by Shana Vernon
What do we do?
My wide eyes met Papa’s and he twisted his fingers in our silent signal for invisibility. I understood what he wanted me to do. It was what we had trained for so many times over the years. I counted to three and let the cool sensation wash over my body, Papa and I both blinking out of their sight.
“I’m taking the left,” I yelled as I advanced on the person closest to me.
She was looking around wildly, her gun swinging about with her movements.
I slashed my katana across her chest and jumped over her body when she fell to the floor.
I saw Sofia and Ryder fighting the troops in the middle, dodging shots left and right. I heard Ryder call out as a bullet grazed his leg, but he kept fighting.
Luckily, they weren't Guild members and had no special abilities.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I watched the assailants drop one after the next as Papa killed them with my dagger. We were gaining momentum and my spirits began to lift as more and more of the attackers died as we remained upright.
Then, suddenly Sofia let out a scream, falling to the ground and clutching her lower abdomen, blood gushing from an open wound.
I raced to her side and pushed the rose healing glow on her injury, as someone crept up behind me. I shoved as much power into her stomach as I could, before I jumped up and threw a ball of light into the man’s chest.
He flew backward and crashed into the wall, his head cracking on the stone.
I looked around at the carnage and saw Anders following the dropping bodies and catching Papa’s location.
He raised his gun and I panicked, lobbing a bolt of light straight for him. He shouted and dropped to his knees, his gun clattering to the floor.
I rushed toward him, dropping my invisibility and plunged my blade into his chest, driving it in all the way to the hilt.
I yanked it out and twisted around, searching for Papa.
The room was quieting down as Ryder and Sofia finished off their last attackers and Papa popped back into my line of sight.
Relief washed over me at the sight of them, still alive.
“What do you think the chances are that the Guild found out about this?” Sofia asked, snapping her band as she walked over to me.
“It didn’t seem like Killian knew Anders was planning a visit, so it’s unlikely anyone knows. They will find the mess here, but we can set this place on fire and escape. You guys can return to the Guild if you still want and tell them what we did, though I would prefer you leave out my connection to Lenna,” Papa said.
I opened my mouth to convince them to come with us, when Papa yelled and pushed me to the ground.
As I lifted my head, a gunshot rang out and I saw Anders, a few feet from where I had left him, the discarded gun back in his grip. His spare hand was limp against the slash on his chest, the blood still oozing out. He gurgled and more blood spurted from his mouth, before he fell to the floor and lay still.
My heart pounded in my chest and my mouth felt like cotton as my eyes flew around, looking for the landing place of his bullet.
Then Papa fell to his knees in front of me and I screamed.
I crawled around him on my hands and knees to see the damage. There was blood spewing from a hole in his chest, right over his heart. Tears welled up in my eyes as I placed my shaking hands on his sternum and pushed all of my energy into him, but the rose-colored light refused to leave my hands.
What’s going on?
“Papa! No!”
Papa lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “It isn’t going to work, little hawk. Not this time.”
I gasped, choking on the dryness in my mouth. “W…what? Why not?”
He put his palms on my cheek, holding me carefully. “I’m afraid it’s too late.”
I started to shake uncontrollably. “No... that can’t be. I just found you!” I cried, desperately trying to make my power work on him. “This is all my fault! I thought he was already dead!”
He took my hands in his and kissed them. “Don’t you dare think like that. This is all on me.” His voice dropped lower. “Even you can’t fix this, little hawk. I love you and I am so proud of the woman you have become. You are everything any parent hopes for. I only wish I could have given you more.”
My body felt numb. “No, you've given me everything. You are everything to me,” I sobbed, tears falling freely down my face. “Papa! Please don’t die. Don’t leave me,” I pleaded, but I could see it was no use.
His eyes were already drooping and he laid on the floor, his breath coming out in short rasps. “Lenna, come closer.”
“I’m here, Papa,” I choked out, my lips trembling.
He raised his head and whispered a name into my ear and said, “She’s still alive.”
“Who is, Papa?”
His head fell back to the floor as he took his last breath and uttered, “Your mother.”
I watched as the light left his mismatched eyes and he moved no more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“No! Papa, No!” I pounded my fists into the floor as I screamed, sobbing hysterically, my body convulsing. “You’ll be okay, just wake up. Please, Papa! Wake up!” I shouted, shaking his body.
I felt soft hands wrap around my shoulders as Sofia embraced me, “Lenna it’s no use. I’m so sorry, but he’s gone.”
I sat on my heels, rocking back and forth, letting out my grief as waves of anger got stronger and stronger. Anger at Master Abbott for capturing and torturing Papa, anger at the Guild for what they were doing to innocents, anger at Anders for delivering the final shot that killed Papa, anger at myself for not verifying that Anders was actually dead, and finally, anger at Papa for leaving me.
Once it became too much to handle, I cried out and a bolt of light exploded from my hands, my chest heaving. It rammed directly into Anders’ prone form and he burst into flame, the smell quickly becoming unbearable.
The flames from Anders’ body traveled to the other figures on the ground which all lit up in a blazing inferno. I could do nothing but watch as the most important person in my life burned to ashes at my feet.
I sat there on the floor, wailing as the room became a scorching inferno, the stone sizzling under my legs.
“Lenna, we need to go,” Ryder urged as he held out his hands to help me up.
I stared at them unblinking.
He’s gone. Just like that.
“Just leave me here,” I said, wrapping my arms around my knees and lowering my gaze to the floor.
A sharp sting hit my cheek and I lifted my chin, wide-eyed, since for the second time in my life, someone had slapped me across the face.
“Don’t you dare act like a hopeless victim Lenna Bishop, or Turgenov, or whatever your last name really is,” Sofia scolded, crossing her arms. “You’re not going to sit here wallowing around in self-pity after your father just sacrificed his life for you. You are going to stand the fuck up, get your shit together, and we’re going to take down the mother fucking Guild from the inside, like the badass bitches we are!”
The flames burned away the tears from my face.
She’s right, but I don’t care about taking down the Guild. I’m going to go back and kill every single person who wronged Papa. Slowly. Painfully. And when they beg for their lives, I will tell them who I really am and watch the understanding pass over their features as they die in agony.
I ignored Ryder’s hands and clambered to my feet, plastering a fake smile on my face. “Hell yeah, we will.”
As we walked out of the house, the flames burning faster and brighter than normal fire, I buried all of the emotions that threatened to burst from within. Buried them deeper and deeper until I couldn’t feel anything. Until I was numb.
At the entrance, I stopped and whistled toward the skies. “I’m going to meet you guys inside; I need to send a message to Maximus. Ryder can explain who he is to you, Sof, alright?”
They bobbed their heads and entered the compound.
>
I waited for Joe to land on my shoulder before realizing I couldn't tell this to Max over a note and waving Joe away.
Walking into the building, I proceeded toward the initiates’ quarters, when I heard a voice echo through the empty foyer.
“I know who you are, Lenna Turgenov.”
About Me
Shana Vernon grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and learned from a young age to escape through the pages of fiction. As a child, she loved reading Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter, and Narnia.
She is a full-time writer and mother of triplet boys. When she isn't writing or taking care of her kiddos, she is reading, exercising, experimenting with cooking, or traveling around the world.
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