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The Udrun I faced was ugly and fear inducing like a demon from hell with his red, glowing eyes set deep into what looked like a mud encrusted face. In the dim light and with my adrenaline flowing, it was hard to figure out if he really had smeared mud all over his face and body or if this was how his skin was.
His hair was held back by a band around his head and reminded me of tendrils, and when he snarled at me, he exposed sharp teeth that reminded me again of a shark.
He was close to seven feet tall, lean, but from the way his blow met my sword, I knew he was strong. Inhuman sounds emanated from his mouth, the same kind of screeching that had awoken Kendryx and me from our sleep.
He readjusted his club, and I took the opportunity to send a well-aimed kick at his gut, forcing him stumble back. I didn't give him a chance to recover and ran my sword through his chest. Gurgling, he went down, and I received my first new lesson: how hard it was to pull a sword out of a dead body. That was not something Kendryx had taught me yet or even mentioned. I yearned for my pistol as I looked around for another foe.
The Udruns were quick and moved through the shadows like ghosts before they latched on to an opponent.
"A gun would be nice," Sergeant Bannister, who had requested to stay with us, said, sounding a bit out of breath.
"Where would be the sport in that?" I grinned back before I saw a dark shadow appear on his right. I pushed Bannister to the side and caught the blow of the Udrun's chainsaw sword with mine.
Bannister recovered from the push and, pivoting around me, brought his sword down on the Udrun's unprotected back.
"Not bad, Colonel," he praised.
Another Udrun appeared, and I smashed my elbow into his side before he could wield his club. He wheezed then went down, ready for Bannister to finish him off.
Angersurgedthroughmewhen I saw Chrissy. I should have known she wouldn't stay put in the tent as I told her to. Finishing off the Udrun I was fighting, I tried to make my way over to her, but two more of the hated creatures appeared from out of nowhere, barring my way.
Both swung their fearsome jagblades, as we called their serrated swords, turning my attention from Chrissy to them. Still, I was able to catch a glimpse of her here and there and admitted,damn, that kallini can fight.
Had I not been so terrified of something happening to her, I would have been much more appreciative of her style. Handicapped by not having as much strength as males, she made up for it by agility and fighting dirty.
I first noticed this during our training, but what I thought was a way of fanciful fighting turned out to be effective in a real battle.
It wasn't as if we never used our fists during a sword fight or employed a well-aimed kick, but from the glimpses I caught, Chrissy and the human male who joined her incorporated kicks and punches more effectively than I could have imagined. They would have to teach us this, I thought, while swinging my sword against my opponent who mistakenly left his flank open.
A quick surge of jealousy was replaced by admiration when I noticed how well Chrissy and Bannister fought together, and I was glad he had her back while another Udrun joined the fight against me. This one swung his trogdor—spiked club—and managed to rip some of my flesh with a barb while my attention was divided between my attackers and Chrissy.
The sharp pain brought me to my senses. As much as I wanted to get to my mate, if I didn't give my opponents my full attention, they would wear me down, and I wouldn't be any good to Chrissy if I was dead. I needed to dispatch these three before I could help her.
The thought of one of these barbs hitting her tender flesh sent a surge of anger through me the likes of which I had never experienced before. With a defiant war cry, I felled an Udrun, then parried a blow from another before he even hit the ground.
The third Udrun shrunk back from me when I poured all my fury into my expression. He must have read his death in my eyes even before my sword descended on him with such force and speed, he didn't get a chance to parry a second blow.
Only one thing drove me forward, and that was my desire to protect my mate, to be by her side, and the Udruns stepping in my way were paying the price. I mercilessly mowed them down as my sword slashed, stabbed, and deflected. I pulled out my long dagger and pierced an Udrun's heart with my left hand while my right held back his jagblade.
I reached Chrissy's side, taking her opponent's head off from behind, and she didn't even flinch when a spray of blood hit her.
"About time," she egged me on. Her words were like magic as the red fury that had driven me to her side abated to a low simmer of anger at the Udruns for attacking us.
Another Udrun charged at us, holding his trogdor up high in the air. He was in midjump when Chrissy spun, slicing her sword through his legs. Screaming, the Udrun let go of his trogdor while Bannister ended him.
My mind analyzed quickly how one of us Thyres would have stepped back instead of how Chrissy had done, and I concluded that kar, these humans would be able to teach us some new tricks. Especially when I observed how effective two opponents could be when they worked in a team. This was another thing I would have the humans train my warriors on. I realized that in battle, it wasn't always feasible to have two fighting together like this, but it did hold a clear advantage.
I knew Chrissy and Bannister would have been fine if I had left their side, but there was no way in dubnos I would have left her back unprotected.
It didn't take much longer before the Udruns slunk back into the darkness of night from wherever they came from, taking their dead and wounded with them like they always did in their uncanny way, which had earned them the nickname of nightstalkers.
Warriors held up their swords and warily checked their surroundings; it wasn't unheard of to encounter a second wave of Udruns after an initial attack like this, but the night returned to its quiet rushing of waves from the Dark Sea.
"Tend to the wounded," I ordered, keeping my sword in hand and narrowing my eyes against the darkness to assess my mate. She was out of breath, sprayed with blood, but seemed unharmed.
"You're bleeding," she said stepping closer to my side, and with her free hand, gently prodding the wound I had received from the barb.
I looked down at my arm at the wound I had forgotten all about. "It'll need a stitch or two. Am I hoping for too much when I ask about your handiness with a needle?"
