Page 97 of Feathers and Thorns

The tracker gave her a nod of thanks before slicing down two more enemies.

The group of riders managed to make it to the stables and began mounting their horses. They shot out of the wooden gate with a war cry, cutting down enemies in their path.

Rook was a blur of black and silver streaking down the field, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Soren followed his movement with her arrows. She couldn’t help but be impressed when she realized he was specifically targeting Celestials.

Her breath hitched as her hand reached back and came up empty. Then she felt the rush of air before a soldier’s sword swung toward her face. She ducked low and swung her bow hard, the curved wood taking out the man’s legs. He fell to the dark ground with a heavy grunt, and Soren turned on him. She swung her bow to the side and grabbed Rachi from her thigh. With one swift stroke, she dragged the blade across the back of his knees, slicing the tendons there. After rendering his legs useless, she plunged Rachi into the soft spot at the base of his neck, severing his brain stem. Then she leaned in close so her breath was against his ear. She did not care that she was speaking to a corpse when she whispered harshly, “That was for Baz’s parents.” She shoved him to the ground before following the line of bodies to where Rook was pulling his blade out of the chest of another Celestial.

“Have you seen Enara?” Soren asked through ragged breaths.

“No, but I just saw Jai go over the hill with Ikei and Ori’s battle group,” Rook replied, slamming a shoulder into a nearby Xian-Dao warrior. He fell to the ground, and Soren finished him off with Rachi.

They ran again, following the trail Jai had taken over the small ridge to where the rest of the battle raged on.

Soren noticed a crater to her left that had no doubt been made by one of the Braexian’s powder bombs and gagged at the sight of the body parts strewn about the explosion site. She coughed, covering her nose with the cold metal of her plate armor, and carried on behind Rook.

“There!” Rook called out, pointing to the west side of the field.

Jai was fighting on foot, and King Elias was riding a brown horse with a black mane, swinging his sword wildly, lobbing off the heads of the Xian-Dao warriors. His form was impeccable, and he let loose a loud war cry as another head dropped to the ground.

His warriors surrounded him as best they could, but they were losing numbers fast. The Celestials were stronger and quicker than regular humans, and the field was a bloodbath. The once-black ground had a crimson sheen to it that looked sickly in the low light.

Shadows formed in the sky, inky black blots against the midnight blue, and Rook swore at the sight. “Fuck.”

“Kestrels,” Soren spat as she ran past him and onto the field. She had no idea where the rest of her friends were, but she needed to warn them somehow.

Rook quickly checked the strap holding the Oculus to his back below his armor and raced after her.

“Look to the sky!” Soren screamed. “The kestrels are coming!” She was halfway across the field when one of the winged beasts landed directly in front of her, cutting off her path and slashing forward with its talons. She tried ducking again but not far enough, and it caught the side of her face and shoulder. She let out an angry cry.

The creature laughed, but before it could attack again, Rook assaulted it from behind. His two swords shoved through the back of his ribs and out through his chest. The beast choked loudly before falling to the ground.

“You okay, little bird?” he asked, grazing the scratch on her cheek.

“Nothing I can’t manage,” Soren responded through gritted teeth. Her shoulder was unmarred, thanks to the armor, but the scratch on her face stung as the kestrel’s poison entered her bloodstream.

Together, they cleared out two more Celestials and at least a dozen of Bao-Ren’s men before they were able to reach Jai.

“About time you showed up!” Jai yelled, his sword landing in a sickening crunch into the shoulder of a Celestial. The tracker lost grip of his blade as the man stumbled sideways, bellowing in pain. Jai was on him quickly, removing the dagger from his boot and stabbing it up through the Celestial’s jaw. The man’s eyes bulged as he crumpled at their feet.

Jai wiped off the blade and returned it to his boot before planting his foot on the man’s back, wrenching his sword free.

“Have you seen Adaryn?” he asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Soren shook her head vigorously. “No, I’m sorry.”

“Fuck,” he replied, running his hands through his hair. It felt sticky to the touch, no doubt full of other people’s blood.

He pressed his eyes together, pushing his feelings into a box and hiding it away. When they opened again, he was a king personified, a true leader.

“We need to regroup. We will not survive separated like this.”

“Agreed,” Rook replied.

Soren slipped Notch from her sheath so she could dual wield. It almost felt as though the blades were humming in her hands, begging for blood.

Her armor dripped black, but her eyes blazed hot as she looked at their leader.

“Tell us what we need to do.”

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