Splintered Fate (37 page)

“
Kirill has done it.” Zorin formed
a blade in his hand.

Lana turned to everyone with a new strength, a
new fuel of hope.

“
We are about to enter the belly
of a snake, where we will have to fight our way out. You all have
come here because these are your people.” Lana rose her hand
touching a stone wall next to her “These are your walls. This Land
is your land and we protect what is ours. We fight for what is
ours. These are my people in this town, you are my people, and I
fight for you and with you.”

Lana allowed the love she felt in
too. Letting her feelings for those risking their lives here this
night to further fuel her. A single silver blade swirled into
existence in her hand, and Ardin grumbled a low grumble. Everyone
readied his or her weapons around her.

As soon as Lana finished and
everyone’s weapons were drawn, one by one, they hurried up the
narrow steps. Lana placed her candle at the bottom of the staircase
on a stone and took the lead with Ardin. The steps were not
uniformly built, awkwardly slanting one way or another. It made for
a difficult to climb. Her pace was slow and careful so not to
slip.

At the top of the stairs Kirill stood in a
small archway, holding to the side what looked like a thick
tapestry that hung over the arch. He grasped Lana’s hand and helped
pull her into the hall. It was all stone with dim lighting,
smelling of candle wax and ale. Lana could hear sounds echo off of
the stonewalls down the hallways but had no idea where they were
coming from.

“
They know that the other party is
outside. They are readying flaming arrows.” Zorin
informed.

“
We must stop them.” Lana was
quick to respond. If they began shooting flaming arrows before her
party was in position to attack, then it would be a massacre
outside. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.

“
Do you know where their base is
in this building?” Clyte asked.

“
Right now most of their men are
around the entrance.” Zorin answered.

“
Then that is where we go.” Kirill
spoke.

“
Lets move.” Lana agreed as a hand
touched her shoulder, stopping her.

“
Please, at least let me go in
front of you.” Clyte pleaded.

Lana nodded, allowing for her to
step in front. Ardin assumed his position beside Lana, leaving
little space between her, himself, and the wall. His fur stood on
its ends, his head slightly lowered, ready to take on whatever may
come at them.

Zorin’s Great Cat silently led
them while Lana and the others quickly followed. They began passing
hallway after hallway. Lana was holding her breath in hopes that
each would be empty. Luckily the first couple were.

“
Hey!” A sound came from another
hall. Kirill turned down the hall without a word, while the rest of
the group kept moving forward. Lana peered behind in time to see
him rejoin at the tail end with fresh blood dripping from his
sword.

Once at the end of the hall they all came to a
stop.

Lana turned to Bredin “When we
turn the corner, sound the alarm. But only once we have their
attention.” She said in a hushed voice.

He gave Lana a nod in
understanding.

Kirill stepped forward, “The first
few seconds after we turn the corner are crucial, the Rami will be
confused for a moment, surprised, we need to use this moment to
kill as many of them as possible.” Lana nodded in understanding.
“Let me go in front.” He said, which was followed by another nod
from Lana. Kirill positioned himself as the lead, with Clyte a step
behind him, followed by Lana and the others. He held up his hand
with three fingers.

Ardin took a position beside her,
their energy intertwined.

Two fingers.

For our
people.
Ardin said and crouched in
anticipation with his hair electrically standing on its ends. Lana
could not agree more. This was for her people, for her lands, for
all those innocents.

One finger.

A fist.

Silently, they filed out. Their
footsteps too soft to hear, their breathing slow. Like silent
predators descending upon their prey, they closed the distance
between them and the Rami intruders.

It was unlike any start to a
battle Lana had ever imagined. She had always thought battles began
with chants, loud screams, some form of noise to get the warrior’s
blood boiling. Perhaps those were just childlike imaginations that
had stuck with her for this was very different. This was soundless.
It felt almost dirty. To surprise people and stab them in the back,
not giving them a chance for defense.

But these people were not about to
be surprised at home, with their families. They were on grounds
they had no right to be on. They were a threat to the innocent.
Eliminate the threat, Lana told herself as she rounded the
corner.

As soon as Lana turned Clyte came
to her open side, where she stayed, placing herself between Lana
and the intruders. Pulling back on the energy of her sword, Lana
turned it into a dagger. Her eyes fell upon a man closest to her,
she threw the dagger at him. It spun through the air. A warning
scream came and the man moved in response. But it was too late, the
dagger cut the soft flesh of his neck. He screamed out, jerking his
hand to the gash.

A white blur of a wolf appeared
near the Rami she had hit. Fierce teeth finished the job. Lana
turned, looking over at Kirill who seemed to have taken three Rami
in the short time she had managed one with the help of her
Aorra.

Warning screams sounded and Rami
men began flooding into the room. Clyte kept to one side of Lana
and Kirill came to the other. Lana made another dagger and flung it
at a Rami, missing. She made another and another. Her practice was
paying off. She was now able to keep an easier hold on her blades,
throwing them farther away from herself yet still keeping their
form. She was able to let go of a blade and form a new one in her
hand without pause.

Eyeing a Rami, another blade
formed in Lana’s hand. She aimed and threw. He ducked out of reach.
Forming another, she threw again but he had gotten farther away,
she was unsure if she could keep a hold on a blade at such a
distance. Signaling for Ardin, she made two more, throwing both at
the Rami.

The blades cut through the air.
The Rami watched with large eyes as they came at him, turning to
silver dust just before reaching him. His protective forearm
lowered when the blades disintegrated before even touching him. The
Rami was probably going to display a smug smile, but it would never
come. From behind the curtain of dust came Ardin. His white teeth
fiercely emerged as he attacked the surprised Rami, taking him
down.

