Beware the Ills: Part 36
Blue has collapsed on the troops north of me like fire on ice. They look like tiny little toys before him. His nails, thick as iron and sharp as diamond, form a talon whirlwind blurring around his shape. They fire arrows at him in the maelstrom, but he keeps his left shoulder hugged to his face. A few arrows have pierced his hide and blood smears on him. The arrows don’t slow his relent, and his nails rip strips of skin with lines of red tissue dangling off. Normally, he’s not this wild, but he may be blood drunk. I should allow him more activity at healthier intervals. He’s driven most of the men around him into the woods to recuperate and strategize. We’ve done well with our kill ratio, but there are still many more left alive.
A sole arrow whistles at me from behind. I can feel the splitting pressure of it. I turn barely in time and knock it away with my blade. The arrow falls steaming into the river snow.
The man with the spear has fired it. A nice shot.
He’s standing on the river, quiet and stern. The shore next to him brims with his troops and machines. The surface of the river has cracked and sways under his weight. They’re making some formation on the shore, some pointless maneuver.
He stares at me, the pale scarred snake.
“Halt,” he yells towards his troops. His voice sounds thicker than I thought. Still no sign of his partner.
“He’s my opponent, I will not share him,” he barks.
I watch him carefully, waiting for a trap or plan. I’m cold, but my back sweats steam. I never would sweat like this before. Blue’s still attacking their flank on the shore. They’ve surrounded him in a wide circle. They’re too scared to jump in the blood-ring with him. Men are screaming, their arrows are rattling.
“Halt!”
The ants slow their slashes and arrows. Blue tears one of their faces off with his right paw. The soldier screams then gurgles. Another one comes to his aid and gets torn in half.
How embarrassing.
“Blue!” I yell. He has grabbed another man with his left paw, which completely covers the soldier’s face. He pulls his head off and bounds onto the river in bubbly bounces. He leaves red paw prints as he runs. The headless body he just produced pools an eloquent red smear. Blue’s covered in blood. I wonder if he’s surprised to hear me yell his name.
I don’t think I’ve said it in years.
“I prefer an unspoiled conflict,” the man with the spear whispers. His voice has a husky highness at the end of it, like he’s asking a question.
I don’t say anything. I will not say anything. I walk out onto the shifting white plates of ice. They stir and sway on the black trickling water. The grunts bristle and murmur in the background.
I’ll kill all of them. This is ridiculous.
“We learned your language, you see. We captured one of your ships ages and ages ago.” Blue makes a throaty growl behind me.
“You can understand me, can’t you?”
I begin to walk closer to him. I leap to the closest shield of ice. He crouches down slightly, judging my distance with the pointed hook of his spear.
“I’m glad we could meet like this, they talked about you in legend, and you’re a worthy opponent.”
More circling, and more walking around the flattened ice looking at one another. Blue has withdrawn from the shore. He’s behind me now, balancing his presence on the river. Good boy. After I kill this man, the ants will try and storm us from the shore. We won’t have a chance on the river with this host of troops. We’ll withdraw into the forest to wait and stalk. We’re invincible in the underbrush.
“Where I’m from, where I was bred, it’s impolite to not greet your opponent.”
I stop walking on the snow encrusted ice. That’s the best reaction I can give him.
It pleases him well enough. He smiles back. It’s less of a smile and more of a dried smirk. I’m not overly confident in this situation. I’m always calculating. He wants some distance for the first collision. He’s got the advantage with the length of his weapon. I check the shore for her blond hair and pale skin. Nothing there, just this man and his drones, and that’ll have to do.
I’ll be releasing my novel Beware the Ills in segments every Friday. You can find out more about the book right here, or check out Amazon’s info. I love this book. Happy to simply share it.
#books #darkfantasy #fantasy #fiction #horror #novels #reading #steampunk #writing
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