by Eliza Tilton
Derrick pushed his way towards me, knocking out a man in the process. He glanced back, seeing my arrow land perfectly in the man’s chest.
“Nice shot!” Derrick cried. He rested his hands on his thighs, catching his breath. “What’s the plan?”
I pointed to the wagons north of us. “You check those. I’ll check the ones on the other side.”
He nodded and ran off.
My arms ached with fatigue, and the wound stung. I wanted to stop and rest, just for a minute, but I couldn’t. I ran in the direction of the other wagons where I was stopped by a stocky man with a goatee. He didn’t count on my quick reflexes. I dodged him. When our swords clashed, I noticed the rip in his shirt and a snake tattoo. Calli’s description rang back in my mind and my head exploded with anger. Standing before me was the man who’d stolen Jeslyn.
I growled and kicked his knee. Jeslyn’s kidnapper stumbled for a second and that was all I needed. I shifted my hands up the hilt and slammed the metal edge against his head. Blood trickled from the spot. I jabbed the hilt again and the wound gaped. Anger clouded my vision in a haze of red. I threw the sword, wanting to strangle the man with my hands. He glared at me with one good eye and smirked. I ducked as his blade swished above me, slicing air. I belted him in the gut. The punch rocked him back a step. Grabbing his wrist, I squeezed a pressure point, forcing the weapon to drop. I now had full control of the fight. I stepped around him, twisting the arm I held. The kidnapper grunted and tried to dislodge me by elbowing my stomach, but I was too quick. I avoided the elbow and brought the man to his knees.
I pulled the dagger from its sheath and held it to his throat. It seemed fitting to finish him off with my family’s weapon. I pushed the dagger into his skin and he started praying. That only angered me more.
Rudy came up behind me. “Leave that one alive!” Rudy’s brows narrowed. I must have looked like a wild beast. “We’ll need to be asking him questions. Everyone else is either dead or has run away.”
“This is the man who kidnapped my sister, and you want me to keep him alive?”
Rudy furrowed his brow. “Aye.”
Shaking my head, I pressed the blade deeper, drawing a thin line of blood. “No.”
Rudy propped his axe on his shoulder. “Kill him after he talks.”
“What do we need him for? The fight is over!”
“We need to know who these men be working for.” I stood over the man, debating his death.
I should kill him. Father would want it.
I waited for Jeslyn’s kidnapper to beg, but he didn’t. Slowly, my anger faded. Nauseous guilt crept in. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill a defenseless man. And Rudy was right. These men had to be reporting to someone—and that was the person I needed to kill.
Chapter Fifteen
JESLYN
Shouts and slamming hooves boomed outside. Were we being rescued? If not, I figured I could use the distraction to escape. The guards would be too busy to notice me. I hoped.
I slid my shaking hand between the bars of the wagon door, trying to reach the lock. The tip of my fingers touched the top. It was too low. I pulled at the fabric covering the window. After numerous tries, it ripped from above, hurling me back.
Carnage covered every inch of the ground. Bile rose in my throat and I held it back. I watched a giant sword impale through a man’s chest. I screamed when the attacker looked up.
“Derrick!” I waved my hand, hoping he could see or hear me.
He did.
He slashed his way towards me, chopping down anyone in his path.
He screamed my name and tears slid down my cheeks. I was safe.
He stepped onto the wheel, taking my hand and kissing it feverishly. “You’re alive.”
“Get me out of here,” I cried.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine. Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “I’m scared, Derrick.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you. Okay?”
“Where’s Calli?” I said, praying she had made it home to our father.
“Safe.”
Derrick would protect me. This nightmare would finally end.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too.” He winked and jumped down. “I might be able to break the lock with my sword. Stand back.”
I scooted away from the door and waited. I heard a loud thump, then silence.
“Derrick?” When he didn’t answer, I panicked. “Derrick!”
The door opened, and the captain stood there, grinning.
“You! What have you done?”
“Lord Lucino will be very unhappy if I come back empty handed. But you, pretty thing, might compensate for our losses.”
I kicked and screamed. The girl with me clawed at him. He punched her in the face and she slumped to the floor.
“I’ll do the same to you if you don’t shut up. We can do this the nice way, or the hard way.” I spit in his face.
“Okay, guess it’s the hard way.” He drew back. I tried to avoid the incoming blow, but there was no escape.
Chapter Sixteen
JESLYN
Jess!” Derrick opened his eyes and tried to sit up. I grabbed his shoulder, steadying him.
“Careful,” I said. “You were hit pretty hard.”
“Where’s Jess? Is she okay?”
I helped him to his feet. “She’s not here. I searched everywhere.”
Derrick’s eyes widened. He spun around, grabbing the lock on the nearby wagon. “What happened? She was in here!” Derrick examined the metal contraption, his shoulders slumping. “This was locked.” The words were barely a whisper.
A girl with blonde hair and a dangerous bruise on her cheek walked over to us. “Excuse me,” she said. “I think the girl you’re looking for may have been in the wagon with me.” The girl looked around at the other girls who were now out of the wagons. “I don’t see her here.”
