Page 13 of How Gods Bleed


  A number of other werewolves were met with similar fates, broken, bloodied and destroyed. One such werewolf attempted an attack from above leaping high with plans of pouncing upon the Immortal. Cada Varl raised his sword to meet the creature and effortlessly his weapon impaled through the thing’s chest. The werewolf did not even have a chance to howl one last time, it was instantly dead. In place of letting the creature’s corpse fall he kicked it so violently that as the corpse was thrown backwards its top half spilt open like some kind of hellish flower blooming. With blood as thick as it was dark upon the ground before him Cada Varl stood at the ready to face another enemy.

  But then silence fell upon the encampment, as the only enemies that could be seen were dead ones. Cada Varl now examined the tree boundaries; he was not looking for enemies but allies. The silence that he once welcomed he was now uncertain of for he could see nothing but dead bodies and trees.

  “Cada Varl,” He called out remembering Helluvan protocol, he remembered the sensation of holding his breath as he waited for a response.

  “Tanagy,” The Abider called out as he entered the clearing.

  Reassuringly one by one the others called out as they entered the encampment. Hazum Ka-te held his Cloud Cutter as blood oozed off of it, showing that he had come under direct attack by at least one werewolf. Gokkus and Leannol were the same while Imbaka remained bloodless. The group looked around quickly realizing that someone was absent.

  “Zova?” Hazum Ka-te called out, concern clear in his powerful voice. Something then could be heard crashing beyond the line of trees before “Zova,” was returned. Zova appeared and entered the encampment, the length of her entire blood utterly drenched in blood.

  With the knowledge that each had survived relatively unarmed the silence that proceeded was welcomed. The Immortal did not look at his blade as he raised it and flicked his wrist ever so slightly, freeing it completely of any blood. Now without a stain Cada Varl placed the sword back into its sheave drawing the attention of Tanagy who commented, “That’s a good way to clean your sword.”

  Cada Varl bowed slightly in acknowledgement but said nothing. The group looked around the encampment at the fallen enemies, with most eyes looking upon the creatures Cada Varl had killed.

  As the Helluvans struggled to hide their amazement that the Immortal could cut through werewolf armor so easily the Immortal was looking elsewhere. Out of all the corpses that now lay dead only one was no longer a creature. The enemy that had been shot in both the eye and the heart had become human once more. There lay the body of a blonde haired woman who looked no older than 17 or 18. She had once been human and despite her appearance was probably thousands and thousands of year’s old. The Immortal walked over to her saying nothing but carrying heaviness with his steps. One of her eyes was closed, the other remained opened with the arrow still sticking out of it. It was strange just how innocent the corpse now looked even though it had been a bloodthirsty monster not long ago. By the look in his eyes it was clear that Cada Varl did not like what he saw for it was a reminder of something he wanted to forget.

  His trance upon the corpse was broken by the words of Gokkus

  “Is there anything your sword will not cut through?”

  Cada Varl looked to the man dressed in black as he stood over the dismembered body of a creature that had been cut in half, armor and all. Cada Varl glanced down at the corpse before looking back at Gokkus and without his usual restrained voice he said, “ As Zova once said, it is not the sword.”