Bastial Frenzy (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 4) (24 page)

It wasn’t long before he had three. There were many enemies, sometimes more than he can handle. But Alex always seemed to know when he needed help. Zoke did what he could to reciprocate, protecting Alex from any attackers the Human didn’t see. But numbness was taking over his neck and back, hampering Zoke’s mobility.

At one point, everything seemed to slow as he blinked. The act itself should’ve been so fast that he didn’t even notice it, but it felt like his eyes were closed long enough for him to fall asleep before they opened again.

Yet, he didn’t worry. They were winning, quickly killing all those who opposed them.

Then someone shouted, “Mages and psychics!”

A fresh batch of men and women had snaked through the openings at the base of the dilapidated wall and surprised Zoke’s allies. Suddenly, it seemed they were outnumbered. Archers atop the wall who’d previously been scared off had returned and brought reinforcements. Everywhere Zoke looked, his allies were falling to their knees from psyche or catching a fireball in the chest.

He saw Krepps cursing and spitting as they pushed through and overpowered Zoke’s allies. These Krepps didn’t wear tunics like Zoke did. The men were bare-chested, while the women had on gray leather.

He blinked again, and this time a wave of drowsiness made him teeter before he opened his eyes. Then he saw what he’d imagined countless times—what he’d hoped to find only in his nightmares.

On the wall was a female Krepp with a bow. Her black hair reached her shoulders. Her skin was the light gray of an adult who’d recently shed. It was Zeti, and she was shooting arrows at his allies as they shot back at her.

“Zeti!” he yelled, unsure what he would do or say if she turned toward him.

But she didn’t. He barely could hear himself over the noise of battle. He needed to get to her.

“You, Krepp!” Zoke spun to find his officer shouting at him. “Help them get the battering ram to the wall.”

Pointing, the officer’s finger led Zoke to eight brawny men trying to navigate the massive battering ram through the frenzy of swords.

Zoke started to turn back for another look at Zeti when he felt a boot to his rear. “That’s an order!” the officer yelled. “Get to it.”

The officer then screamed at Alex, who joined Zoke in fending off their enemies. Zoke moved with the group, blocking attackers and running his sword through two of them before another spell of drowsiness made him lose track of where he was.

This one hit him like a rock to the skull. Confused, he thought he heard his name. Expecting to look up and find Zeti atop the wall, he was surprised when the wall was nowhere in sight.

Did we already knock it over?

He spun in each direction and then found that it was behind him. He didn’t remember turning away from it.

“Zoke, Zoke!” Alex’s shouts came through.

The Human needed help. Tenred warriors had spotted the battering ram and were swarming it.

Zoke ran over as he heard his officer shout, “Watch out for the mages!”

Three women in black and red Tenred gowns had their wands aimed over men’s shoulders in front of them. Zoke wanted to throw one of the Humans attacking Alex at the horde of them, but he felt as if he lacked the strength. Numbness had been creeping through his body, nearly taking over his left arm.

Two allies raised their shields in front of the men guiding the battering ram toward the wall. They intercepted all three fireballs but were hurled backward, toppling into those surrounding the ram.

The device was on wheels, and luckily it didn’t fall over—for it would’ve taken more than eight men just to lift it. But half of those with their hands on it had lost their balance and fallen, creating a heap of bodies in the way.

Enemy psychics pushed through, two of them. They wore no armor, just like the mages. Zoke felt his tongue slip out and lick the outside of his mouth as he dashed toward them, hungry to kill.

They’d begun to pain everyone in the vicinity, preventing those who’d fallen from getting up. Warriors of Tenred pounced and began driving their weapons through Zoke’s allies. Alex was still fighting off two others, their officer screaming for their psychics’ assistance.

One of the enemy psychics turned her palm toward Zoke, showing a disgustingly proud smile as her eyes met his. “The Krepp!” she yelled excitedly.

He felt pain surge through him, sending him to a knee. Then his determination to reach Zeti repelled the spell. Looking at the psychic again, he found shock had replaced her hubris. She held out her hand once more, but nothing happened.

