He gulped.
“Tell them,” Jacob said, giving Emry an encouraging nod.
Emry shivered, then sighed before finally sitting tall—at least taller than he had been—and speaking.
“I don’t believe Leonna’s Tomb is what the queen calls it. When I was, uh, recruited, I heard the name mentioned several times.” He cleared his throat. “It’s where they hold the children. The mixed race ones.”
Serwa moved to her feet. “And what do they do with these children, Emry?” She towered over him.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. The soldiers call it a tomb because no one ever leaves. Not the children or the guards who watch them.”
“We’ve been trying to get them out,” Nettle added. “But there are soldiers and witches forced into serving them. Leonna knows we won’t abandon the children, but we can’t divide our forces either. I couldn’t think of any of mine who have the skill to infiltrate the building and fight off the witches. Until now.”
She looked at Serwa and Sarah.
“I can lead a charge to take back your home, Serwa. My kin act as my eyes in the places I am absent. They told me the humans have sometimes pulled guards from the tomb when in need of additiona reinforcement. If my forces descend on the kingdom, Leonna’s Tomb will be nearly defenseless,” said Nettle. She grinned. “It could work. You and Sarah will free the children, while I draw the humans out and fight on the battlefield. I’ll ensure there are no survivors.”
“Are you certain we have the numbers?” Skuntz asked with a frown. “We need a better plan. As much as I hate to admit it, the humans will not take this lying down.”
Nettle crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes up at him. “We have one. My soldiers can fly, burrow, and fight head on. The humans haven’t been able to navigate the mountains’ caves, so most of them reside in the camp they’ve set up. We’ll make our way up the mountain, draw the few inside out when the battle starts, and then attack them all. The advantage is ours!”
He gave a reluctant nod. “You have been keeping them at bay for this long. I will trust your judgment.”
“And their ships, too. I heard you sunk a few,” Klara said.
“They’re a rare sighting for a reason,” Nettle replied. “The humans are learning we are not to be toyed with.”
Serwa cracked her knuckles. “Sounds excellent to me. I also want to examine these stones the witches have made. Sarah?”
“Yes?”
“Are you going to accompany me on this mission?”
Serwa smirked and Sarah found herself doing the same.
“Wait, there’s one more thing. I knew something was bothering me.” Nettle fluttered her wings and flew to Sarah. She placed the tips of her toes on Sarah’s nose.
Sarah smiled. “This brings back memories.”
“It does,” Nettle replied with a bob of her head. “It also reminds me how silly you can be. Why haven’t you used your sword?”
“I have been using it.” Sarah gestured toward the length of metal at her side. “What do you call that?”
The fairy chuckled. “You didn’t figure it out? Didn’t I tell you my gift would protect you?”
She pointed to the small sword hanging around Sarah’s neck.
“Use a little magic and she’ll grow as big as you need her to.”
All eyes were on Sarah. The little gift she had been carrying around the last three years was making her palms sweat. It suddenly felt heavy around her neck, more like an anchor. How could she have never known?
Serwa watched Sarah. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs and tilted her chin. The witch’s golden eyes burned with a challenge.
Sarah huffed. She pulled her shoulders back, and then reached up and snatched the sword from its chain. She held the tiny weapon in her open palm. Her skin tingled as her energy shot from her core, spreading throughout her body. Grasping it, she forced most her energy into her right, moving it along to her palm.
For a moment, nothing happened. She poured more magic into the trinket.
“Careful! Don’t slice your hand.” Jacob caught the blade just as it stumbled from Sarah’s hand. She hadn’t been prepared but managed to get a hold of the hilt.
Meeting her eyes, he removed his hands from her new weapon. It felt light in Sarah’s hands and the golden handle shone without any help.
She grinned, holding the sword up and admiring the stainless blade.
“Now she’s ready.” Serwa grinned, staring directly at Sarah. “Let’s end this war.”
