by Jen Wylie
Aro nodded. "Thank you."
The pair paused for a moment, Lissana smiled slightly and Cano ducked his head, and then they slipped back into the trees.
She stared after them, emotions conflicting within her.
"Aro?"
Shrugging off thoughts of prophecy and Vor, she turned and gave Kei a grin. "I’m fine. That was just…strange."
His golden eyes searched hers for a long moment but he didn’t say anything. For once, she felt thankful he rarely did.
They walked back to the others. They’d gotten very little out of the packs, and everything had been loaded back onto the horses already. Bo and Prince stood next to the small pool of water, letting the horses have one last drink before they headed out again.
Leaves rustled in the wind and Aro paused, her muscles tensing.
The birds had gone quiet. Her head snapped around, hands going to her daggers as something crashed through the woods. The rustling grew louder.
There was no wind.
The horses ears flicked forward and they both raised their heads. Rearing suddenly, they scrambled wildly back from the pool. Bo and Prince fought to keep a hold of the reins.
"Run!"
Aro whirled around to see Cano sprinting through the trees.
"Run!"
The horses panicked further at the screaming Fey rushing toward them. A rein snapped and Bo’s horse spun and bolted. Prince struggled with his, and then gave up and danced away as the horse reared again, deadly hooves kicking at his face.
Aro spun, eyes searching the forest, the pounding of the fleeing horse for a moment drowning out the strange rustling sounds. Dark shadows flowed toward them, the rustling became louder. Her eyes widened at the strange creatures scuttling toward them. Drawing her daggers as she turned around and around, her breath caught in her throat. They were everywhere.
What they were, she had no idea. The bodies hung low to the ground, shiny and black. Skinny legs jutted out from the sides. The sound she’d heard was a mix of them moving through the fallen brush and the legs brushing together. They reminded her of crabs, but much larger than any she’d ever seen. The smallest had bodies the size of her head, the largest were twice that. Her eyes shifted to their strange tails. They curved up from their backs and hung over the top of their bodies, ending in a long lethal spike.
"What are they?"
"Vor," Cano said quietly.
She turned to him, surprised he remained. The panic had left him now. He stood stiffly, poised to strike, eyes darting back and forth. "Where is your family?"
He started and stared at her for a moment. "Not far."
She paused a moment. "Do they need you?"
He glanced away, which was answer enough.
"Go to them."
"No, you must be protected."
"Go," she snapped angrily. "Fight with your family. I will fight with mine."
His eyes went over her shoulder, and then he nodded. "Fight well, Arowyn. We will return if we can."
As she nodded his eyes slipped immediately into a glowing red. Fangs grew from his mouth, claws shot out from his fingers. Then he was gone, sprinting back the way he’d come, dancing through the strange creatures, crushing some, slashing through the tails of others.
She and the boys were circled now. For some reason the creatures paused, only their tails moving, darting forward and back as if itching to attack and impale them.
"Stay close," Bo said behind her.
She looked over her shoulder. He and Prince had their swords out. Garen stood next to him, his fur bristling, ready to fight. Kei stepped to her side, eyes red and claws clacking together.
"No running now, I guess," she said quietly.
"We would not make it far," Prince replied.
She knew what he didn’t say, that it was he and Bo who wouldn’t. They were the slowest, had the least stamina.
"We need to steal less skittish horses next time," she muttered.
Bo snorted and she grinned over at him.
They were family, they would fight together. Her eyes went out to the enemy before them.
Perhaps they would die together, too.
Rhee-En, the Vor are here.
Chapter 28:
The Little Things
When her eyes met Prince’s, her amusement vanished. Though not as haggard as he’d once looked, his paleness and dark, tired eyes worried her. Her mouth opened, and then clamped shut as he suddenly strode forward.
Stopping abruptly before her, his hand rose to cup her cheek. She stared up into his eyes, not understanding what he was doing. Something dark and burning replaced the tiredness, making her stomach clench. She couldn’t help leaning into his hand a little, but stopped short of closing her eyes and sighing.