Derrick grabbed the girl by the shoulders. “Did she have long brown hair and blue eyes?” The girl nodded.
“How long ago?” Derrick asked.
I don’t know. The man hit me, and I didn’t see anything.” She shook her head and sniffled. Derrick let go of her.
I grunted and punched the wagon. Pain shot through my arm.
How could this happen?
“We have to go, Derrick,” I said. “Now.
He nodded, and I whistled for Brushfire.
“Whoa, now hold on you two.” Rudy stepped behind us. “You can’t just be running off. You’re both too weary, and that wound needs to be cauterized.” He pointed to the gash on my arm that seeped with blood.
Ignoring him, I whistled again. My stomach clenched in anguish as I saw Brushfire limp towards me, an arrow stuck in her backside.
“Come here, girl,” I said softly, reaching for her.
She whinnied. I rubbed her muzzle.
“It’s okay.” Looking at her, I knew she needed rest, even if I didn’t. I pressed my head against hers.
Derrick stood behind her, his face solemn. “Hold her,” he said.
I grabbed her reins.
“Hold still, girl.” I held her firmly, staring at her big eyes, keeping her calm. I nodded to Derrick. He put one hand on her back and grabbed the shaft with the other.
“One, two…” He yanked the arrow free. Brushfire neighed and kicked her back legs.
“Whoa, girl, whoa.” I held onto her, pulling the reins down.
“Easy girl.”
“Rudy’s right,” Derrick said, tossing the arrow into the brush.
I couldn’t believe he agreed with Rudy. Staring at Derrick with disbelief, I furrowed my brow. “How can you say that? We need to go now! They can’t be that far ahead of us.” If Derrick was stupid enough to listen to that old man, I’d l
eave him here. “I’m going.”
“And what happens when you lose so much blood you pass out? You can’t fight and your horse can’t hold you.”
Jeslyn was out there, probably terrified, and now with a man who could do a thousand horrible things to her. I couldn’t stomach the idea of just sitting here.
“You know I don’t want to stay either,” he added. “But we have no choice. We’ll leave as soon as you’re able.”
Maybe Derrick was right, but how could I stay? How could he stay? I patted Brushfire, still debating. I pulled my quiver off and counted the arrows. I sighed and looked around. Before I did anything, I’d better re-stock.
Blood covered the ground. A stark reminder of the battle. Retrieving arrows was a gruesome task, but I was running low. Each time I pulled one out of a corpse, nausea spread through me. The adrenaline that fueled me during battle disappeared, leaving me weak and disgusted. Is this what my life had become, a series of complete failures? I’d thought, I’d really thought, this time would be different. I should’ve known better. It was never going to change. Why, why, did I always screw up? I just wanted, for once in this miserable life to do something meaningful. I didn’t want to face my father and tell him, for the second time, that a family member was dead.
An empty wagon held our only prisoner. His head was wrapped in linen and his hands were tied behind his back. I wanted him dead, and yet here I stood, playing nice. If he gave me the information I needed, not chopping his head off would be worth it.
I paced back and forth in front of the wagon. “You’re alone,” I said. “No one is coming for you. You have two choices. Your first choice, and the one I recommend, is that you tell me what I need to know, and I might let you live. Your second option is to keep quiet and I’ll bring you to Crain Village prison. If you know nothing about them, know their judicial system is a bit skewed, and you’ll most likely face the gallows for mere entertainment, but only after you’ve been tortured for weeks.”
The fear in his grey eyes became apparent. I didn’t know if Crain Village was as bad as the few stories I’d heard, but it sounded good.
You have until nightfall to decide.”
In the middle of camp, Derrick and the others sat by a large fire. They cooked game they’d managed to catch. A few of the girls helped to clean the injured men. We were lucky to have only one causality. I sat near the fire and pulled out my dagger. It gleamed under the firelight. Using the sleeve of my shirt, I wiped off the blood. I loved fighting, but killing was different. I hadn’t expected to feel so sick. Blood didn’t bother me, but splattered all over a man I just killed? That made my stomach spin. Every life I took seemed to chip away at my own.
Rudy stood in front of me with Reaper. “You ready to clean that up?”
Reaper stuck a sword into the fire, and I watched the metal glow.
“It’s not that bad,” I said.
Rudy huffed and lifted away the makeshift bandage I had put on. He rinsed the cut with water. I winced. “Here, bite on this.” He shoved a leather belt at me.
You’d think after a vicious battle, I could handle a simple cauterizing. Sweat dripped down my neck and my heart pounded so fast it made me dizzy.
Reaper walked over, holding that poker of death in his hand, and I swear he was smiling. Having him close the wound made me even more panicky.
“Hey, Derrick!”
Derrick looked over, and I waved at him. He saw Reaper, and his eyes widened.
“Hold my right arm,” I said. “I don’t want to accidentally punch
Reaper when he burns it.”
Derrick smirked. “Sure.”
I took a deep breath; put the belt in my mouth.
