SWNOVELS Chapter 16: Surrounded
As we run deeper into the woods, I hear the sounds of the boots as they slowly begin to close the gap. This is just another reason why we’ve try to remain hidden. It’s not the will to fight or the ability that’s held me back.
It really comes down to simple numbers. While my knights and Fenris can easily handle themselves against large numbers of attackers, and I can as well, the problem lies in the fact that there will always be more of them than us.
Fenris quickly turns and charges back at our pursuers. I suddenly stop and turn to see him bowl into the group. The massive wolf grabs two of them with his tails and flings them away. A third is soon snatched up as Fenris tears into his shoulder, again tossing him away. The Hawkesvaine members that are left stand in fright in front of him.
I then hear the sounds of more people shouting as they try and encircle him. I peer to see the group that broke off from earlier arrive and start hurling spells and tossing chains around him, trying to ensnare him.
My hands ball in to fists. “No more running,” I say as I transform into a kitsune. “We fight them here and now.”
My knights nod and unsheathe their weapons. I feel magic swirling around me as I rush over to him, flinging kitsune-bi into the faces of several people. At first they swat them away, only to suddenly ignite, causing them to roll on the ground in agony.
Fenris looks up as I land softly on his back. We smile to each other, and stare back at our enemies. “You fight me here, you will lose,” I tell them. “Does Hawkesvaine really want to start a war with Colburn?”
One of them, an older man, stands up and looks at me. “We will do as we please,” he says, charging magic into his palms. “Colburn will fall, and your death will signal the great change in power amongst the covens.”
My tails flare outwards, fur bristling. “If my mother were here she’d rip you all to pieces for saying that.”
The man sneers, “But isn’t she dead, little fox princess?”
“I heard she went down crying like a bitch,” says another. “Weak and pathetic. I always believed the great Countess Rivenfeld to be some immovable titan. Only to be brought down so easily.”
My anger swells within me the more they badmouth my mother. My fingers dig deeply into my palms hard enough to draw blood.
“Aria,” says Fenris. “You must not allow them to taunt you into making a mistake.”
I peer back at him, seeing his ice-blue eyes shimmering gently. I take a breath, allowing myself to settle back down. I turn back towards them. “No more talking about my mother. You want me, then try and claim me.”
The men launch spells at me, forcing me to flip off Fenris’ back, only to yet again find another blast land at my back. I topple to the ground, and tumble, barely missing exposed roots and fallen tree limbs. I roll back into my feet as another person comes in and tries to strike me across the face. I dodge the blow and find myself in front of another. This one grabs my arm and pulls me in, landing a knee to the gut.
I stagger for but a moment, trying to catch my breath. I peer up just as he lunges at me with a knife. I sidestep him and wrap my tails around his wrist and using his momentum, hurl him to the ground. I then stomp on his face, knocking him out.
My ears then flick upwards as more than half a dozen more arrive. All of them fling fire spells at me. I feel the heat of the fireballs as they sail past my face. A couple hit me in the chest and knocks me back. Something cool and wet fills my ears as I glance at a small creek flowing behind me.
I stretch out my hand and summon the water from it and form it into ice spikes and hurl them at my opponents. Several are quickly impaled, watching as they roll around. One actually manages to block a couple and redirect them at me. I spin and dodge the ice spike, watching as it barely glances off of my jacket. I grab it with a tail and fling it back at him, piercing him. He flies back a few feet from the force of the impact.
I stand up to see that once more I’m surrounded by even more members of Hawkesvaine. They’re worse than roaches. I summon more water from the creek and twirl my hands forming them into more ice. Kitsune-bi flows down my tails and begins to orbit around me. My ears flick and shift with every twitch and movement of those around me.
“You idiots!” shouts one of them. “You were told never allow her anywhere near water.”
So these guys were told how to fight me huh? My eyes continue to scan those around me.
A man in front of me lunges at me, causing me to shift back a step. While distracted, I feel someone striking me from behind, knocking me to the ground. I growl as I see them laugh and step forward. I lash out with one of my tails and wraps around the closest person and pulls them facefirst into the ground. I reach for one of the ice spikes that landed near me a plunge into my captive’s leg.
My ears flick as a shadow passes over me. I roll out of the way and summon several little kitsune-bi and fire them around me like a shotgun. Several are hit, but one swats away the barrage and starts to stomp his foot at me.
I dodge and wrap my tails around him and scoot between his legs, causing him to flip forward and land headfirst into the ground. The others soon recover and start grabbing for me.
My ears then train onto the sound of paws heavily stomping on the ground as Fenris arrives and snatches them with his tails. He flings several into a shadow, only to fly out of another. He then grabs another man by the shoulder and slams him into the ground.
I flip back onto my feet just as my bonded summons water with the creek and crashes it onto several more. He then howls, creating a miniature blizzard which freezes them in place.
