Free Eternal Forest: Savage Rising by Joe Naff

her face swing away. Feneris spun his blades around in his hands. “Yes, my Lord!” they shouted in unison over the driving rain.
                  Sounding a battle cry, Viyana and Feneris charged through the mud towards the escaped prisoners. Viyana made for Zehlyr as Feneris set his sights on Azalea.
                  Frightened, Zehlyr dove out of the way, crashing headfirst into a muddy puddle. He rolled to his back just as Viyana’s sword came splashing down on his landing spot. Over and over he rolled, trying frantically to stay clear of the warrior’s deadly blows.
                  Feneris cross his blades in front of him as he approached Azalea. He swung them out rapidly towards her neck, hoping to lob off her head in one, swift attack. Azalea ducked beneath the attack and tumbled behind him. She rolled to a crouching position as Feneris stumbled to regain his balance. He turned back and widened his stance, preparing to charge again. With a bit of distance between her and her assailant, Azalea stole a glance back towards Zehlyr.
                  Blinded by the sheets of rain and dizzy from tumbling, Zehlyr was unaware of his surroundings. Viyana continued to swing her blade down into the ground as though chopping wood. As Zehlyr continued to roll from his front to his back, he struck the side of the jail hard. The force jarred his body and made him lose his breath. It also left him no more room to escape. Shielding his eyes from the rain, he looked up to see Viyana standing over him, ready to deliver one final blow.
                  “No!” Azalea shouted. As if by her command, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the warrior’s sword. The blade shot from Viyana’s hand as she herself was tossed back fifty feet. The warrior woman lay motionless on the muddy earth. Zehlyr couldn’t tell if she was still alive or not, but he didn’t honestly care; either way, she was out of the fight.
                  “No!” Feneris shouted as he charged once again. Azalea looked back just in time to see the soldier’s blades coming towards her. She ducked quickly, holding her arms over her head. The dark and the rain were disorienting, and Feneris was unable to change his trajectory fast enough. His attack sailed over her head as his torso struck her side. Feneris dropped his swords and tumbled over Azalea’s crouching body. He landed hard. His face turned up into the driving rain.
                  The impact from Feneris knocked the air from Azalea’s lungs. She rolled onto her side and flattened out. With the limited visibility, her best defense was to be as hard to find as possible. She brought her arms in under her chest, allowing her hands—by luck—to find one of Feneris’ swords sunk into the mud. Finding the weapon gave her a small glimmer of hope. Her hands quickly felt up the length of it to the hilt, which she grasped firmly.
                  Feneris rose to his feet again, wobbly and dizzy from exhaustion. He had no idea where his swords were, but there was no point in looking for them. He would have to kill the girl with his bare hands, something he felt more than capable of accomplishing. His eyes scanned the ground for her, finally discovering her lying on her stomach in the mud. She didn’t look conscious. This would be easier than he thought.
                  Overconfident, he made slow, clumsy steps towards her. “I’ve had just about enough of you,” he said as he stood over her. He lifted his right foot into the air, intending to crush her skull with his heavy boot. “Farewell, sorceress,” he said.
                  Before the boot fell, Azalea lifted off the ground and made a low sweep with the sword. Its edge sliced across Feneris’ left ankle, sending a spray of blood into the mud. Feneris yelled out in pain as he fell onto his back.
    Azalea shot up to her feet as