Page 137 of Phoenix's Fire

A pair of tongue clicks pulled my attention back to Zasen. He lifted his chin, and I followed his gaze. Dozens of Moles moved in formation. Shoulder to shoulder, they were sweeping the forest, but they shouldn't be doing that. Their tactics were made for hunting in groups, not as an army!

Snapping my fingers once, I pressed the flat of my hand to the ground and swept it out in a circle before snatching at something invisible in the middle. We needed to get around them and then attack from behind. Zasen nodded. Holding up two fingers, he then gestured to the end of the Mole line and cocked his head like a taunt.

"We need a distraction. Don't miss," he mouthed.

I drew my bow. Moving over a bit to hide between a downed log and a massive tree, I found the weak spot in the Mole ranks. Two men drifted apart. It was near the end of my range - at least what I was sure of, but I wouldn't miss. Icouldn'tmiss. We had to distract the Moles long enough for the Dragons to scatter and get around them, because we were on the wrong side of their guns.

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I stood. Air slid from my lips as the arrow flew. Before the breath was all the way out, I'd nocked the second and released it as well.

Moles screamed.

One man fell dead. The other staggered, tripped, and eventually ended up onthe ground as the venom took effect. Those around him cried out in surprise and turned, desperately looking for their attackers in the too-bright light. That was when Zasen began to scream orders, his words in Vestrian.

Immediately, the forest began to move.

He and I ran east, each of us taking our own path. I didn't wait for Zasen. I just moved, and all around me the guns fired wildly. The sound was deafening. The debris turned the world into insanity, and I took shots where I could, but the forest protected us. We knew it and they didn't. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep me alive.

Bark flew from trees as bullets ripped the wood apart. Leaves drifted in the warm sunlight and people screamed. The sound of it all was overwhelming, but when the tree beside me sprayed bark, I ducked around another and paused, checking for Zasen. I was supposed to stay behind him, but I couldn'tseehim!

A second later, he joined me, pressing close to hide from the impacts hitting much too close around us. "We have to go," he hissed.

I jiggled my head, feeling both nervous and completely - totally - calm. "Move like a deer, right? Jagged and never the same speed?"

"Right. And shoot. I don't even care if you hit anything."

We bolted. I made for a rock. He aimed for another tree, but this time we didn't pause. My boots dug into the soft dirt of the forest and I strained for as much traction as I could get. Fear gave my legs power. Together, we ran, forcing the enemy to leave their positions to give chase.

Catching a small tree with my free hand, I pulled myself around it and ducked behind another rock. This one was bigger. I heard when a bullet slammed into the stone, then pulled my bow and stood. The Mole was so close I couldn't miss. The moment my fingers let go, the arrow embedded itself in his chest.

"Move!" a green man yelled as he caught my arm and pulled me with him. "They're coming."

I ran, so he let go. My eyes stayed locked on the green tail before me, but my ears were on the steps to my right. Gunshots made those hard to trace, but someone was barreling through the forest much too close.

Jerking to a halt behind a massive tree, I paused only long enough to send off another arrow and get my bearings, then rushed out again. As I pumped my legs to get me over to another rock, I dared to look back. The line of Moles had collapsed, and groups of Dragons were tearing into the men. Reaching over my shoulder, I pulled another arrow and set it on the string, refusing to slow.

I made it three steps before the shrubs split to reveal blackness right in front of me.

I didn't think, just reacted. Dropping the bow, my hands found the krael and I jerked up, pushing right into the man's chest. The leather of his shirt and soft flesh of his belly parted beneath the sharpened spikes. Warmth flooded my hands: solid, wet, and slippery. His insides! Jerking my hands back, I kicked my bow ahead of me, and chased after it. Two steps later, I bent to snag the thing from the ground without slowing, neither knowing nor caring where the arrow had vanished.

Then something hard hit my waist and jerked me to the side. Hands closed on my body gently. I didn't need to see him to know it was Zasen. Spinning me around, he looked me over once, then nodded - and we took off again, but this time we had the distance and space to begin picking off men from behind their line.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

He looked down, making me do the same. Blood stained my arms, waist, and likely all the way down my legs.

I offered a weak shrug. "He's dead, I think."

"So are they, because we're not the only ones who made it around."

A tip of his head made me look over in time to see green Omden slam into a Mole from the side. Drozel rose up from the forest floor as if he'd been under it. I knew that was simply a benefit of his color, but the hunter before him screamed in terror, dropped his gun, and tried to flee. He never made it.

Further away, the gunshots were still intense. I didn't care. I took the chance and fired an arrow at a man in black. Their leather armor might work well at night, but in the golden glow of the later afternoon, it made them very easy to spot. Beside me, Zasen was releasing at least two arrows to every one of mine.

Then, "Retreat!" someone yelled in English. "Get to the carts!"

"Go, go, go!" another cried.