Page 99 of A Warrior's Heart
Malik fought in front of me, slashing men with his sword. Blood splattered on his face as he sliced off a soldier’s head. Even though we were holding our own for the time being, we couldn’t last long. There were too many men.
“You can’t win!” King James exclaimed above the noise of the fighting. “Surrender!”
Lorcan threw a dagger at him in response. Ezra flicked the blade away with his magic before it could reach the human king.
“Re!” Shar yelled, driving his sword into a man’s chest before running toward Nereus.
Nereus fought three men at once, blocking hits and dealing his own. He killed one of them before being hit in the back with a shield. He cried out and swung his sword, slashing it across the man’s neck.
Shar reached him moments later, and they fought together.
Ervin clashed swords with Roan, the one who had betrayed us. The fight didn’t last long. Ervin dodged a blow, then he sliced Roan in half from the waist up. Blood splattered as the assassin’s body collapsed into two pieces, and my stomach rolled. Enemy or not, the violence made me feel ill.
Lorcan reached into his pouch and cursed. “I’m out of knives.”
“Use the trident!” Alek shouted as he ducked beneath a swing aimed at his neck.
“I… I don’t know how.” Lorcan stared at the weapon.
“Now is a good time to learn!” Eva said before using the sword Malik bought for her to deflect a hit to her chest. Cain, though injured, fought at her side.
“Poseidon was called Earth-shaker,” Alek told him. “The sea is not the only place the trident holds power.”
As the battle raged around us, Lorcan closed his eyes. An enemy soldier ran at him, and I shot the man with an arrow before shooting another. Ezra locked blades with Malik, and my stomach rolled with nerves. More men ran from the trees, charging at us. In seconds, we would be overrun.
And then Lorcan slammed the trident into the sand.
A blast of energy sent the army flying backward. Their bodies hit the trees at such a force that I heard their spines crack. The ground rumbled and started to shake, causing the remaining standing men to lose their balance. The quake didn’t last long, but it was the advantage we needed.
“Retreat!” Lorcan exclaimed.
It was our one chance to escape.
Malik grabbed my arm as we ran toward the woods on the left. In the trees, we’d be able to conceal ourselves better. All was not lost. Not yet. As we ran, I glanced around, checking to see that everyone was with us. Apart from the assassins who were killed in the ambush, no one had fallen. Many of us were injured, but alive.
Thank the gods.
The enemy force pursued us, their steps growing closer.
“Do not let them escape!” King James shouted.
“Lorcan?” Alek caught him as he slowed and started to slump forward.
“Using the power of the trident came with a price,” Eva said, then spouted off obscenities. “His body isn’t accustomed to magic yet.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means that instead of his body and the trident working in harmony, they clashed. Using it drained his energy.”
“We haven’t the time for this.” Malik picked up Lorcan and threw him over his shoulder. “We have to hurry. They’re not far behind us.”
My legs burned as we ran, and I struggled catching my breath. I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. The enemy was hot on our heels. If we could only reach the other side of the woods, we could board the ship and leave.
Branches creaked overhead, and I looked up as two men jumped down from the tree. Ervin drove his sword into one while Shar killed the other.
“Those bastards are quick,” Shar said. “Using the trees to find us faster.”
“Watch out!” I exclaimed as I saw a third man in the tree. An archer.