She locked her eyes on his, even though she knew he would see the love she felt for him.
A moment seemed like an eternity, yet neither said a word.
Bo cleared his throat and she jerked as Prince dropped his hand. His eyes remained on hers, searching them for something.
"Stay safe, child."
With just a few words, he ruined everything.
Anger welled up inside of her. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she stepped back and turned away from him. "Don’t call me that."
Kei glanced at her, his red eyes flashing in fury, and pressed his lips together tightly when he saw her face. He whirled around to face Prince.
"I’ll be glad when you’re home. Then you’ll stop hurting her."
"I would never hurt her," Prince said fiercely.
Kei shook his head. "You can’t make up your mind. It’s not that hard," he said bitterly. "You love her or you don’t."
"Things are not so simple."
"Aren’t they?"
Heat rushed to her face. This wasn’t happening. Not here, not now. Such a distraction before battle could kill someone.
Straightening her shoulders, she raised her chin. "Protect Prince," she said flatly.
"Aro," he said sharply.
She refused to look at him. "That was the deal. We’d get you home. Now isn’t the time to argue."
"You are such a–"
"Here they come," she interrupted.
The creatures began to scuttle closer, darting forward and back. Suddenly they moved, a dark mass pressing to overwhelm them.
She stomped and kicked at them, surprised at how easily she could knock them away. The spikes were another matter. Despite twisting away, one sliced down her calf. At least it hadn’t impaled her leg.
Run, we will deal with them.
Aro snorted at Rhee-En’s delayed response and sliced at a tail. A bit late for that.
Why are you in the forest? I warned you–
We’re near the border, she snapped at the Were. Dodging another spike, she spun and sliced. She really needed to get a sword. The daggers were much too short for this sort of opponent.
What do you face?
They look like crabs, with spikey tails.
How many?
She didn’t answer for a moment. Enough, she thought finally.
What else?
What do you mean what else? This is quite enough.
They rarely run alone.
The words sent a chill down her spine. Nothing else. She remembered the other Fey then. There are four Fey fighting near us.
With you?
Against the Vor, yes.
Are they wild?
Not anymore.
Rhee-En paused. We will speak of that later. Where are you?
She snorted. I don’t know.
We will find you.
She didn’t reply to that. They would or they wouldn’t, she was too busy to worry about it.
Bodies crunched under her feet and she stumbled into Kei.
"Spread out," he growled.
She nodded and took a moment to glance at the boys. Bo and Prince stood back to back. With their swords, they were able to keep up with the creatures pressing against them. Kei
was right though, they all stood too close together.
Garen, Kei, we’ll circle out farther. The thought had barely left her head and the two broke away, tearing into the seething mass of black.
A smile tugged at her lips as she followed. It proved easier to fight as she spun and darted through the creatures. Not standing still, she moved too fast for them to strike her. Garen tore through them, claws slashing through tails and body, teeth ripping off tails as he ran by.
Bo cursed loudly, but she couldn’t spare a moment to look. You good?
I’ll live.
Springing forward, she pushed harder. Soon she became lost in the dance. The sounds of the boys’ snarls and growls and curses faded away. Spikes slashed her legs. Blood dripped down, pooling in her boots. She fought on until her heart laboured in her chest and her arms grew heavy with fatigue.
A clawed hand caught her as she stumbled. Righting herself, she blinked to clear the blur in her eyes. Kei remained beside her.
Take.
She shook her head and stumbled again.
A flurry of claws appeared before her. Kei cleared the few in front of them and then he whirled to face her. His clawed hand carefully, but forcefully, grabbed her chin. His red eyes met hers. "Take."
Understanding jolted through her and without thinking she pulled. Power and fury flooded into her, spreading strength and energy through every limb.
Before his eyes could change he jerked away from her. "Good."
