Chapter Eight

I lean back against the trunk of the tree, patiently waiting for my forecast to come true. I unwearyingly bide my time until the opportune moment rises for me to inject myself into the equation. Soon enough, the clanking of metal on metal, screams of terror and grunts of battle charge the air with vigor. I step onto a dirt path from behind the tree, slowly making my way towards the sounds of people fighting their own compatriots. The compressed jungle carves up scarlet firelight into tiny slivers all around me as the shrieks of bloodshed grow louder. The lifeless bodies of two unfamiliar women materialize in my path and I sigh. It's such a waste of perfectly good potential to do things this way, but I can't risk the safety of my existing group or the assets on this island.

I step over their corpses, reaching down to take one of their short swords. I flip it over in my palm, testing the weight for usage.

I peek to my left, observing Xena, Adria and Elani combing through another string of female bodies for additional weaponry. A frantic, panicked girl shoves her way out of the bushes at a full on sprint. She's so desperate to escape the onslaught I incited that she doesn't even realize she's about to run right into me. Before she can react, I stab her through the stomach with the blade of one of her sisters then snap her neck quick. I wrench the knife from her body and wipe her blood off on the leg of my pants, casting Xena a quick side glance.

"Stay back for a bit to catch any stragglers trying to escape," I instruct. She nods as I roll my neck out and part the thick shrubbery, stepping into the bloodbath.

Dead or dying bodies lie scattered in an earthen donut around a raging bonfire; some are male, but most are female. A small number of men fight clumps of their own crew with everything they've got, loosing arrows and slashing their blades into anyone they encounter. More of them trickle in through the woodwork as my girls work to seduce them all across the island. Off on the north edge of the battle, I see the captains' blood speckled body with a feverish look in her eyes. She wields her crimson stained Dao blade, yelling out as she stabs into one of her crewmen.

A brunette woman far off on my right notices I'm a complete stranger and yells something to her captain. I stalk in her direction as she raises a bow to her cheek, aiming at my shoulder. The arrow fires from the nocking point on a direct path towards me and cut it out of the air with my blade. Two wooden halves spilt and fall to the ground. I grit my teeth and sprint at her as she fumbles with another arrow. She lifts the bow to loose another, but I'm quicker. I drive my blade into her gut as she gasps for air. I whistle loudly, signaling my girls to attack. One by one, Xena, Adria and Elani emerge into the clearing, armed with weapons of the deceased.

Someone jumps on my back, wrapping their arm tightly around my neck in an attempt to choke me out. I let out a primal yell and flip her over my back and onto the ground in front of me. I drive my blade downwards into her chest as another girl barrels in my direction. I snatch the electric yellow knife from my belt loop and fling it at her, nailing her in the eye socket. A loud, ear splitting pop cracks through the atmosphere. I pause for a moment to track the source of the noise that I recognize as gunfire. My eyes dial in on the captain holding a stocky, matte black rifle that's aimed at one specific person amongst the mass of bloodstained bodies.

Xena clings to her upper thigh, glancing down at a stream of blood leaking from a newly inflicted wound. She looks at me and drops to her knees, her eyes fluttering before she falls to the side without moving. I swallow hard and grit my teeth, leering in the direction of the captain.

I snatch a dagger off the body in front of me and charge at her on a bloodthirsty mission. Every person that steps in front of me, I annihilate in a flurry of stabs, chest kicks and throat slashes. The captain sees me coming, but she doesn't look panicked. She raises the rifle, aims at me and waits. Once I'm a mere twenty feet away, I launch my dagger at her but she tucks forward and does a summersault, rolling out of its direct path. She props herself up onto her knee, stares down the ocular lens of the scope, and fires.

A searing pain rips through my thigh. I look down at my right quad, staring at a shiny metal dart with a pink fluffy feather at the end. I rip it out of my flesh, rolling the cylinder around in my palm as my vision begins to go in and out. The dart drops to the dirt and I pitch forward, crumbling to my hands and knees. The captain reaches into her ammunition holster and withdraws another dart, loading it into the chamber. Panic clouds my vision and I look to the left, watching Adria and Elani continue to fight without knowing what's coming.

"Tes bach an te ocën…prant!" I command as I shakily stand myself up. I'm seeing double everywhere I look, but I can't stop. There's too much at stake.

One by one, the remaining crewwomen pile onto Adria and Elani to prevent them from leaving like I told them to. It snaps my adrenaline into overdrive and I charge at the first person I can distinguish, tackling her to the ground with no weapon whatsoever. I land a handful of less than adequate blows to her face before another rifle round pops off and my shoulder blade stings. I roll off the object of my attack and reach back, yanking another dart out of my skin. This time, I can barely move and my limbs feel like gelatin. My eyes refuse to stay open no matter how hard I try.

"I'm sorry…" I whisper as I climb into a dark, hopeless coma.

I've failed them and this island, just like I failed him.