An immediate fury ignited in Sarah.
“They call us half-breeds and hunt us.” Kwe’s words echoed in her mind. These were the people trying to hurt her family.
On either side of the woman, there were several other soldiers, all wearing the same armor. Most were men, a few women. Two held a pair of dark chains that led behind a rock.
They may have been dirty and smudged but Sarah knew what those chains were made of. She had seen Serwa forced to wear black diamond before and knew the effect.
Sarah eyed each one of them, taking note of their large builds. She wouldn’t be able to beat them with her physical strength alone.
Thankfully, she had other tricks up her sleeve.
The woman placed both hands on her hips. She smirked. “And I thought today was going to be uneventful. Glad I came out.”
Her eyes danced around, finally landing on Klara. She stepped back and walked over to her. Then she squatted down before speaking.
Sarah could see Klara’s axe twitch.
“We have a dwarf, I see. Hmm. Lucky,” she mused, stroking her chin. “Your people have been very wise, limiting your time above ground since we’ve conquered Lyrica.”
The woman wiggled a finger at her.
“But we’ve got you now, don’t we?” She locked her sights on Sarah, briefly glancing at Skuntz.
“I’m happy to have an elf, too. Not a sky elf though, are you?”
Skuntz didn’t respond.
“No, you’re from the woods. Your ugly, green skin tells me all I need to know.” She rose to her full height again. “Your lot has been giving us trouble. Revenge is in order. Now, what are you?”
This woman was good at getting under people’s skin. She and Elaine would have been fast friends, Sarah was certain.
“No dwarf, no elf. Not an angel. Haven’t been able to get our hands on one of those. Hmmm.” She tapped her chin, then narrowed her eyes as a sly grin spread across her face. “A sympathizer?”
Like Skuntz, Sarah remained quiet. The woman was just another version of Elaine. Sarah knew how to play her game.
Suddenly, she laughed—an open mouth, head tossed back laugh.
Waving her hand while cackles still poured from her, the woman said, “Well, that’s fine. You don’t have to actually answer my questions. We have other ways of making you talk, including ways in which you don’t need your tongues.”
Her comrades chuckled.
Sarah bit back her own retort.
When they had finished mocking them, the woman stepped back and met Sarah’s eyes. “You and your friends will call me Captain. And you’re coming with us.”
The captain leaned forward, above where the flames still burned.
“Now, what do you think about that, sympathizer? Hm?”
Sarah shot the flames up and outward. The captain shrieked as the fire poured over her face.
Skuntz took the opportunity. “A little less on my side, Sarah.”
She thrust her arms out and pulled the flames in so they made a semi-circle around her and Klara. Skuntz was now exposed but the humans didn’t have a chance. The arrows were already leaving his hands.
“You bastard! Put out her flames. Why didn’t you tell us she was a witch?”
Chains rattled. Sarah looked to her left. The human soldiers had pulled the witch into sight. He was a scrawny thing and shivering. Something was wrapped over his mouth.
Sarah peered around. Initially on the offensive, Skuntz was now putting his agility to use and dodging the humans’ arrows. Klara was slicing down a soldier who dared to move past their ring of fire. And the captain was shriveled up on the floor.
Seeing their leader crumble must have shook the soldiers because the others hesitated. But Sarah knew that wouldn’t last long, especially if they had a witch.
The trembling witch raised his hands. Sarah moved.
Without pause, the humans holding the witch were engulfed in flames, their solid wails of agony assuring Sarah she had done well. Their remaining comrades started toward them. She called to the earth and nearby rocks shot out at their enemies.
In terms of numbers, the humans had the advantage. In terms of intelligence, Sarah was confident she was ahead.
“Skuntz!” she called.
“I’m already here!”
She glanced right. The elf was on the attack. There was barely a moment before each arrow zipped through the air.
Headshots were their best option if they wanted the human numbers down.
