The tirade of bullets continued, but she knew they wouldn’t last long. The human camp wasn’t stocked with ammunition. They’d come to settle a planet, not to start a war. Her father would soon realise that he was wasting precious bullets.
Sloane felt a light tap against her boot and glanced down to see a bullet lying on the ground right by her foot. She frowned as she realised her left foot was sticking out slightly from the protection of the shield, and she quickly pulled it back behind the cover. She couldn’t tell if the bullet had hit her foot, but she had felt no pain. She looked down at the Oblivion Stone that hung around her neck. It was still glowing a bright green colour and seemed to be throbbing with even more energy than before. She didn’t have time to consider what had happened though, as the gunfire suddenly ceased.
‘Attack!’ a voice roared the order from the trees, and Sloane glanced over her shield just as the humans started to charge forwards. She quickly ducked back behind her shield and stared at the detonator she held in her quivering hand. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, but she had to if she was going to stop this battle. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and pressed the trigger.
The five bombs all exploded at once, and a deafening roar filled the air and shook every corner of the clearing. Rhyn and Elyx stumbled back behind their shields, but Sloane was barely rattled by the blast. She could feel the force of the explosion crashing against her shield, but it seemed to disperse immediately, like a wave flowing over an immovable rock. She took a deep breath in as she imagined the horror she would face when she looked out beyond her shield.
A shout brought Sloane to her senses, and she looked up as the Unfaih warriors began to charge towards the human soldiers. Rhyn and Elyx flew past her, and it took her a second to register what was happening, but she quickly grabbed her sword, jumped to her feet and started running with them.
Smoke screened the edge of the woods, and flames burnt a trail along the ground in front of the trees. There was no telling how many soldiers had survived the blast, and Sloane felt completely numb as she raced towards whoever remained.
She could already hear the clash of metal, the screams of pain and the bellows of challenge coming from the woods. But her ears were still ringing from the explosions, and all she could focus on was the stench of death that permeated the air around her.
She raced into the smoke, which stung her eyes and scorched her throat. It was impossible to see anything other than the hazy shadows of men and Unfaih fighting, but the sounds of battle still drifted through the air. When she emerged from the smoke, out into the trees, Sloane stopped running and coughed violently to clear her lungs.
She could see the world more clearly now. The battle raged on, and the humans that remained were fighting valiantly against the Unfaih. Wisps of smoke twisted and coiled between the trees, making it difficult for the humans to see their opponents and use their guns effectively. Even when they did fire on the Unfaih, the warriors were so fast that they managed to avoid the bullets and quickly take their assailant down.
Up ahead of her, Sloane saw Rhyn with his sword drawn. He darted around the soldiers that tried to face him, ducking and weaving as they hopelessly sprayed bullets at him. When he got close enough, they didn’t stand a chance. His movements were seamless, and there was a kind of savage beauty to the way he fought. It didn’t matter that he was facing multiple opponents. He moved with so much swiftness and certainty that it seemed as though he were only fighting one. Sloane could watch him fight all day, but she knew the battle wasn’t Rhyn’s to fight alone.
As she surveyed the rest of the battlefield, Sloane could already tell the humans were quickly being overcome, and some were retreating into the trees. Her bombs had succeeded in thinning out their numbers almost completely, and she couldn’t believe there were so few left behind.
She kept looking for her brother or father but couldn’t see them anywhere in the melee. There was a man towards the back of the group shouting orders at the soldiers from deeper in the woods, but she’d never seen him before and had no idea who he was.
Her stomach started twisting in knots. Had Ash and the Captain died, or had they not even bothered to come? She was filled with a combination of guilt and fear as she imagined telling Rowe that she had killed their father and brother.
A soldier rushed at Sloane, pulling her from her thoughts. He raised his gun as he ran and fired directly at her, but Sloane lifted her shield just in time to deflect the bullets. She stepped forwards to meet him as he swung the butt of his gun at her head, but she was far too fast, and she quickly ducked under his attack. She brought up her shield as she rose again and slammed it across his face.