Chapter 26
“Don’t fidget with it.”
Sarah held in a sigh and forced her hand to the ground. When the gargoyles had flown them up the mountain, she had twisted her wrist at just the right angle. Now, two diagonal talon marks decorated the flesh.
Her cut could wait though. What they were about to do involved saving all of Lyrica and rescuing the imprisoned children—children who had been through much worse than her.
A fire brewed in her belly. She opened her eyes.
Once the gargoyles had left, Serwa and Sarah had started their way up the mountain. The human army resided primarily in the higher portions of the mountain, the land that Alex’s parent’s once called their domain. Leonna’s Tomb, on the other hand, rested farther down the mountain, among the structures of what should have been Alexander and Serwa’s new castle.
“It was supposed to be a granary,” Serwa had said.
In an effort of diplomacy, Alex and Serwa had decided to relocate their capital. The jagged mountains were not only intimidating to the unfamiliar guest, but they created a level of inaccessibility.
Though Serwa hadn’t said it and though it wasn’t her fault, Sarah was certain the witch was regretting that decision.
The guards surrounding Leonna’s Tomb all had the flaming symbol on their armor.
Sarah’s eyes roamed over the land while she and Serwa hid behind a giant rock. They were several yards north of the tomb on an incline. The rock stretched up and out, providing an ideal location for spying. And the humans would have to pass by the stone when they headed in as reinforcements. There’d be no doubting their exit.
A horn blared in the distance. The soldiers stopped and turned to one another. Soon they were scrambling around the unfinished castle, decorating themselves with any available weapons. Several barked out orders, telling them to move faster and to march. With sudden coordination, they lined up in columns of four, a single soldier leading them. Chained witches marched behind them.
Sarah dimmed her energy.
As predicted, the humans and captured witches flooded from the camps in waves. Their movements were in sync but there was a deliberate speed behind them.
Serwa grinned beside Sarah. “They’re scared. Good. How many are left?”
Sarah looked over the area, doing so twice to guarantee her count.
“Twenty,” she replied. “Fifteen outside, and the other five must be in the tomb. Forty left.”
“Hm. Nettle must have spent a considerable amount of time watching the humans. She anticipated their actions exactly.”
Sarah nodded, wondering how much of that research had been voluntary or learned in the middle of battle.
Once the dust had cleared and the soldiers were no longer visible, Sarah followed Serwa down to the unfinished structure. The surrounding land was wide and open, which was why Alex had thought it ideal for their new home. This also meant there would be no cover when Serwa and Sarah attacked.
The witch looked at her young friend. Sarah raised her bow. They nodded, then Serwa rushed out.
As the witch sprinted diagonally toward the back of the tower, Sarah had already begun releasing arrows. The targets weren’t moving, making them an easy kill compared to the stuffed enemies she fought back home. But many of the soldiers had found time to put on their armor.
Sarah’s arrow missed, landing right beside a guard.
He looked from the arrow to her. Surprise appeared on bo
th their faces. Serwa had slashed his mouth open before he could scream. She continued around the tower.
One-by-one Sarah eliminated the guards, and what she missed Serwa finished. By the time the last four realized what was happening, arrows were already flying toward them. They dropped like flies, and Sarah jogged over to join her friend at the front of the tower.
The front stretched out into an extended building. Almost like a barn attached to the tower, as Sarah imagined it.
The witch leaned back and looked over the tomb. She shook her head.
“What is it?” Sarah asked, copying her motions.
She tsked. “Something’s wrong. That was too easy. They’ve also added additional rooms to the tower but what for?”
Sarah took several steps back and cupped her eyes. It was hard to make out but farther up the tower there appeared to be a tiny hovel, which hung off the side.
“I don’t think the rooms are important. Prepartion is. We had a plan for a reason, Serwa,” Sarah replied.
The witch pivoted, so she was facing her comrade. She crossed her arms and gave the young woman a once-over. She scoffed.
