The shadows around their two groups died down with the Cardinal's sudden disappearance, but it also highlighted just how heavily outnumbered they were.

  Normally, Emily was okay with this because she could survive just about anything, but that was not the case for Alex.

  When Oressa saw that they were still reeling from the suddenness of the departure she screamed to her men.

  “All of you to arms, we will capture these upstarts and go help our Cardinals. There is too much to do in this city for us to fail!”

  A dozen nearby fighters attacked and Alex moved to intercept. Two blades came their way and he deflected both with a practiced circular motion. The Oathsworn were flung back and Emily whipped out a scythe of blood at their throats. They were dead in seconds, and Emily was still dealing with the sudden influx of life force when an arrow sunk into her stomach. The sounds of numerous bowstrings being drawn back were all the warning she got as several more were let loose.

  Emily grunted in pain and weaved a large screen of blood around herself and Alex, causing over a dozen arrowheads to protrude from the thin layer of protection.

  Alex moved head-first into the wall and Emily created a gap for him to get out. This turned out to be necessary because seconds later the heavily armored individuals arrived. Alex was locked in battle with them in an instant.

  Emily could see she would be of no help there, so we shifted her dome into spikes and sent them out in all directions to buy some time. This caused a great many injuries but she could tell she only managed to kill three people.

  With Alex tied up, Emily turned her attention toward Oressa. As though she had been waiting for Emily’s full attention, she let loose a wave of dark energy.

  The light shot forth from her hand, aimed directly at Emily’s knee.

  Without time to react, she pulled back one of the blood spikes and shaped it into a plate. The attack burned into the blood, but the shield held until the dark light faded.

  “My word you are annoying. How can you use such foul arts so casually!” Oressa growled.

  Emily spun out of the way of the second attack, pulling the arrow still lodged in her stomach free.

  “Oh grow up! Who cares how I got the power, as long as it's mine. Can you say the same?” Emily shouted across the space, slinging a large spear of blood straight at Oressa. She blocked the attack with another ray of light but by the way the woman was already panting, Emily could see those attacks took a lot out of her.

  “Silence! You wouldn’t know real sacrifice. Our gods give us more than just power they give us belonging!”

  Another ray came screeching down towards Emily's head but she flicked another buckler of blood up in time to block it.

  Alex had finished with his two opponents but by now, his breathing was ragged as he moved to Emily’s side.

  It was then that she realized just how many people were surrounding them. If they continued at this rate, they would be overwhelmed way before the reinforcements got here.

  “Emily, we need to go!” Alex shouted.

  Emily shook her head.

  “Not be before she dies! If we leave they will just chase us.”

  Alex looked like he wanted to argue but there was truth to Emily's words. If they retreated now, Oressa would be able to attack them from behind.

  “It matters not what you do. Blessing of the night, my sisters!” Oressa

  That’s when the prayers began, their harmonized whispers drowning out the sound of distant battle. As every robed Priestess fell to their knees, they began reciting and drawing in source, their robes seemingly accelerating the process as they glowed a deep violet hue. The shadows lengthened and suddenly the Oathsworn’s glistening armors began to dull with a heavy layer of shadow.

  Alex pressed his lips together and leveled his sword, swiping his index and middle finger over the spine. As he did so, rues began to light up along it and flames began to gather around him. Then with the tip of the blade, he swung the sword in an overhead chop, causing the flames to fall as a wave of flames.

  Oressa clearly saw it coming but Emily had a trick up her sleeve, so she gathered the blood in her arms and shot it straight up behind the falling flame.

  Oressa opened her palm outward and fired a fourth beam of light through the flames, extinguishing them completely.

  Luckily Emily was ready for this and twisted the blood into the shape of a corkscrew.The projectile spun straight down at the woman. Her eyes widened at the hidden attack, but it was too late to stop.

  Oressa paled visibly unable to redirect her attack, but victory was stolen out from underneath Emily.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Becasue just as the attack was about to hit, a nearby Oathsworn dove in front of her, his weapon raised.

  Unfortunately for him, there was too much power behind the strike to deflect so it tore through his guard and plunged into his chest. The attack was such that it burrowed into his body with ease, killing him, but sparing Oressa.

  Emily snarled at the man’s sudden sacrifice, her mouth falling agape.

  Oressa on the other hand just smirked.

  “You see Emily?! This is what it means to follow something larger than yourself! But you’ll learn that yourself in time!”

  Emily pulled more blood out and shook her head.

  “Congratulations, you’re insane! And I’ve met crazy in my life. You lot are a solid nine.”

  Oressa didn’t answer but drew more source in for another attack. This time though, the shadows rushed from the surrounding Priestesses and joined with her own.

  “You think something like that would sway me? I have seen the true hatred of this world the only answer is the gods. Only their path is the true one and if some have to give their lives for that dream then so be it!”

  Shadows collected together and a ball of swirling light and dark expanded outward, ready to encompase everything.

  That’s when Oressa let out a wail as a sword appeared in her chest.

