think you—”
Cayan ROARED with the power. It thundered through the room. Walls quaked. The Graygual officer screamed and clawed at his chest. Those in front of the Inkna tried to step forward. Instead, they fell, landing on their faces and bouncing. Blood splattered from a broken nose. Red dripped out of their ears.
The Inkna stared at him, their faces white in utter shock. Their shields and combined might withstood his raw power, but would they withstand Shanti’s finesse?
He summoned more power, letting it boil out of his body and hover around him in the air. And then he felt it. Fizzing through the building. His hairs stood on end. The current tickled his neck and sent bubbles through his middle. Sparks danced within his power, set in motion by his other half.
He felt her, down the hall, running at him with all her might. Her people and the Shadow ran in behind, downing everyone ahead and killing everyone coming from behind. She bothered with none of that. She was here for him.
She thought he needed saving.
The air crackled as their collective power fed off each other. Cayan offered it up, let her assume control. As soon as he did, a surge flowed from one to the other, treating their bodies as one.
The hum between them started to vibrate. The ground trembled. The air above them sizzled. Power as cutting and agile as a whip shot out. It hit off the Inkna, making them stagger backward. One grabbed his head. The others clutched at the walls to stay upright. Another shock of power, finer this time, aiming the massive thrust for one tiny piece of their minds. Like a needle striking blown glass at high speeds, a crack formed in their shields and began to grow. All it would take was one more thrust.
Shanti barreled into them with bared teeth and her sword. She slashed through the first, spraying blood against the wall. A knife flew end over end, sticking into the eye of another, an excellent shot from someone behind her. Shanti kicked the last between the legs, making him bend before she hacked down at his exposed neck. He crumpled. His head rolled across the floor.
“What, you’re waiting for me to do everything?” Shanti asked with a heaving chest. “You couldn’t walk forward and stick your sword in them?”
He smiled. He couldn’t help it. Like a vision from his dreams, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life, made all the better for the splash of blood on her cheek and the fire in her violet eyes.
“I wanted you to feel good about yourself. You know, think you were doing something for the war effort.” He crossed the distance in a couple strides and grabbed her behind the neck. He planted a deep, bruising kiss on her lips, so damn happy to see her in one piece.
“I love voyeurism and all, but we have to go. My mother is old. I don’t want her to have to get off her horse.” Sonson suddenly disappeared from sight, having run to the right.
Cayan stepped away from Shanti and ran to the large, open door in time to see Sonson dig his sword into the stomach of a Graygual.
“Okay, let’s go. We have a lot of trained Graygual in this city. It’s not ours yet.” Shanti started jogging out of the door.
Cayan followed. “How many are we talking?”
“Let’s just say Sanders is probably swearing about the odds right now…”
“Bloody hell, they’re like ants!” Sanders slashed through a black tunic before punching someone in the face. The nose cracked. His sword slid through the Graygual’s stomach a moment later. “Push through!”
A swarm of Graygual ran at him from down the street. They were trying to push Sanders and his men back out through the gate. Only half of Sanders’ force had even made it in. This was a shitstorm that had started way too early.
“Keep going!” Sanders yelled. “Push through. Keep going!” He blocked a sword, rammed his body into the enemy, then got caught in limbs. With a growl, he jerked his head forward. His forehead smacked off the Graygual’s face. The man staggered back, ripping out of Sanders’ grasp. Sanders stabbed him with his sword, brought his foot up, and shoved him back off the blade. He turned with another strike ready, only to find Kallon’s face.
“You’re lucky you’re so pretty, or I would’ve run you through.” Sanders kicked a kneeling Graygual in the teeth, belatedly realizing