Hive Knight: A Dark Fantasy LitRPG (Trinity of the Hive Book 1) by Grayson Sinclair (black authors fiction txt) 📕

the group of trees coming up. “There are people behind the trees, about ten of them, they’re just standing around like they’re waiting for something.”

I processed her words quickly, going through the possible options, and coming up with only one answer. Ambush!

“Shit!”

My instincts screamed at me, and I flung Eris off Lacuna a split second before an arrow pierced my chest, right where Eris’s head had been moments before. I fell from Lacuna and crashed painfully to the dirt.

A familiar voice screamed from the tree line. A voice that made me seethe with rage.

“You fucking moron! You almost hit the merchandise!” Darren raged.

So, the slaver returns for round two, and he brought more of his disgusting friends with him. All ten of the slavers strolled out of the trees, as cocksure as can be, and with good reason. Ten against one wasn’t so much a fight as it would be a slaughter. My slaughter.

It wasn’t time to abandon all hope, though. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve, and as long as I draw breath, they won’t lay one a single filthy finger on my queen!

I looked down at the arrow, amazed I was still alive. The archer is skilled. I shouldn’t have walked away from that. The arrow had gone through my chestplate and the studded leather with ease. What stopped it? I should be dead. It was then that a strange liquid poured from my wound. It wasn’t my blood—it was black. Chitin!

The chitin molded itself over my wound, pushing out the arrowhead and tiny slivers of wood and steel that had shaved off. It hardened over my skin and even filled the hole in my armor. Quick as I could, I leapt to my feet and drew my sword.

Darren gaped as I stood up from the ground, having assumed I was dead. Too bad for him. It seems I’m much more difficult to kill these days. I hated to admit it, but even as a level one hundred Blade Master, I wouldn’t have survived that arrow.

“You fucking missed!” Darren screamed at Slip. My would-be killer. “Quickly, shoot him again!”

Slip nocked another arrow in the blink of an eye and fired. The arrow took me in the chest, almost in the same spot as the first. He’s a damn good shot, but even with his abilities, his arrows can’t pierce chitin. I flicked the shaft of the arrow off my armor and marched onto the field of battle.

“Eris, stay back. Let me handle this!” I yelled.

But she refused to listen to me, running from behind Lacuna to join me. “No! Never again will I sit back and leave you to fight alone. I won’t do it!”

Damn it, Eris! “I can’t protect you and fight at the same time!”

She shook her head. “No. I can help.”

She’s never been in a fight before. Even with her magic, she’s a liability.

“The queen is to be protected at all costs, knight.”

The voice rose up from my heart to whisper in my ear. It had spoken before, but this was the first time it had addressed me. My inner darkness terrified me, but I didn’t have time to worry about my growing insanity. I had to fight.

I know that, but she won’t listen to me. She's too fucking stubborn to sit this out!

“Allow me to try?” my Darkness asked, waiting for permission.

Have at it.

My heart froze solid, and the ice traversed itself to my head, filling my brain with its frigid touch. I wasn’t in control anymore, and my mouth opened on its own to speak.

“My queen, you shouldn’t be here. This is our fight.”

Eris looked at me, shocked. The voice that rose from my lips was mine, but it was twisted, sibilant—the voice of the Hive Knight.

She quickly shook away her surprise. “I am queen, my knight. Sam is my bonded, and I will not let him go into battle alone. You will obey me.”

“Foolish queen!” It hissed to me, but we couldn’t go against her orders. My Darkness released its hold on me and retreated inside my heart, the ice faded away, and a burning heat flowed through my veins—the power of the Hive.

“All right, but do as I say, promise me that!”

She nodded, and I tossed her the hunting knife on my belt. “Leave the main force to me and back me up with your magic. Use the knife if anyone gets close.”

“Got it!”

Because of our argument, we’d allowed the enemy to close the distance between us, and I had to put Eris out of mind and focus on the battle, or I would find my corpse cooling on the dirt before I knew it.

Darren and his group stayed behind while his peons flocked to us. Three of them rushed me, while the others held back and prevented us from escaping. They each wore light armor, black leather with minimal protection. Each also bore the same crest as their leaders.

A drip from my sword told me Poison Blade kicked in. I hope the poison will even the playing field a bit. Even with Eris backing me, we’re heavily outnumbered.

Spurred on and their numbers making them overconfident, three of the men attacked at the same time. From a glance at their swords, I estimated them to be at least level forty. A challenge.

My sword and armor were well above my level, but I was only working with four skills, and Aura of the Antimage wasn’t going to do a whole lot of good here. Dance of the Immortal would easily even the playing field, but if I didn’t time it exactly right, I’d end up maxing out my battle fatigue, and that would kill me just as quickly.

All three had swords, one was a falchion, one was a longsword, and the final looked