The Pariah Child & the Ever-Giving Stone

by Natasha D Lane

  She raised a fist and punched the woman in the face. “You stupid, witchling,” she hissed and punched her again. “Did you think you could beat me?” Another blow. “I am above you. I am –”

  “Stop, Serwa!” Sarah wrapped herself around the witch’s arm. “They’ve surrendered.” The witch looked at Sarah, and for a moment, Sarah didn’t recognize the eyes staring back at her. “You don’t have to fight anymore,” the girl said. “It’s all right.”

  The witch’s eyes were wild. She closed them and shook herself, taking in several hard breaths. Finally, she looked at Sarah and nodded. Sarah helped her to her feet. Together, they turned to face the small men. All three dwarves were bowed on one knee. They lowered their head.

  The elder dwarf was the first to speak. “So, it seems the Child is among you.” He focused intensely on Sarah. “Never before has magic hit me that was so pure of Lyrica, my Lady. I am sorry for our actions. I now see that you are the Child. We just needed our proof.”

  “And now you have it,” said Sarah. “And please don’t call me, Lady. Sounds kind of weird. Just call me Sarah, okay?”

  “That seems a bit informal, my –”

  “Just Sarah is fine.”

  He grunted and stared at the ground in contemplation, chewing his lips. He raised his head and looked at her. “Fine, if you say so. Sarah it is.”

  She smiled. “Now, where is the rest of your group?” He gestured out to the open land. In the distance, Sarah could see dozens of wagons.

  “All at your command,” the dwarf said.

  She hardened her eyes. “All right,” she said. “All right.”

  Chapter 25

  Sarah sat around a big fire in the center of the camp. The moon had risen, but the campsite was still busy with people rushing here and there in preparation for tomorrow’s battle. She sat beside Abelard, the elder dwarf, eating one of the best meals she had had since she and the others began their tread to the mountain: a loaf of bread, two slices of cheese and stewed meat.

  Abelard smiled as he watched her devour the meal. He smacked her on the back and let out a hearty laugh. “You may not be a dwarf, but you sure eat like one, girl!”

  Sarah gave him a tiny smile with a piece of meat hanging from her mouth. “Sorry, I guess the fight took a lot out of me. I want to apologize for that again. Seeing all my friends pinned down really scared me. I hope your friend’s shoulder is okay.”

  “Ah, don’t worry about it.” He shrugged nonchalantly and peered past the fire. Sarah followed his line of sight. Jacob and his once-attacker were now standing beside each other in deep conversation. “Seems like they have made amends, as well?” he noted.

  The dwarf and Jacob were both standing with wooden swords pointed out from their bodies. Jake mimicked the small man’s movements. Sarah watched him and smiled. His hair had grown longer since this journey had begun. It even seemed liked he had grown an inch or so taller. He had become more toned and his tan skin had darkened from the constant sun exposure.

  The dwarf did a quick combo with the wooden sword, and Jacob followed suit. His muscles flexed with every sword swing. His brown eyes were squinted in concentration. Sarah could feel her heart beat quicken. He was doing all of this for her.

  “He’s my best friend,” she said, her lips turning up into a smile. “I know he’ll always be there for me.”

  “You all right there, Sarah? Your face is flushed,” said Abelard reaching out a small hand to feel her forehead. “You’re running a bit warm, too.” He gasped. “You can’t be getting sick! I’ll search the lands for the best healers if I have to. ‘Tis too soon for us to part when we have just met.”

  “I’m not sick, Abelard,” Sarah said and gestured for him to lower his voice. “There’s no need to get everyone worked up.”

  The dwarf’s eyes grew round, and his bottom lip dropped. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Sarah? We’re good friends now, aren’t we?”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Abelard, a dwarf who was rough and hard to the core, was now sitting in front of her with a pouted lip and begging eyes. She would even go so far to say that he, actually, looked kind of cute, in a disgruntled old man sort of way.

  For a moment, Sarah only stared, and his lip continued to drop. Not knowing what to do, she patted his head and gave him an uneasy smile.

  “Of course not. Friends don’t lie to friends.”

