Beware the Ills: Part 40

The howling stretches animal-like and wild. The axe guides her, hammering ice as she runs. Her strength brews water clouds. I follow her spring from the riverbank towards me. Someone else screams. It’s him, the pale dying one, he’s still alive. He charges me swinging that knife in wild and undisciplined slashes, like he wants to die. He knows it. I knock the knife away with my sword. The curved eyelash of metal falls into the water casually. He’s coughing up blood and panting like an animal. I pull him close to me as he staggers. My gloved hand wraps around his throat. I stand up straight and hold him high. We have nearly the same build, the same features, it’s eerie. His eyes are glossy and fading into a faraway blue. I pull him close to the Untaro fur shielding my left shoulder and back. I know it feels warm to him, I know it. He’s gasping at me. I shake my head. He smiles slightly. I open my mouth to speak to him, but her screaming interrupts. She’s coming.

I stab him through the heart. I should’ve cut off his head to demoralize the grunts, but I couldn’t do it for some reason.

The men on the shore yell and scream. The ice veers up as she lands behind me. I turn. The air swirls in front of me. The axe twirls too. I throw the man on the outside of the plate into the trickling black water. He deserves some type of burial, and this is more than I usually give for the dead. I retreat from the bloody stain below my feet, leaping backwards onto more ice sheets. She’s covered in bandages, but still looks monstrous, fiery, and wild. I still can’t believe she wields the massive axe. It’s very ridiculous. She’s gaining on me as I retreat. I’m moving towards the largest plates of ice. She won’t be able to shake or bend them. The axe blade whistles towards me, I can’t run anymore. I swing my blade crossways connecting with her wild slashes. I give it all my strength, and I match the direction of her slash. It will take some of the momentum away. Sparks boil and the force shatters the ice beneath our feet. She’s beautiful. I break the clash and push her away with my foot.

I don’t kick or punch her. I don’t know why.

I hear something in the woods behind me. Someone’s moving inside the trees on the eastern shore. It’s not Blue, or the Ills. I break from her as she re-establishes herself, and I sprint to the eastern side of the river where I was standing before. Something’s moving shadowy and quick. I see a large form swinging a muddled hand. It’s Haukter. Something red and wild bursts towards me from the forest line. I feel the pressure and the air changing. I need to move. She’s on top of me again though, and my sword swings up to meet her latest strike.

We lock again.

It’s in my neck, in the skin beneath my hair, between my armor. It’s a brown dart with red feathers. I bite my tongue under the pain and blood simmers in my mouth. Blue roars. I twist with all my strength and send her toppling in a bandaged, blue glowing mess. She lands on her feet not far away. I pick the dart out of my neck in a bloody pop. Blood trickles down onto my back. Poison, the poison from the valley, how did he know? I must control my blood; stop it from assimilating this vileness. The world flows uneven and rushing, all the whiteness and evening light mixing over the black-broken river. I hear arrows firing towards us. The sound doesn’t match the world around me. I look back towards the shore. He’s gone.

How did he hit me? She’s running at me again. I have nowhere to go. I match her swing. I can barely stop it. I kick her in the stomach quickly. That’s the last of it, the last of my strength. I fall to one knee on the drifting ice. The snow falls delicately, it looks more detailed to me for some reason. I hear men yelling. She’s screaming. Something roars beside me. I’m off the ground. I cannot stay awake.

How did Haukter hit me?     

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.

The conclusion of this battle scene. So much more to come. Just scratching the surface of the Cursed Island.

#writing #reading #fiction #books #novels #horror #fantasy #darkfantasy #steampunk

https://patrickwmarshauthor.wordpress.com/2026/04/24/beware-the-ills-part-40/

Dylan Cody, author of How to Build a Champion #novels

http://wakingwriter.com/2026/04/24/dylan-cody-author-of-how-to-build-a-champion/

#LGBTQ related #Wikipedia article created 11 hours ago

When the Harvest Comes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Harvest_Comes
When the Harvest Comes: A Novel is the 2025 debut novel of American writer and editor Denne Michele Norris

#American #2020s #Novels #AfricanAmerican

12 Novels About Journey and #transformation

A reflective look at #novels about #journey and transformation, from quiet literary pilgrimages to stories where place reshapes identity.

https://mactubpub.blog/2026/04/24/novels-about-journey-and-transformation/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Se una volta pensavi di avere letto tutti ho libri, questo è quello che ti e rimasto dietro!📍 Date release: Junio 15, 2026.

#TheWistle #novels #BriqueandBoisPress #ladyangelaiii

Se una volta pensavi di avere letto tutti ho libri, questo è quello che ti e rimasto dietro!📍 Date release: Junio 15, 2026.

#TheWistle #novels #BriqueandBoisPress #ladyangelaiii

There's a meme about opening the nearest book at page 42 and chosing a good sentence. It's my The Crooked Medium's Guide to Murder,

The speaker is notorious medium and MC, Mrs Ashton.

"Her client had taken the bait, and with fashionable hypocrisy, intended to evade her brutal husband's orders".

Yup, that's the book in a sentence

#books #reading #writing #novels