Page 100 of Fractured Souls

Alexis tried to slip out of Nythian’s grasp, but he held her tighter. “What are you doing?” he growled.

“Getting ready for a fight. There’s only one way out, isn’t there?” Her hand dropped to the butt of her plasma gun.

“There’s no way I’m letting you go out there with those crazy Tharians all over the place.” Nythian’s jaw tightened. “We’re going up.”

“Up?” She glanced at the ceiling’s impossibly high dome. The opening was at least four stories above their heads.

“Get on my back, mind the swords, hold on tightly, one hand around my neck, legs around my middle, your other hand on your gun. If any of these acolytes show up, you shoot first and ask questions later. I know your aim is good, my love.”

“Nythian, how the hell are we going to get all the way up—”

“Alexis, do as I say,” he snapped, suddenly sounding like a goddamn drill sergeant. “We’re about to have company very soon. Have I ever let you down?”

“No,” she said softly, shaking her head in wonder. “You haven’t.”

“Then trust me. This is what I do.”

Without another word, she obeyed, climbing onto his back as he bent down slightly. She positioned herself over the long sheaths of his swords, curling one arm around his chest. Her legs clamped around his powerful body as he straightened and activated his helm, his face disappearing beneath seamless obsidian.

The doors burst open.

Before she had time to get comfortable, Nythian started to run, his strides wide and powerful. Stars, he was fast.

With his arms raised, he made a giant leap and for a moment they were flying, and Alexis’s eyes widened in horror as the solid stone walls loomed in front of them, but then…

Thud.

He stuck onto the wall like a damn gecko, only it wasn’t sticky finger-pads that kept them suspended.

It was his claws.

Nythian quickly hauled them up the curved walls, his black claws digging into the stone as easily as a knife into butter. His feet dug into the wall too, leaving small indents as he climbed higher and higher.

Muscles bunched and flexed. His powerful arms were like pistons. Alexis’s heart was in her mouth as she looked down.

Kordolians and Tharians flooded into the chamber in a maelstrom of violence.

These Tharians… they looked strange. Their faces were painted with black pigment that was concentrated around the eyes and mouth, giving them a decidedly ghoulish appearance. Like the Kordolians, they wore sleek obsidian armor, but they kept their hands bare, presumably so they could kill with a touch. Long staffs tipped with black blades were wielded with deadly intent. Several of the Tharians held plasma guns.

These were the acolytes, and if they got their way, they would destroy what was left of Tharian civilization.

Boom! Boom!

They fired at Ektans and his men as the Kordolians advanced, returning fire with deadly accuracy. Two of the Tharians fell, but a dozen more surged in to fill the void.

Boom! A bolt of blue plasma streaked past, narrowly missing one of the Tharians. It hit the wall, destroying intricate carvings and melting pink stone, leaving a curved hollow.

“No!” she yelled before she even realized what she was doing. “You can’t destroy the portal! Don’t shoot!”

Several of the Kordolians had their guns raised, ready to fire. The acolytes laughed and advanced on them, plasma guns raised.

“Idiots have given them our weapons.” Nythian said softly as he stole a quick glance at their enemies. He wasn’t even out of breath. Alexis felt as light as a feather on his back. “If you want to get rid of them without destroying the walls, you shoot them. You’ve got a good angle from up here.”

Her heart was racing, her hands trembled, and she was breathless, but, Alexis didn’t hesitate. She’d inherited Anuk’s knowledge… her consciousness, and somehow, she just knew how critical this moment was.

A switch flicked on inside her head. That old feeling returned, the feeling she got when shit was about to hit the fan and she had to do something... anything.

Autopilot kicked in. She raised her plasma gun. Everything became crystal clear. Time seemed to slow.

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