He tumbled to the ground, but Sloane didn’t bother to see if he got up again. She was already on the hunt for another target as she moved deeper into the woods. She stopped in her tracks though as she heard a cheer rise up from the humans. Between the trees in the distance, Sloane could see more soldiers coming their way.
She swore, before turning to the warriors who still fought. ‘Fall back!’ she bellowed in Unfaih, her voice carrying through the trees. ‘Fall back to the rift!’
The Unfaih didn’t hesitate to respond, and they sprinted back through the smoke towards the clearing. Sloane watched as the remaining human soldiers staggered back into the woods to join the incoming reinforcements.
The Unfaih had defeated the first group of men in combat with ease, but she had no idea how many more waves of soldiers her father had at his disposal. The Unfaih wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever.
She turned and ran back to the clearing. The warriors had resumed their defensive formation in front of the rift, and Rhyn stood out in front of them, waiting for her to arrive.
‘There’s another group of soldiers coming,’ Sloane said, as she fell in beside him. She swore under her breath again. She’d been stupid to set the bombs off so soon. There hadn’t been nearly enough men charging towards them, and she should have guessed her father would attack in waves.
The smoke from the explosions was still dispersing when the full force of the human army appeared at the edge of the woods. Sloane couldn’t see fear or uncertainty in the eyes of these soldiers as she had in the first wave, and they didn’t have the same look of exhaustion as the others. They hadn’t had to deal with the traps the first group had, and there wasn’t any apprehension as they stared down the warriors that guarded the rift.
Sloane stiffened as the soldiers slowly stood aside and her father emerged at the front of their ranks, with Ash walking next to him. The sight of them there together rekindled her hatred for the Captain, and she glared across the distance between them.
Ash at least seemed somewhat guilty as his gaze roamed the clearing he’d helped destroy. She knew he wouldn’t be able to ignore the motionless bodies or the splatters of blood that tinged the grass. Not a flicker of emotion appeared on her father’s face though as he stared out at them. He looked at the clearing blankly, and when his eyes landed on Sloane, he laughed out loud.
‘This is the great alien army we are to fear?’ he taunted, his voice carrying easily across the battlefield. ‘Led by a pathetic teenage girl.’
Sloane held her sword tighter, knowing her silence would only antagonise him more.
‘Don’t tell me you actually think you can beat us,’ he yelled.
Still, she remained silent, her eyes narrowing on her father as she waited for his next move.
He pulled the gun from his side and aimed it towards her. His one action caused a ripple effect, and the soldiers standing with him lifted their guns in unison. The Unfaih warriors all raised their shields in defence, but Sloane left hers hanging at her side as she continued to meet her father’s stare.
‘Move aside, Sloane,’ he said, waving his gun at her. ‘If you let us pass, I may consider granting you amnesty. I doubt it, after all the trouble you’ve caused. But if you don’t move, you know I will shoot you.’
Sloane stood strong. Shoot me,
she dared him with her eyes.
‘I will not warn you again, Sloane. Move, or die.’
She had no intention of moving though. Not when the man responsible for all the devastation around them stood so close to her. A smirk lit her lips, and before she could reconsider, she dropped her shield to the ground, gripped her sword tightly and started running towards her father.
Seeing Sloane take one step forwards was all the Captain needed to pull the trigger on his gun. A shot rang through the air, and the entire clearing echoed with the reverberating sound. Sloane felt the bullet strike her shoulder, and she slightly recoiled like she’d been hit with a firm punch. But the shell didn’t penetrate her skin; it flicked off her and fell to the ground.
Sloane came to a halt halfway between the Unfaih ranks and the tree line where her father stood. The clearing was silent, as though everyone was holding their breath. She glanced down at her shoulder and could see no sign of injury. There wasn’t even a scratch on her jacket where the bullet had struck. A part of her struggled to believe that she hadn’t been injured, but Sloane could see the Oblivion Stone’s bright green glow bursting through her shirt, and she knew it was working.
