War of the Fathers - Chapter Eighteen

This week’s episode features Chapter Eighteen of War of the Fathers.  Click here to download it or press play below. Here is an excerpt from the show: 

“Run!” Adar cried. The order wasn’t needed as Jorad had already turned and was sprinting away, praying as he did that Soret and the others would be okay. They’d done what they could to distract the Hunwei, now it was in the hands of the gods.

Jorad slung his bow over his shoulder as he ran. The arrows, like his dagger and the ax, had bounced off the Hunwei as if their skin itself had been made of armor. An arrow had been turned away by a bloody eye. If they were that tough, why did they bother to wear armor at all?

As Jorad passed a tree, it burst into flames, and a hole the size of his head emerged in the trunk. Adar sprinted ahead and turned up towards the mountain. As Jorad followed, the full gravity of their situation fell upon him. They were going to die, and the certainty filled him with dread.

More trees around him burst into flames, and a blast of heat rushed over his head. He ducked without thinking and chanced a look back. The Hunwei were right behind, and his eyes were drawn to one pointing a blaster at him. The Hunwei pressed a lever, and a blast exploded from the end.

Jorad hit the ground as the blast went just over his head, singeing his hair on its way. Scrambling back to his feet, he plunged ahead and hoped that they could outrun the Hunwei. Their armor should slow them down.

Several minutes later, he came across Adar leaning up against a tree trying to catch his breath. Jorad slowed to a stop while gulping down air in great heaving gasps. The Hunwei weren’t visible, but he could hear crashing coming their way. At most, they had a few minutes. He was glad that they were able to outrun them. Whether it was because of the dense forest or the weight of their armor, he didn't know.

“We need to get to higher ground.” Adar panted.

“We’ll end up like a treed cat.”

“I want to see what happens if we can push one off a cliff. Maybe we can crush one with a rock. Besides, with all these hills, we have a better chance of hiding.”

Jorad thought Adar might be joking, but one look at Adar’s face showed he wasn’t. They were facing certain death, and he wanted to test the vulnerabilities of their armor, never mind their blasters.

“My arrow bounced off that Hunwei’s eye.”

“They’ve got to have weaknesses, this isn’t magic. Come on, we have to keep going up. If they get close, try the Ou Qui dagger.”

“Suicide.” Jorad gulped for air. “This is suicide.”

Adar grinned, if Jorad didn’t know any better Adar almost looked happy. “This isn’t the first time we’ve danced with death.”

“Hopefully, it won’t be the last.”

“Pray to the gods.”