Some of the Rami men began turning away and
focusing on the wall of the entrance. There were windows on the
second floor where they had archers prepare to fire to the
outside.

The others must
be attacking at the front now.
Lana spoke
to Ardin.

Yes. You should
stop with the daggers.
He warned her for
he could feel her constant making and throwing of them slowly begin
to take energy from her.

I know. But between Clyte and
Kirill, I cannot get close enough to do much else.

Lana pulled strength into her palm, warming it
and formed a sword in her hand. She gazed at the door.

“
We need to open the door for the
others!” Lana screamed.

As she walked forward Clyte and
Kirill blocked off those closest to her, attempting to clear a path
to the gate. The Rami intruders began trying to protect the door
but Kirill was a world-wind of blades unleashed upon them. They
could not get close enough to him. Even though Lana had never seen
him use power to create things the way she did, he had a talent for
blocking their attacks. It was unlike anything she had ever seen
before. The Rami would throw their fiery lightning at him and he
would avoid it with ease, moving with unnatural fluidity. It was
impressive, to say the least.

Steel eyes met with hers. “Head for the door.
I wont let them touch you. But as soon as you open it, get
away.”

Lana nodded. She pushed forward, a
flash of blue caught her eye. Her sword stopped it with the flick
of her wrist. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, she had almost
not seen that. She could feel Ardin protectively arrange himself
closer to her as she continued. Alec and his men also surrounded
her, forming another layer of protection around her as she headed
for the door. In unison, they charged forward.

Once at the massive entrance she
could feel Ardin surround her in his shield. Before her there was a
thick heavy block of wood that kept the door locked. She tried to
lift it, straining as she used her legs to push up, but it was too
heavy. Another attempt ended with the same results, the wood didn’t
budge. A hand appeared next to her, forcefully shoving the wood up.
It was Alec. Together, they lifted the beam and threw it to the
ground with a loud thump, opening the wooden door.

Turning to move away, Lana’s eye
was caught by Bredin who was on the ground. He held his sword up
against another Rami’s blade. The Rami was using the weight of his
body to push both blades towards Bredin. Moving towards them, her
grip on her blade tightened. With a silent, deadly force, she
brought up her sword, shoving it through the unknowing Rami. As he
fell, she turned to Bredin who stared up at her in
surprise.

Holding out her hand, she quickly
helped Bredin to his feet. “You can tell everyone you were saved by
a princess.” When her breathless words found him he offered her a
knowing smile.

Lana was about to track back, like
Kirill had told her to when she noticed the iron. Behind the wooden
door they had gotten open was an iron gate. They needed to get that
gate open. There was a chain leading from the gate secured to a
lever off to the side. Clyte was closest to the lever.

“
Clyte! The gate!”

Clyte looked over at the lever “I got it!” she
called out.

An unseen dagger cut through the
air towards Clyte, Kirill’s sword came out of nowhere and stopped
it short. “I will cover her. Now get away from the door!” Kirill
yelled to Lana.

She moved away from the entrance
only a few steps before another Rami cut her off. He brought down
his sword as Lana brought up hers, stopping his assault. A second
blade formed in her other hand as she pierced his flesh. The Rami
went down and Lana turned, looking back at Clyte and
Kirill.

They had gotten the Iron gate
opened.

Off to the side she could see
Zorin fighting a small group of Rami with Dorian. The two worked
skillfully together. It was true that Zorin was the best with the
sword. He moved like untouchable liquid even when there were
multiple threats. He maneuvered around his obstacles with ease and
his Aorra was the same.

Dorian moved with quick stealth.
His body curved and twisted around anything threatening until he
found a weak spot. Then he would silently pounce. No Rami wanted to
be found at the end of his deadly claw or tooth. He and Zorin moved
as if they were made to fight beside each other. There was not a
single step missed, not a single flaw in their deadly
dance.

Seeing that the
two seemed to have everything under control, Lana turned back to
the hallway. Around the hallway that they had arrived were two sets
of stairs leading to a small balcony over the entrance room they
were all in. On that balcony a familiar face walk by.
Garin.
Her heart
catapulted into a race beneath her ribs at the sight of him.
Kaidens brother, she had found him.

Garin walked alone, without even
looking down at her, unknowing that she stood just below him. He
turned down a hall, out of sight.

Lana reacted, running up the steps
after him. She could feel Ardin hurry to be by her side. Once she
got up the steps the hall was clear of any sign of life. Without
pause, Lana hurried down it, freezing in an open
doorway.

Chapter

Nineteen

A Rami stood in the stone room, his back
turned away from the entrance. He was looking at a painting of a
black wolf that hung on the wall. The room he stood in was large,
made of pure grey stone and cold, not once has anyone attempted to
bring warmth to it. Thick pillars of fabric hung from the celling
around the edges of the room, in the same cold stone grey
color.

Ardin stopped beside Lana in the
doorway.

I don't like
this.
He thought to her just before she
walked into the room.

Lana NO!
Ardin screamed at her as he jumped in after
her.
He isn't alone.
Ardin warned, a moment too late. A Rami appeared in the
entrance of the door the two had entered from.

Lana and Ardin turned to the sound
of the door closing behind them as one of Garin’s guards spun to
face them. For a moment Lana was stunned at the presence of
another. There was one other door to the room but it too was
closed, no doubt it had a Rami guarding it on the other side. There
was not going to be a way out without a fight.