An arrow zipped over Zoke’s shoulder. A sword came from the side but missed.

“Stop the Krepp!” he heard voices shouting.

But he’d already made it to his target, driving his weapon through the woman’s soft flesh and then turning to take the head off the other psychic nearby.

When he turned to rejoin his army, a wall of enemies blocked his path. They came at him quickly, but each died before he had a chance to strike. As their bodies fell, Zoke found his allies behind them.

“Damn psychics,” one said. Another opened his mouth to say something. But Zoke already was rushing toward Alex to help him finish off the men he was engaged with.

“Get that battering ram to the wall!” their officer yelled. “Psychics, protect them.”

“I’m just one psychic,” a woman said, taking a spot next to the warriors around the battering ram.

“Where’s the other psychic in our group?” the officer asked.

“Dead.”

Zoke took the moment of reprieve to look for Zeti again. There was no one left atop the Tenred wall. The feeling of a knife twisting in his neck nearly made him drop his weapon.

The psychic must’ve been strong, for every enemy trying to stop the Kyrro assault quickly succumbed to pain.

They reached the wall, where a section had been cleared by warriors who’d advanced previously. Immediately, Alex and many of the others began to cough and hold their noses. Zoke felt the sting in his throat.

“Our chemists poured acid on the wall to weaken it,” the officer said. “Get in position.”

Zoke heard the deep thud of other battering rams slamming into stone on either side of him. It wouldn’t be long before it would crumble, but then what? Zeti was on the other side. She was brave, too brave. She would never flee. Zoke had to find her before she was killed, not that he knew what would happen then.

The wall didn’t hold for long. “Move back!” his allies were shouting.

Zoke ran. He found everyone else doing the same.

The stone creaked and began to tumble in chunks. The ground shook. Dust clouded the air.

Then sleep tried to pull Zoke under again. He still heard the thuds and felt the frantic rushing of everyone around him. But he couldn’t move or open his eyes. His head fell to his chest. By the time it made it there, he was back, completely himself once more except for the numbness.

Alex was tugging on Zoke’s wrist. “The wall’s down. Let’s go.”

“I saw sister to me earlier. She’s there somewhere.” They climbed over chunks of stone, wading through the dust.

“Then we’ll find her. But first I’m going to find Brady and Sawdar and kill them.”

Zoke would’ve spat if he had the time. Yes Brady and Sawdar needed to die, but after he found Zeti.

“You look for them,” Zoke told Alex, “and I’ll find Zeti.”

Screams ahead halted them. These were unlike the previous shouts of battle. These were tormented. Something was causing excruciating pain to their allies.

Zoke listened closer and heard the sound of glass breaking. The dust began to clear. Tenred’s chemists were hurling potions of the same clear liquid that had burned Reela’s face.

“Hurry!” Alex said, regaining his speed. But then he stopped when a bottle slammed into his shoulder. He gasped. Looking down, he found it hadn’t broken.

Zoke knelt to reach for it, but pain knifing through his back and neck stopped him halfway. He let out a screech. Alex grabbed the potion and threw it back at the enemy.

It was almost lost in a round of arrows and fireballs. But Zoke managed to follow the potion with his eyes until it struck a male Krepp, exploding against his chest. His skin started to melt, and his shouts joined the terrible chorus of screams.

That seemed to be the last of the potions. Kyrro’s warriors swarmed, dashing between chunks of stone that did well to protect them from being hit with arrows or fireballs. Zoke joined them, he and Alex picking up speed.

As a rotund Human charged beside Zoke and screamed, he recognized the man as Half-Beard. Blood, dust, and dirt were stuck to the shock of hair coming from his chin. The end of his mallet was chipped, but Half-Beard didn’t seem to mind or even notice.

“For my nephew!” Rather than wait for the allies ahead of him to engage the enemies first, Half-Beard shoved his own men and women out of the way with ferocious determination.

