Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The screeching feedback was almost enough to send the rage bubbling beneath soaring to the surface. I ducked my head, grimacing, trying desperately to stay focused and keep my place behind Nick.

I reached out and placed my off-hand on his back, using him for balance as we pushed across the bridge. There was a flash of motion, followed by an icy sting. Something warm trickled down my face.

Theyre shooting at us

An arrow had grazed me, inches from my eye.

A cold, muted terror mingled with the rage still roiling in my gut. Ranged attacks were a massive problem. Nick only had one shield, and with the way this was developing, they had too many vantages for him to shield us all. I searched for the source of the projectile. There were five figures in all. Two swordsmen, a large brute wielding an axe towards the center, and two archers positioned at the back of the circular platform.

Buff me! I held my saber back towards Sae.

Ice or poison? Sae yelled back.

Theres insect theming. Poison resistance is more likely than frost.

Ice.

A spiderweb of blue clouded my previously reflective blade, dulling its shine.

Archers are top priority! We need to I bit my tongue from the impact as Nick bowled full force into the single swordsman restricting access to the arena. Then, with an ungodly amount of force, he swung his shield arm out. The swordsman flew up in an uncontrolled rag-doll, arms pinwheeling in the air. It landed head first, its head impacting the ground and immediately jutting sideways at a sickening angle.

Before I could even process what happened, Talia jumped off Nicks shoulders, landing full force on the axe-wielding figure and sinking her teeth into his neck, yanking her head back and forth in an attempt to rend flesh free.

The sudden brutality of it was paralyzing. Of all the situations Id been in, the closest to this in terms of chaos was the aftermath of setting the Gnolls against each other. The difference was, I was in control then.

Do something. You had a plan. Stick to it.

I slingshotted around Nick and sprinted towards one archer. I was far slower than I would have been normally. The platform was circling just fast enough that any quick movement was difficult. flared.

I bent my knees and leapt as high as I could.

A double-sided axe-head swung low, blisteringly fast, cutting a horizontal swipe where my knees were only moments before. The resulting gust of wind spun me, and I landed hard on my back, wind knocked out of my lungs.

The axe-wielder had ignored the larger, stronger enemy tearing at his throat and targeted me instead. It made no sense, unlessnove(l)bi(n.)com

Even if he had heard me, he wouldnt make it in time.

Golden sparks rained down over both Sae and her assailant before the archer, now standing, could line up a kill shot. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jinny panting, leaning heavily on her staff.

I was at a loss. If I went for Sae, the remaining archer would shoot me in the back. If I went for the archer, Jinnys spell would fade, and Sae was dead. I could try for a lucky shot, but I was far out of the effective range.

Jinny and Sae can both overcharge their spells at the cost of mana. Im not a traditional caster, but I have access to spells. The same principle should apply to me.

The slightest nerve, hesitation, or doubt could ruin everything. I sunk deep into Suddenly, everything lost its edge. It didnt matter if I failed. I reached out to Nick with imparting as much calm into the spell as I could as I sent him the image of Sae on the ground.

Then I turned and faced the remaining archer. He was already pulling the bowstring back. I couldnt see his eyes, but if I could, I imagined one of them would have been squeezed shut.

How long had I spent living in fear? Before, it was fear of sickness, fear of failure, fear of being trapped forever in a life I loathed. But things were different now. Whether as a stroke of luck or a turn of cruel irony, Id been given the ability to change fate. To stack the deck in my favor.

I reached out with But instead of releasing the spell, I held on to it. It was almost imperceptible, but there was a tightness in my hand that grew warm, then unbearably hot. My vision swam.

The archer released his arrow.

I could see everything.

Where it would hit, the velocity, exactly where it would land.

The split-second extended onward into eternity as the arrow spiraled toward me.

I took a half-step to the side and brought my palm up, its shaft grazing against my glove as I adjusted the arrows trajectory ever-so-slightly and released the spell.

Time sped up again, blisteringly fast compared to the snails pace just moments ago. The arrow flew directly towards the axe-wielder, who had just dislodged Talia, and was in the midst of a massive backswing. The arrowhead pinged off his axe at an angle, now twisting wildly in the air like a fumbled football, arcing over the center gap.

Finally, the arrows serrated point sunk deep into the head of the archer standing over Sae.

But it wasnt over yet.

Jinnys magic faded away. The second archer screeched and released his draw, the shot going wide and landing with a thump in one of the swordsmans back.

My vision tunneled to a pinprick as I gasped for air, throwing myself in a staggering run towards the archer before he could nock another arrow.

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