The clamor of music rose with each footstep. The smell of fire, food, and mead hung heavy in the air. “Look,” Alex said as they stopped behind a tree. “There she is, at the bonfire.”
“Yes, and her lover is guarding Molloy. I will go to her.” Sarah silently stepped out of the woods. People danced and twirled in the open village center. Some people stared as Sarah passed them, while others didn’t acknowledge her presence.
Sarah stopped beside Hayden and held her hands up to the radiating warmth. “Good evening, my lady,” Sarah said and smiled at Hayden.
Hayden’s eyes focused on Sarah and her brows pulled down. “You!” Hayden said sharply. “Where are your friends?” She quickly gazed around the busy village center.
“They are around. You need not worry about them.” Sarah stared into the brilliant fire as it danced before them.
Hayden’s eyes narrowed. “How dare you come here? Shall I call the guards?”
“They won’t do you any good.” Sarah’s voice was calm and steady as she gazed across the fire at a woman and two young children that stood opposite them. The woman held their tiny hands firmly while they hopped and danced beside the fire. “Look at those precious children, so sweet and kind. See how their faces glow when they smile? They truly light up. That is their innocence shining through. They know so little of the wickedness of man, of the true evil that haunts us.” Sarah turned to face Hayden. “Please tell me, do you love your people?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I do.”
“Then you must leave this place. Save them.” Sarah motioned towards the children. “The Reapers are coming for you. They will destroy all you hold dear. The only way to save the ones you love is to sacrifice yourself. Are you willing to do that?” Sarah searched Hayden’s eyes. Hayden’s breath quickened slightly. “You must leave here before it is too late.”
“You speak foolishness. There are no Reapers. Our scouts have heard nothing of them.” Hayden shook her head and jabbed her finger towards Sarah. “You wish to destroy us and you think I am stupid enough to fall for your trickery. Well I am not.” She turned to walk away.
Sarah grabbed Hayden’s arm. The young women glared at each other. Sarah spoke first, “What shadows haunt you? What mysteries make you question your sanity? What visions make your heart beat faster?”
Surprise washed over Hayden’s face as the color drained from her cheeks. “No one is safe from the shadows that seek our souls. The Devil and his servants are everywhere, but I am God’s child. They cannot hurt me.”
“Look at the shadows on the ground,” Sarah said. “They dance and flicker at the fire’s command. We do not fear them for we know that they are merely a mirage. Once the fire dies, they shall die. But these shadows that haunt you, they do not dissipate so easily. These shadows, these servants of the Devil, they foretell your death.”
The breath caught in Hayden’s mouth as she inhaled sharply. “Are you a witch?”
Sarah shook her head. “I am no witch, but I do speak the truth. I, too, see these shadows, and trust me, they are very real. You must come with me if you wish to save your people. Leave here before the shadows that haunt you become their nightmare.”
“I cannot leave.” Hayden looked around. People danced, drank, and partied all around them. Children raced about and couples found shadows to hide in. “I have responsibilities.” She spread her arms wide towards the people of her village.
“It is your responsibilities that require you to leave,” Sarah replied.
Screams filled the night as fires swelled within the forest that lined one side of the village. The fires grew quickly. Trees crashed to the forest floor as their trunks burned away. Animals scurried across the open village center as they fled for their lives. Ash and thick smoke clouded the air.
Alex raced out of the forest. His eyes searched for Sarah and Hayden. He dodged the commotion in the center of the village square and rushed up to them. “We must go!” Alex grabbed Hayden by the arm. “It is not safe for you here. The Reapers have come!”
“Wait!” She pulled against Alex as he dragged her towards the hillside. “Wait! I will not go with you. I must find Sean and my father.” She scanned the village center. On the raised platform, Sean raced to help Molloy into his armor.
Alex tightened his grip on Sarah and leaned closer to her. “You are a distraction. Let Sean do his job.”
Molloy fitted his body into his breastplate and began yelling instructions to his men. Some men took up positions close by Molloy while others went towards the forest with their swords drawn.
Nikolas ran up to the trio. Soot streaked his face. “We should have left earlier,” he growled. He wiped the sweat from his brow and smeared the soot into his skin.
