The Frozen Moon - By J.D. Swinn Page 0,46
body’s meager attempts. The blood ran down her back, but the pain numbed quickly as her body began to enter a state of shock. She knew she couldn’t let it happen, let it take her into its quiet chemical ecstasy of numbness. She muttered the words to a healing spell in an attempt to speed up the work her Shask was already doing as she whirled around to face her assailant. Her heel seared with pain once again, but it was easily ignored compared to the pain she had just felt. Her jaw was set tightly against the shrieks she wanted to release, and her fingers clenched tightly against metal. She saw nothing of the one who had attacked her but the dark robe enshrouding it, but this thought did not even cross her mind at the time. She was overtaken with anger, and struck immediately and mercilessly. She had never been one for second chances.
Her sword came across its chest with a gleam off the pale orange light, ripping open a tear in its body. The scream which ensued was unexpected at best, and pierced her ears with the high pitched wail of a woman. The blade ripped through her throat next, tearing the scream from the lungs themselves and strewing it across the air as what would have been. It was clear that more Guild members had been present, and were now entering the scene in waves. She didn’t know how much longer she could fight. But then, one never does know how long one can fight until it is out of necessity.
It simply couldn’t be possible, she thought, there were too many. They each must have been fighting whole groups at a time, the numbers were too strewn. Another blow fell across her left arm, drawing her blood, as well, into the grass. She grimaced in pain; her body was beginning to give in to fatigue and wounds. A dagger throw quickly ended the threat to her left. It parted his chest as though the two pieces had been made to fit each other and break apart quickly. It slid in with ease as he crumpled to the earth. Easy, she thought again, death could be easy.
She knew that she must find the others; perhaps if they could find each other they would have a better chance of winning. Or at least they wouldn’t die alone. The flash of tawny fur was the first sight she had, as she was reminded of the Guild attack at the party and how she had searched for her friends there as well. Talar was ragged: fur was ripped from his hide, which was matted down with blood and dirt. Beneath his massive paws, an unlucky victim lay crushed where he faced his next opponent. In a movement of power and grace, he leapt through the air toward the cloaked figure. His teeth embedded in its throat and slashed downward, bringing its whole body down beneath him. The malice upon his face, even in this less known form, was surprising to her. She imagined in that moment that this battle was as personal to him as it was to her. Quickly, through no means of her own determination, she was astride him, and they were moving wordlessly forward through the sea of bodies. She drew a second dagger, glimmering only faintly now in the receding light, and slashed her way through with short and abrupt motions. Blood now covered her entire forearm, warm and slick.
They found the others in a cluster, already assembled back to back within a ring of attackers who were slowly closing in. As Talar and Nameh parted the ring with metal and teeth, it was already closing in again, there would be no way out, she concluded. This would be it, the final stand. The friends silently acknowledged each other, and Nameh felt a weight lift from her chest. They were all accounted for, and none had yet been lost. None were in good condition, however.
She took a place between Mira and Seth, their arms lightly brushing as they grunted through battle. She savored the feeling of human touch when she felt that she was at such a distance from the world. It was hard to feel real anymore. Blood spattered across their skin and faces and clothes, creating a gruesome scene. Her mind blurred with exhaustion, but she fought on, plunged on. They were making headway, fewer and fewer were closing in until they stopped coming