  That answer seemed to satisfy him. His eyes became small and icy once more. His lip drew in so that his mouth was one hard line across his face.

  Now that was the Abelard who had wanted to cut her throat only a few hours ago.

  “So, when did you all meet?” Sarah asked changing the direction of the conversation. Abelard picked up a big tin mug and swallowed its contents in one gulp. He used the back of his sleeve to wipe his mouth.

  “Well,” he said, “my clan and I first started hearing tales of you a bit over a month ago. At first I thought it was all just talk, then I came above ground to the human’s land for some sun herbs. You know those humans are quite funny acting. Don’t like any beings of Lyrica, besides themselves. Anyway, because of that I had to sneak around, and I happened to hear two men talking about the ruckus you had caused at their village.” He grinned. “Seemed like you struck some fear in them.”

  Sarah laughed thinking back to that day. It was so long ago. She remembered how Jacob had saved her. He beat up the men, grabbed her hand and dashed into the woods as they dodged flaming arrows.

  Jacob’s voice drew her attention again. He was talking and laughing with some of the others as they sat in a wagon near the campfire. As if he knew she was watching him, he turned and smiled at her.

  “Sarah,” Abelard gently shook her arm, “are you listening?”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry. Go ahead. What were you saying?” She forced her eyes from Jacob and turned back to Abelard who continued on telling his story.

  “After hearing that, I knew the rumors had to be true and so, I decided to go out in search of you to aid you in any way I could. Luckily, there were many in my clan who felt the same way. They all joined me, and we set out. Along the way we met up with this lot.” He gestured toward the surrounding people. “We’re quite a colorful bunch, aren’t we?” He chuckled.

  Sarah agreed. Besides Alex and Serwa, she hadn’t seen much mixing of the races in Lyrica. It, actually, seemed very divided. Everyone lived with their own.

  Now looking around at the group, she wondered what it would be like for everyone to live together peacefully. Was it even possible?

  They haven’t even managed to do it back home.

  “Sarah?”

  She turned to the dwarf. “How did you end up finding me? I didn’t exactly stay put in one spot.” Sarah finished the last of her meal. Abelard watched as she placed the clay cup on the ground. He reached beside himself, grabbed a large jug, and refilled Sarah’s cup with a smile.

  “A Lady’s glass should never be empty, I say.” He winked and released another hearty laugh. Sarah shook her head and drank. Of course, Abelard finished his much larger mug in one gulp and was refilling it as he spoke. “Mostly we went on rumors. Anywhere there were tales or sightings of you we would travel, though what people saw varied. Couldn’t get a solid description but after not finding you, we decided our best option was to attempt to meet you at the mountain. Thank goodness, too, because if we had followed any more rumors, I think my group and I would have been lost forever. You definitely weren’t easy to track.”

  “Well,” Sarah said stretching, “I’m glad you found us. We were completely lost out here. I don’t even know how long we’d been walking around in no direction.”

  “Deserts can be tricky. Especially, when they’re not natural. All that matters now, though, is that we’ve found you, and we will kill any who step in your path with a dishonest heart. That I can promise.” He placed a small fist over his chest, his eyes deadly serious. Sarah’s heart swelled. The loyalty she had found in a
ll her friends since traveling to Lyrica was limitless. She knew every word, every oath, every pledge said to her they meant from their souls.

  A young woman approached Sarah dressed in long robes with braided hair down her back. She walked beside Serwa whose face was twisted into a mask of pure annoyance.

  “My Lady Sarafina,” said the woman as she bowed. “My name is Ellen.”

  Sarah smiled. She could tell from Ellen’s vibrations she was a witch, but her outfit was already a dead giveaway.

  “Just call me Sarah.” She smiled. “My Mama is the only one that calls me Sarafina and that’s when she’s mad.”

  Ellen seemed taken aback. She narrowed her eyes. “You are a woman of a higher position,” she said, “yet you tell me to be less formal when I approach you. Social etiquette requires I be the most formal when I speak to you, yet it also requires I do as you tell me to do. So, then how should I act now...” Her last words dropped off into a whisper. Ellen stared at the ground.