Sarah defiantly shook her head. “No! There is still hope.” Tiny flecks of ash fell like snow upon her dark hair.
Hayden searched through the chaos until her eyes landed upon Sean. He raced down the platform steps with his sword drawn as he joined a group of armed men. “Our men will fight,” Hayden screamed over the tumult. “They are strong!” The men of the village assembled into their battle formations with their swords drawn and shields ready.
“Look around, Sarah,” Nikolas snapped, his voice laced with anger. “It is too late. Even if we leave with her, all these people will die.”
From out of the woods a group of muscular monsters raced towards the village. In form they were similar to humans, but blood-red skin covered their bodies. Bull horns protruded from their heads and black orbs filled their eye sockets. Two fangs hung over their bottom lips and claws gripped the weapons in their hands.
Hayden screamed and tried to run, but Nikolas grabbed her. “Stay with us,” he commanded.
“Demons!” She pointed at the monsters, her body trembling. “Nothing can save us!” Her knees buckled, but Nikolas gripped her tightly and held her body close to his.
Some of the women in the village gathered the children and ran into the church. Some headed towards the boats and the loch. Screams of panic filled the night air. The Reapers contributed to the ruckus with angry shouts and curses. They clanked their weapons against their shields.
Hayden hyperventilated as she repeatedly panted, “Demons from Hell!” Sweat covered her body and she could barely stand when Nikolas released her. “We are doomed!” she cried as she pointed to a Reaper who was running straight for them. He yelled and raised his sword as he prepared to attack.
“That is not true. We must stand against them,” Sarah said. She nocked an arrow in her bow. “Hayden! Take a breath.” She let the arrow fly. It hit its mark. The Reaper fell to the ground with the arrow securely lodged in his eye. His shield and sword dropped several feet in front of them.
Hayden stared at the dead monster. “You can kill these demons,” she whispered. Hayden looked around at the villagers. The men were bravely battling the monsters as they invaded the village.
The metal sang as Nick whisked his sword from the scabbard. “Hayden, show no fear. Only we can see them for what they are. They look like humans to the others.”
Hayden stared at Nick, her mouth agape and her brows pulled together. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she gasped for breath. “What?” Her hands gripped the loose fabric of her skirt.
Alex gripped his sword, ready to fight. Hayden was ensconced between Alex and Sarah. “You are not wholly human,” Alex said. “That is why you can see them for what they are.”
“You are crazy,” Hayden mumbled. She shook her head and stared at the demons that cut down the soldiers.
“Nikolas, take her to safety!” Sarah yelled. “Alex and I shall stand our ground.”
“I will not flee like a coward.” Nikolas squared off with Sarah. “I will fight. You take her.”
They turned, and Hayden was gone. She ran through the madness towards Sean.
“What is she doing?” Nikolas asked in disbelief.
Hayden slowed by the bonfire, grabbed an unlit torch, and
stuck it into the flames. It sputtered and caught fire. She raced towards Sean, holding the flaming torch above her head. Sean held his sword and shield while a Reaper, armed with a war hammer, swung at him. Sean blocked the strike with his shield. The Reaper howled in anger and Sean lunged at him. The Reaper blocked the blow with the handle of the war hammer and then knocked Sean’s sword free. It fell to the ground. The Reaper swung again, but this time Sean blocked the war hammer with his shield. The war hammer broke through the shield and stuck. Sean gripped the shield on both sides and struggled to maintain control of the shield as the Reaper tried to pry his war hammer free. Hayden took advantage of this moment and stabbed at the Reaper’s face with the fiery torch.
The Reaper screamed, dropped the war hammer, and gripped his face. Hayden backed away, still holding the fiery torch. Sean threw the shield aside, grabbed his sword and drove it into the Reaper’s heart. The demon fell to his knees.
“Cut off his head!” Hayden shrieked. “Do it!”
Sean raised his sword and severed the Reaper’s head. Blood poured and spilled from the Reaper’s body as the head tumbled across the ground.
“You did it,” Hayden panted as she stared at the bloody mess.
