Page 94 of Somewhere down the Ley Line
The mage had simply meant to clear the way for himself, most likely. But he was too close, the surge of magic too sudden. Isolde screamed, “Don’t!” her arms flailing, but it was too late.
Felix could have sworn he felt it, a jerk of force through the air. The mage shrieked in pain and stumbled. Blue light wreathed Isolde. The mercenaries drew their weapons as one.
“Alternate orders!” their leader shouted.
Felix had a pretty good idea what those would entail. He spun, weapons drawn, keeping his back to Isolde. He spotted Luella up at the top of the gully, bow at the ready, and Garren’s voice was shouting, “Stay behind me, my lady!”
It was an awful place and equally awful odds for a skirmish, but he’d been in worse situations. Two mercenaries came at him, one of them the short-haired woman. Felix grinned at them and held his hands out, aiming to confuse. They attacked as one, swords coming in from two sides. Soldier tactics, then. He ducked and rushed forward instead, sliding under the woman’s blade. His dagger bit deep into her neck before she even registered he had moved. She gurgled, eyes wide, and collapsed.
Felix turned on the second mercenary, who swung at him in a rage. He sidestepped, spinning out of his reach, and buried his axe in the man’s back as he stumbled past. The mercenary fell gasping to the ground.
Up on the ledge, Luella tried to get to Leif and Mia, letting arrows fly as she went. A shout rang out from behind. Felix whipped around just in time to see Garren take a sword in the ribs, blood spurting from the wound. He staggered, his weapon slipping from his fingers. Isolde screamed. Her hands flew up, and inthe blink of an eye the two swordsmen who had been about to finish Garren off were blasted off their feet and landed nearby with a dull thud.
Leif cried out as someone wrestled him to the ground. Mia was overpowered just as quickly. Felix’s eyes darted around. Two down, two probably down, two busy. That left three.
The bearded leader advanced on him, sword drawn. Felix adjusted the grip on his axe and stalked forward to meet him.
“Stop this!” Caelian yelled through the chaos, high and desperate. “Stop, damn it!”
Isolde had staggered to the ground next to Garren, blazing with blue light. “Yes, stop!” she shouted. “Please!” Her voice echoed unnaturally, something in it not entirely her own.
The mercenary leader hesitated, sword still raised. His eyes darted between Caelian, who was on his knees, gasping for breath, and Isolde, crouching over Garren. It was a perfect opportunity. Felix took another slow step forward.
“Stand down!” Caelian barked, his voice breaking. He staggered to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff. “She did not… I made a mistake. Stand down.”
The bearded man’s eyes flicked to Felix, but finally he nodded. “Disengage!” he shouted, and one by one, the other mercenaries lowered their weapons.
For a single heartbeat, everyone stood frozen in utter silence. Then Felix found his voice.
“What the fuck was that?” he yelled at the mercenary leader. “Is your first reaction to everything unexpected to go on a killing spree?”
The man raised his chin, sheathed his sword and folded his arms.
“Felix, please!” Isolde called. “Help me with Garren instead of picking another fight!” Her voice was frantic. Felix threw a last glare at the bearded man, then picked his way across the scree to Isolde’s side. From the corner of his eye he saw Luella coming down the slope.
He cursed loudly when he reached Isolde. Garren sprawled on his side, deathly pale and bleeding profusely.
“Can you heal him?” Luella asked, her voice small and quavering.
Isolde’s hands already hovered over Garren. “I’ll try.”
Felix shifted uneasily and looked around. The mercenaries were regrouping off to the side, dealing with their wounded. Caelian stood alone, bewildered. Isolde raised her head, looking for him.
“Please stay back,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but it carried across the gully effortlessly. Then she bent over Garren once more and closed her eyes.
“My lady…” Garren croaked, almost too quietly to hear. “Isolde. I am sorry.”
She shushed him, focused on the wound in his side. The familiar blue glow gathered around her hands, her arms, pouring into Garren like the tide. Felix figured the best way for him to help was to make sure she could perform her healing undisturbed, so he turned his back to them and kept his eyes on the mercenaries and the mage instead. He studied their faces as Isolde worked her magic. Their expressions varied from suspicious to curious to downright awestruck. Hefeltit too. The hum of power, pulsing like a heartbeat. He tried to remember if he had felt it with Leif, back in the village, but he couldn’t.
It wasn’t long until he heard Luella whisper, “Thank the Triad.” Felix turned just enough to look at Isolde. She was sitting on her haunches, one hand on Garren’s arm. Her face was tired, but her markings were still blue. When her eyes caught his, she smiled with relief, like he was the only thing tethering her to the world.
Before he could go to her, one mercenary rushed forward. Felix stepped to intercept him.
“Please,” the man said frantically. “My friend… I know we fought you, but… She could save him, too.”
“Absolutely the fuck not,” Felix replied, crossing his arms. “Your friend is not our problem.”
But behind him, Isolde had already risen to her feet. “I’ll help if I can,” she said quietly.