The clink of metal against stone drew Sarah’s attention. Klara had dropped her ax. She raised her fists, then slammed them into the ground, creating small craters. A roar erupted from her throat and two stone hands burst from below them.
Sarah suddenly remembered her first encounter with Abelard. She smiled.
The hands grabbed the nearest humans, pulling them beneath the stone. Their screams were short-lived.
Sarah prepared to start another burst of fire. She would use it to incinerate the remaining humans. Then she would rescue the witch and they would continue north.
The sensation of punctured flesh made Sarah grab her shoulder. The feathery end of an arrow tickled her fingers.
There’s no time to feel it.
She turned, ready to complete her plan, but a man was running toward her. The rocks had long stopped flying. The distraction was over; Skuntz and Klara had ended several of the humans but a handful still remained.
Sarah hadn’t been quick enough.
Shoulder first, the man tackled her. Sarah went flying, her back slamming against the stone beneath them. His remaining friends approached Klara and Skuntz.
“Pay attention, girl!”
His fist slammed into her face and Sarah’s head was jolted. She saw everything that was happening, could describe it detail for detail if asked by the sheriff. The stormy, grey sky above them. The tips of green leaves tickling the edge of her vision. The hate in the man’s eyes.
Sarah had never been hit like that before.
But she couldn’t react.
Even when he raised the knife. Even when he pushed it into her free shoulder.
“You’re coming back with me, you little witch,” he sneered, wrapping his hand around her throat. “And you’re going to work for Queen Leonna.”
He pressed his full weight against her. His stale breath permeated her nostrils.
“And you’re going to be a good little worker.” A smirk.
The man was older.
The man was bigger.
The man was stronger.
Except Sarah was not done fighting.
It laced her with pain but Sarah raised her hand and gripped the man’s face. Before he could rip her hand free, she turned her thumb and pushed it into his eyes. There was a moist, slimey pop as her thumb slipped under his eyeball. She pulled forward and his eye hung from his socket.
Of course, he screamed. Sarah needed the time.
She slashed her nails across his face, leaving long streaks. While he whined, Sarah pulled his knife from her shoulder. She slammed the sharpened metal into him repeatedly. She didn’t aim anywhere specifically. She only wanted flesh.
At some point, the man stilled. Sarah’s stabbing was the only thing making him move. She stopped, and before she could escape, the monster had slumped on top of her.
“No!” she screamed. Sarah tried pushing the corpse off her but he was too heavy.
His weight compressed against her chest, forcing her to take longer breaths. An ache zipped across her ribs from where Elaine had attacked her. But those wounds were healed. She was only imagining the pain, wasn’t she?
An apprehension wrapped around her panic and she had to blink repeatedly to remove Elaine’s face from her mind. It hovered above her, mocking.
No.
The man was someone else. He was another enemy.
The unwanted heat from his body made Sarah sweat. His chin hair brushed against the skin of her collarbone.
&n
bsp; He was touching her. Even in death, he was touching her, suppressing her beneath him just as Elaine had pinned her in the woods.
It was happening again.
Sarah beat at his body. Anywhere she could, Sarah slammed her fists and dragged her nails. He was dead but he was still there. She didn’t have to be done with him. Not yet. Not until she had ripped away enough flesh to lighten him.
A breeze rushed through, making Sarah’s eyes water. She closed them and turned away. The man’s weight was lifted.
Her chest swelled with the relief. Sarah took in a deep breath. She turned to thank Klara or Skuntz.
“Sarah.”
She stared at Jacob.
“Don’t move. I’ll help you up.” He reached for her, and then was slammed onto the ground. Sarah’s stare searched for him even as her mind clouded with a conundrum of joy and betrayal.
Something shifted above and deep green eyes stared down at her with worry.
“Sarah. Here. Grab my shoulder if you want to sit up,” Klara said.
Sarah did as instructed and found herself leaning on Klara’s side.
Skuntz had Jacob pinned. The elf had gripped Jacob’s wrist and forced his arms straight. He moved his face, so their noses were only inches apart.
