The Pariah Child- Sarafina's Return

by Natasha D Lane

  Sarah slashed at the air. A piece of ledge jerked to the left, then crumbled, landing a few yards from her. She got to her feet.

  “I’m going to find you, Alex.” She gripped the necklace. “And I’m going to save you.”

  Urgency wrapped itself around exhaustion and Sarah began her climb over the ledge. It was short in height, so it only took grasping the right holds before she found flat land.

  She looked at the space before her. There were plains as far as the eye could see, covered in the tan grass. The mountain where she had tossed the stone was a shimmering image in the distance. Short trees with thin trunks arched upward and out into flimsy green bushes. They were placed sporadically across the landscape.

  And they would offer no shelter.

  Sarah ran her hands through her hair, which felt stiff and dry. Tossing it to one shoulder, she quickly worked it into a clumsy braid. Her gaze had not left the distant, shimmering mountain.

  “Think, Sarah, think.” She tapped her finger against her hip. “I can’t remove the stone but maybe I can bring a dragon…or two.”

  A sinking feeling settled in her. Could she even wake an elemental? And if she could, was she strong enough to control them? Actually, she wasn’t certain it was the humans who had Alex.

  “Darn it, darn it, darn it!” Sarah started marching toward the mountain. “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  Chapter 11

  The sun was merciless as it beat down on the plains, causing land in the distance to blur and mesh. Sarah had worked in heat before. She had watched her father work when he said it had become too hot for her. Still, she didn’t think the largest straw hat in Montana would do much against the heat.

  Maybe it was because she was so tired.

  The thought brought no comfort considering she didn’t expect rest any time soon. She didn’t need it really, at least not as badly as she needed water.

  Since starting her march she hadn’t seen or sensed any bodies of water nearby. The plains almost felt like a desert, or what she imagined a desert would be like. There was the unrelenting heat, the open space, and the lack of water.

  Yet Sarah knew water had to be somewhere. Though she hadn’t encountered another person, she had seen many animals scurrying around. Birds, deers, zebras—which she had only seen in encyclopedias, so the sight froze her for a moment—and more. They couldn’t thrive without water.

  She sighed. What would Serwa do?

  Several yards ahead, an image formed. Two of the thin trees were exactly adjacent. Their flimsy branches curved around one another to form the perfect canopy.

  Sarah sped up her trip and slumped under the canopy’s shade. The slight cool relaxed her.

  While she nestled in between the two trees, Sarah glanced around her. She was completely exposed but she also knew she had little choice.

  Taking one last look, Sarah let her eyes grow heavy. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling more secure in the position. Then, there was a scream.

  “You’re not going to get away!” A man’s voice followed by heavy breathing.

  Sarah shot up. Farther east there were two figures running. One was a man on horseback, the other a child.

  An image flashed in her mind of the little boy and the knight with the odd symbol on his back. Sarah remembered them coming to her in the woods. Could this child be the same boy?

  “You dirty half-breed!”

  There was no time to hesitate. Sarah ran perpendicular to the two, aiming for the man on horseback. She thought of sending a piece of earth jutting upward but wasn’t sure if she’d hit the horse, too.

  Sarah hiked the ends of her dress above her knee. She pumped her legs, calling to the earth to push her forward and praying she’d make it in time. This child—a girl, she thought as she grew closer—would not end like the boy. She couldn’t.

  The man wore no armor. Considering the heat, he had made a smart decision. But on his horse’s side where a satchel hung, Sarah saw it.

  There was the symbol—two cupped hands holding a flame with blue arrows pointing upward. All doubt disappeared. When Sarah was close enough, she grabbed the horse’s side and pulled herself onto its back.

  The man stared at her, jaw slacked and mouth hanging wide open while the girl continued fleeing.

  Sarah smiled. Then, she reeled her arm back and punched him in the face, before tossing him to the ground. He hit the earth with a thump and a thud.

  Sarah pulled on the horse’s reins, gently rubbing the animal’s side and shushing, until it stilled.