I hear more stomping on the ground from behind me, to only see my knight charging in and batting the frozen men, sending them flying. The few still in front of us lunge, drawing knives and lob fire spells at us. Kateryna holds up her shield, easily deflecting the spells away.
Orga steps out front behind her shield. I watch his sword begin to glow as he holds it over his head. The knight brings his massive sword crashing into the ground, sending a blast wave at the Hawkesvaine members and causing the ground to erupt.
Several begin to break and run towards the clearing. If these guys make it out, then they’ll tell the rest of their coven, I think. If that happens, then we’ll really be in trouble.
I look up to see more people starting to run toward us. Spells are lobbed towards us and explode, knocking me back. The rest tackle into my knights and try to go for their weapons. Orga punches and knees the pair, sending them to the ground. Kateryna slams her shield into a group, sending them back a few feet.
Several summon weapons of their own and begin fighting my knights. To my surprise, they’re able to somewhat fight on equal terms with Orga and Kateryna, dodging and parrying the knights blows. These guys are good, better than the ones we fought at the Estate. While still nowhere near close to my knights, they make up for it with sheer numbers as they continue to pour into our sight.
One gets behind me and snatches me up. I wrap my tails around his arms and swing my legs forward and then back into his gut. He drops me but still grips tightly onto my arm. Another appears and lands a punch to my stomach.
I spat out breath, trying to regain it. I send fire along my tails and blast the man still holding me. His grip finally loosens and is dropped to the ground. I cover my stomach as I haggardly drawn in breath.
I look up at the man who punched me. He lunges for me, also drawing a knife, but now it too begins to glow. He comes in close and slashes at me, barely glancing off my coat. I spin and grab for his wrist, jabbing my other palm into his elbow. Normally this strike causes the target to drop whatever they’re carrying. But the man holds firmly onto his knife.
He pulls his arm free and strikes me across the face. I then feel a pulse of magic being directed towards my chest. I fly back several feet into a tree. I cough up even more air as I fall back to the ground.
I look up to see Hawkesvaine members coming closer to me. I hold out my arms and summon even more water and send it crashing into them. I roll my hands, forming ice spikes and lob them into other. Fenris snatches several away and instantly freezes them against trees.
A couple of them charge towards me. I flip and spin in the air, wrapping my tails around one. I land several kicks to his face. I then pull him close and deliver a knee to his face. As I fall back, having released my tails, I pan over to see his partner’s hands glowing brightly. He fires the ball of magic towards me again sending me into a tree.
I quickly feel my head being grabbed as I’m slammed headfirst into the dirt. My left arm is then pulled and pressed firmly against my back.
“When we hand you over,” the man starts, “Colburn will be purged and Hawkesvaine will take its place amongst the most powerful in the nation.”
I struggle to free myself, “You’ll never take down Colburn,” I say, wrapping my tails around his neck and arms, trying to wrest free of his hold. I yelp as he grabs my tails and squeezes hard on them, pulling them away from his neck.
“I was told your beauty as a kitsune was legendary,” he continues. “Never was much for hunting, even vermin such as foxes never caught my attention. But I think I’ll make an exception to hunting kitsune, and you are the only known one in North America.”
My ears fling back as I hear the sound of him drawing a knife. “I’m going to take great pride in displaying your tails in our coven’s hall.
I growl, wrapping a tail around his hand. I quickly send flames along it and causing it to ignite. The man reels back and screams in pain as his hand burns, dropping the knife but then grabs the back of my head and slams it once more into the ground. Blood mixed with dirt covers my face.
“That was a dirty trick, little fox,” he states. The smell of searing flesh hovers over me. “I am going to personally enjoy handing you over to those who are looking for you.”
I growl at him as my ears then flick to the sounds of more people arrive and surround me. I fling my tails, wrapping them around their ankles and pulling them forward, causing them to fall onto their backs.
“Idiots, grab her tails,” barks the man holding me.
The pair recovers and rolls onto their knees. I glance up to see them smiling at me. I feel them trying to grab for my tails, which I fling wildly at them, trying to knock my captors away.
My eyes train onto my knights and Fenris. Orga and Kateryna both are struggling to reach me but are surrounded by now over a dozen people. Their opponents are numerous enough to keep them at bay, even with my knights killing at least three of them but more seem to take their place.
Fenris is held up by numerous fighters. They continue to distract him, even amidst him biting into several and throwing them away. He tries to shadow-walk, but is stopped but a pair of people who are somewhat able to prevent him. The wolf snarls and bats them away and charges after me. My eyes go wide as a wall of earth soon springs up, between us, blocking him.
I continue struggling to free myself, flinging my tails, slapping them into my captors, trying to keep them out of their hands. I feel the thread wrapped around pinkie growing tighter. I look over to see the thread now practically glowing hot red. I tug on it hard, praying she’s nearby. My heart leaps as it grows taught.
Hope.