The Spirit of Revenge Read Free Page A

thrust the bloody weapon forward and ripped the head off an Arzec before throwing it at a passing Arzec, knocking it off its feet as Silas laughed.
    Cain ran up to his side and the two of them thrust their weapons into the chest of an Arzec. “Have you seen Aaron?” Cain shouted to his friend over the din of battle.
    “No, why?” Silas replied before spinning and bringing his Sitar over the head of an Arzec, crushing its skull with a loud crack and burst of blood.
    Cain left his friend and tore through his enemies, searching the battlefield for Aaron. “Aaron!” He called for him, but his shout died quickly in the chaos of battle. He looked around the battlefield through the blurs of struggling combatants to the road that led to the southern half of the town.
    “I’ll go without him then…” He muttered as an Arzec ran toward him, axe raised. He ducked swiftly and swung his sword at the Arzec’s leg, hewing it off in a spray of blood. He grabbed its shield as it fell to the ground and he bashed its face in, blood spewing across the sand as he threw it off its foot.
    He quickly ran towards the south end of the fighting, taking no care to avoid trampling the Arzec he had just slain. He fought his way out of the battle and stumbled out onto the road moments later.
    He stood there a moment and took in the sudden flare of cool air. He looked down the road towards the town square, barely visible through the sea of daub buildings.
    He sprinted away from the fighting and ran towards the square. Dirt kicked up from his heels, his breathing labored from the fighting.
    As he reached the courtyard, he noticed the ruddy glow of a fire. Suddenly a scream broke out and echoed through the still night.
    Cain cursed under his breath and sprinted towards the town square. He reached the outer buildings at last and hid in their shadow for a moment. He gazed out from behind the wall and his eyes lit up in horror.
    The citizens of Andaurel had been waiting for an armed escort to lead them safely to the sanctity of Dun Ara. However, the few soldiers Grend could spare lay slaughtered in the town square.
    Arzecs dashed across the court, butchering the defenseless civilians. Fire consumed their wagons and belongings and the entire court was now ablaze.
    The screams of women and children pierced the air as Arzecs chased them down and brought them to their knees. They massacred the innocent, hacking off limbs and heads and sinking their fangs into every inch of flesh.
    In the confusion, one woman tried to escape down the north road towards the fight. An Arzec noticed her and jumped on her back, thrusting its teeth into her neck. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed near Cain.
    He pressed himself against the wall as the Arzec stood up from her corpse, blood running down its chin.
    Cain raised his sword and stepped forward to kill it before he was pulled back into the shadows.
    The Arzec raised its sword and brought it over the woman’s neck, severing her spine with a sickening crunch of bone as if to make sure she was properly dead. It looked around for a moment and licked its bloodied lips before returning to the town square. Cain wrenched free and spun around to see who had stopped him.
    Aaron shook his head. He pointed to the town square and threw a finger to his lips in an indication of silence. Cain spoke as loudly as he dared. “Eileen’s in there! We’ve got to help them!”
    “That’s exactly what we’re going to do.” He pulled his saber from his belt and ran to the opposite side of the building. They gazed around the wall and saw the same chaotic scene.
    “I thought Grend already sent them to Dun Ara?” Aaron whispered to his friend.
    “I don’t care, Eileen’s somewhere in there, I’m going in…” He left the safety of the shadows and sprinted towards the town square, screaming to draw the Arzecs’ attention.
    The Arzecs turned from their victims and faced their newest prey. They raised their weapons