“Of course I did.” Sean grabbed Hayden’s hand. “We must go. I will get you to safety.” Hayden and Sean ran towards the loch, dodging villagers and avoiding attack. “You can row out to the middle of the loch. Take some children with you. They are already meeting along the banks. Do not come back until it is safe,” he yelled.
Nikolas, Alex, and Sarah watched them. “I will get her,” Nikolas said. “He cannot protect her.” Nick ran, sword in hand, towards Hayden.
Sarah grabbed Alex and pressed her lips against his. “I love you, Alexander.” Her hand traced down his cheek; her fingers streaked the ash that marred his face. “You must be brave, even when times are hard. Never give up.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed a moment and then relaxed. “Have no fear my love. I will find you again, when this is over.”
“Yes… We will find each other.” Sarah pulled another bow from her quiver.
“No,” Alex said, “You will not have to find me, for I am not going anywhere without you.” He kissed her again, a quick kiss to seal his promise. Then he was off. He ran towards the village center, into the midst of the battle between the humans and the Reapers. Sarah watched him fight and then headed up the hillside away from the battle.
As Hayden and Sean ran towards the loch, several Reapers followed after them. The Reapers shouted and beat their weapons upon their shields as they closed the gap between themselves and their target. Hayden lifted her long skirt as she ran and Sean pulled on her arm, forcing her to run faster than she imagined possible. As they came to the stone wall that marked the clan’s territory, they realized they were surrounded. Hayden gripped the wall, frozen. She could go neither forward nor backward. Sean’s body pressed her legs against the stones. His gaze moved from Reaper to Reaper as the attackers closed in on them.
“Sean,” Hayden said calmly. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “They are here for me. Let me go with them. Maybe they will spare the others.”
“No!” Sean shook his head defiantly. “No!”
“The visitors said the Reapers would come for me.”
One of the Reapers nodded his head and motioned with his claw for Hayden to come to him.
“It is my duty,” Hayden said as she stepped around Sean.
Sean blocked her with his arm. “No! It is not the duty of a lady to hand herself over to savages. They will do ungodly things to you. I will not have it.”
“If my sacrifice will save my people, then I must do it.” Hayden pushed Sean’s arm away and she stepped around him.
Sean dropped his shield and grabbed her more firmly. “Hayden! Stop this!” Sean commanded.
The Reapers took another step closer. Hayden clutched at her skirts; her hands nervously fisted the fabric. She stared into the black, lifeless eyes of the demon. “Please, you will leave my people alone?”
The demon’s two bull horns slowly moved up and down as he nodded and a cruel smile revealed more of his fangs.
“Hayden!” Sean repeated. His grip loosened.
Hayden took her eyes off the monsters and looked at Sean. Her brows pulled down as she stared at his eyes. Something was wrong. Sean’s eyes had lost their spark. In the next heartbeat, his head tumbled through the air. “No!” she screamed as a fine mist sprayed across her face. Sean’s knees buckled and his body fell to the ground. She turned and saw the Reaper who still held the bloody sword that beheaded Sean.
Another Reaper grabbed Hayden from behind and violently lifted her over the wall. Her skirt tore and her legs scraped along the stone wall. Tears flowed down her cheeks and mixed with Sean’s blood. The Reaper pressed a knife against the soft flesh of her neck. “I shall drink Asteri blood tonight,” he hissed in her ear.
Hayden pawed at his muscular arm, but she was too weak to fight him off. She reached up and tried to claw at his face with her nails, but his grip only tightened and the blade dug deeper into her neck… until something warm washed over her.
She fell to the ground and nearly hit her head on the stone wall. She clutched at her throat, panting as she gasped for air. It was then that she noticed the headless Reaper lying beside her. She wiped her face and iridescent blood stained her hands.
“Get up!” Nick said as he gripped her arm and pulled her to him. Blood dripped from the blade of his sword. He flicked his wrist and another sword flew through the air, impaling a Reaper who was charging towards them.
“Stop!” Sarah yelled from the top of the hillside. “You want a sacrifice. You can have it.” Her voice carried throughout the village.
