly, then proceeded to come forward in waves?’
‘No,’ she responded quietly. She hadn’t considered the idea of the Brakys putting any thought into their attack. They were like wild animals. Plus, she’d been too busy preparing herself for the fight of her life to analyse their tactics.
‘Well, they would never usually do that. They would continue coming at us in droves, until they were forced to retreat.’
Sloane shuddered. These creatures were such a force to be reckoned with. She couldn’t believe the Unfaih had been fighting them so long. Rhyn had told her before that the Brakys attacked because they constantly thirsted for the Liftsal. This was the first time she’d seen them attack the castellum, but Rhyn talked like they attacked it frequently.
‘You keep the Liftsal here in the castellum, don’t you?’ she asked.
Rhyn slowly nodded, his eyes searching hers nervously. He didn’t seem to trust her with the information, which saddened her. She wasn’t going to try and steal it. She knew full well that she would become a Braky if she did. Why didn’t he trust her?
‘What would happen if they got it?’ she asked.
‘It would make them stronger,’ he replied. ‘And if they got stronger we wouldn’t be able to hold them off. The creatures you saw today were the weaker of the Brakys—the ones who have been turned by poison rather than Liftsal. You wouldn’t want to meet one of the originals, especially one who has recently consumed the Liftsal. It would be unstoppable.’
Sloane shuddered. She didn’t want to see any of the creatures again, let alone one that was unstoppable.
‘I’d like to go for a walk, to stretch my legs,’ she said, standing and moving towards the door.
Rhyn nodded. ‘Just stay within this wing.’
Sloane was surprised he was allowing her to wander on her own through the castellum but wasn’t about to question it. She was way too excited to see the place for herself, so she quickly slipped out of his bedroom.
Once she eased the door shut, Sloane found two men standing guard on either side of the doorway. As she began to move away from the room, one of them began to follow her.
She groaned internally. No wonder Rhyn was so happy to let her go for a walk.
She moved silently through the long corridors. The walls of ice radiated dimly with blue light, illuminating the hallways with their glow.
The place was deserted, and all the doors that led from the corridor were closed. She tried to make out what was in each room by looking through t
he ice walls, but the frosted surface made it hard to see anything clearly. Sloane didn’t know which rooms she was allowed to enter, and with a guard shadowing her, she could hardly check them out for herself. Instead, she traipsed along the hallway without turning off, her excitement at being loose in the castellum diminishing with each step.
She was about to turn around and head back to Rhyn’s room when a door opened up ahead, and Kai walked out into the hallway.
‘Kai,’ Sloane called, pulling his attention to her.
‘Sloane? What are you doing here so late? Does Rhyn know you’re here?’ he asked, as he rushed over to her. She could see the worry clearly etched on his face. He was probably concerned about what Rhyn would do to her if she were found there unattended. If only she were there unattended.
‘Yeah, he knows. I was here earlier when the Brakys attacked, and Rhyn allowed me to sleep for the afternoon. I overslept though, so here I am.’ Sloane shrugged like it was no big deal she was still in the castle. It was difficult to keep her face composed though. She was finally where she wanted to be. The only problem was, a guard was trailing her and her mind was distracted.
She was finding it difficult not to constantly check on her leg, which had become crippled by the mere presence of the Brakys. She was worried they’d done something to her when she’d been scratched. The way the pain came and went with their presence; it was too coincidental for it not to be connected.
Kai looked over her shoulder to the guard behind her. ‘You can leave us,’ he told the man. ‘I will bring her back to Rhyn.’
She heard the guard shuffle as he retreated, and Kai moved closer to Sloane. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
‘Nothing’s wrong,’ Sloane responded, steadily.
Kai shook his head. ‘I can see something is upsetting you. What is it?’
She felt uncertain whether she could talk to Kai about what had happened earlier with the Brakys, and how her leg had reacted so intensely to their presence. He looked at her with such kindness and understanding though, that she felt silly for questioning him. She knew deep down that he was on her side and of course he could be trusted.
In Ice We Burn (The Liftsal Guardians Book 1) Page 19