Skuntz looked him over. “What do you think you’re doing exactly?”
Jacob tensed under him. “I was trying to help her.”
His voice sounded familiar but the way he spoke was not. Instead of sounding like her Montana neighbor, Jacob was speaking like a Yankee.
“Hm. Sarah, was this angel trying to help you or can I kill him?”
Sarah glanced between the two. Skuntz’s entire body was taut as he glared down at their latest intruder. The words had left his mouth through gnashed teeth, the low tone accentuating the fact that the elf meant his threat.
Her eyes roamed over Jacob. Some emotion spiraled in her chest, a feeling she couldn’t pinpoint.
She took a breath. Jacob may have been a liar. But she wasn’t.
Sarah opened her mouth to respond. Her voice cracked on the first attempt. She cleared her throat. “He was trying to help me, Skuntz.”
“Are you certain?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m sure.”
“Fine.”
Skuntz released Jacob and stepped back, so that he stood with Sarah and Klara. Without asking, he wrapped an arm around Sarah’s back and helped her to her full height. Even with both their support, Sarah felt dizzy.
She placed a hand on her forehead, breathing in through her nostrils in an attempt to steady the world. When she had found herself, Sarah uncovered her eyes and turned to speak with Skuntz.
But he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was locked on Jacob.
It had been nearly three years on Earth since she last spoke with him. It had been twelve on Lyrica and Jacob showed the age.
The dark, shaggy hair was gone, replaced with a trimmed, short cut. His short bangs fell just above the brow.
Before, Jacob had a couple feet on Sarah. Now, only a few inches. His shoulders had broadened but not by much. His jaw had carved out, making his features more discernible. Wearing brown trousers, black boots, and a white cotton top, he looked more like the romantic lead in the town play. Not at all the boy she remembered.
Aside from his hazel eyes.
“Why are you helping us, angel?” The way the words shot from Klara’s mouth made even Sarah wince.
Jacob raised his hands. He looked between each of them though Sarah noted he made the longest eye contact with Skuntz.
“I’ve been watching and—”
“Your people excel there.” Skuntz scoffed and shook his head. “Watching is all you can do, isn’t it?”
Jacob barely batted an eyelash. He started again.
“I’ve been watching Sarah since before she returned to Lyrica. I traveled with her the first time,” he said. “When I saw the human was one step away from turning her into that,” he pointed to the chained witch who sat awestruck several yards away, “I knew I had to intervene.”
Sarah pulled her attention away from the captive. Despite the pain rolling through her, Sarah lifted her chin and scowled at Jacob.
She shook her head. “I heard you before he attacked me. You were coming before he had me.”
Three sets of accusatory eyes fell on the angel.
His shoulders slumped. “I was delayed.”
“By what?” Sarah asked. “Or are you telling another lie?”
He took in a sharp breath, then met her eyes. “I’m telling the truth, Sarah. As I’m sure you know, I’ve been reaching out to you since before you arrived on Lyrica.”
“Is this true?” Skuntz glanced at her.
She nodded.
A bit of tension left Jacob’s body. He continued.
“My family was the reason I didn’t arrive sooner. I’m here now though and I want to help.”
Klara crossed her arms. She looked him up and down. “And why do you think we need your help?”
“Um. The more the merrier?”
The dwarf shook her head. She turned to Sarah. “You know him better than we do.”
Sarah’s head throbbed. Her face was swollen and her legs’ wobbling had worsened. She wasn’t in the mood to make any decision.
“We need to help the witch,” she replied before leaning away from Skuntz.
Sadly, she kept leaning. Skuntz grabbed her to stop her from falling over.
“Easy,” he whispered.
He examined the arrow in her shoulder. “It wasn’t poisoned. I’ll take care of your wounds, and then we’ll free the witch.”
“No time. Do both at once?”
He nodded.