  For a moment the spell she had been gathering held together and Emily could see the surprise in her eyes.

  Emily glanced behind her where the blade must have come from and Umbra stood there looking proud of himself. His hand was still extended from throwing the sword.

  Blood dribbled from the corner of Oressa's mouth but then with the last of her strength, she closed her fist, completing the spell and causing it to suddenly expand.

  Emily cursed as Alex turned and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into a princess carry and running.

  Emily was more than capable of escaping on her own but she used that moment to create a thick wall of blood to buy them time. Which it did, but one a second.

  The encroaching wall of light expanded and every tent in the vicinity vaporized under the souce Emily and Alex escaped backward into the tent and rushed past the surprised individuals.

  “Run you idiots!” Emily yelled.

  The light was not dissuaded by the fabric and burned into the room. Emily got a brief layout of everyone and saw that the Wandering fangs were at the back of the room getting ready to flee if need be. And by the sudden call from Kael, they were taking this as their opportunity to do so.

  Alex dashed towards them and Emily saw a shadow beside them that could only be Umbra. His men were nowhere to be seen but at this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if they left a while ago.

  The light arrived at this point and Emily created a second screen which was crushed just as esily, erasing it like the morning dew. All Emily had time to do was throw a Vital shell over them and hope.

  The faint ruby glow surrounded them and fought back the negative light. As the two spells fought they were bathed in a dry heat that baked the flesh.

  A severe sunburn was only half the problem, as brief screams surrounded them.

  Emily ground her teeth but she never felt any life force moving him in her direction which meant it was not designed to kill, only incapacitate.

  This became obvious when the spell ran out of steam and revealed several burnt men and women clutching themselves with second-degree burns covering their bodies.

  Conversely, it would seem that the attack had not affected any of the nearby Oathsworn. Their robes were not even singed from the spell. Emily spotted Oressa keeled over gasping for breath as a Priestess used shadow to close the wound. Emily growled but when she tried to get down from Alex's grasp he resisted her and continued running after everyone else.

  “Alex, let me down! If we don’t finish her off now we never will.”

  Alex didn’t even hesitate he just kept running after everyone else.

  “Emily we don’t have time for this. She’ll live but so will we! Charge up one of those orbs you got!”

  Emily wanted to fight him but she glanced ahead and saw a small army gathering from the nearby tents.

  Her desire to end that woman had overridden their need to escape and Emily had to take a breath. Accepting the fact that Oressa would probably survive this, Emily took out one of the confluence orbs she had been given.

  She threw her gate open and poured source into the item. When she did she felt it begin to soak up the power greedily. From the feel of it, there was a limit and she very nearly hit it in one go but Emily managed to tone down the flow just enough to draw back the orb and throw it ahead of them.

  It wasn’t her best throw but it did land amongst the growing blockade.

  Emily did not know what to expect, but the moment the orb went off, the design was obvious. A wave of blinding light exploded out of it, creating enough concussive force to scatter everything in the area. The impact sent the gathering ranks out in all directions, but not just that. Tents and equipment were sent flying, along with anything not battened down. Even the sandstone near the detonation site exploded and tore a shallow groove through the surface. Emily whooped as the blockade was removed in one swift move.

  Reaching into her bag, she grabbed a second one and began drip-feeding source into it.

  The wandering fangs were not shy to make use of the opening either and ran through. Coming out near the next layer of tents. The Sam’eth soldiers were gathering here too but Emily was ready this time, lobbing the second one. The concussive force shook the area, shaking the surrounding earth.

  Emily was still rummaging through her pack for the final orb but then she saw they had moved into a section of the camp they had not been in before. The tents were red here and it was at this point Emily noticed two individuals stepping out of an undamaged tent. The wall was just behind them so they were almost home free but Kael and Umbra suddenly moved to the front.

  “Powerful foe! Everyone scatter around I’ll deal with it!” Kael said as he charged.

  From here Emily could only make out one red robe, but the other was strange. It was white but in this light, it seemed to hold an opalescent sheen that reflected the moonlight.

  Both had their hoods drawn, but the one in white was the first to step into their path.

  Kael charged at the man, the vapor surrounding him and his spear before he whipped around and swiped the unnaturally long weapon at the cloaked person.

  Emily didn’t expect it but Umbra reacted too, by throwing two daggers aimed at the individual and charging in with a third weapon drawn.

  The two of them arrived at the same time, pinching the white cloak between them. Emily saw the ranged attack arrive, but the white cloak suddenly swat them away with their bare hands, faint sparks coming off their flesh. When the two attacks arrived, they ducked under the spear and caught the sword with their bare hands.

  Sparks once more ignited around their skin and the blade seemed unable to proceed.

  But Emily’s eyes narrow to pinpricks. The spark that exploded off the white cloak’s hands looked like tiny exploding stars as they surrounded his palm protecting him.

  There was only one person Emily had ever seen use such a brutish combat style like that.

  And even being carried by Alex she couldn’t help the words that escaped her lips.

  “Cosmo?”

  Blood points: 308