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Fohri returns. I don’t have the strength to scream. So when he kicks me and pummels me and claws at me, I just take it. Darkness sets in when he kicks me in the head, near my eyes.
I start to feel the pain again, despite the growing darkness. I want to beg Fohri. I want to tell him to touch me. To take what he wants, just so that the pain will stop. Even if that means giving away something that I will never get back.
Warmth envelops me in a rush, and I suddenly feel a sense of comfort.
I summon up images of Ihohka and Brilyk again.
At least I am not alone.
27
IHOKHA
“That son of a bitch,” mutters Brilyk. “He should be dead.”
“We must go rescue her, though she could be anywhere,” I say, gritting my teeth through the pain.
“We’ll get her back, no matter what,” he replies firmly. “Can you fight?”
“Yes,” I snarl. “Give me a sword.”
At that moment, a rebel bursts through the door, his eyes locking on Brilyk. “There you are!” he gasps with relief. “We need your help down in the main hall!”
“Arvak, give me another sword!” commands Brilyk.
The rebel unhooks a second sword from his waistband and hands it to him. I take it from Brilyk, unsheathing a fine weapon made with the best quality steel. As I brandish it, I realize that this is it, that I’m about to take the fight to my brother.
“Let’s go get Ellie back!”
The three of us rush outside, scrambling down the stairs and making our way to the main hall. What used to be an elegant room filled with fine treasures and paintings has become a bloodbath. The paint on the walls has been coated with blood, with corpses laid about everywhere we step.
The smell of blood fills the air as does the gurgling of it, complemented by the screams of men and the clanging of steel on steel. Up ahead, the battle continues.
“We must avoid this fighting where we can,” I say to Brilyk. “There may not be much time left for Ellie, leave the battle to your men!”
“Agreed!” he exclaims.
“Come on!” I say, gesturing to him to follow me. I run around the action, narrowly dodging the swings of swords as I duck and dive through the fighting, my clothes becoming drenched in blood.
I kick down a door leading to the upper balconies of the second level floor. There, the extent of the fighting becomes clearer to me. In the gardens, elves do battle, having destroyed the fountain which now spurts blood in place of water.
The courtyard below me now looks like the work of a vrakken feast, blood thrown everywhere like it was rained down from the skies. A door swings open from the opposite end of the balconies. My brother’s men burst through it, their eyes widening at the sight of me standing alongside the rebels.
“Traitor!” the captain yells. “Your brother was right all along about you!”
“And you shall join him in death!” I shout before turning to Brilyk. “I’ll take the three on the left. You take care of the others.”
We charge forth, swords raised high. The captain brings his sword down on me but I’m too quick for him, ducking and rolling between his legs. I turn swiftly and plunge the sword through his heart, causing the life to leave his body in an instant.
I pull my sword back just in time to raise it in defense of two other elves, their weapons colliding with mine. I kick the knees of the attacker on my right, a loud snap echoing through the balcony. He screams and falls, grabbing his broken leg in agony.
I swing for the remaining elf, our swords meeting each other as we become locked in a battle of strength. He is bigger and stronger, quickly backing me up against the wall. I hesitate to play it dirty but remember that this is a matter of life or death for Ellie, so I kick him where it hurts the most, causing him to fall to his knees.
I slice his head off, watching as it rolls off the balcony and down into the courtyard below. I take a quick gander at the level beneath us, seeing the rebels are holding their own against my brother's men.
They may not have the same elite level of training but by the gods do they have the clear advantage in heart and spirit. My own heart swells with pride, observing how much they yearn for their freedom with the ferocity of their fighting.
These folk deserve a true, noble leader,I think to myself amidst the chaos.I only hope that Brilyk, Ellie, and I all survive.
