The Soul Eaters (The Thin Hex Line Book 1) by Gwyndolyn Russell (e reader txt) 📕

When he looked, he saw two eldiravan down the street headed away from the colony.

"Cap, she’s over there!"

"What are you waiting for?! Go!" Reaper yelled.

Jackal took off with Mjolnir and Fenris right behind him. Ruby stayed back with Reaper to help the injured.

Both the eldiravan ran into the vacant fields outside. Jackal followed after them. The wind picked up, threatening to blow him away.

Out here, grass struggled to grow. Only boulders covered the fields. It was easy to keep track of those fleeing.

The White Death kicked on boosters that launched her into the air. She wanted on top of one of the boulders. Before she made it far, the orange armored soldier grabbed her ankle. He pulled her right back down.

She punched him square in the helmet. He threw her against the side of the rock. Blood covered both of them. It was hard to tell at a distance who was injured. It didn't help that one had yellow accents to his armor.

"Should we let him take care of it?" Mjolnir asked.

"We can't let him get her." Jackal answered. "We'll miss our chance if he takes her back."

Thunder rolled through the sky. A shadow casted over the field. The wind kicked up fiercer than ever.

"Let go!" The White Death yelled.

"Fucking traitor! I'll kill you right now!" He had her pinned on the ground.

"Don't make me do this. Please, Tara, just walk away!"

"Hey!" Jackal shouted over the roar of thunder. "Get the hell off her!"

Tara looked over his shoulder after clocking the woman across the head.

"Back off, human! You'll be dead next if you intervene!"

Jackal didn't even get to say something back. Death kneed him in the stomach and activated the booster in her boot. She hit the rock hard, but Tara flew right off her. The orange of his armor scalded black.

"Stay down!" She ordered. She walked over to him.

Tara pushed himself back up.

"How could you defy the Emperor?" He growled. "It was a simple mission! You lost your spine!"

"Put yourself in my boots!" She retorted. "You would have done the same."

"I would have followed my orders."

Death pulled a pistol from her hip.

"Stay down, Tara."

"You either die, or return to the Emperor." He stood up.

Blue lightning cracked across the sky, briefly lighting up the field. Then came the rain. It poured down, drenching the soil within seconds. It burned and bubbled, turning the soil black. Jackal and Mjolnir both flinched at the feel of the rain. Fenris growled and shook its head. Each drop bubbled and rolled down from its armor, leaving small streaks.

The White Death pulled the trigger.

Again.

Again.

Tara stumbled. Fell to his knees in front of her. Yellow poured out from two holes in his chest and one in the front of his helmet.

She kicked the body down. Fired again at the ground at Jackal’s feet.

He and Mjolnir hurried to get their helmets on. Their armor was getting damaged the longer they stayed exposed to the rain. A torrent of wind nearly shoved Jackal to the ground.

Death ran from them. She didn’t dare turn back to the colony. She ran further away, headed into the endless fields. That white armor of hers turned from brown to black as the rain ate through. She aimed for the cover of a large stone sheet just high enough for her to duck under.

Mjolnir chased her until he could tackle her down. She fought back, knocking him upside the head. He wrestled her for the pistol, slamming her into the ground repeatedly. A shove of her arm forced the gun to fire. The round smacked into the rock above. The force of impact was enough to break a good size chunk of stone away.

She kicked the tiger upwards just in time for his head to meet the rock.

Mjolnir rolled around, holding his head.

Up to her feet, the eldiravan pulled her knife from her waistband. She knelt over the ardrizi, knife rising.

Under the roar of thunder, came the crackle of a railgun. The projectile slammed into the upper portion of her helmet, hitting the angled metal just right to ricochet. She hit the ground on her side.

“Mjolnir!” Jackal called. He lowered the end of the rifle to get under the rock. “You good, man?”

Mjolnir groaned.

The woman was already getting back up to her feet. She reached for the pistol she dropped. Jackal shot it away, destroying its grip. He ran up to her, keeping the rifle trained center mass.

If she was smart, she would have given up there. He had her dead to rights. She had no weapon. She held both of her hands up clear for him to see, barely turned her head to look at him.

He had forgotten just how big the eldiravan species was. Even with her knelt down, she could still almost look him in the eye and he was on the taller side for humans! Now that he was closer, that white armor looked awfully familiar. He could have sworn he had seen something like that back in the war. A sea of orange, with a dot of white.

“Hands behind your head!” Jackal ordered.

He stepped closer to her.

She moved, first to do as he said. Then she snatched out, grabbing the rails of the rifle. She pulled, bringing the rifle and Jackal closer to her. Elbow to his face. One motion of both arms and she had his rifle and Jackal was stumbling backwards. The weapon spun in her grip and she pulled the trigger.

Jackal moved in the nick of time. He had not been completely deterred with the hit on his face. The round whizzed right passed his ear. He slammed his padded knuckles into her side where the plates layered to let her bend efficiently.

She took the hit like it were a bug bite. She swung the rails of the rifle into the side of his head. Spun around half way, with the weapon twirling in her fingers for a reversed grip. Trigger pulled again. The sound of it firing was drowned out by the roar of