Siege of Night (5 page)

As she pressed her relentless assault with fury and speed like no other, the men figured it was time to change tactics. If the position remained, they had the speed and skill to negate her furious assault, but they needed to spread out in order to “test” her properly.

Timith dove left while Hasur dove right, quickly rising to their feet from the side- rolls, flanking her from each side. The idea was to attack from each side simultaneously, but she had seen this maneuver literally hundreds of times and was more than ready for it.

She turned hard on Timith and unleashed an offensive flurry. Three hard slashes out of a lightning-quick seven found home across his chest and shoulder, staggering the stout man while driving him back a few steps. She whirled like a tornado to intercept the downward slash coming from behind, one she felt more than saw.

Deflecting Hasur’s sword high into the air, she kicked backward like a mule, sending Timith completely out of the picture with a well-placed shot to his chest. With the one real chance he had now gone, she covered the poor man with lightning-fast pitter-patter shots that looked to have far more force than they actually did. With Timith out of the fight for even a couple of seconds, the rest was academic. She surely had no intent of hurting her friend as she pounded away at him.

“I yield! I yield!” he cried out as he threw his wooden sword into the sand. He fell to the ground and covered his head in playful submission. All the men laughed as Athel continued to poke his ribs, tickling him every time he shifted position. Even though all were laughing, there was no shame in losing to Athel, for she had done this to many of them.

Kisses being blown her direction and mock bows followed the quick sparring session as she made her way out of the arena. She turned one last time before exiting, blowing a series of playful kisses into the air, all of which were returned, followed by whistling and marriage proposals.

The mighty daughter of Corzon Thenalra was well respected and admired by all the soldiers of Dronin, perhaps even more respected than Lord Thenalra himself.

Chapter 3

The doorknob turned ever so slowly until a light clicking from the latch promised escape was within reach. The wooden door creaked open just a crack at first. A single eye peeked through the slight opening, searching back and forth while making absolutely sure the coast was clear. When enough confidence had finally filled the little girl, she sprang from the old stone cottage.

She giggled as she skipped down the road paved with gray stone, looking around now and again just to be sure no one had seen her. Gazing up at the wooden shop signs hung on small, thin chains, she could see a handful of flags made of black squared cloth, each with an orange sunset rippling at its center, attached to a few of the larger buildings, rolling methodically in the lazy summer breeze. The girl had never felt so free as the warm stone under her bare feet urged her to gallop faster so as not to get burned.

When she reached the end of the road, the little girl peeked down the alley separating the local bakery and butcher’s shop. Giggling with nearly uncontrollable joy, she quickly made her way through the alley while eyeing the grassy field that lay off in the distance. The angry
meow
from the orange stray cat startled her momentarily, and she froze in place before the feline retreated back into the safety of its wooden crate. Her bravery and sense of adventure came flooding back in an instant once the mean cat was out of sight.

On she skipped into the seemingly endless field. The light summer breeze blew just enough to rustle her hair slightly. The warm sun felt good on her face as she marched through tall grass that tickled her feet and toes with every step. But when the sounds of other children could be heard off in the distance, her joyful skipping became cautious feet-dragging as a slight shyness began to seep into her. She began to nervously tug at her light blue dress as the laughter off in the distance got closer and closer. Then the source of it all came into view. The little girl ducked behind an old fallen tree just to watch for a while as she tried to build up her courage.

She could see them all playing down by the river as they splashed one another, laughing and lightheartedly taunting each other. There was also a thick rope tied to an overhanging branch, displaying a series of fat knots. The children all took turns swinging back and forth over the river only to cast themselves into the clear, slow-moving water.

The little girl shrank back down behind the log and sat forward with her legs crossed. She gazed around a bit, enjoying the peace of the outdoors while she continued to gather her courage. The trees along the riverfront rattled their leaves every time the sweet-smelling, pollen-filled breeze picked up slightly. Baby birds chirped away, voicing their displeasure that mother had not yet arrived with a wiggling treat.

Her eyes fell on a slow-moving caterpillar inching along the side of the rotting log. She reached out and gently picked it up with two fingers before placing it in her palm, allowing it to inch up to her finger. When the worm reached her fingernail it bucked its head up and down like a horse, not knowing where else to go. Her huge smile split her face as she raised it up in front of her nose. Her light, crystal-blue eyes gazed upon the little green miracle—one of nature’s many, but one of the few she ever got to see up close.

Suddenly, she shrieked as a thick, strong hand engulfed hers, crushing the tiny caterpillar, turning it to mush. “I’ve had it with this, you little brat!” yelled the large, stout man through his thick, brown, ruffled beard. His large, dark eyes gleamed with anger as he dragged the girl through the grass, not even bothering to switch hands as the wet caterpillar remained pinned. “This will be the last time, I promise you!”

“Grimton, please, you’re hurting me!” she shrieked while hopelessly pulling back against the large man. It was a strange thing, really. There was no doubt she would be punished harshly for sneaking out. She had become all-too-used to the frequency of her punishments. Of all the things for a child to get used to...

But that was not the burning source of her current pain. What truly broke her heart in this fleeting moment was watching the other children disappear out of sight. The sounds of their laughter and games faded into silence as she was dragged like an old sack across the field, viewing nothing but her bare feet sliding over the tall grass. She wanted to know their names; wanted to play with them, even though she couldn’t summon the courage when she had the chance.

When they got to the street he jerked her arm hard to make her stand upright, then told her to shut up and let him do the talking if anyone stopped to ask questions. Grimton and Tamera were able to walk the streets freely, but the little girl had remained a secret for some time now. By taking a few back routes, they were able to enter the stone cottage without anyone seeing them.