“Be confident, Sarah. Not arrogant.”
Serwa moved forward and swung the front door open. A rancid smell ran from the tower. Both women, stumbling backward, gagged and covered their mouths. They slammed the door shut and took in several breaths.
It had been a combination of filth, rot, and stale air. Nothing so disgusting had ever touched Sarah’s nose. The manure spreader was roses compared to what she had just experienced.
“Henry, is that you?”
The women stilled. His voice was close.
The five left inside…
Serwa ground her teeth together. She tossed the door open and grabbed the soldier. Sunlight streamed in behind her. Her blade punctured his exposed neck. Arrows flew down at her but Sarah called to the wind and tossed them away. Small lanterns decorated the tower.The remaining soldiers stepped from the shadows, drawing their swords.
If Sarah had been a child, she would have stomped her foot. Serwa chuckled beside her, then turned with a pointed look.
“Ten soldiers, Sarah. Not five. Ten.”
“Fine, you were right,” Sarah mumbled.
“I was,” Serwa replied with a grin.
“Both of you are wrong!” barked one of the men from above. “We’ve got witches, too.”
Serwa tossed her head back and cackled. “Oh, good. More fun.”
“And now we know more about our enemy,” Sarah added.
Her friend nodded. “You see, Sarah? People like him are the result of arrogance. I don’t want you to turn out to be a fool like the little human.”
The air in the room shifted. Both Sarah and Serwa looked up just as a human guard floated down to the tower floor. He gave them a sloppy grin and Sarah had to admit he was not a little human. He’d give the county pig back home a run for his money.
While he oozed smugness, Sarah noticed he was rubbing an item in his right hand.
“Good eye,” Serwa whispered without looking at her friend.
The human had a witch stone. If he had one, Sarah felt confident the other soldiers did, as well. Then, there were the captured witches to think about. Would they fight for Serwa? Could they resist?
Serwa stepped forward. The man charged. Before he could make it across the room, the witch sent a pillar of earth speeding upward. The human soldier was slammed backward, his face crushed by the pillar. Small clinks followed his descent. Most likely his teeth.
She snatched the stone from his hand, then crushed it beneath her feet. A strong breeze shot through the tower only to quickly settle.
Air.
Sarah stepped beside her friend. Together they stared up at the remaining men.
“Next?” Sarah smirked.
Chains rattled followed by a yelp. A whistling noise pierced the air. Sarah stepped to her right while Serwa moved to the left. The dagger landed between them and eroded the earth. Smoke rose from its blade along with a steady hissing noise.
“Damn witch! I told you to send them all.”
Smoking daggers rained down on them. Before Serwa could order her, Sarah pressed herself against the closest wall. She stood on the edges of her toes, wishing she could mesh with the wall to avoid the blades. There was no way she or Serwa could dodge them all.
A dagger sliced through Sarah’s hair. Her red curls tumbled to the ground. She gulped, then sucked in a mouth full of smoke. While the daggers had been harmless so far, their fumes filled the room and Sarah’s lungs. She coughed and waved at the smoke as it blocked her vision. Soon her breathing wheezed from her and she could see nothing.
Something heavy dragged against the ground.
“Run, miss, run!”
The witch’s warning was clear. Sarah darted to the left as the human’s sword scarred the stone behind where her head had been. A shrill noise followed as he moved metal against stone.
Sarah found herself spinning around blindly. The door hadn’t been far from her but where was it? And where was Serwa?
Large, clumpy hands grabbed her shoulder and forced her around. Sarah unsheathed her sword, before connecting her blade with the enemy’s arm. He howled yet did not release her, so she continued hacking until she was free.
She crawled backwards away from her attacker, reaching out for the door. Why couldn’t she find it? Her eyes were watering. She couldn’t see but Sarah could still feel. She could sense the humans if she relaxed.
A body slammed against her and Sarah found herself flattened.
