Chapter 28

Note: Thanks to Alex for beta reading this!

I nearly tripped and fell as all five of my ghosts died. Duhot, Dusata, Grobi, Ipalsi, and Nevidena were all gone like that. Killed in one attack. I didn’t even understand how that could be possible. It didn’t make any sense.

Then Nina Naughty died. The first of my companions killed. A heartbeat later, Slepkavi, another of my orcs, vanished.

“Leo?” Ms. Trueno asked, putting her hand on me.

I blinked, realizing I had stopped running. I glanced ahead. We were almost there. “It’s fine. We just have to keep fighting. We’re here anyway. Gaiste!” I pointed to the target building a block away. “Climb up to that window high up and see what’s in there.”

“Yes, Lord Leo,” Gaiste cried. The arachne scuttled forward past us on her black legs, her red hair flying behind her. My heart beat fast, twisting with pain.

Were we losing?

Halia and her group arrived at the central government building. It rose five stories high. It was made of gray stone. It looked imposing. Like all of Sharithin was supposed to revolve around this point. Which made a certain sense.

“Lord Leo, we’re on the south side of the building,” Halia said, Usiku standing beside her. The salamanders’ heat washed over her.

“We just arrived on the north,” her lord answered her. “I’m having Gaiste scout the building. Hold on.”

She nodded then her cheeks warmed. He couldn’t see her. “Standing by, Lord Leo.”

“I want to get in there,” Engana hissed. The salamander flapped her fiery wings. They weren’t that big. “I want to kill those bitches. They’re dying, right? We’re losing sisters?”

“I can only assume so,” Usiku said. “We have to wait. Lord Leo has given us orders.”

Engana hissed her frustration. Halia understood.

“It’s a meeting hall, Lord Leo,” Gaiste reported. She clung to the outside of the building and peered through the window. “The two monster girls in there, the raiju and the treant have barricaded the doors. They are ready for a fight.”

“It’s just the two of them?” I asked.

“Yes, my Lord,” Gaiste added as she scuttled down the wall.

“Move into position,” I ordered. “We’ll breach on my order!”

Terra fell, tripped by the werewolf that savaged her leg. She fell on her back with a hard thud, wincing in pain. The wolf leaped for her throat, eager to rip it out. The golem raised her arms, but not fast enough to save her life.

Only Slepkavi was faster.

The orc’s golden sword flashed out and buried into the side of the werewolf, skewering through its side and knocking the monster girl off her attack. The werewolf staggered to the side, hissing in fury, and turned in a blur to tear out the orc’s throat.

Terra gasped in horror as Slepkavi staggered back, blood spilling down her golden breastplate. The orc took a step back then vanished before her body hit the ground. Fury exploded through Terra. She slammed her hammer-fist into the wounded werewolf’s side.

The beast howled in pain and tumbled off the golem. She gained her feet and slammed her left hammer-fist down on the werewolf’s head, knocking the beast back to the ground as it tried to stand back up. Fury beat through the golem.

“She saved my life and you killed her!” snarled Terra.

She battered her hammer-fists down on the werewolf, driving the beast into the pavement. Bones crunched. The monster girl snarled in pain. Terra slammed her weapon down, shouting her fury, and hit the pavement instead.

The werewolf had vanished. Dead.

She straightened and looked around. The other four werewolves were still up, fighting. They were so tough. Terra’s metaphorical heart flagged, fear whipping through her that even with twice their number, they couldn’t win.

Then Zobens’s sword slammed down and cut off a werewolf’s head. It spun through the air and vanished. The sight heartened Terra. They could still win.

To her right, Bhaaloo and Panja fought another werewolf, the two werebears swiping with powerful claws, raking the air and driving back the beast. Briesmoni and Dzelzs fought a third, while Daant and Maan battled the fourth.