The Defiance of Vim (Catalyst Book 4) by C.J. Aaron (graded readers txt) 📕

sea, their elongated, distended bodies jostling in place. They stood row upon row deep.

The Lei Guard.

The Outland Horde.

He had been deceived.

A solitary note rose from somewhere deep among the ranks of the demons.

A low howl grew in intensity as it split the night.

Chapter 37

A vocalization of pure anger, raw and unrestrained, swelled from the ranks of the Horde on the opposite bank. The deep rumble grew into a roar. The volume rose as it boomed into a deafening peal. Its pitch shifted higher and higher as it added more layers of emotion to its cry.

Hatred.

Fear.

Ryl was prepared for the wave of crushing emotion, though the strength of it was astounding. It forced him back a step as it slammed into him like a hammer. To his side, he saw Fay crumple under the weight of the assault. There was a splatter of chucky liquid on the ground as the young lord retched up the contents of his stomach.

With effort, Ryl fought back against the dark emotions. He countered the hatred, the oppression, with hope and calm. It formed a tenuous circle of light around him. The atmosphere had darkened under the currents of the wave of emotion from the Lie Guard. The air that surrounded Ryl shimmered with a glow that seemed to be emanating from his core.

Fay struggled to his feet, wiping the bile that had splattered on his lips and cheek with his sleeve. Across the bridge, the door to the garrison groaned as it burst open. Lightning in the distance flashed, highlighting the surge of demons pouring from the interior of the fortification. They moved without a war cry, announcing their approach with the clacking and scraping of claws on the stone roadway.

The Horde flowed from the gates by the hundreds. Harriers jockeyed and clawed for position. They were eager for the taste of blood. The Lei Guard maintained their emotional assault, yet they remained atop the wall of the garrison.

Ryl wrenched the Leaves free from their holsters. The brilliant glow of green fire exploded around him as the serrated blades flashed into existence.

“Fay,” Ryl cried, “stay behind me. Stay close. It’s your only chance to make it out of this alive.”

Fay had regained his footing, though he wobbled mightily. Ryl knew that Lord Eligar’s mind reeled as a war of competing foreign emotions raged in his head. One attempted to crush him under the weight of despair, devastation and fear. The other sought to empower, to lift his spirits, filling him with hope. His body was stuck in limbo. He stumbled as he followed Ryl’s orders. He slipped the sword from his holster, clutching it in front of his body with both hands. The blade wobbled as his body shook like a leaf jostled in the wind.

A torrent of air ripped around Ryl as the power surged around his right arm. Small tendrils of green flame joined the whirlwind that whipped around his feet.

Lightning flashed in the sky as the storm raged in the distance.

The crowded mass of the Outland Horde belched from the garrison in a steady flow. To the southern side of the fortification, the demons waited. Though agitated by the release of their companions, they resisted plunging into the raging, icy waters to cross the gap. To the north, along the wall of the palisade, the scene made Ryl’s blood run cold. One after another, the blackened demons leapt across the narrowed channel where the river exited The Stocks. There were several already on the eastern bank. Most hastened toward his flank; several darted to the east.

Toward Cadsae Proper.

As the flash of light illuminated the scene, another beast attempted the feat. Its measured leap fell short. It uttered a muffled shriek as it was swallowed by the icy current below.

Momentary panic set in.

The alexen charged frantically through his veins, their energy coursing through his body. The throbbing in his left arm reached an excruciating level. The foreign whisper that had urged bloodshed and sought wanton destruction was now strangely silent.

Ryl’s mindsight scanned again, a natural response to the situation.

There was no sign of Kaep.

The blackened shapes clouded his vision.

With the Lei Guard at their side, they were a force too great for Ryl to handle alone. The charge of bodies crossed the center point of the bridge. Now less than fifty meters separated him from their charge.

How many could he cut down before they swarmed over him like a rogue wave from the sea?

Ryl surged forward, covering half the distance between himself and the charge in a flash. He screamed with rage and frustration as he swung the glowing blade in his right hand, releasing the wind at the same time.

A searing wave of green fire and wind arched into the approaching Horde. The lead element bore the brunt of the attack, though its effects were still dramatic several rows behind. Lanky harriers wailed in agony as the fire and wind severed appendages, ripping them from their bodies. They were tossed backward into their charge, blown like leaves in the wind.

Bodies flailed with wild abandon that matched only their frantic shrieks as they careened into their companions. The Horde on the outer edges of the bridge were thrust over the sides of the low stone banisters, plunging into the churning waters of the river. Many were brought to their knees, toppled by the uncontrolled tumble of those in the lead. Hundreds were displaced by Ryl’s initial assault.

His attack slowed them for only an instant.

The Horde were heartless. Emotionless save for their killing instincts, hatred and rage. They stampeded over their companions, slashing at them with their deadly claws. They tore apart their brethren who struggled to regain their footing.

From the north, the sickening cries of agony rose from Lord Eligar’s men as the flanking Horde fell upon them. Even if they knew the assault was coming, they would never have stood a chance. The paralyzing wash of emotions from the Lei Guard swelled again in response to his counterattack.

“Fay,