War Maiden

Chapter 2

2

I hesitated for a second.

They were here? The alchemists were here? To attack us? That didn’t make sense.

“Are they attacking?” I asked. “What about the border magic?”

Leander shook his head. “They aren’t attacking. They are gathered right beside the western border.”

Theron shot to his feet. “We should go. Be ready in case they try to attack.”

“The magic should hold up,” Sheila said, reminding us she had mentioned that a few moments ago. “They can’t get in.”

“Still, it’s suspicious that they are here,” Kane said. “We should check it out.”

“Agreed,” Cora said. She rose to her feet with Rye, their hands going to the hilt of the swords hanging at their hips. Ready for battle. Always.

Meanwhile, I was wearing ripped jeans, a wide shoulder blouse, and flat sandals. I wondered if I could spare a couple of minutes to change into the warrior’s uniform. I shook my head, discarding that idea. If it came down to fighting, I would do it regardless of how I was dressed.

“Leander, gather our best warriors and meet us there,” Theron said. The young warrior nodded, then rushed out of the room to follow through with the order. Then, Theron turned to us. “Let’s go.”

Theron took the lead, with Kane beside him. Artan stumbled out of his chair, visibly trying to sober up, but failing. My chest squeezed with the scene. I thought about reaching for him and helping him, but decided it was best if I didn’t do anything. Last time I tried to help him, it ended with Kane breaking up with me.

Well, Kane hadn’t said it like that, but he had asked for some time, which to my ears, sounded like he was breaking up with me.

I swallowed the sadness clogging my throat and followed our family and friends, leaving Artan behind. He would catch up with us eventually, though I hoped he didn’t. Drunk the way he was, he was certain to be the first injured if it came down to a fight.

The sun was almost gone as we trailed to the western border. Lamps lighted the streets, but their glow was faint.

As Leander had told us, the alchemist group—I counted to twenty, then stopped—stood a few yards beyond the magical line protecting the enclave, away from the lights.

Theron halted right before the border line. “What do you want?”

An alchemist stepped forward. Like all the others, he wore pitch black clothes. His skin was pale, his eyes were black, with only a little white, and his head was bald. Underneath the mask covering the lower half of his face, there were creepy, black lips.

The alchemist twirled the shadow sword in his hands. “I thought that was an obvious answer,” he said, his deep voice muffled by the mask. “We want your blood.”

The alchemists formed a long line beside him, all of them sporting their shadow swords.

I channeled my magic, calling my fire. “The magic should hold, right?” I asked my grandmother, even though she had said twice in the last few minutes that it would.

Eyes on the alchemists, she nodded. “It should.”

Footsteps sounded behind us, and Leander and Lash and another dozen warriors joined us, ready to defend our enclave if necessary.

“What are our orders?” Leander asked Theron.

“Nothing for now,” Theron answered. “We just observe.”

My mother shook her head. “This feels odd.”

“I know,” my father said.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Theron said to our group in a low voice. “They can’t attack us in here.”

“If they can’t attack us …” Artan drawled. I hadn’t even seen him beside us. I thought he had tripped on the way here and slept wherever he fell. With a smug grin, he threw his hands out and blew a strong wind toward the alchemists.

“Artan, stop!” I cried.

Theron grunted at him, and the others told him to stop too.

But Artan laughed as he intensified the wind, making the alchemists put their arms up and cover their faces. Some even wobbled on their feet, trying to stay upright.

Finally, Kane held Artan’s hands and pushed them down. The wind died out, but Artan turned a deadly glare to Kane. “You’re dead.”

Kane stepped forward, daring him. “I want to see you try.”

Theron pushed them both apart. “What the hell? This is not the time.”

After a low growl, Kane stepped back. He turned his attention back to the alchemists, but Artan kept thrashing against Theron, as if trying to get around him and get to Kane.

By Saint Sara-la-Kali, when would this end?

Thankfully, two warriors joined Theron and took over the duty of babysitting Artan, and Theron was able to stand in line with us.

As if waiting for the right moment, the alchemist who had goaded us before stepped a few steps forward. “It has been a pleasure,” he said. Then, he dropped a vial on the ground. The vial broke instantly, and thick, green smoke rose to the sky, enveloping them.

“What’s going on?” Ellie asked, her voice trembling, showing how nervous she was. Theron had been training with her, teaching her to defend herself, but she was the only human in our group and an easy target.

“I don’t know,” Sheila said. My grandmother narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look.

“Oh, please,” Artan snarled, pushing aside the two warriors watching over him. He threw his hands forward again, and his wind power washed away the green smoke.

The alchemists were gone.

“What the f**k?” Kane asked, glancing around.

Artan stumbled forward, past the border. “Let’s see.”

