muscle bunched and elongated, power and speed like none of these Graygual would ever have seen.
Shanti threw another shot of power at the Inkna, winding around the Shadow Lord’s efforts and ripping away someone’s sanity. She battered away a return thrust even as she blocked with her sword, flicked, sent the enemy blade flying, and stabbed through. She moved on to the next, then the next.
A blast shook the ground up the way. A part of a building broke free. A huge chunk of stone fell on a cluster of Graygual. Another explosion sent a spray of bodies into the street. A brick wall crumbled, creating a thoroughfare.
A few moments later, a roar issued forth from that broken wall. Two beasts ran through, one after the other. They smashed into the crowd like rabid animals. A few locals scrambled back onto the roof, now thinking better of joining the fight at ground level.
A clatter came up behind them. Hooves falling in a strange, haphazard sort of way ran on the hard street. Shanti cut down a Graygual in front of her before shaking her head. How that bloody horse always managed to turn up in the middle of the action, she had no idea.
“I’ll take out the Inkna,” Shanti shouted as she ran to the side, hoping it was actual hooves and not their echo she was hearing. Her horse, the Bloody Bastard, nearly pranced out of the line of Westwood men, shaking his head and rearing up, throwing off everyone’s attempts to capture him and ride him to the battle.
She whistled, a high, shrill sound. It was met with a neigh as the horse stomped toward her.
“Be careful!” Cayan yelled after her.
Sheathing her sword, she took a running leap before climbing onto his back. He hadn’t been saddled, so she grabbed a fistful of his mane and held on for dear life.
Cheers went up as the Bastard ran headlong into a crowd of Graygual.
“Go around, you stupid animal!” Shanti yelled, ripping out her sword again and slashing down. It bucked and kicked out, catching someone’s head with its hooves. Despite their desire to take Shanti down, the Graygual backed away from the crazed animal.
One of the cats ran next to it for a moment before turning into a dark alley and lunging. A beast roared behind them before a scream cut off abruptly.
“There goes the neighborhood,” Shanti muttered as she hacked down at a Graygual that had veered too close.
They reached empty space amid the chaos, the line that always existed between the Graygual and the Inkna. Another clatter of hooves had Shanti turning. Rohnan came right behind her, riding a horse that had also been stolen from the Graygual.
“Don’t like being alone anymore, huh?” Shanti asked her horse, who was sounding his strange equine growl.
“The Inkna are occupied by the Shadow Lord, but there are still a lot of them,” Rohnan said as he came alongside her, running through the almost empty street.
Shanti held on while the Bastard jumped over a washbasin that had crushed a Graygual skull. “Go around, you bloody animal.”
They took a bend too fast, having Shanti almost rolling off her horse, when they found the Inkna. Stationed in a line, three deep, they stood straight with their eyes closed, fighting the battle from a distance. In the middle, leading the mental effort, was a Master Executioner.
“Xandre pulled out the big dogs,” Shanti said, grinning as half of them snapped their eyes open. The smile melted off her face. “Sanders is going to be pissed I didn’t bring him.”
Her horse crashed into their line, trampling two men and scattering the others. Like angry hornets, power struck her head in quick succession, pounding her. She ripped off some weed with her teeth and chewed it hastily. Her horse reared and kicked out. His hoof made two Inkna duck and two more roll out of the way. She fell off the back, feeling the burn as the weed and saliva slid down her throat. Her body hit the ground. Dull pain shot up her arm to her shoulder.
“Chulan.” Rohnan crawled toward her on the ground, getting battered mentally. He took the remaining weed out of her hand and tossed it into his mouth.
The intense pain dulled. Then turned into nothing more than pressure.
Shanti stood up and wiped a speck of blood from the corner of her mouth. A few of the Inkna’s eyes rounded. In the Graygual language, she said, “Uh oh, now what?”
Rohnan rose up next