Chapter Twenty-Four: Line in the Valley
752 Words
The Silver Order soldiers stood like a wall of death across the valley floor. Twenty of them. Maybe more. Their silver weapons gleamed under the red moonlight, and the blue glow of their restraints pulsed like hungry eyes.
I took another step forward, placing myself slightly ahead of Zara and Max. The ancient power inside me burned hotter than ever. The glowing orange patterns spread across my chest, arms, and neck like living fire.
The leader’s voice crackled again through his mask. “Last chance, Anomaly. Come quietly and your pets might survive the night.”
Zara growled beside me, claws already extended. “We are not pets.”
Max cracked his neck, muscles rippling. “Let’s do this.”
The soldiers opened fire.
Silver darts and nets flew toward us in a deadly storm.
I roared and thrust my hands forward. The power exploded out of me in a wave of orange-red light. Most of the darts burned up in mid-air. The nets disintegrated before they could touch us. The force of the blast knocked the front line of soldiers off their feet.
“Now!” I shouted.
We charged.
Max went left like a battering ram, slamming into three soldiers at once and sending them crashing into the dirt. Zara moved like a golden shadow on the right, slashing throats and dodging bullets with terrifying grace.
I ran straight down the middle.
A soldier fired a silver bullet at my chest. I caught it in my palm. The metal burned, but I crushed it and threw the melted lump back at him. He screamed as it hit his armor.
Another soldier tried to tackle me. I grabbed him by the vest and hurled him thirty feet into a group of his teammates.
The power felt intoxicating. Too easy. Too strong.
“Arian!” Zara shouted in warning.
I turned just in time to see the leader aiming a heavy silver cannon directly at me. He fired.
The beam struck me square in the chest.
Pain like nothing I had ever felt exploded through my body. I flew backward and slammed into the ground. The glowing patterns flickered wildly. For a moment, the wolf inside me screamed in agony.
Zara was at my side in seconds, pulling me up. “Get up! Please!”
Max roared and destroyed the cannon with his bare hands, then turned and tore through the soldiers protecting the leader.
I forced myself to stand. Blood ran from my nose. The orb in my pocket was burning so hot it felt like it might melt through my clothes.
The leader pulled off his mask. His face was scarred, cold, and full of hatred. “You can’t win, boy. The Order has been preparing for your kind for generations.”
I wiped the blood from my face and smiled through the pain. “Then you should have prepared better.”
I let go.
The power rushed through me completely. The glowing patterns blazed so bright they lit up the entire valley. I moved faster than thought. In seconds I was in front of the leader. I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
His eyes widened in terror.
“Tell your masters,” I growled, my voice layered with the ancient wolf, “the Anomaly is done hiding.”
I threw him hard into the remaining soldiers.
The fight ended quickly after that. The last few hunters retreated into the darkness, dragging their wounded with them.
We stood in the middle of the valley, breathing heavily, covered in dirt and blood.
Zara walked over and rested her forehead against mine. “You scared me for a moment there.”
Max placed a strong hand on my shoulder. “That power… it’s becoming dangerous, Arian. You were glowing so bright I could barely look at you.”
I nodded. I could still feel it humming inside me, hungry for more.
The red path glowed steadily ahead, leading toward the mountains.
“We’re almost out of the Dead Zone,” I said. “But I think whatever comes next is going to be worse.”
As we started walking again, the ancient voice returned one last time, soft and warning.
“The sacrifice draws closer, Anomaly. Choose carefully who you lose.”
I looked at Zara and Max walking beside me.
I wouldn’t lose them.
I refused.
But deep down, I knew the old blood always collected its price.
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To be continued…
- Writer
