"We are fucked," a guard yelled.
"I guess so," Kael commented, fear gripping him tightly. His hand tightened on the hilt, trying to force focus, his other hand slowly moving towards the treeline where the shadows moved.
The horses stamped nervously, their nostrils flaring as their panic increased the tension in the air. Kael could hear his own heartbeat.
A shadow moved between the trees. Just a flicker. Then another. Every nerve in Kael's body screamed. It was as if the trees themselves were holding their breath, waiting. A twig snapped somewhere to his left, and a low growl echoed from deeper in the trees.
His mind was a whirlwind, frantically turning over ways to use his mana.
He wanted to battle on open ground, and the shadowfangs charging towards them, as they did before. But these beasts moved like living shadows, disappearing and reappearing between the trees, faster than he could track.
Lucas shifted beside him, the scrape of his sword against the scabbard unnervingly loud in the stillness. Spears and shields stuck into the snow, forming a semicircle around them.
Some guards' hands shook as they gripped their weapons; one muttered a quiet prayer under his breath.
He let out a dry chuckle, impossible to suppress. "Well, looks like we're the prey now," he muttered, and the words seemed to echo.
No one even glanced at him, but a few stifled chuckles cut through the tension, lightening the mood for a moment.
They were lucky, Kael thought. There was still daylight, and some time until dark. At least they weren't blind. That thought calmed him slightly, though not enough for anyone else to notice.
"They are circling us," Rhys shouted after noticing the movements of the shadows. He counted silently, frowning. "At least two packs… maybe three."
"Leave it to us," Lucas said, his hand shaking slightly, but he was not showing fear in his eyes.
Kael and Lucas spun, covering the rear of the semicircle. The shadows in the trees grew more active.
Then all hell broke loose.
Twelve shadowfangs lunged from the trees.
Kael felt like time had frozen; his thoughts were all over the place. He was running scenarios in his head. If he took the three that were coming from the left, he could ease the pressure on the formation. But that would leave him open to the other coming from his right side. Lucas was there, but he was dealing with the same scenario.
Surrounded, outnumbered, there was nowhere to run.
There were too many things that could go wrong, he thought. He tried going for the ones on the right side, but that only left the formation in shambles. They would breach it, and he would probably get killed fast.
Whatever scenario ran through his head was bad. There were no good options. He just needed to do his best to kill them as fast as possible.
They hadn't brought any archers. Kael was supposed to handle most of them himself. Being surrounded wasn't part of the plan.
"BRACE," the shout brought him to reality. There was no time to plot, think, or strategize. He just let himself loose.
Mana flared in his hand, and four jagged ice spears formed over his head. He stopped thinking; there was no time for that, everything was happening too fast.
He focused on the two shadowfangs charging straight at him. That didn't mean only two were after him; their path was just the clearest.
He didn't rush. He waited, eyes fixed on the two shadowfangs hurtling toward him. They were too close to evade. Just before they lunged, he released the spears. The beasts twisted, but it was too late. The spears struck true.
There were cries before they died, but Kael didn't hear them.
Two more charged straight at him, but a guard shifted just in time, blocking the one on the left. Only the one on the right had a clear path.
Just as he released the previous spears, two more formed. He only formed two, so he could have the freedom to use other spells. Killing the first two eased the pressure on him. But he was still focused only on stopping their movement.
As the beast got close to the range, he could manipulate his mana, a spike formed from the ground up, angled for the neck, a moment before the beast got there and got impaled like they would with a braced spear.
That cleared the danger enough so he could start thinking again. He used the mana for five spells, so he had enough for seven more, if he used the formed spears fast enough before they ate through his mana.
He glanced around to get more information about the battle. There was a second or two before the shadowfangs clashed with the guards. He had to do his best here to prevent injuries or death.
The guards blocked Kael's view, leaving only Lucas in sight. He glanced and saw Lucas meeting a shadowfang head-on, a subtle glow tracing his legs, hands, and sword. To Lucas's left lay a fallen shadowfang, its head beside the body.
One more was charging towards Lucas from the right. He wanted to use the spike to slow it down or outright kill it, but it was too far for that. So he hurled the two ice spears towards it, hoping to end it. Then he turned away, towards his left, where the guard had blocked the path of the shadowfang that was charging towards him.
The shadowfang barreled into the guard, who had been blocking its path. The man staggered, but the beast's momentum was too strong. He was slammed backward like a rag doll, colliding with Kael with a bone-jarring impact.
Lucas tightened his grip on sword and shield; his hands shook anyway. Three shadowfangs were rushing towards him, and he was supposed to hold or kill them there. Letting them get past him would mean chaos in their formation. Chaos was the worst thing that could happen on the battlefield, at least that was what his father taught him.
Lucas assessed the threat. Stand and wait, and he would have to fend off all three at once. Strike first, and he could take down at least one before turning to the others, but the risk of leaving himself exposed was high; the alternative wasn't better.
He glanced at Kael, four ice spears hovering above his head, and saw that he had already taken action. Lucas made his decision. He would meet the beast head-on.
Fear gnawed at the edges of his mind, yet his fingers clenched harder around the hilt.
He focused his mana in his feet and surged toward the closest beast. In an instant, he was in front of it. The creature lunged, and Lucas channeled his mana into his right leg, sidestepping. While the beast was still airborne, he funneled mana into his hand and the edge of his blade. He swung in an arc. The blade sliced cleanly through the shadowfang. A moment later, warm blood splashed across his face and chest.
No time to rest; another shadowfang lunged before he could even glance away from the first.
He didn't waste a moment; he turned towards the second beast, lunging at him. Have to take it, he thought. There was no time to sidestep or dodge, so he moved his mana towards the shield and legs. The beast hit his shield and got knocked down. The impact rang out with a thud, reverberating up his arm. Lucas was just pushed back a step.
He glanced at the third shadowfang, closing in fast. He had to finish it quickly. Channeling mana into his feet, he charged the stunned beast. With a swift, precise thrust, he drove his blade into its head. The blade slid through with sickening ease, the beast's eyes going wide before the light faded. Moments later, it collapsed into the snow.
He was already sweating, chest heaving, and half his mana was spent. The strain of using it so intensely made his limbs heavy, but there was no time to rest. There was still one shadowfeng going for his life.
Mana surged through his legs, and he spun without hesitation, shield braced to his chest. His sword rested against its rim, point angled outward, ready for whatever came next.
He turned around and froze. The shadowfang was already dead, its body skidding across the snow from the force of its own charge. It slid to a stop at his boots, jaws hanging open in a frozen snarl, an ice spear jutting from its skull. For a heartbeat, Lucas just stared, chest heaving.
Then his eyes snapped toward Kael. The mage was standing behind the guard, a soft glow flickering in his hand. The shadowfang barreled into the man with terrifying force, and the guard was sent sprawling backward, right into Kael. Kael crumpled under the impact, sliding a few feet across the snow.
Lucas' grip tightened on sword and shield, legs trembling, breath ragged. On his left, the remaining shadowfangs collided with the guards' shields, and a sharp clang rang.