Carmine

I kicked back into the knight, but he held firm. The orange-robed man threw something at the knight. He dodged, while I pushed myself out of his grip and ran to the wall.

“Stop!” the knight shouted.

I drew my gun. My feet pounded the tile ground, yet screeched with each occasional slip. I twisted my body, and cocked the arrow into the slot.

The knight dodged the blue-robed man’s floating sword.

A floating sword.

Swords could float?

The orange one threw something, but I could not be sure. All I knew was there was this flashing light coming in and out of nowhere from its trail.

My shoulder still hurt but I pushed that to the back of my mind.

They were pushing the knight back and injuring him badly. His armor was badly splattered with blood.

I fired at the knight. The orange-robed man threw something. I dropped under the projectile, and it struck the wall.

It was a white knife, which on the end carried a thick metallic-looking fluff of fabric.

I said, “Wait, I am Canus’s friend. The Ascus Princess.”

The orange-robed man turned to Canus. He was being held in Sandream’s arms. She was tending to him. The man’s voice boomed around the room. “Benedict will not take this insult to his name in his territory. He has ordered all to be disposed of, including you and Canus.”

My breathing slowed and my heart sank. Sandream looked up with a fierce stare on her face. The range-robed man flicked his fingers up.

The fabric above me raised slowly. Light flickered and sputtered up sparks that made me blink.

I looked at the orange-robed man, and his hand flicked.

Move!

Five?

I rolled out of the way just before a flash of light coursed into the knife. My body seized up and numbness gripped me.

I pushed myself up, yet my arms and legs barely moved. A tinge of soft irritation traveled through my skin. What was that?

The orange-robed man threw another knife, it hit true. It was lodged right in my thigh. He twirled his hand.

Remove it! Five’s voice guided me, for he was not dead.

I ripped it out and threw it back. The light flashed and blew up into a bright ball of sparks.

The orange-robed man fell backward. I fired the gun and hit him in the stomach. He tried to get up. The blue-robed man with the sword killed the knight and threw the sword at me.

I ducked. The sword stopped midair behind me. It spun and almost cleaved my head off.

You, got, to, be, having drunk jests with me!

I ran and barely dodged it as the blue-robed man came at me with another long sword in hand.

Damnation!

The gun being connected, I dragged the orange-robed man haplessly across the floor. Blood smeared his robe.

The blue-robed man swung up his second sword. I stiffened in fear. A knife pierced that man’s wrist disarming him of the sword. Sandream stepped up as I backed up in line with her. She looked around warily.

“Aye!” I called.

Sandream turned as I came right behind her. I said, “We need to work together if we want to live here.”

Sandream scowled. “That need not be said.”

“Can you really stop their, this?” I asked.

“Nope. They are not using arcane, they are using greater weapons.” Her iris shifted and peered at me. The only time I noted her overpowering height. “You strike at him, I’ll go around.”

“Huh?”

Sandream grabbed and pulled me into the fray. I rolled forward to avoid my head being carved off. Sandream jumped wide as I kept narrowly avoiding either sword.

“Sandream, you bastard!” I called.

I ran across the blood of Five and almost slipped. The blue-robed man chased me and his floating sword swung, so I jumped back. My feet lost grip as I tried to stop slipping. He swung his sword, but I let my feet go, falling, I twisted and rebounded the sword with my expanding shield.

He jolted back, while I slammed into the blood, then using its fluidity, spun my body into his leg, dropping him. He fell on me and we collapsed into the dark viscous pool.

Blood, all over me, damnation to my life…

“Thanks,” Sandream said as she came behind the blue-robed man. He grabbed her hand holding her off.

I spun up, grabbed my spear, plunging it into his stomach. Sandream ripped out of his grasp and skewered him with a knife.

My gun lifted off my hip because the orange-robed man got up and threw a knife. Sandream caught it, blood splashed on my face when it sliced into her grasp.

The orange-robed man flicked his hand. Sandream grabbed the gun off my hip and turned to stone. She was literally stone, fully bronze shade all over from the face to the arms. Only her clothes fluttered in the wind, the light surged out.

Sparks fired off the arrow’s thread. The orange-robed man shivered and convulsed then fell on his knees.

He hit the floor hard, his face flopped onto the floor, and left a splash of slobber next to it.

Sandream’s skin returned to its shade and her body softened and loosened as if rising from slumber. She scowled and her teeth gritted against each other.

Something was wrong. My hand shook.

The facade dropped for she doubled over breathing hard. I stepped close. “You okay?”

Sandream became still. I reached out, yet she slapped my hand away. Sandream dropped the gun in front of me and bumped into me as she walked past.

I sneered. “Sandream!”

Sandream said without looking back, “We need to leave.” My eyes went to Canus. He was not bleeding anymore, but that pale face was worrying.

I called Janilla, “Janilla get up.”

Janilla stared wide-eyed at me and moaned. I frowned. Too many injured people, “Sandream is there a healer you can bring everyone to?”

Sandream stared at her with a stilted gaze. “We need to leave the city idiot, Benedict has caped for our death. No one in this city can be trusted.”

“Do not talk to me anyway, and anyhow you feel. I am trying to help.”

Sandream stared at me coldly then cut her eyes, tending to Canus.

Janilla passed me and patted me on my bad shoulder. Her voice was soft. “I am up.”

My shoulder was not. I wished I never met Corona.

After I snorted, turned, and disrobed the two men, I wrapped Five’s arm in the robes.

Sandream, Janilla, and I worked together in silent disdain. We lifted the two men. Canus walked. Five was barely lucid, he was the hardest, but we were able to leave that room.