She looked up again with renewed vigour as she charged towards her father. Another gunshot rang out across the clearing, followed by another and then another. She felt a blow to her stomach and two on her chest, but none of the bullets pierced her skin.
A smile formed on her lips, and there was a dark gleam in her eyes. A look of horror and confusion covered her father’s face, and he wasn’t the only one. The soldiers standing beside him suddenly looked scared, and several took a few steps backwards as Sloane stormed towards them.
‘Attack!’ her father yelled, causing the soldiers behind him to surge into action. The men raced forwards; their guns stretched out before them as they unleashed a barrage of ammunition at their enemy. Sloane could hear the metal pings of their bullets meeting the Unfaih shields behind her, and she felt the pounds of shells ricocheting off her body again and again, but it didn’t slow her down—and it didn’t take long for the Unfaih to respond.
Sloane heard Rhyn yell an order and she looked up to see arrows sailing majestically through the sky above her head before they hurtled down towards the soldiers who were running out of the trees and across the clearing. The arrows hit their targets with a stream of piercing thuds, and screams filled the air as men started crumbling to the ground. The humans who weren’t hit didn’t falter though and continued onwards at a run, still battering the Unfaih shields with a torrent of bullets.
A battle cry rose up behind Sloane, and the sound of a hundred Unfaih warriors charging forwards rumbled across the clearing, almost drowning out the sound of the soldiers’ fire. It didn’t take long for the warriors to catch up with Sloane, and in the blink of an eye, they were ahead of her, using their shields for protection as they raced at the human army.
She caught sight of some Unfaih warriors falling into the dirt as they were struck, but she kept her eyes firmly locked on her father. He was the one she was after. He was the one who could stop the battle once and for all.
The Unfaih reached the first line of humans, and the sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the clearing as the two groups collided. Sloane had been watching her father closely, but he was blocked from view by a wall of human soldiers as the battle exploded around her.
A man flung himself at her, a bloodied dagger in his hand, but she grabbed his wrist and used his own momentum to twist it behind his back. The distinctive crack of his arm breaking was followed by a cry of pain. She shoved him out of the way, not bothering to look back as she forged deeper into the carnage.
Another soldier stepped into her path with his gun raised, but Sloane barely broke her stride. He fired at her, but each bullet that hit her body dropped uselessly to the ground. He flung the gun aside and pulled a knife from his belt. He sent the blade spinning through the air towards her, but she knocked it to the ground with her sword.
She continued to sprint towards him, and the man’s eyes widened as she leapt into the air and brought the hilt of her sword down on his head, sending him crashing to the ground.
She pressed on through the crowds, trying to catch sight of her father again. She moved quickly as she fought her way through the chaos, systematically disposing of anyone who dared to stand in her way. As she barrelled past another attacking soldier, she spotted her father waiting at the edge of the clearing, standing back from the fighting as he watched the battle with disinterested eyes. The sight of him spurred her to move faster. She shut out the sounds of combat that filled the air around her and rushed straight for him.
As she neared him, Ash stepped out in front of the Captain. He glanced over his shoulder at their father, nodding to him, before turning his gaze back to Sloane as he drew his sword.
She slowed down and gritted her teeth when she saw the weapon. It wasn’t just any sword; it was her sword. The sight of it in Ash’s hands made her want to kill him. He paced into the clearing towards her, his face a mask of stone as he ignored the fighting around him, his eyes only looking at Sloane.
He came to a stop in front of her. ‘You don’t want to do this, Sloane,’ Ash warned.
‘Oh, I think I do,’ she replied, watching his every move. They shifted around each other at a distance, both of them waiting for the other to strike first.
‘There are too many of us. You should step aside and let us pass,’ he said. ‘You’ve never won against me before.’