HOLY-BEARDED-MOTHER!
Chapter Seventeen
AVIKAR
Loud shouting woke me. The cut on my arm throbbed, and I winced while stretching to see who was yelling. A small crowd had gathered around the wagon holding the prisoner. I scrambled to my feet and headed over. There, shivering and lying in a pool of vomit, was our only prisoner.
Derrick and Henry began pulling the man out, until Derrick noticed the snake tattoo. He yelled, stepped back and unsheathed his sword. I moved in front of him and grabbed his arm.
“Don’t,” I said.
Derrick glared at me and lifted his claymore. “Get out of my way.”
“I know how you feel, but we need him alive.”
He cringed. “This man kidnapped Jeslyn. He’s the reason for all of this and you’re protecting him!”
“No. I want him dead too, but we don’t know where to find her. He does. Once we rescue her, we’ll deal with him. I promise.”
Derrick growled and lowered his sword. “You better be right about this, or you’ll be my next victim.” He stormed off into the woods.
Give the boy some time. He’s angry. He didn’t mean it.” Rudy helped Henry bring the prisoner to the fire.
A young girl touched the prisoner’s forehead. She ripped a piece of her dress and patted the sweat off his face. I ran my fingers through my hair, watching the scene in a daze.
“He burns with a heavy fever,” she said. “I’ll need water.”
At least we saved them. With all the chaos, I’d forgotten we rescued nine other girls.
I bent down and untied the man’s hands. The fever burned through his skin.
“He was fine before,” I said. “I don’t understand.”
The prisoner heaved, and the girl rolled him over on his side.
“He’s been poisoned,” she said.
One of the twins brought over a pale of water. The young girl dipped the cloth into the bucket and washed the prisoner’s face. This man could be our only link to finding Jeslyn. “Can you get rid of it?” I hoped she’d say yes.
She shook her head. “If I knew what it was, maybe, but this? Look at his veins.” She showed me his arm laced with greenish lines.
I searched his body for anything unusual and found a tiny dart lodged in the back of his neck. Slowly, I pulled it out. “What is this?” I turned it over, looking at the tiny runes on it.
“Let me see that, boy.” Reaper held out his hand and I gave him the dart. He held it between his two fingers. “This is odd. I don’t recognize the metal.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Reaper ran his bony fingers through his oily hair. “This dart is not from our lands. Could be from one of his own men.”
I reached for my sword, expecting a dart to come flying at me.
“Find Nathaniel and Davin,” Rudy said to Reaper. “Tell them to do a perimeter check and have everyone else on guard.”
The prisoner wheezed and blood trickled out the side of his mouth.
“Where’s a priest when you need one?” I mumbled.
A small plump girl stepped forward. Her red curly hair resembled fire and matched the shade of her freckles. “I can help,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said, trying not to be rude. “But what we need is a priest.”
“My name is Manna, and I am a priestess.”
Did she say a priestess?
“Welcome,” I said and dipped my head in a bow. Priestesses were rare, very rare and their healing abilities were powerful.
Manna prayed over the prisoner. Then she sang, raising her hands high in the air, reaching to the stars. Her voice was a deep baritone with a hint of femininity and power. The campfire backlit her with a golden halo. Her voice echoed off the trees.
It reminded me of a day, long time ago, when I’d gone to temple with Mother. I watched two people standing in the front, singing a hymn. I hadn’t understood what they were saying, but I’d felt it. And just like then, Manna’s song pierced every barrier around my heart. The air tingled with a foreign sensation both uplifting and terrifying.
No one moved. No one spoke.
/> Her voice reached a crescendo, and she bent over the prisoner. She placed her hands on his chest, leaned down and whispered in his ear.
“Sleep now, but when you arise, know that by grace you have been saved. Right your wrongs.” Manna slowly rose and lifted her hands. “Praise be to The Creator!”
She touched my shoulder, smiled and disappeared amongst the rescued girls.
I wanted to run after her and tell her she was amazing. Instead, I watched the sickly green leave the prisoner’s body, and wondered why my cheek was wet.
Chapter Eighteen
AVIKAR
Morning arrived and everyone prepared to leave for Crain Village. We decided it was the closest place and we could escort the missing girls to the temple there. The men circled Derrick. They were pointing to a map. I started to walk towards them when I noticed Manna talking to the prisoner who was awake and untied. He sat on a log with his head buried in his hands.
I gripped the hilt of my sword and marched over.
Manna stood and intercepted me. “Be still,” she said softly, placing a hand on my chest.
Is she crazy?
“Listen to his tale. Your heart will tell you the rest.”
I grunted and pushed past her. Priestess or not, she had no right to untie him. The prisoner looked up, then back down. I folded my arms and glared at him, focusing on talking and not walloping him.
“Tell me everything,” I said. “And I mean everything. You can start with your name.”
The man swallowed and cleared his throat before talking. “My name is Jericho.”
“Where were you taking the girls?”
“Back to Daath.”
That can’t be right. “Daath?” He nodded.
He had guts to lie. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. “Daath is a myth.”