The Exodus Sagas: Book I - Of Spiders And Falcons by Jason R Jones

He silently prayed that he did not turn his back to a minotaur that was about to kill him.
    Her longblade swung high at the first trolls face, feigning to back up a step and miss, then she stepped forward twice under the beasts’ claws, slashing the curved off hand sword across its abdomen. Shinayne tucked into a roll to the left, avoiding the other two, stood up cutting across the low spine with the longblade and twice with the short through the spine on the third cut. Another arrow whistled through the cold above the elf’s head into the eye of her adversary. The troll fell bellowing its screams at the sky, its top half collapsing onto its lower half, squirming and reaching out at her as she backed up on guard for the next.
    Two left, and then there was only one a blink later as some mass of gray muscle, horn, and steel hurled through the air and went rolling with its unsuspecting prey in a blur of roaring and screeching. Shinayne paid no mind to what beasts did to other beasts here, she focused on the wretched one closing in on her, swatting at foot long black claws as they ripped toward her face. Sidestepping and deflecting as fast as the troll could come at her, she waited for the right moment. The two encircling each other, the elf on the defensive end of weaving claws and then it lunged to grab her. Yet another whisk of green mist as the arrow from Bedesh hit true in the other trolls chest. The woman turned around on one foot to the right, blades out at shoulder height, the small curved blade sticking into the trolls arm on completion of the turn, the longblade severing the limb above the elbow in a fluid motion. She followed with inhuman speed and accuracy with an upward slash, reversing the grip and pointing the tip through the throat of the howling fanged beast and continued the stroke through the jaw and into the skull. The troll spun around, despite the pain it inflicted to itself as it was impaled, and tried to reach her with its remaining arm. She easily ducked and riposted with the shortblade cutting across the throat nicking her other sword then finished the cut with a backhand slash through the neck. The green blood covering the inscriptions on her swords, then splashing onto her leather boots, she mercifully and with disgust, cleaved what strand still held the fiends head on and turned toward the south, ready to face whoever stood up first.
    “I think, my lady, that minotaur hates trolls as well. Might want to let him finish that one.” said the satyr, still pointing his arrow at the two combatants. The two watched for a few seconds, the screeching and snarling stopped, the snapping of the backbone from an axe ensured that.
    The minotaur stood, turning and walking confidently toward the two, “The third ran off with your arrow in it, little horned one, there will be more very soon.” the minotaur spoke in Agarian.
    Stares, the two looked at each other, then back at the hulk of horned danger before them, both surprised that yet another fight for their lives was not about to begin. Neither companion had thought this beast would speak Agarian, let alone fluent. Only the satyr showed his relief. “Bedesh of Haven Glen, big horned one, and this is Lady Shinayne T’Sa...”
    “Well met and all, but it can wait” snorted Saberrak, walking past them and peering over some old stone wall, smelling the air. “Ogre, many, I can smell them. Which way out of this place?”
    “We are traveling south, minotaur, and until I have your name, there will be two of us heading that way.” retorted Shinayne arrogantly. Despite her noble demeanor, she too, was sensing the pursuit of many creatures from the north and west, the inner city. They were now being hunted and had attracted attention. Her stubbornness would not sway and she stood her ground, cleaning her blades on her cloak, nose raised and waiting for an answer from this gray bull-man.
    “Saberrak the gray of Zeress, now let’s move.” huffed the gladiator,