Renewed, she pressed forward to fight again, but paused as her eyes roamed the forest.
Broken black bodies scattered the forest floor as far as she could see. She hadn’t realized they’d all been moving. Staying in one spot left too many carcases, bad footing to fight on.
Garen sprang past her, teeth tearing into one of the few remaining creatures.
Her eyes sought Bo and Prince and her breath caught as she saw Bo down and shirtless, Prince wrapping his leg with cloth.
She ran over to him and crouched by his side, resting a hand on his bare shoulder. "How bad is it?"
He grinned up at her. "Just a scratch, pup."
Prince jerked on a knot and Bo sucked in a sharp breath. "It went straight through. We need to get it cleaned." He stood and jerked his chin behind them. "The pool is not far."
Aro helped Bo stand and pulled his arm over her shoulder.
"I’m fine," he grumbled.
She snorted as she started them walking and he limped. "Just a scratch? I have scratches and I’m not limping."
"A deep scratch then," he amended.
They reached the pool and started cleaning up as best they could. Garen stuck his snout in the water and swished it around, snorting when he finally pulled it out.
They taste horrid.
Aro chuckled and sat, debating how to go about dealing with the multiple slices on her legs. Some were deep and she was fairly certain she had a few chunks of flesh missing in a couple of spots. With the horses and their packs gone, she wasn’t sure how to tend them. Unlike Bo, she rather wanted to keep her shirt on.
Kei paced around them, claws clicking.
"Can you not stand still," Prince snapped.
She looked over at him, eyebrows raised. "He’s keeping watch, there might be more."
He turned to scowl at her and then froze. His gaze shot back to Kei. "Why would you give her more? What are you thinking?"
A groan escaped her. Though Kei had given her very little of his power and fury, there must have been enough for her eyes to take on the familiar magical glow. Probably not red, but even the mild yellow would alert Prince to what they’d done. Human’s eyes didn’t glow with an inner light.
"I was tired. He didn’t give me much."
Prince whirled on her. "That matters not! Magic is not something to be taken lightly. I understand it is how you will help the Fey, but this was not necessary."
Anger pulsed through her. Springing to her feet, she resisted the urge to tie his mouth shut. "Don’t tell me what to do."
"You never listen anyway."
"Why should I? Because you care about me like I’m your child," she mocked. "You’re not my rotting father!"
"This temper of yours!" He raised his hands to his head like he wanted to pull out his hair, snarling in frustration. "And you cuss like a soldier!"
She stared at him incredulously. "What exactly do you think I am?"
Bo slapped his palms loudly on his thighs and leaned forward. "And that, is enough of that," he said sharply.
Aro pressed her lips together tightly. Frustration made her grind her teeth together. She wasn’t done. She wasn’t near being done, with all the things she wanted to say.
While you’ve been fighting, something comes.
She looked over at Garen and let out a deep breath, trying to calm the anger inside of her. Prince just made her so furious!
Garen turned south and she followed his gaze. For a moment, she saw nothing, but then she heard it. Something cracked. Looking higher, she saw a tree sway and then fall. A chill ran down her spin. What could possibly knock down a tree? The ones in the forest were not small, rising high into the air with trunks thicker than she could wrap her arms around.
"Rot," she muttered, eyes locked in the direction of whatever approached. Her thoughts whirled. Should they stay and fight or try to run?
Her legs began to ache and she glanced over at Bo. Running wasn’t an option. Leaving him behind wasn’t. Yet the creature didn’t seem to be moving too quickly, perhaps they could get away. Unless it wasn’t the only thing out there.
Her fight with Prince forgotten, she looked to him. "Thoughts? Fight or try to move as quickly as we can?"
Prince also looked to Bo.
The man in question snorted. "I can move, but I’ll hold you back. I imagine the horses are long gone?"
Yes, Garen answered. They are not near.
