The Nefaliem's Duty (Ordinal Novella, 1) by Kelvia-Lee Johnson Read Free Book Online Page A

my left
shoulder. I’m flung across the forest. I land in a pile of trees. I
move to sit up and rub my aching head. “Ow, who the heck did that?”
I ask.
    “I did.” I hear
a voice behind me and I sense an attack. I’m not sure what but I
evade in time and watch as the trees splinter under the attack. The
fist of the troll I had taken down earlier, is lodged into the bark
of the trees. He pulls his hand away and stands to face me. His
eyes lock with mine and I recognise those golden eyes, “Remember
me?”
    I stand with my
fists ready to fight and I watch as he saunters over to me. His big
feet carefully glide along the base of the fallen and uprooted
trees. “What do you want?” I demand.
    “What does it
look like?” he growls. “I’m after the head of the royal
family.”
    I glare, “So
what you want to kill the king is that it?”
    “Why else would
I be here?” he retorts. Growing angrier by the second I launch
myself at him, I throw a fist but am surprised by him catching it
and pushing me back as if I were a mere feather. My back collides
with the bark of a nearby tree and I watch as he moves over to
me.
    I block his
oncoming attacks. His next punch I notice isn’t like his other
punches, as he aims for my face. I lean away and notice the
transparent energy wrapped around his hand and wrist. I flip
backwards, in a gentle backhand spring, knocking his fist away with
my boot. I elegantly land on my feet and bring up my fists. He
regards me, momentarily before continuing his string of
attacks.
    I continue to
block and protect myself. Only to slip around a tree and watch as
the entire tree shivers under his impact, I hear his fist is yanked
out of the bark before he chases after me. I surprisingly regard
the monster and evade his stomping feet as one of them threatens to
kill me. “Will you hold still?” he grumbles and I leap over a
nearby boulder and land several metres below, near a river.
    I hear their
majesties in the distance and know I have to do something. Another
sound waffles my ears and I hear the sound of heavy panting as if
something or rather someone is chasing after them. I glance at the
troll high above. I gather my energy and float above the ground and
over the river. I have to loose him or I risk losing the king and
the prince. Without the royal family, the current prophet of this
world will cease to exist.
    I see it in the
distance. A looming figure that chases after the head prophet and
his son. I glance behind me and see the Troll is gaining—a smile
curls at my lips as I continue to run at a constant speed that
isn’t too fast for the troll but not too slow. Without further ado,
I leap over the figure that chases after the royal family. I
quickly slip out of the way and spin around in time, to see that
the troll has crashed into what appears to be a Crotian—a bull-like
monster that stands on two legs with the upper half built as a
man.
    The Crotian
growls while the blue skinned golden-eyed Troll; takes a step back
and drops his height a little. It’s not as if he’s scared. It’s a
tactic a lot of fighters use. As quietly as I can, I disappear into
the forest. Leaving the rumbling of Outlanders behind me. I jog at
human speed through the forest, the moon filters through the canopy
giving me more than enough light to see the broken branches and
squashed forest grass. I can clearly see the outline of their feet
and smell strongly their scent. They’re close.
    I stop and turn
my right.
    There, huddled
in the shadows and the roots of a large tree; is the prince and the
king of Sparta. I slowly step forward and whisper, “Hey, it’s okay.
It’s me.” I sense they relax a little. Their eyes are fraught with
fear and worry at the same time.
    “Have you heard
from Lord Volovmich?” King Eurotas asks.
    I shake my
head. “No. Why?”
    “We’re just
hoping he’s okay.” the prince confirms. I can’t help but smile at
the honesty whisking his brusque voice.
    I peer over