  Serwa sighed. “This is what I’ve had to deal with for the last hour! She’s not all there. Neither one of them.”

  Sarah’s eyebrows arched. “Neither one of them...” She turned to Abelard.

  He frowned. “Yes, there are two.”

  “Sister.” Another female walked beside Ellen into the center of the camp. “I believe the correct thing to do here would be to obey her orders. The orders of someone of a higher class outweigh the requirements of social etiquette, especially if you respect the individual.”

  Ellen turned to her sister and smiled. “You are right. I shall call her Sarah as she requested. I would be lost without you, Sister.” The woman smiled at her sister and turned to face Sarah.

  “Hello. My name is Emma.”

  Sarah gazed at the two strange young women. “Can you step a little closer?” she asked. They did so in unison and without hesitation. Now that they both were standing in the light of the fire she could see her guess was correct. Ellen and Emma were twins. Identical twins. She could, also, see they were younger than she thought. Probably, the same age as her, actually, just much taller.

  The girl’s mind began to race at lightning speed. She had never seen twins before and hopped to her feet to examine them. “Are you guys exactly alike?”

  “Yes, Sarah,” they said in unison, which caused shivers to run down her back.

  “This is so neat,” she said. “Identical twins! You guys look exactly alike and act alike. This is like something out of a book.”

  The twins smiled. “I think we please her, Sister,” said Emma.

  “I do, as well,” said Ellen. “We have done well.”

  “Ugh.” Serwa stepped between Sarah and the twins. “I hate to interrupt this bonding moment, but we do have something serious to discuss. It’s about who we may be fighting tomorrow.”

  Sarah frowned. She wanted to speak with the twins more yet the tone in Serwa’s voice was too serious to ignore. She nodded and returned to her seat beside Abelard. Soon everyone else gathered around the fire to hear the announcement. Other conversations dropped to a whisper. The twins took a seat beside Sarah so, that Serwa was the only one standing. She looked around to make sure all eyes were focused on her.

  She said, “All right. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Serwa. I’ve been traveling with the Child of Legend on her journey, and finally tomorrow that journey will come to an end.”

  Sarah didn’t want to think about that.

  Serwa continued, “I’ve talked to several of you in this group. From what you all have told me I believe I have a basic understanding of whom we will be facing tomorrow. Shifters, vampires and fairies are neutral. Demons, ogres, goblins, and harpies shall be our enemies tomorrow. If anyone believes my conclusion is wrong, please correct me.” The surrounding mass remained silent.

  “So, far it seems like most of what you said is true.” Abelard rose from his seat around the fire. “But you must also remember every race will not fight as one. There are many in our group that went against the wishes of their own to fight for Sarah.”

  A man stepped closer into the light of the fire. He was tall and slender with small shoulders and a lean build. His hair was cloud white and pulled into a long ponytail that rest across his shoulder.

  “Abelard is right,” said the man. “I am a northern sky elf, yet I stand here with you. I have disobeyed the wishes of my clan so that I may fight beside the Child.”

  A creature that was half man half goat stepped forward on his hooves and bowed. “Many say my kind are cowardly beings. I say bravery comes from within despite whom you are. I have chosen to fight.”

  Their announcements were followed by a chain of others who wanted it to be known they had disobeyed the wishes of loved ones to do what they felt was right. Serwa eyed everyone who came forward.

  Abelard stepped into the center of the camp to stand beside her. He looked up at her. “So, as you can see, witch, we won’t have an idea of who are enemies are until we face them tomorrow. The choice to fight for or against Sarah is an individual one.” The last sentence held somewhat of a superior tone.

  Sarah looked at Serwa. She could tell it was taking a lot for her friend not to rip the dwarf’s head off. Or his heart out or...Serwa could be very dark at times.

  The witch took in a deep breath, her eyes already a shade of black. “I was only trying to gather a general feeling for some of the enemies we will be facing. I never said it was completely correct.”

  Abelard shook his head and smiled. “Don’t worry, missy. That’s why you’ve got me here. Why don’t you go take a seat, hm?”