The Reapers’ black eyes stared up at Sarah and their claws scratched against their swords as they gripped their pommels. The men of the village anxiously held their swords. Their eyes darted between the Reapers and Sarah. Alex stared in confusion at her.
“Leave the young one,” Sarah said. “Her powers are nothing. My powers are great!” Sarah lifted her hand towards the raging fire in the forest and swiped her hand from one side to the other. The fire immediately died. “Take me!” Sarah threw her bow and quiver to the ground.
“No!” Alex yelled. “No!”
Instantly, a mass of red muscle and bull horns descended upon Sarah’s body. The great pile wriggled and writhed as Reapers participated in the sacrifice. Alex’s scream was drowned out by the sound of destruction tearing through the night like thunder ripping through the air.
As quickly as the Reapers were upon Sarah’s body, they were gone. Alex raced up the hillside and knelt beside Sarah’s body. Nikolas joined him, dragging a bewildered Hayden along.
Sarah lay lifeless on the grass. Blood stained her chest and seeped into the grass around her. Her face was distorted and bruised. Her beautiful mahogany hair lay in chunks on the ground.
“I must save her,” Alex said. He tossed aside his sword. His hands moved quickly over her face as he wiped away the blood and healed her wounds. Great whelps and bruises receded and cuts healed seamlessly. Sarah’s chest, however, lay torn apart, completely exposed. Alex paused for a moment as he caught his breath, and then he placed his hand into her chest. He felt around, moving his hand inside her body. “Her heart… it is gone.” Tear filled eyes looked up at Nikolas. “They took her heart,” Alex’s voice broke. “We… we cannot save her.” He blinked and tears streaked down his dirty face. He swiped the back of his hand across his cheek to brush away a tear. “We have to find them. We have to get her heart back.” Alex stood and gripped his sword.
“Alex,” Nikolas said softly. “Alex, it is too late.”
Netra stepped out of the shadows. Her long black hair covered her shoulders and hung down her back. “No, it is not. Move,” she said. Her sari fluttered as she cut a path towards Sarah.
“You can save her?” Alex asked. A look of hope washed over him as Netra neared. Alex
knelt beside Sarah and gently caressed her cheek.
“In a way.” Netra took a tiny pouch from her waist and opened it. She sprinkled a powdery dust over Sarah’s body and chanted in another language.
“This is your fault, witch!” Nick grabbed Netra around the waist and pulled her body against his. He pressed his dagger to her throat. “You met with Sarah. You convinced her to sacrifice herself. You put these insane thoughts in Sarah’s head.”
“You are wrong.” Netra touched the tip of Nick’s blade and pushed it away from her neck. “I simply relayed a message. I told her what was required of her. Now I must do what is required of me.” She looked at Alex who was hunched over Sarah’s body. “Alexander, if Nikolas does not let me finish, Sarah’s soul will depart our world. She will be lost to you… forever.”
Alex looked at Nikolas. “Let her go. There has been enough bloodshed. Let her cast her spell. What is the harm in it?”
“Tell me that you do not believe her.” Nikolas shoved Netra aside. She stumbled, but she did not fall.
“Sarah believed her,” Alex said. “She trusted her enough to sacrifice herself for you. Sarah sacrificed herself for all of us.” Alex’s gaze fell to Hayden, who sat on the ground, her fiery red hair a tangle of blood, soot, and ash. Blood stained her clothes and splattered her skin. Hayden stared at her hands, stained with the blood of her lover and his killer. Her hands trembled as tears washed down her face. She rocked back and forth, speechless on the ground.
Netra began her chant again and sprinkled more powder over Sarah’s body. She knelt beside Sarah and pressed her fingers against her head, and then her fingers fluttered over Sarah’s chest, and then along the rest of her body. The powder shimmered as Netra chanted. A mystical glow illuminated from Sarah’s wounds and from the open cavity on Sarah’s chest. A bright light filled the night sky. Through all of this, Nikolas paced like a lion guarding his prey, Hayden rocked numbly back and forth, and Alex stared at Sarah, his lips whispering a prayer.
Symbiosis (Scintillate Series Book 2) Page 15