An archer saw him coming and shot. The arrow struck Half-Beard in the shoulder but did nothing to slow his momentum.

Another arrow found Half-Beard’s thigh. It didn’t even slow him down.

“Die!” he yelled. Tenred warriors previously engaged with others turned to intercept him, holding their shields and swords steady.

Half-Beard slowed at the last moment, turning his knees and doing a full spin with his massive mallet extended.

It was impossible for Zoke to decipher what happened next. There was a medley of steel singing, men screaming, and then bodies flying. Immediately after, ten more from Kyrro reached the dent in Tenred’s line—where Half-Beard had been just a moment ago but was no longer.

Zoke and Alex joined the turmoil, staying close and overpowering a warrior, then a mage, then two more warriors. There was no lack of enemies, no time to look for Zeti.

Three men of Tenred charged through, knocking down everyone in their path. As they came close, Alex and Zoke tried to engage them. But these men were using the slope to their advantage, and they wore steel from helmet to boots. Only too late did Zoke realize they couldn’t be stopped. He moved, yet took a slash across his leg.

He fell, as had Alex. They both quickly got back on their feet. Alex gripped his shoulder where blood trickled through his fingers.

The three armored men weren’t the only ones plowing through. Everywhere Zoke turned, there were more Tenred warriors clad in steel, crashing into his allies with the same strategy. No one seemed to have any luck stopping them until Zoke heard his officer shouting for the mages.

“Shoot them! Shoot the ones in steel armor!”

As fireballs hit the men in steel, they tumbled and struggled to get up under the weight of their armor. They were pounced upon, allies driving daggers into the armor’s vulnerable spots.

Zoke and Alex were fending off two more attackers when Alex fell with a scream. Zoke knew it had to be psyche, for the Human hadn’t been struck by any object. He kicked back the warrior about to run his blade through Alex’s spine, then cut off the head of the other. More were charging their way. Zoke knew he couldn’t stop them without Alex’s help. He needed to find and kill the psychic.

He saw she was close, just past a female Krepp who—it was Zeti! But she was aiming an arrow at him! Rage nearly made him lose his focus, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Fight the spell!” he yelled as he positioned himself between Alex and the men charging at them. “I can’t get to the psychic.”

Alex screamed and groaned but managed to get off the ground. He was up in time to help defend himself. Zoke let his sister out of his mind for the moment, hoping she wouldn’t shoot. He focused on the blades and the footwork of his enemies. One made a mistake, and Zoke cut his neck. Alex drew the other’s attention with an aggressive attack, and Zoke took advantage.

He felt pain start to enter—surely from the psychic. But his focus and rage had too much priority. His mind couldn’t be manipulated in that moment, and soon she was out completely.

The last enemy fell. The psychic turned and ran toward another group of men, leaving only Zeti. She was pulling back the string of her bow, the one he’d seen countless times in the hut they used to share.

She was frozen in place.

Alex began to charge. Zeti turned her aim toward him.

“Stop!” Zoke yelled. “That’s sister to me.”

Alex stopped and positioned his sword across his chest as his only defense as he backed away. Zeti’s arms began to shake. Her yellow eyes squinted.

“Zeti, don’t shoot,” Zoke said in Kreppen. “He’s a friend.”

Another warrior of Kyrro charged at Zeti. But she turned and fired her arrow. It must’ve struck the man in the heart, for he died instantly.

“Go to her,” Alex said. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” He ran to engage more enemies.

Zoke didn’t know why he couldn’t move. It wasn’t until she spoke that he had control over his body once more.

“Zoke.” It was all she said—his name. But it was all she needed to say. He could hear it in her tone. She wouldn’t kill him. She still cared for him as he did for her.

He sheathed his sword and removed his tunic as he ran to her. Grabbing her arm, he led her up the incline, past countless enemies running past them without a glance. He hid his tunic on the other side of his body as best he could. He saw houses—homes to the citizens of Tenred—and ran toward the closest one.