  Serwa’s jaw dropped as Abelard turned to speak to everyone. She took a step toward him.

  “Sorry we’re late,” said Solar appearing with Nettle sitting cross-legged on her head. “The little scuffle was exhausting. Oh, Abelard you were speaking. Serwa come sit beside me.” The dragon flexed her eyes.

  With a strained face, the witch took a seat beside her friend.

  The dwarf winked at Sarah. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little too. Abelard just loved to be the boss.

  “We’re going to be outnumbered,” he said, his face suddenly very solemn. “We’ll be fighting on unfamiliar land. We won’t know who our enemies are until we’re on the battlefield. As you all can see, the odds are against us.”

  All noise stopped and everyone stilled. The mood grew solemn and hopeless as the reality of the camp’s current situation sunk in.

  “Tomorrow we’re all going to lose friends and loved ones we won’t see again until the afterlife. This path we chose is a hard one. Still, I guarantee you it will be the one most rewarding because tomorrow we’re going to win this battle and all our names shall forever be written down in history. Glory will never leave our sides. It will live with us throughout time. Now listen close and listen good.”

  Sarah watched in surprise as everyone moved in one step closer. She could feel herself lean in from her seat as well, as if his voice had somehow enchanted her body.

  Abelard’s narrow eyes shifted from left to right, assuring that all were looking at him. Then, with a deep yet booming voice that came out in a roar the old dwarf said, “We! All of us. We are the ones who chose to stand up and fight when everyone else hid in fear. Despite others’ doubts, we chose to follow the Child into this glorious battle, and now she stands before us ready to lead. So, yes, tomorrow we may die. But do not fear death my friends, do not because those of us who live will go on to tell our story. We will write the history books so that it is remembered who took a stand, and so we shall never die. We will be immortal!”

  The surrounding crowd broke into glorious cheers, beating their swords against shields like drums. Gone was the hopelessness; now there was only this electric energy. Everyone’s eyes glowed with suspense for the upcoming fight.

  Sarah’s heart lifted. Even Serwa’s frown had turned slightly upward. This was her army. They weren’t an army of thousands nor did they share unity through blood, u
niform or fighting style. But they did share a common cause, a common reason for standing among this roaring crowd. They wanted to follow Sarah and return Lyrica to its former glory.

  Abelard was no fool. He had been in more wars and battles than he cared to remember. His mind had become a steel trap of strategy that could easily predict the plans of the enemy.

  When Sarah told him about the black wolves, creatures he had encountered once himself, he knew they didn’t give up so easily. And so the camp was ready when they attacked.

  The guards beat sword against shield, and the whole camp awoke to the low growling of wolves. Serwa and Jacob pulled long swords from the covers they had been sleeping under. Sarah rose from the ground with her bow in hand. The wolves had come full force.

  Abelard roared like a monster from the deepest depths and charged into battle. Solar breathed blasts of fire as the wolves ganged around her and nipped at her flesh. Nettle shot out blasts of fairy dust, blinding the beasts.

  Sarah simply waited. She had her bow raised with an arrow poised. She watched for any open targets, but the enemy was right behind her.

  “I see you,” Sarah said feeling his presence just as she turned around. The arrow flew from her hand and into his jugular at a crooked angle. The beast yelped as he fell to the ground. His yelping soon turned into gurgles and then quiet. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of wolves overrunning the camp.

  How many are in their pack exactly?

  She didn’t have time to think of the number. Sarah climbed on top of one of the wooden wagons and began to take aim. The arrows flew from her hands like darts. They were a blur as they entered the massive crowd, taking down their unsuspecting victims. Other archers had followed her and were atop their own wagons helping Sarah. The girl reached back for an arrow only to feel air. She was empty.

  The wolves gathered around her wagon, pushing it from side to side. Sarah held onto the roof and planted her feet so not to fall off, but she could already feel herself slipping. As she struggled to keep steady, one wolf calmly watched the action on the very outskirts of the battle. They made eye contact and Sarah immediately recognized him. He was the cursed one. The leader of the black wolves.