“Where did you find her?” came the surprisingly low voice from the kitchen. A tall, lanky woman with her blonde hair tied back in a white ribbon came storming into the room. Tamera’s lips were curled into a permanent sour pucker, as if she always held a lemon wedge in her mouth. The second she was in range, a fierce backhand sent the little girl sprawling across the floor.

“
This
is what they’ve given us to work with?” she growled while pointing down to the girl, who was only now starting to look back up from her landing spot. A thin line of red seeped from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained completely dry and her face emotionless.

“How could the queen do this to us?” complained Grimton as he threw his hands in the air. “I’ve trained the finest warriors in all the land. My former students have been hired to assassinate kings. Kings! She hires us for this so-called mission, tells us this
task
is more important than any other assignment to date, and gives us this spoiled
child
to turn into a professional killer?”

“All she wants to do is sneak off and play!” complained Tamera as she grabbed the little girl by her long, black hair, using it to hoist her to her feet. Suddenly, the girl turned and bit down hard on the back of Tamera’s hand, instantly drawing blood into her own mouth as she shook her head back and forth violently. A hard knee caught the girl in the stomach, driving all the air from her lungs as she collapsed.

Grimton grabbed the girl by her hair and dragged her across the sanded floor. He opened a thick wooden door and pulled her down the stairs in a series of harsh tugs. “They make me waste my time on
this
?! You’re about to learn the lesson of a lifetime!” he yelled as she thumped along all the way to the bottom step. It was clear this lower room was some kind of custom add-on, given the sheer size and depth of it. Homemade heavy bags filled with rags and sand hung from thick wooden beams that crossed the ceiling. Various metal weapons racks were lined along the walls, filled with everything from swords to spears.

He began to tie a thin white rope around one her wrists as Tamera did the same with the other. When they each pulled an end, the girl’s arms levitated up, spreading out like wings. She never tried to resist, not even once. Her face remained hard as stone; eyes glistening with unshed tears she refused to release even as her light blue dress was torn from her back.

She could hear them behind her as the familiar sounds of leather being snapped in the air echoed through the room. She could feel the man’s hot breath pulsing angrily against the back of her neck. Grimton growled, “This is what you get for wasting my time!”

CRACK!

* * *

Jade jolted awake and sat up quickly, gasping for air. Eric sat up next to her and placed a strong hand gently on her shoulder. “Sweetie, what is it? Is everything OK?” he whispered in a soft voice deep with concern.

She reached over quickly, pinning his hand to her shoulder as if she were afraid he might remove it. Snuggling her head hard against his huge chest, she replied, “It’s nothing, I just had another nightmare. Nothing to concern yourself with.”

Nightmares had haunted Jade most of her life. Although there were fewer these days than at any point before, it still seemed as though they would always be there in some form or another. She unconsciously moved her other hand toward the deep, aged scars on her back before realizing what she was doing, then cautiously pulling her hand back to her knee.

“I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do,” he said as he pulled her in close. He kissed her and gave her one last hug before rising from the bed. “It’s time to get up, anyway. We need to have our meeting with Shantis. I have to figure out what our next step is going to be. Do you need a minute?”

Jade rubbed her eye with the back of her hand, purging a tear before it escaped. “Yes. Just give me a moment. I’ll be there soon, OK?” She forced a smile as her head tipped all the way to her shoulder. Her long, dark hair formed a veil around her face, covering a single eye. She made no effort to brush it aside.

“OK. I’ll let them know you’re coming.” He held her gaze a moment longer while forcing a smile of his own. It wasn’t easy. Sure, he was madly in love with her and could gaze into her eyes all day without any thoughts of food or sleep, but that had little to do with his inner conflicts. Her brave face had never fooled him for even a moment. He knew the girl he loved had demons; nightmares both real and figurative that tormented her regularly. Eric couldn’t think of a single thing he wouldn’t give up to make her pain vanish, but for this he was powerless. All he could do was love her with all his heart and hope it would be enough. He turned away from the white, polished, bone bed frame and dragged himself out through the bamboo-crafted door.

When he stepped out onto the dirt pathway, hot, humid air smacked him right in the face like steam from a cooking pot. The Dead Forest seemed to always be warm and sticky no matter if it was day or night, a hard thing for Eric to understand or even explain, but certainly the least of his worries, as he had other burdens weighing heavy on his mind.

He began his march toward Shantis’ mini temple. Dark thoughts of the epic battle that had taken place only a few days ago began to swirl in his mind. Each time he mentally relived the events, unrelenting regret nearly filled him to the point of breaking.

What could he have done differently? Should he have recognized the threat sooner, when that gate first appeared? Could they ever forgive him? Did he even deserve forgiveness for leading this threat right to the crytons’ doorstep?

However, the staggeringly small number of cryton casualties would indicate this had been a lopsided victory. Their combat prowess and natural strength were well- documented and had never been in question, but it also turned out they were at least semi-immune to the poisonous tails gifted to those black, leathery creatures. That is not to say they didn’t get violently ill, as Eric could still remember several kneeling on the ground, vomiting hard and unable to return to the battle.

When the nightmare had ended and Eric had somehow closed that gate, only seven crytons had lost their lives. Seven! At first he had found that to be nothing short of a miracle, given the sheer numbers those winged creatures possessed that dark day. But in the end, whether the number of casualties had been one or one thousand, the death and violence was still his doing.

The guilt still ravaged his insides as he recalled being momentarily pleased with the amazing survival rate of the crytons when it was over. That was, until...