Siege (The Warrior Chronicles, #5) - K.F. Breene Page 0,89

that the whole horde around him were already sinking to the ground in agony. “You lot are wonderful to have around. Especially the ones who don’t speak my language.”

“Eat this.” Kallon thrust a shriveled black thing that looked like bark at his face.

“Get away.” Sanders pushed Kallon’s wrist away before hacking down without ceremony, killing the enemy while they were down. He’d wait to fight fair when he trained the newbie women. He only had so much restraint.

“Eat this. It’ll prevent mind power from harming you.” Kallon held the bark up again.

“Why didn’t you say so—Lucius, get your team higher. They can’t shoot anyone from there!” Sanders grabbed the tough thing and ripped through it with his teeth. “On the rooftops!” He moved the piece out of his cheek and kept chewing, using his free hand to kill whoever was close enough.

Sourness made his eyes squeeze shut before his mouth and then throat caught fire. “What the hell have you given me?”

“Xavier says it does not taste good, but it works.”

Sanders forced himself to take another bite. “Whatever helps me kill those pansy sons of bitches. I have a debt to settle with the Inkna.”

Kallon took the remainder and moved on, aiming for all the best fighters first and letting other mental workers distribute to the rest. After he had given some to Lucius, who didn’t question nearly as much as he should, and moved away, the Graygual began to rise up again like weeds.

“You couldn’t have just killed them?” Sanders asked in annoyance.

Kallon replied, but by that time the grunts and cries of agony had turned into war cries. Sanders blocked a strike, and then slashed, feeling his stomach start to gurgle as he ripped his sword across exposed flesh.

“Uh oh.” His stomach dropped and bubbled in that horrible way that warned he was about to shit his pants.

He grabbed someone’s shoulder, stuck his sword through a gut, ripped the man to the side, and tried to move off to a corner. Another Graygual filled in. Then two more. He slashed and hacked, better and quicker, and way more experienced, but there were too many.

Something feathered across his head. Like the dancing of fingers on his brain, something barely touched him. His stomach gurgled again. “Oh no.” One of the women, still climbing onto the roof not far away, froze and then convulsed into a ball. Her fingers went white on the ladder and her eyes squeezed shut.

Inkna. Had to be.

“Get that girl!” Two men on the roof sank to their knees, their bows falling out of their hands. Leilius rushed to the girl with the black bark while pointing at someone on the ground.

“Mine!” Sanders yelled, barreling through Graygual as if they didn’t have swords. He slashed and hacked, getting sprayed with blood while completely ignoring what was going on with his own body. He shoved a larger man out of the way and yanked his blade from the man’s side, letting him die in peace. He sighted three Inkna sitting atop horses up the road. “Now you’re going to learn what it’s like to fight a fair fight, you good-for-nothing—”

Sanders sprinted at them, his teeth bared. The horses started to prance and their ears flattened on their head. One whinnied and pawed at the ground.

“That’s right, here comes danger!” Two of the Inkna were staring at him, frustrated expressions on their faces. A soft prodding touched Sanders’ mind, but he barely felt it. Ten feet away, close enough to still get them if their horses started to run, and suddenly hooves flashed in his face. The horse had been spooked, and bucked.

Sanders dodged to the side, not deterred, and then froze. Another creature had bared its teeth, and it was much, much bigger.

“Oh shit.” Sanders shrank back. Another horse reared, screaming. The Inkna fell off, nearly prone as he hit the ground. The back of his head smacked off the street and bounced. Blood splattered where his skull had hit.

“No!” Sanders stabbed down through him as another horse threw its owner. The Shadow beast roared again, a sound that chattered Sanders’ teeth. The giant animal plowed into the final horse and swiped at the fallen man, scoring through his chest.

“We’ll call that teamwork.” Sanders gave the animal a salute.

The beast roared. Blood dropped from its large canines.

Sanders backed slowly toward the nearest wall, wanting eyes on that beast all the time. They were supposed to be good in battle, mostly only going for the enemy. Sanders couldn’t