The monsters surged up the hill, blocking out Kojas’ delirious laughter. Seth shouted, “Stay together, don’t get separated!”
A troll charged at me and I jumped to the side. I looked up and saw that Emily, Jason, and Seth had been swallowed by the rushing creatures.
So much for that plan.
“Emily!” I yelled but my voice was drowned out. I saw a flash of fire off to the side. Emily was fine.
I twisted around so that the troll charged past me. I turned and plunged my knife into its back before it could respond and it fell to the ground. I felt pain flare in my right foot and looked down to see a frost beast with its teeth in my leg. When I tried to pull away, in bit down harder.
“Ow,” I yelped. “Ow,ow,ow, get the heck off me!”
I slashed downward and the frost beast let go of my leg. It zipped between my legs and launched itself at my left leg. I stepped to the side and slammed my foot on the beast’s back. It yipped and went still.
I raced through the crowds, jumping and ducking. I looked over my shoulder and up the hill, wishing I could escape all the bodies that were pressed together in combat. Then I rammed into one.
“What the heck?”
I fell on my butt and blinked as Jason picked himself off the ground. “Sorry,” I said and stood up.
“Watch where you’re going… Jazell, look out!” Jason suddenly yelled.
I dove onto the ground and felt the monster brush past me. I looked up to see Jason rolling on the ground before jumping on the faery jerk’s back. He yelled at Jason right before I saw the knife disappear somewhere in his neck. The faery’s yells turned to screams and then nothing. He fell to the ground and Jason brushed himself off.
“You okay, Jazell?” he asked me and held out a hand.
I took his hand and he pulled me up. “Yup, I’m just peachy.”
“At least you can use sarcasm in a time like this,” he said and started to fight his way through the crowd. I followed him quickly. I had no desire to become separated again.
“When can’t you use sarcasm?” I asked loudly.
He didn’t reply to me because he had spotted Emily. She was slowly backing up with her palms out. Fire danced from her fingertips and twisted towards the troll and frost beast. The beast breathed and ice sprayed from its mouth. Emily moved her hand over and the ice evaporated into mist. She was holding up fine but I didn’t know how much longer.
I strung my bow and released an arrow. It pierced the frost beast’s pelt and it fell to the ground. Emily turned to me with huge, confused eyes. She mouthed the words, thank you.
I nodded in response. Jason threw his knife at the troll and it landed in its leg. The troll collapsed on the ground and Emily raised her hands in the air. The ground rumbled and the troll disappeared in the dirt.
I ran over to her and hugged her. “Thank goodness we found you.” I looked at her pale face and frowned. “Are you okay?”
She nodded vigorously. “Yes, it’s just hard work to use my magic. I need a lot of concentration.”
We all ducked behind a half-dead tree to escape from the swarms of monsters. We were breathing heavily. I leaned my head against the tree’s cold bark, wanting to disappear from it all.
“Where’s Seth?” Emily asked.
I raised my head. “We haven’t found him yet.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean, you haven’t found him yet?”
“I crashed into Jazell, who was doing, like, forty,” Jason pointed to me. “Then we both found you fighting beasts with your fiery fingertips of death.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Fiery fingertips of death?”
“Hey,” he shrugged, “Jazell’s sarcasm is contagious.”
“Anyway, we better find Seth before he gets into some serious trouble,” I said, and walked off.
I went farther down the hill and the fighting spread out more. I tripped on a dead root and cursed as I stood back up. The slope started to even out more and the trees popped up again.
Be careful.
I stopped. The voice had come out of nowhere.
The time is near. The voice whispered as faintly as the breeze.
What, I thought, was that?
You must stop it.
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I’m sick and tired of your riddles, whoever you are. Just give me a straight answer or I can’t do anything.
It all comes down to this.
What is coming? I cried out in frustration.
It didn’t reply to me again, so I continued to walk down the hill. What did I have to stop? What was so important? Why wasn’t I allowed a straight answer in this stupid world?
