Horde (Razorland #3)(53)

In time, the smoke drew enemies to us. That, too, was part of the plan.

A Freak hunting party stalked into the clearing just before dawn, probably expecting to catch a trapper unaware. They stopped, all twenty of them, to stare at the unattended fire. This was a risk, but they already had fire, thanks to our outpost, and they’d demonstrated no problems protecting the flame for long periods, which showed cognition of the consequences should it go out. The way they were developing—and with what Dr. Wilson had said about their collective memory—it wouldn’t surprise me if they figured out how to start one on their own ere long.

One of them snarled at the rest, then gestured. He’s giving orders. Then the Freaks fanned out, sniffing around the clearing. But before they could figure out we were up above, I signaled Tully, and the attack commenced. She loosed a bolt from her perch, spearing the leader through the throat. The hit was clean until the beast clawed the metal out of its neck, then blood sprayed everywhere. His soldiers reacted with less panic than I’d expected, but without his leadership, they needed to be more focused in order to take out opponents with a battle plan and superior placement.

From beside her, Spence shot two more. Using shooting irons was a risk. If there were more in the vicinity, they’d hear the noise and come to aid their brethren, but the alternative was putting the rest of us on the ground before we softened them up. From what Stalker said, the horde was east of Salvation, not west. Once they found Gaspard, they’d probably harry that area for a while, not that it would do them any good. The way that town was situated, unless the beasts could approach by sea or find a way over that massive wall, then the only way they could hurt the people within would be to starve them out.

That left us with seventeen Freaks to kill. I nodded my approval to Tegan, who still had my rifle. She inched forward on the platform, braced, and fired. Though her aim wasn’t all that good, the higher vantage helped. I suspected she hadn’t intended to shoot one through the back, but it worked. The monster cried out in rage and spun, snarling a challenge. Not a fatal shot. She unloaded again, this time catching the Freak in the chest, and that ended it. From her exultant expression, it felt good to assert her strength. I didn’t undervalue her healing skills, but defensive ability made a person feel powerful, and she needed that.

Tully reloaded and killed another one, Spence accounted for two more. That was what I had been waiting for—slightly better odds. The men needed a decisive victory to restore the morale we’d lost wandering around and begging for help. I gave the signal to leap down and began the next stage of the battle. As one, we attacked from above. To me, the others were a blur of fists and blades. I had my knives out before the first Freak reached me. It lunged and I replied with a lightning slice of my wrist.

It felt good to cut its throat.

Another took its place. The clearing was a mass of snarls and lashing claws, snapping fangs. Fade fought his way to my side and took his position at my back. We fought as we always had, like one person, and the beauty of our coordinated movements felt like sparking. Stalker was a whirlwind of graceful savagery; everywhere he moved, the beasts went down. Tegan’s gun went quiet, and I suspected she didn’t trust herself to fire while we were fighting. I respected her for knowing her limitations, even as one of Tully’s bolts slammed into the monster I was battling.

As I took on another, I glanced over at Thornton, who stunned a beast with his weighted fist and Morrow ran it through. They were efficient together, brute force coupled with finesse. Morrow saw me looking and winked, then he whirled back into the fight. Behind me, Fade fought with his whole body—elbows, shoulders, knees—while deftly avoiding their snapping jaws. I blocked a feint in my direction, then tried a new maneuver; I launched a kick, and when the Freak leapt back to avoid it, I disemboweled it on a low, forward rush.

Our plan turned into a chaotic melee with Freaks moving wildly. Some lashed out at whomever was nearby; others fled. Tully and Spence dropped the last two as they bounded toward the edge of the clearing. I was breathing hard but euphoric. This definitely counted as a victory. All around me, the men were celebrating.


“It’s only one fight,” I said, “but this is where it begins.”

They responded by stomping their feet and hooting. Tegan moved through, checking us out. Apart from Tully and Spence, we all had minor scrapes, bruises, and claw marks, but nothing serious, no wounds that required much medical attention. We’d needed to prove our ability like this; it would bolster our resolve through the tough times, and I had no doubt those were looming on the horizon.

I went on, “Let’s get these bodies out of here. They’ll soon be stinking up the place.”

“What should we do with them?” Spence asked.

After considering how they had tormented us and ultimately destroyed Salvation, the answer came to me. My heart felt cold as ice as I replied, “Drag them past the edge of the forest. Take their heads. Then burn the rest.”

“What’re we doing with the heads?” Thornton demanded.

Stalker answered for me, an approving light in his eyes. “I suspect we’re planting them on stakes in a perimeter around our territory.”

“That’s exactly right.”

Morrow frowned. “That seems barbaric.”

“It is. It’s also a warning they’ll understand because it’s one they issued to us.”