Sarah took the lead, approaching the prisoner first. At the sight of their group approaching, the witch’s shoulders rose to his ears. His breathing deepened and his eyes grew as wide as saucers.
Sarah kneeled in front of him.
“It’s going to be fine,” she cooed. “You’re not in danger anymore. Here, let me take this off you.”
He shook his head while Sarah reached for the colored paper hanging over his mouth. Blue lightning zapped her palms. She pulled her hand back, pain racinging across her palm and her fingers twitching.
Klara examined her burned hand. “Today is not your day, Sarah.”
She sighed. “Apparently not. The paper’s enchanted.”
“Is there any way we can remove it?”
“I have an idea,” Jacob offered.
Skuntz glared at him.
“The paper may be enchanted. That doesn’t mean the paper itself is protected. If we can destroy the paper without touching it, the spell might falter.”
His logic was sound.
Sarah was also exhausted. As the heat of battle gradually dissipated, aches and pain took its place. Her eyes felt so heavy.
“If I pass out, please wake me up.” She raised her hand and narrowed her eyes until all she could see was the colored paper. She noticed it had an odd symbol on it, as well.
The tips of her fingers tingled. She slowed the sensation down until her fingers were nearly numb. Then, slowly, she released the tiny spirals of flame from her fingers until the paper was incinerated.
The ashes fell to the floor and the witch took in a gulp of air. It must have had been a long time since he had breathed freely.
Two green arms surrounded Sarah. Her shoulder screamed in protest as Skuntz snapped the arrow in half and pulled it from her. She groaned through a clamped mouth, glaring at him while he worked.
He sent her a quick smile. “It’s best to do when one’s distracted. I’ll get some medicine.”
“Th-th-thank you,” the witch stuttered.
Sarah tried to look friendly. Her shoulder was still screaming.
“You’re welcome.” She cleared her throat. “My name is Sarah.”
“Havel.” His shoulders were still bunched around his ears. The tremble remained in his voice. “My name is Havel.”
Skuntz returned with the medicine. He tore Sarah’s sleeve from the shoulder down. If she hadn’t been in so much pain, she probably would have blushed. But it was only her arm.
Yes, only her arm.
“Havel, I’m Klara. Would you like some water or food?”
“No, I…I need to return to the human kingdom.”
“Wait. Why do you want to return to the humans?”
“They have my brothers.” The deep breaths turned into short, gaspy ones. He attempted to stand only to easily fall. His gaze became scattered. “If I don’t return, they’ll kill them. I know it. Queen Leonna takes life each day.”
The human queen.
“Is that why you’re helping them?” Sarak asked.
He stopped. His wide eyes took her in. “Leverage is the only reason any true witch would help them.”
“I knew it,” Sarah said, a smile pulling at her lips. “I knew the witches would never betray Serwa.”
A few tears slipped from Havel’s eyes. “Betrayal is not necessary. They find other ways. Like my brothers. I have to go to them.”
Havel tried to stand once more. His legs crumbled under him.
“You need to rest,” Klara warned.
He shook his head. “I’ll crawl then. But I can’t abandon them. Thank you for your help.”
“Wait!” Sarah met Klara’s eyes.
The dwarf nodded. “I’ll get some of our rations. One moment, Havel.”
Sarah peered over the witch. His clothes reminded her of an old potato sack. Or maybe it was only because he was so thin.
Klara gave him a small pouch of food. He thanked them again before heading back the way the they had travelled.
Sarah stared down at her right hand. Thin black streaks from the lightning decorated her palm. There was a gentle pressure on her injured shoulder.
“We’re going to have to look at your face. And your other shoulder.”
Skuntz stared down at her.
She nodded.
“Sarah?”
“Hm?”
“You did well.”
Chapter 18
Odd wasn’t the right word. Uncomfortable?
Sarah shook her head. No, that wasn’t it either. The mixture of silent ignorance and thick tension that permeated their group, plus Jacob, was a unique one.
The Pariah Child- Sarafina's Return Page 16