  The girl who had been running came to halt. She stood some distance away, a satchel wrapped around her. She faced Sarah and her once-pursuer.

  Sarah looked her over. The girl couldn’t have been more than twelve. She had a dark tan complexion and a crown of tight curls hung to her chin. She took in long, easy breaths while she watched Sarah.

  Why wasn’t she running?

  The man groaned. Sarah forced her attention away from the child.

  “I-I will kill you both. How dare you intervene with my hunt, girl?” His hateful glare bore into Sarah.

  Staring down at him, she pulled back her shoulders. “You’re not killing anyone. I don’t know who you are or why you’re chasing a child. What I do know is you’re going to leave. Now.”

  The man smirked. He had the palest blue eyes and lightest blond hair she had had ever seen. Maybe once he had been considered handsome. But now scars decorated his face accompanied by unbecoming wrinkles.

  A trail of crimson dribbled from under his short strands.

  “What I do, I do for humanity,” he spat. He eyed her. “If you had not intervened, you would have been spared. Whether you’re human or not no longer matters. You will die for your sympathy to the half-breed.”

  He reached behind him and withdrew a sword.

  Sarah tried not to show her panic. She had forgotten to disarm him when she mounted his horse, and aside from Nettle’s small sword around her neck, Sarah had no weapon.

  She glanced at the girl. The child still stood as she did before, simply watching.

  He charged, slashing upward at Sarah. She tugged the horse away, then quickly climbed down, facing her enemy. He was impatient, like a cat waiting for milk, as her mother would say.

  He would come to her.

  Only a moment passed. Then he charged again, but this time Sarah was ready. It’s what all those early morning practices had been for.

  He swung downward slightly to Sarah’s left. She bent her knees and moved just to the right. Shock decorated his face. She replaced the look with her elbow.

  The man stumbled backward, disoriented. Sarah followed after him. When she was close enough, she pulled her leg back, aimed, and kicked him in the groin. He fell knees first. The sword clattered to the ground.

  She grabbed the weapon and raised it to his throat.

  Hot, angry breaths left his body while he clenched his teeth tight.

  “You little—”

  “Shush,” Sarah warned. She pressed the sword’s tip a bit closer to his throat. Reminding him who was in control, as Serwa would have done.

  “I want you to tell me why you were chasing this girl,” she stated.

  The child still hadn’t moved.

  “You can go ahead and slit my throat. I’ll never confess to a sympathizer.”

  “A what?”

  He tsked. “You treat them as if they’re humans, as if their lives are somehow equal to ours. They must be maintained!”

  “Who is they?” Sarah cried, though she was certain she knew the answer.

  “All of them. Vampires, werewolves, shifters, angels, trolls, all of them!”

  Sarah shook her head. She was trying to fight the tremble in her arm. “You’re insane,” she replied.

  He smirked. “The righteous always are.”

  Righteous? She gazed into the man’s eyes. They didn’t falter. He wholeheartedly believed what he was saying. But how could he?

&n
bsp; The air moved beside Sarah. Suddenly, the man’s head was snatched back. Long nails flashed in front of his pale skin and burgundy eyes stared into Sarah’s blue.

  Blood spewed from the man’s throat.

  The girl released her hold and his body crumbled to the ground. She flicked her nails, dashing blood across the grass.

  The sword stumbled from Sarah’s hands.

  “You weren’t going to kill him,” the child said. “You were stalling.”

  “I was trying to get information,” Sarah retorted. Her entire being was pulsing. She couldn’t quiet the drumming sound of her heart.

  The girl glanced between the fallen man and Sarah. She moved a few steps in Sarah’s direction, then inhaled deeply through her nose.

  “Hm.” She turned her head sideways and observed Sarah. “You smell funny. But…I think I know you.”

  Sarah had a similar feeling. But she knew she hadn’t met the child the first time in Lyrica and definitely not on Earth. So, where?

