The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

The dark Amazon brought her to the ground and they rolled over each other in the mud, now exchanging vicious punches and kicks.

Yana’s spear was soon lost to either of them in the churned earth, but they were Amazons: their bodies were weapon enough.

With a grunt Alcaia got her legs under Yana and threw her off, then rolled backwards and to her feet, her eyes scrambling to find her opponent.

She was already charging at her and so the Saenga warleader brought her arms up in preparation for the assault.

They half-grappled, half-boxed their way around each other, further churning the earth as the battle raged around them, mostly oblivious to their contest.

To the Aegis, Alcaia was keeping the dark warleader occupied while the Antlions reformed their defenses to contain the breach, the best and only option at the moment.

And to the Tenebrae, Yana had claimed her as prey.

There battle lasted another minute or so: another desperate minute of countless blocks and counters that would one day become legend.

Then Alcaia’s foot caught on something, Yana’s spear, buried in the muck at their feet.

She died less than a second later.

One moment she was trying to duck under Yana’s arm, forced on the defensive by the Tenebrae’s ferocious strength, the next and her opponent had taken advantage of her stumble to bring her other arm around her neck.

Even in the clamour of battle there was an audible crack as the dark Amazon twisted her head too far to one side.

And watching on in horror was Kala, Yana’s sister, come too late to help.

With Becks helping the medics, Miranda and the rest of her girls had rushed forwards when they saw how badly the Longinus line had been penetrated.

Now they stood opposite the Tenebrae, with Alcaia’s body on the ground between them.

And the fallen Amazon warleader wasn’t the only one.

Yana had killed a dozen people and monsters in the span of a couple minutes, the danger she posed as a Tenebrae terrible to witness.

Miranda knew the order she had to give, but she couldn’t say the words.

How could she order her bond-mate to kill her own sister?

“Enough Yana!” Kala cried out suddenly, her cheeks red with rage and grief; “You have done enough!”

Over and over for weeks Jonathan had forced Yana’s mind into a loop of tactile sensations: the taste of vomit after she retched upon finding her dead family, the pain of her claws tearing into the granite floor as she expressed her grief.

All of it surrounding the image of her children as ashen statues at the feet of her mother in her favorite chair.

Her mother...

That isn’t... her mother.

The voice pleading with her to stop had woken something buried within her heart and another memory blossomed in Yana’s tortured mind, momentarily drowning out that of Evadne’s children.

Now my darling, like I showed you: plant your feet and thrust!

Her mother, teaching her the spear, which she would later teach to her younger sister.

Another memory, a painful one.

Her sister clinging to her and weeping as together they mourned their mother’s death.

Telling Kala that their mother was gone was the most painful day of her life, but it was also the day that she vowed to become the strongest, to lead and protect the Brael tribe.

The Tenebrae that she had become shook her head in a vain attempt to cast aside the memory, but it was a part of her, no matter how much Jonathan tried to smother it with the Chimera’s pain.

Questions began to bubble to the surface of her addled mind as her will resurfaced for the first time in ages.

How could she have forgotten her sister?

Who were these poor children that she was being forced to weep for?

“Keep talking to her Kala.” Miranda ordered, noticing the effect she was having; “Jan, Jez. Get in position for take down.”

The breach in the Longinus shield wall had been closed, and the mob of Tenebrae that had made it through had been more or less dealt with.

All save Yana.

“I still carry the spear that you made for me!” Kala called out with unchecked emotion, tears trailing down both of her cheeks; “You must remember that much at least. Come back to me, my sister! Tiana and the others have been waiting for you as well!”

Yana shook her head again, her hands gripping her matted hair as her face twisting with confusion and anger.

But getting free of Jonathan was not so easy, and she struggled mightily as she mentally fought against the sticky tar-like hold that he had on her mind.

“Go now!” Miranda barked.

It would have been better if she had given the order silently.

Yana reacted on instinct, her well-honed body countering Jan’s flying tackle and flipping the Wolfen up and over her to land hard in the mud with a harsh yelp of pain.

“Froggy kic-rk!”

The warleader’s powerful backhand caught Jez in the upper chest just below her clavicle before she could deliver her signature move, the Gripau landing in the mud even more painfully than Jan had.

Not seeing another option, Miranda tossed an adhesive grenade at Yana, but the Amazon danced to the side of it before leveling a glare at the Aegis operative.

Miranda sighed.

“Yeah, I didn’t think that would work either.”

As Yana’s attention narrowed onto Miranda, and with two of her bond-sisters already down, Kala made the decision that her bond-mate couldn’t, her heart breaking as she silently stalked forwards with her spear ready to end things.

But out of nowhere a Chameleon emerged, her skin turning orange with stress as she bodily tackled Yana around the midsection, catching her completely off guard.

They went down together, but by the time they hit the ground the canny warleader had already reversed the grapple to land