The Way of the Power Read Free Page B

pick her up and let’s go.”
    “Where? The street is blocked.”
    Shaking her head, she pointed toward the woods and distant mountains.
    The guard shook his head. “We cannot take the Artisoll into the wild.”
    “Reloading time is almost done. You want to stay here?”
    The guard looked at the mountains, then turned his gaze up and down the street. With a defeated sigh, he bent down and whispered into the girl’s ear. She smiled at him and climbed onto his back. Laying her head on his shoulder, her smile disappeared and she became her stoic self once more.
    Malja ran off the street and into the forest. A shocked gasp burst from behind. Then an angry roar.
    “Get them!” one of the leaders said.
    Malja dared to glance back for only a second — enough to see the guard huffing along behind her, and further in the distance, a maroon soldier and a blue soldier in pursuit. Each one sat astride a gray-and-white lizard-beast with tufts of hair. The creatures had no trouble maneuvering through the trees, sometimes opting to jump from trunk to trunk, gaining height as they went. It would be difficult to hide when their enemy could watch from above.
    Malja stopped and pulled out Viper. “Keep running,” she said to the guard.
    The beasts continued to approach, the blue soldier’s one edging ahead of the maroon. At least that made choosing who to attack easier. Malja charged toward the blue soldier.
    A surprised look opened on the soldier, and he yanked the beast’s reins, guiding it up the side of a tree trunk. He had poor timing, though. He had allowed Malja to get in too close.
    As the beast jumped to her left, she pushed off the ground to her right. Her foot dug into the nearest tree and she pushed off again, higher and straight for the blue soldier and his beast. With a growl, she swung Viper at the soldier’s head.
    Now it was her turn to be surprised — the soldier ducked and Viper dug deep into the trunk. Bark kicked out as the soldier kicked his beast onward. He vaulted right by Malja and ignored her. She would have to take care of him later. The maroon soldier fast approached, and she couldn’t afford to lose her momentum or she’d be stuck hanging in a tree.
    Holding tight to Viper, Malja swung outward, whipping her feet forward. The maroon soldier had tried to sneak by on the opposite tree, but Malja’s heels caught the soldier in the face. He tumbled off the back of his mount and fell to the forest floor. The beast ran on a few feet before stopping, confused that it no longer had a rider. Malja let her body’s motion and weight pull Viper from the tree before gravity brought her down.
    The soldier rolled to his hands and knees, moaning as he attempted to stand. Malja walked straight behind him. Using Viper’s hilt, she knocked him in the back of the head — no need to kill him. He no longer was a threat.
    She spun back and headed for the lizard-beast. The saddle on its back looked close enough to what she knew from riding horses. She mounted the creature, picked up the reins and gave it a light squeeze with her knees.
    It stood still — breathing heavy and smelling like a marsh.
    She kicked with her heels.
    It turned its head enough to look at her with one large eye.
    “Yeah, I don’t know what I’m doing. But if you go now, I’ll find you some nice bugs to eat.”
    The beast plopped down on the ground, lowered its head, and closed it eyes.
    Malja shook her head as she dismounted. The blue soldier might have reached the girl and the guard. She had no more time to spare. Sheathing Viper on her back, she sprinted into the woods.
    Less than a minute later, she heard the guard call out. “Over here.”
    He stood off to her left, and when she reached him, she found the blue soldier and his beast slain by two precise and effective slashes. The little girl sat on a fallen log, her face blank as she looked at the trees.
    “Did you get the other one?” the guard asked.
    Malja nodded. “There’ll be more