  “My name is Bolanile,” the girl said. “You may call me Bo. What’s your name?”

  “Sarafina. You can call me Sarah.”

  Bolanile’s eyes grew wide. She closed the gap between them and stared up at Sarah, inspecting her face. A grin broke across her lips.

  “Auntie Sarah!” She leapt into her arms, the corpse beside them a forgotten thought. “I knew you’d come. Mother and Father said you would. You look different than the portrait we have of you at home.”

  “Wait, you’re…Serwa and Alex…”

  The child pulled back from Sarah and smiled at her. She didn’t see it before, maybe because it had been so long. The girl had Alexander’s eye color and his sharp nose. Everything else was Serwa from her tight curls to the curve of her face.

  Sarah pulled the child close to her and nuzzled her nose in her hair. Her eyes brimmed with tears, which she blinked away. If Bo was anything like Serwa—based on her recent execution, she most definitely was—she would scowl at Sarah’s crying.

  The thought made Sarah smile.

  “This is perfect,” said Bo. “Now, let’s hide the body and release the horse. I think there are some bushes nearby, or maybe you can put it under the ground. Then I’ll take you to the others.”

  “Others?” Sarah raised a brow while the child leapt from her arms.

  Bo nodded. “The other children.”

  Ten.

  Sarah counted once more.

  Ten children including Bo and Kwento, her younger twin brother.

  “And what happened to everyone else?” Sarah asked.

  Bolanile had led Sarah to a small opening among a collection of flat rocks. No one, on horseback or foot, would notice the little nook unless they walked straight for it. Considering Sarah hadn’t run into anyone since leaving the shore, she doubted they’d be found.

  For now, at least.

  The children had gathered in a semicircle within the small space. It was wide but not deep.

  Bolanile and Kwento were the only two standing. They leaned against either wall, facing one another. Kwento’s eyes were the same color as his sister and father’s. He had the same tight curls, though his hair was shorter, cropped with the sides shaved.

  Kwento looked at his sister. She gave him a hard nod.

  “Mother said after the humans had taken most of the south, they started moving north,” he stated. “No one knew because the fairies with Auntie Nettle and the Southern Wood Elves were still fighting. A small group of the human army made their way north.”

  His sister continued, “Too far north and the land is dangerous to live on. That’s what Father said. But the humans had found witches to work with. The Northern Sky Elves alerted us. By then, it was too late. The humans had brought reinforcements. Father stayed behind to fight.”

  “Mother took as many as she could,” said Kwento. “Some people couldn’t keep up… We ran all the way to the river but we didn’t have a boat, so Mother parted the current. While we were moving across, the humans caught her with black diamond chains. She couldn’t fight and keep the water from drowning us. She told us to run.”

  Sarah was counting her breaths. She was hearing their story yet it didn’t ring true.

  Serwa had been captured. Alexander was missing. The humans had conquered nearly all of Lyrica aside from the western deserts and most of the east where they hid.

  She shook her head. The children stared at her. Alexander’s children let their gaze fall away as they told what had happened to them. They didn’t sniffle or cry but they would not meet her eyes.

  “But, Nettle was still alive and fighting last you heard?”

  They bobbed their heads.

  The confirmation brought her some solace.

  “And Solar? The other dragons? I’m sure they’re not—”

  “The human queen has most of them,” said a small boy among the children. Actually, he was the smallest. He had ash gray skin and bright scarlet eyes. No burgundy at all. And his right leg had a slight twist to it.

  He was crippled.

  Sarah forced her eyes from his leg.

  “Their tears turn to diamonds when left out under the moon, you know,” he said. “The queen likes to put them on her dresses.”

  “But…” She was almost too scared to ask. “How does the queen get their tears?”

  A few of the children whimpered. They shook their heads and Sarah could see the young ones rubbing at their eyes.

  Bolanile sighed. “Tell her, Ev. You’re the one who saw it.”

  Everyone turned to the smallest child. His eyes were locked on Sarah.

