108: Ada's POV (Graphic Battle Scene)

I took one last look at Nik as Finn wrapped his hand around my wrist. In a blink, the bloody scene in my bedroom was replaced with a chaotic battlefield. The first thing my mind decided to process was that there were piles of bodies *everywhere*. Most were slain wolves, but several of the Kingdom’s soldiers were strewn about. The second thing I processed was that death wasn’t a pretty thing. Blood soaked the earth to the point that it squelched beneath my foot as I took my first step forward. Eyes were open wide, mouths open in terror. Guts spilled from bodies of wolves, tongues lolling out to the side. The final thing I noticed was just how loud the battle was. Screams, grunts of pain and exertion, the clash of weapons... it all formed a beautiful, but terrifying cacophonous symphony.

It was the stuff of nightmares, and I had chosen to live it.

I allowed myself less than ten seconds to process all of these feelings. Well, allowed wasn’t the right phrase. It was about fifteen seconds after Finn and I blinked into existence that the first wolf lunged at me. My ice spear connected with his chest, the tip snapping off. I swallowed down the panic as his body continued through the air, growling. With a small pivot, I slid my razor-sharp, flaming blade across the underbelly of the wolf. Blood splattered across my face, wet and warm. Entrails fell from the belly and onto the ground. I sidestepped the lifeless body as it continued its arc and then fell to the ground.

Finn was dealing with two wolves that had gone after him. His eyes met mine, something akin to pride in them as I fixed my stance and swung at another approaching wolf. I grunted as my sword connected with flesh, and I had to yank it free. My voice rang out over the various sounds, “Finn! Find Phoenix and Darius. Find out what’s going on.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flurry of movement to my right. Several wolves and a few individuals in human form were gaining on a few soldiers. The soldiers were trying to hold their ground, but were being backed toward the tree line. If they were forced there, there was no way they would make it. They’d be surrounded in seconds, dead in a few more.

I leapt over a heap of bodies, zig-zagging through wolves flying through the air and soldiers running into action. When I was about fifteen feet from the group, I extended my left hand. Ice shoots propelled forward, their speed fast enough to penetrate the bodies of the wolves nearest to me. Howls pierced the air as the wolves stumbled back from the set of soldiers, limping. I sent another onslaught of ice flying, this time sending it shooting in all directions. That particular trick would have to be used less frequently, since I couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t hit our own people. But it was good in a pinch to make sure no one was following me too closely.

One of the few individuals in human form turned to face me. I stumbled when I realized that I knew him— it was the owner of the farm I’d been on. As I blinked in recognition, his head was cleaved from his shoulders. The soldiers had used my diversion to their advantage and were shoving the enemies back into the heart of the fray.

It was sad to admit that it hadn’t occurred to me before that moment that I was fighting against people I had known almost my whole life. There would be people here that I knew, and I would have to kill them. The next time I came across someone, there couldn’t be that hesitation. It would get me killed.

I rolled my shoulders back and pivoted hard to the left as I heard a growl approaching rapidly on my right. I narrowly avoided the jaw of a large black wolf as I spun. The shadows came like they were second nature. They jolted out from me, wrapping around the wolves in my vicinity and slamming them to the ground. The earth around me shook from the impact. I could hear bones snap as their bodies went limp. My shadows worked with me, deflecting the vast majority of wolves who came at me. Others, I set on fire with flames that I sent flying through the air. Ice spears were reserved for those who had remained in human form, as they pierced that flesh far more easily.

Anyone who got close enough to me met the blade of my sword. I’d lost track of how many I’d slain, as there always seemed to be more to replace them. I leaned back as a wolf leapt in front of me, barreling after one of our soldiers. Shadows shot out and grabbed him, ripping him down to the ground.

My name echoed through the battlefield. I spun, recognizing the voice. My shadows licked at the air around me, capturing anyone who approached me from behind as I worked to find Phoenix. I caught his gaze for a split second as I slid across the bloody earth, hacking the legs off of several wolves as he passed by them.

He yelled, “There are too many bodies,” *slice, slice, stab,* “We can’t get clearance,” *side-step, stab, slice,* “Can you help?”

Sweat dripped down my face as I looked around the area. All I had were the acid clouds that Finn had called rudimentary. How could I use them safely in this circumstance? They would kill anyone they touched.

I jolted as someone’s back pressed up against mine. I glanced over my shoulder to find Finn, who spoke clearly, “Concentrate. You can control it. Send it to the piles of bodies and nowhere else.” There was a snap that I was fairly certain was a neck. “You get that half and I’ll get this half.”

A response wasn’t warranted. I focused, forming the clouds of acid that had once been the only thing I could manage from Nik’s gift. With minimal effort, I sent them sludging to the nearby piles. The disintegration was nearly instant. It didn’t sound pretty, but at least I couldn’t see it. I worked as quickly as I could. Each time the acid clouds moved on from a pile, nothing but scorched earth remained. There was a small pang in my chest as I realized that all of these individuals had families that would never be able to say goodbye, to bury them.

That wasn’t my problem, though. Finn and I worked through the field within minutes, effectively clearing 90% of the bodies. The action had severely depleted me, but it was worth it. Without having the bodies there, things felt less chaotic. Our soldiers were able to regain their footing, and things were moving more quickly. It felt like the enemies were being replaced at a slower pace.

As I jumped back into the fray, it was almost easy to forget about the pain in my back. We could do this. We could *win*.