The Crimson Claymore by Craig A. Price Jr.

could find a cure. She owed it to her. Her sister had saved her so many times in the past, and she knew that somewhere in the soulless demon her sister still lingered. Every now and then when she saw the undead kheshlar that was her sister, she saw a flicker in her eyes that belonged to Arria. It was the only thing that kept Starlyn going. She had to have faith.
    With her mother gone now, all that she had to cling to was the knowledge that her sister was still out there. She did have one good friend back near Sudegam, but besides her…Starlyn seemed to be an outcast to the kheshlars. With great struggle, she had led the kheshlars in an attack against the draeyks in the second kheshlarn war. The first was rumored to be against strange flying creatures with scales—a race that became extinct. It took great effort to unite the kheshlars against the draeyks, and after the war was over everybody seemed to look at her differently. She was considered the impatient one for dragging the war forward. It had all started because of her mother’s illness and her rash decisions did not save her. Perhaps there was still a chance to save her sister. All the kheshlars told her that she held her emotions too high, but she could not abandon her mother. Now it was her sister that she could not abandon. She no longer cared for acceptance from the other kheshlars. That was why she was alone in the wilderness fighting the draeyks.
    She turned to Searon, noticing him dancing with his claymore in hand. The skill of his blade excelled hers, yet that was why she chose a hammer. At least she had found someone who hated the draeyks with the same passion as she. Her family was all she had left in her life. There was little choice for her. She never knew her father, but her mother and sister were everything to her. One was already lost, but she was not about to lose the other. Her sister had known their father, but he died from a blade when Starlyn was just a babe. She did not understand why her mother took ill when kheshlars were supposed to be immune to such things. Unless it was poison—yet who would poison her mother? She fought so hard against the draeyks because she couldn’t handle losing another family member. Arria had to be captured; Starlyn had to have her back. It was what kept her strong.
    The wizard fought off to the side, forming orange spheres of light. He formed them one at a time and bolted them at the enemies. It was very effective at blasting the creatures off their feet. Karceoles relished in the power that flowed through him. He felt incredibly alive as the burning energy shivered through his skin down to his bones. Without the power circling inside him, he felt so dull, so lifeless. Yet when the power flowed through him he felt like he was invincible. It almost felt as if he could jump and fly at a moment’s notice. Which he probably could if he channeled energy from his zylek to his feet to levitate. In fact, he liked the idea of flying into a battle as an entrance. He decided to add that tactic into his battle tactics.
    The speed of the wizard’s magic was as swift as that of a sword strike. He may have seemed an old man, but his wits were just as fast as a young warrior. A draeyk rushed toward him and raised its axe in an attempt to block his magic. Karceoles shot a powerful glittering sphere that pushed the axe back, followed by another quick blast of sizzling orange flame that blasted the creature. Its lifeless body incinerated in mere moments before dropping to ash on the ground. Next, he shot a wave of energy that blew two draeyks off their feet and tossed them several paces back. One rose quickly to lunge at him, and he barely had enough time to hammer his zylek forward into the skull of the creature. He lit it with fire as it shattered the creature’s scaly skull into two before the body cremated. Swiftly, he shot out an orange lightning bolt at the creature that still lay on the ground, electrocuting it until nothing