  “She has her knights torture them.”

  No!

  Everything inside Sarah refused his words. Dragons were the original beings. They were strong, they breathed fire—how could so many have been taken? Why hadn’t they burned the human kingdom to the ground yet?

  Sarah wanted to scream. She wanted to call to the earth, make her way to the human kingdom, and destroy it. She wanted to find and hurt the one holding Alexander, the ones holding Serwa. And yet, she couldn’t.

  She had no idea where they were holding either Alex or Serwa.

  She had no idea how or even if she could stage an attack large enough to take on an entire kingdom.

  Most importantly, she had no army.

  Instead, she had pairs of eyes staring up at her. They were round, watery pools looking to her for a solution. But where could they go? How could Sarah travel across Lyrica with ten children to guard?

  Her shoulders sank.

  “But you’re here now,” said a little girl. She smiled. “You’re the Chosen One and you’ll save us. You’ll bring back Mama and Papa.”

  Sarah’s jaw tightened. A shiver pulled at her shoulders and her vision grew blurry. She couldn’t cry. Not now.

  Kwento kneeled in front of the other children, sending them all a great, big grin. “I think it’s time for lunch. Bo brought back some food. Are you all hungry?”

  There was a quiet, joyous cheer.

  Bolanile opened the small satchel she had been carrying. Her brother helped her hand out small amounts of food. There was bread, fresh meat, and jam. Apparently, the humans had brought good supplies if they were eating so well.

  “Auntie Sarah?” Bo held up a small cloth with various food items wrapped in it. “Are you hungry?”

  As if waiting for its cue, Sarah’s stomach growled, which caused her to blush and the children to giggle. Together they all sat, laughing and eating, but something bothered Sarah. During lunch was definitely not the right time to ask.

  The children had given her information. She wasn’t as lost as when she had climbed from the sea. Still, during their tale no one had mentioned the knights who wore the cupped hands holding the flames.

  Were they a special sect of the human army? Maybe like the Templars she had read about in her library books.

  Sarah leaned against the cavern wall. Her food was already gone, the sudden hunger abated. She tucked he
r arms around her. The cavern’s shade was a needed relief after hiking under the sun. The children chatted amongst each other, their voices dissolving into the background.

  Soon there was silence, soon Sarah closed her eyes, and soon sleep finally found her.

  Chapter 12

  Sarah looked over the map again.

  This is not going to be easy.

  After several days of rest, Sarah found herself at square one. She and the others were essentially trapped. Most of the south was taken, aside from a small territory still being defended by the fairies and the wood elves. The north would be nearly conquered at this point unless the people had resisted, which wasn’t likely. Not according to Bo and Kwe, at least. The humans had grown too strong.

  Sarah lay back against the flat stone and let the sun warm her skin. The sky was a light blue above her.

  It was easy to become comfortable. They had water and food from hunting the local animals and a pond farther north. Because of the cavern’s position, the children could even play outside if it was dark and they were quiet. They had escaped a war and found some peace. Sarah couldn’t blame them for growing content.

  But the humans were getting closer. The animals had learned to keep their distance, forcing either Bo or Kwe to make the long, dangerous journey to the human camp for supplies.

  Their time was running out. Sarah had to come up with a plan.

  She dragged her palms across her face.

  “Auntie Sarah?”

  Kwe peeked at her over the stone’s rim, resting his chin on the very edge.

  “What are you doing with Mother’s map?” he asked.

  She sat up and patted the space beside her. He scrambled over, took a seat, and their eyes turned toward the map.

  It wasn’t the same one Sarah had used during her first time in Lyrica. The parchment wasn’t falling apart and there were new territories, new kingdoms including Alex’s and Serwa’s.

  Smiling, Sarah traced her fingers over the small spot on the map. It was where her two friends had made their home once she left. The Alclian dominion where Queen Isabella and King William once reigned was now the capital of the vampire kingdom. The domains had united. Alex and Serwa had become the king and queen.