I heard a faint clang ahead. I walked faster and with ever step the noise got louder. When the ground became completely flat, I stopped at the scene in front of me.
Seth spun around, bringing his sword up to block Kojas’ swords. Kojas pulled his swords back and slashed through the air. Seth ducked and stabbed at his opponents’ middle. Kojas brought his sword down and swiped Seth’s. It twisted out of Seth’s grip and fell to the ground.
I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. I was frozen in fear. Seth dashed to his sword, hand out stretched. Then Kojas raised a hand and something dark shot out of it. It slammed into Seth’s side and he fell to the ground.
NO! I wanted to scream. NO, Seth!
I saw Seth squirm as Kojas walked towards him. I heard him chuckle.
“Seth,” Kojas said. “Seth, oh when will you learn?”
Seth groaned and grabbed at his sword, but Kojas kicked it away. Then he slashed his sword across Seth’s face. I saw the thin blue line well up on his cheek.
Kojas laughed. “You can’t beat me; you can never be safe.”
Seth pushed himself up and dove for his sword, which was off to the side. Kojas flicked his sword down and I saw Seth flinch. He looked at his arm in amazement where a deep cut had sliced through his clothes. He pressed his fingers on his arm to stop the blood and continued to scoot towards the sword.
Kojas stepped to the side and blocked his path. Seth gazed up at him and I saw his eyes blaze in hate. “What do you want?” he snarled.
“Seth, I think you know what I want.”
“Never!”
The faery chuckled and I saw his greasy hair bounce up and down. “You seriously think that I assumed you would walk away with me? Oh, I had no intention of it being this simple.”
I knew what he meant, and I yanked my bow off. I pulled my arrow out and notched it, aiming it at Kojas’ back.
“Jazell, wait!”
I didn’t turn around as Emily and Jason skidded to a halt behind me. I didn’t drop my bow either.
“Wait Jazell,” she panted.
I tightened my grip. “Why? He’s going to try to take Seth. We have to stop him.”
Then I released my arrow.
It’s an understatement to say all hell broke loose. In my opinion, it was way crazier than that. Kojas sidestepped my arrow and it disappeared somewhere in the trees. Emily raised her hands and roots twisted upward, trying to encase Kojas but he kept slashing them away. Jason attempted to distract him by running around throwing knives at him but I think Jason was too busy ducking the black stuff that shot out of Kojas’ hands.
I ran right past all of them and towards Seth. I knelt down and smacked him across his good cheek.
“Ow, what was that for?” he grunted. “I don’t have enough bruises for your liking?”
“That’s for being a jerk and not telling us you were going to fight Kojas on your own,” I said angrily.
“Hey in my defense, he found me first.”
I opened my mouth to say something smart, but I hear Emily scream. I turned around to see Jason crash into a tree and not move. Seth jumped up and grabbed his sword from the ground. He ran for Kojas.
Kojas turned around and looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He raised his sword to block Seth’s blow. Seth pulled back and parried Kojas’ swing.
She looked up and nodded to me. I turned back around to see Kojas slash Seth across the stomach.
That’s when I screamed.
Seth fell to his knees, holding his midsection. His sword fell out of his grip and to the ground. Kojas grinned in triumph and kicked Seth to the ground. I screamed again, when he didn’t move.
“At last,” Kojas breathed.
“Monster!” I cried. “You’re a monster!”
He didn’t answer me. I looked up the hill to see a bunch of faery jerks running down the hill towards us. Emily stood in front of Jason and raised her hands. I notched an arrow and aimed.
Dust kicked up everywhere as I aimed blindly. I heard one of them shout out in pain. I shot another and another, anger burning through me.
Stop him.
I turned around and saw Seth’s body through the dust. He looked up at me and mouthed, Jazell.
“Seth!” I yelled.
Then the dust and darkness swallowed him up until I couldn’t see him at all.
Epilogue
Fall of Igneeria: The Half-ling Page 28