‘And you haven’t fought me in years,’ she growled. She could feel her anger threatening to burst from beneath her skin, and she desperately tried to keep it in check. If she let her anger get the better of her, she might make a mistake. She needed to be at her best if she was going to beat her brother.
Ash lunged, but Sloane darted out of the way of his sword with lightning speed. He overbalanced slightly, and she threw a kick into his gut before she darted back out of the way again. The kick was far more powerful than she had expected, and Ash lurched backwards. He shot Sloane a glare, but her eyes were fully focused on watching her brother’s sword as she waited for his next move.
He lunged again, and his sword struck hers, only she couldn’t feel the weight of the blow. She easily deflected the attack, and Ash’s sword rebounded forcefully as she cast it off. The defence had been far too easy, and as she snuck a look down at her chest, Sloane could see the Oblivion Stone was glowing brighter than ever before.
Her brother growled at her, pulling her attention from the stone, and threw himself into a series of fast attacks. She could see the strength he was putting into each blow, but each one failed to trouble her. He was fast, but she’d been training with Rhyn who was much faster. She easily blocked every strike, and each parry seemed to send Ash staggering further and further back.
She could feel his frustration and anger building as his attempts to bring her down became more reckless and wild. He wasn’t defending himself properly, and instead, he was desperately swinging his sword with all his strength.
It felt like the Oblivion Stone was fuelling her every strike, and Sloane found it easy to fend off his attacks. But the fight still seemed to be taking its toll on her body, and she was starting to feel drained. She needed to defeat her brother fast before her exhaustion overwhelmed her.
She quickly switched her tactics and started to advance on Ash, turning defence into attack with one swift motion. Ash was clearly stunned by how fast Sloane had become since they had last fought, and he struggled to keep up as she moved from one strike to another in a seamless barrage of attacks. Every blow was crippling, and Ash crumbled beneath the power of each assault. But he continued standing to meet each one.
He was no match for her, but he was defiant and refused to submit. He weakened with each desperate parry though, until finally, she saw her opening. Sloane snaked her sword past his and pressed the tip to her brother’s throat.
Ash immediately dropped his sword
, raising his hands up in the air. As she stared into his eyes, she couldn’t believe that she had once looked up to him. When they were younger, all she had wanted was to be as fast and strong as her brother. But now she had surpassed him, and it didn’t make her feel any better.
She sprung forwards and slammed the hilt of her sword against his head. Ash dropped to the ground in a heap. It was better if he was unconscious so that he didn’t get himself into trouble. As angry as Sloane felt towards him, she didn’t want him dead.
Before she could turn around, she felt the barrel of a gun press firmly against the back of her head.
‘Drop your sword,’ her father growled.
Without a second’s thought, Sloane quickly swivelled and flung her arm up in an attempt to pivot his weapon away.
But the gun went off before she could reach it and the thunderous bang reverberated through her entire body. All breath left her lungs and she squinted her eyes closed as she felt the blast slam into the back of her head.
The sounds of fighting surrounding her dulled and time seemed to slow as she took another breath in, wondering if it would be her last. But the agonising feeling of the bullet piercing her skull never came. As she slowly blinked her eyes open, the sound of the raging battle came back into focus and she ever so slowly turned to face her father.
He stood with his eyes wide, and his gun still pointed in her direction. The look of shock on his face gave her a small surge of satisfaction, but it didn’t last for long. She watched as his finger moved to pull the trigger on the gun again, but she darted forwards before he could get a chance and slammed the hilt of her sword down on his wrist. The gun dropped to the floor, and in another fluid motion, Sloane kicked the Captain’s stomach, sending him flying to the ground.
He landed in the dirt, his usually perfect hair falling over his eyes. Sloane paced towards him as he struggled to get back to his feet. Before he could rise again, she lifted her sword to his throat, a gloating smile on her lips. ‘Surrender,’ she said.
The Oblivion Stone (The Liftsal Guardians Book 3) Page 24