"I worry there is more out there. Or whatever comes can move faster than it has been. How intelligent are these Vor?"
"It depends on the type. These," Prince kicked at a carcass. "Not very."
"It reminds me of the battle of Tennen, though." At Bo’s blank look she continued. "First wave was thousands of barely trained men, but the numbers took their toll and weakened their opponent for the stronger, but smaller, force to come. It’s a simple but easy tactic."
"Where did you learn that?" Prince stared at her as if she had grown an extra head.
"I’m quite certain I’ve told you I had tutors," she said, rather offended.
"I assumed it was in history, or–"
"More womanly things," she interrupted harshly.
Bo drew his sword and tested his leg. "We’ll fight. The Vor," he added roughly, shooting a look at her, Kei and Prince. "Not each other."
Pushing the anger down showed her what she struggled to hide. Fear. She didn’t want her boys to get hurt. Losing them…
Forcing a small, embarrassed smile, she nodded to Bo and then turned to face the approaching enemy.
Losing them wasn’t an option.
Chapter 29:
Fighting for Family
When it finally broke through the trees, quite literally, she could only stare for a long moment. She hadn’t thought it would be so huge.
The large Vor looked so strange she didn’t even know what to make of it. Shades of dark grey and black, it towered above her. The head sat on a long thin neck, large dark eyes filled much of the face, the nose being mere slits. Of course, it had a massive jaw and mouth full of teeth. The barrel chest continued to a short body. Wide back haunches led to thick legs and long tail. The front legs however, were thinner and longer with three claws on each finger, two short and a longer middle claw.
Her eyes flicked over the beast, picking out the dangers immediately. The middle claw and the tail. She’d have to watch the reach of the neck. The mouth she definitely wanted to avoid.
Her own mouth became dry. She clenched her daggers tightly, trying to control her sudden
ly shaking hands.
"We need to retreat," Prince said. She looked over at him, her eyes wide. "We cannot fight that."
Kei and I will try to lure it away. Go, Garen said.
Her eyes moved to Bo. He trembled, not from fear she thought, but exhaustion and pain. Likely blood loss, too.
A new fear tightened her chest as she turned back to the creature.
Catching sight of them, it paused, tilting its head to regard them with frightening shrewdness. Shifting its weight, it turned, its back end crashing and knocking down another tree. Lurching back and forth, more trees came down.
Her heart sped up in her chest. It was making room to fight. "Wither me."
A gasp slipped from her lips as it drew ever closer. The beast had numerous wounds; the end of its tale even appeared to be missing. Had the other Fey been fighting it? Or the Were? A lump formed in her stomach, wondering what had happened to them.
"Aro, we need to go. Now!"
Not paying attention to the boys, she nodded, eyes still locked on the monster towering in front of them. "Go."
Her fingers relaxed on her weapons. Raising her chin, she pushed away the fear. Fear could kill you. She might die, but she would do so protecting her family.
This time she wouldn’t be afraid. This time, she’d save them.
"Take care of Bo."
The boys’ startled curses faded behind her as she ran to face the beast.
It saw her coming, but she knew it would. She hoped her size and speed would work in her favor. Her charge wasn’t reckless. Each speeding step she planned. As the beast turned she adjusted her course.
Kei appeared suddenly at her side. Her eyes flicked to him only long enough to see the fury on his face. He didn’t say anything, not even with his mind voice. A quick glance to her other side showed Garen had also joined her. He didn’t remain silent.
Reckless! We will talk later of this, but now, now we are with you.
She didn’t reply. Not only because it would distract her, and she didn’t know what to say, but the beast now loomed above her. Aro dove under the swinging head and passed a reaching claw, ducking under the arm to slice at the soft spot there before continuing on. Her blades moved quickly as she ran, drawing blood where she could. Most of the outer hide proved tough and her small daggers did little damage. She switched tactics, spinning to ram a dagger into the flesh up to the hilt, pulling out and turning to strike with the other.