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

run, then an all out charge, all of the Amazon nation at her back.

The other warriors had copied her in discarding their lethal weapons as they set forth to pit their strength against that of Jonathan and Evadne’s dark army.

For their Dominar and for the Valkyrja-datta, both of whom the young storyteller wouldn’t shut up about, they were intent on taking the Tenebrae alive.

The rolling thunder of their charge shook the very bones of the earth as their ululating battle-cries resounded off of the heavens above.

Suddenly the Tenebrae were the ones who were in trouble and the Antlion legions within the Aegis forces rallied as their queens became aware that help had arrived.

The wild pale-skinned Amazons sprinted into the fray, and when they reached the edge of the line the front runners bodily tackled any Tenebrae that caught their eye, the tide of battle shifting abruptly as the wave of blonde warriors collapsed the Tenebrae’s chaotic assault.

For every girl tainted by Jonathan’s power suddenly there were two or even three monsters to bring them low, not that they were going down easy.

And even amidst the dramatic turn Evadne and Xalanth fought: the titanic struggle in the sky a match for the wrath of any storm.

But the Dragon was bleeding.

Chapter 51:Embracing the Light

Evadne tore herself away from Xalanth’s grip, the Dragon’s massive clawed fist casting aside a piece of darkness as it disintegrated in the air like broken glass.

“You disappoint me Evadne, if this is the all the strength you gained from selling your soul!” She spat out in contempt.

But the Chimera merely ran her tongue over her clawed gauntlet to taste the blood she had drawn from the Dragon’s cheek, the shadowy armour reformed to replace what had been torn away from her shoulder.

“Hardly.” She hissed.

She lunged forwards again, a swirling blur of shadows that slammed into the Dragon, catching her off guard and carrying her back and down through the air.

A moment later the pair smashed into the midst of the battlefield like a comet touching down, the surrounding combatants thrown away from the crater that formed while the debris and mud cast upwards was quickly settled by the steady rainfall.

Evadne regained her feet first and quickly laid into the Dragon with lightening fast blows.

“This is my power! Can you feel it?!” She slammed her fist into Xalanth’s gut as she struggled to rise.

There was a deafening crack as one of her abdominal scales broke.

Xalanth roared in pain and at last managed to regain her feet, throwing Evadne back by unfurling her powerful wings.

More blood was trickling from her stomach now.

“How long has it been Xalanth?!” Evadne screamed, she had sunk into an aggressive crouch on all fours in the mud, her snake tail writhing madly above her; “How long has it been since you’ve felt pain? Since you’ve bled?!”

A brave, or foolish, Aegis cadet tried to take Evadne from behind with a goo canister but her tail lashed out and struck her down, the deadly venom quickly overcoming the girl as foam emerged from her mouth.

Evadne laughed while Xalanth narrowed her eyes and roared in rage.

“Curse you Evadne! How many must perish before you are satisfied?!”

“HOW MANY ARE THERE?!” The Chimera threw back with a roar of her own.

She lunged forwards again, and there was no technique in their fight now; both combatants sought only to end the other, their clawed fists slammed into each other with such force that shockwaves radiated out from them, bowling over any who still dared to approach.

To call Evadne a Chimera at this point would be a mistake, with Volka occupied it was a demon of entropy that the Dragon fought.

And it wasn’t going well for her.

__________

Still largely oblivious to the goings on around him, Nameless mentally cursed as he and Volka re-emerged from the latest girl they pulled free of Evadne’s nightmare.

This isn’t working! We’ve only saved a handful, and every second we waste more people are dying!

Volka didn’t disagree with him, but she simply didn’t see another way but to treat each girl individually.

The young man scoured his brain for any trick he’d used as an Empath, anything that might serve to help them all.

Calm, husband, be calm and think rationally. I know how difficult that is to suggest, but it is all we can do.

It was difficult, but as always her serenity helped.

He threw his mind back to the very first time, remembering what it was like with Erica, the shame she felt at being a sex-slave, focusing on how he had helped her.

But he came up with nothing, so instead he remembered Nina, remembered recklessly diving into her minds and leaving his anchors behind, nearly losing himself…

Another dead end.

Even with the angel in his mind, dread filled him when he realized there might not be an easy solution.

The angel in his mind…

His mind.

A memory popped into his head all on its own to suit that line of thinking: the first time he had deliberately entered the minds of his bond-mates, when Milly needed him to.

And more importantly when he had in turn pulled them all into his.

He felt Volka gasp beside him when she read his intent, a wave of remorse coming from her heart to his before she could suppress it.

Because while she recognised the terrible danger, she also knew that it was their only chance.

And above all else, the Valkyrie valued sacrifice.

You know that what you seek to do here must come with a cost, I won’t be able to shield you from yourself. No Valkyrie could.

Despite her efforts at concealing it, there was great sadness in Volka’s mental voice.

I know, but there is no other way.

She choked out a sob as she felt the