Chapter 67: Night of shadows
"You too, Kael," Taria called but Kaedros didn’t respond.
The first shadow was already on him, this one wielding a massive battle axe. He had no choice but to hook his short sword into the weapon’s head and yank it from the shadow’s grip.
He followed the motion with a clean slice at its neck, cutting it down, though he didn’t wait to see it fall. A blur passed by his right, and he dove to the left just as a heavy iron ball whooshed past with skull crushing force.
At least, he thought it would have crushed his skull. He didn’t know the true nature of the weapons the shadows held. They looked solid but Kaedros had seen them vanish the moment they hit the floor.
He darted forward with a thrust to the shadow’s chest, driving steel into where its heart would be before it could pull its chained weapon back. From there, everything became a blur, thrusts, parries, angled cuts, and desperate blocks. Each one jarred his arm and left his hand aching.
Then he saw one rushing toward Rauk, this one attempting to strangle him from behind with a rope. Kaedros was faster. His sword pierced the creature’s spine and it dissolved before the rope could find its mark.
"Thanks," Rauk muttered, surprised to find Kaedros beside him but Kaedros was already gone, engaged again, his sword intercepting a war axe meant for his throat.
Rauk shook his head, sweat dripping from his temples. His hands trembled as he lifted the long sword once again. With each heavy swing, he cut through at least two shadows, anchoring himself in one spot like a rooted tower.
His weapon had reach. Its weight, though, was a problem. Rauk could have sworn this was the longest long sword he had ever seen and had it gained weight overnight? Or was it that he had become weaker?
Didn’t matter. His muscles burned. Each parry was slower than the last.
A dagger nearly found his neck he had to throw himself sideways and yank his sword up just in time to cleave the shadow from hip to shoulder.
It dissolved with a hiss.