“We’ll finish this,” the body whispered. “It’s our magic they’re using against you.”
“What?”
The smoke froze around Sarah. It was as if air had stopped flowing. Then, it shifted away from her, twirling its way to the center of the tower. There, the smoke formed into a large ball and Sarah could finally see blurry images through her watery eyes.
A petite woman stood above her. Her hands hung at awkward angles from her wrists and she was bleeding from several wounds. Dark bruises were speckled across her body, specifically two rings around her skeleton-like wrists. Whatever chains had held her she had broken free from. Apparently she wasn’t the only one.
Two other thin frames lay across the room, their tortured hands raised toward the ball of smoke. Their captors lay still on the floor including the guard who had attacked Sarah.
Suddenly the three witches collapsed. The ball of smoke shot from the room like a twister. Sarah watched its departure before turning back to the scene in front of her. With the witches help, they had killed six guards. But four remained.
The humans smiled down at her.
“And then there was one.”
“Are you certain?”
The men looked up as Serwa jumped from a ledge toward them. Grabbing the wooden planks just above them, Serwa kicked two guards to the ground. She had transformed her legs into sharp blades and with them she decapitated the remaning two. Finally, she called out to Sarah.
“Those two are yours. I expect you to finish them.”
Gracefully, Serwa made her way down and began tending to the three escaped witches. The last two guards had found their footing. They stood with swords raised out toward Sarah. She snatched her own up and did the same.
She could kill them.
The men rushed her together. Their two blades met her one. Sarah resisted for a moment, then let their strength push her sword away. While their momentum pushed them forward, she stepped behind them.
Sarah felt as her blade connected with the soldier’s spine. She moved her blade along his spine, happily satisfied with his painful screams. His comrade realized what she had done and turned on her. He brought his sword down on the hilt of hers. However, before he could make contact, Sarah released her weapon. It protruded from the man’s side as he fell to the ground.
The last soldier had inteded to cut off her hands. She had other plans for them.
Grabbing his forearm, she smashed her free elbow against his chin. As expected he became disoriented. Before he could recover, she slammed her elbow against his throat, then went to move away.
The poor man still had some fight in him. He swung his sword wildly creating a nice gash along Sarah’s collarbone. The grating of bone against metal rattled her teeth but she didn’t have a moment to waste.
Sarah pulled her sword from the dead human. With it, she brought the last soldier’s wild swings to an end. She easily blocked his attack. His sword landed yards away. He stared up at her.
“Please,” he whispered.
“No.” His head landed several yards away, as well.
Sarah could feel heat dripping down her body. Only she wasn’t sure if it was sweat, blood, or both. Her breaths were labored.
“You’ve been practicing a few things, I see.”
Sarah’s heart swelled. She turned, fully facing Serwa, a grin pulling at her lips.
“Do you think I’ve improved that much?”
She smiled. “You—”
“Hello.” A child’s voice.
“Is someone there?” Another.
“Sarah, I will continue tending to the three witches down here,” Serwa said. “It was a risk setting them free but now I know where their loyalties lie. You start freeing the children. I’ll follow behind you soon.”
Ladders which led to the other levels of the tower had fallen during the battle. She forced them upright and started her ascent.
The first levels of the building were empty. Then, Sarah felt the bars. They were nearly to the very edge, leaving little room for someone to perch. No wonder more of the guards hadn’t hidden in the tower. There was no space.
Behind the bars, there was only darkness. However, Sarah could just make out figures moving. She lit a flame in her palm and peered inside. Ten children huddled together. Their arms were clasped around their knees, and they all turned away from the light.
Between them and the bars, there was less than a foot of space. Dead flies were gathered in a neat pile in the corner.
Sarah’s gaze moved over the odd collection and found the children once more. Each one was skin and bones. No plates, bowls, or cups were in their cells. Not even a stray bone or piece of fruit to show they had been fed.
The Pariah Child- Sarafina's Return Page 25