“Artan, no!” Theron snapped.

Like a stubborn child, or a grumpy drunk, Artan marched to the area where the alchemists had occupied. He looked around, stumbling over his feet, then shrugged. “They aren’t here.”

My mother glanced at me. “What was that, then?”

A scream ripped through the enclave. My stomach sank.

“No,” I whispered.

Our group took off toward the enclave, our desperation increasing with each step we took. More screams joined the first one, and soon we encountered tziganes fleeing through the streets.

I wanted to stop and ask what was going on, but I knew I would soon find out with my own eyes.

Before we reached the main square, we saw them.

Red alchemists and revenants swarmed through the streets.

“It was a distraction,” I muttered, feeling disappointed with myself. Those alchemists who had gotten our attention at the border were probably red alchemists disguised, trying to steer us away, while they broke through a weak point.

Theron halted at the edge of the main square. “Ellie, Marisa, Dolan, and Sheila. Help rescuing the tziganes caught in this mess. The rest of us … let’s kill them all.”

In a flash, my mother, father, grandmother, and best friend were gone, whisking tziganes cowering in the corners away. Theron and the others charged forward, taking out any red alchemists or revenants in their way.

I called my fire. It warmed my veins, heated my blood. Holding on to this rage, I joined the fray.

A revenant lunged at me. I twisted out of the way, but grabbed its arm. I sent my fire into it. Orange erupted from its grayish skin, burning it from the inside. The shriek that followed pierced in my ears.

I winced with the sudden pain.

Then, a red alchemist brandished his shadow sword at my head. Leaning back, I dodged the strike. I opened my hand and a ball of fire showed up in my palm. When the alchemist tried cutting me down again, I threw the fireball at his chest. The ball exploded against him, and the fire spread through his body, taking him inch by inch.

I watched as he writhed, falling on the ground like a crispy leaf.

Nobody messed with my people. Nobody.

“Oh, my dear Mirella.”

Her voice cut through the grunts and yells and sword clashing sounds echoing through the main square. For a moment, all the fighting ceased, and we gawked at the young woman standing on top of the fountain’s stone ledge.

Damara smiled at me, as if we were two long lost friends. Her long, brown hair billowed behind her back, like the skirt of her red dress. “It’s so good to see you.”

My temper rose and I clenched my hands into fists. “I knew this attack was on you, but I wasn’t sure you were going to show up.”

She tilted her head at me. “And miss the fun? No way.” She cackled. “Speaking of fun, I expected more magic imbued at the enclave’s perimeter. Breaking it wasn’t fun at all.”

So she had been the one to break it and help the red alchemists and revenants in. If there was a person I would have guessed could break it, it would have been Damara, but at the same time, I hadn’t expected her to come looking for us.

Not yet.

I glanced around the square. Tziganes ran past, screaming. Windows and doors had been broken down. Fire engulfed the school, filling the air with heavy smoke, and the night sky with an orange glow.

We hadn’t been ready.

Perhaps I could fix it. Perhaps this was my chance to end this once and for all.

“Fight me,” I said, taking a step toward her. “Let the others leave. Fight me.”

“Mirella, no!” Kane’s voice rang louder than any other protest echoing through the square.

Ignoring him, Damara smiled at me. “And what should I expect from it?”

“If you win, you can have me.” I took another step closer. “You can steal my powers, kill me, do whatever you want, as long as you leave the others alone.” She seemed to consider it. “But if I win, then you surrender. Your alchemists and revenants will surrender too.”

Kane appeared by my side. “Are you crazy?” He reached for my arm. “No!”

My gaze on Damara, I jerked free of him, and advanced. “What do you say?”

Damara narrowed her eyes at me. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer.”

“Why—?”

My question was cut short when Damara threw a few fire daggers at me. I stepped to the side, trying to avoid them, but I wasn’t fast enough. But Kane was. He hooked his arm on mine and pulled me several feet away. The fire daggers licked the air behind my back, a few inches from my hair.

In a heartbeat, I realized I was in Kane’s arms, his big hands around my shoulders, my hands on his chest. He looked down at me, his mouth a few inches from mine.

But that heartbeat passed and I stepped back.

I whipped toward Damara, hands raised to counter attack any more of her strikes, but she was gone.

I searched for her, but all I saw was the fighting, which had resumed, the desperate tziganes, and the fire spreading from the school to the infirmary.

My heart squeezed.

A few feet from me, a red alchemist fell to the ground. b****y sword in hand, Theron stood behind him. He lifted his eyes to mine. “It’s your call.”

I knew what he meant. The enclave was swarming with our enemies, fire was spreading, and we were overrun.

I let out a long breath. “Let’s go.”

He nodded once. “Retreat,” he called.

Our friends shifted their fights back, so they could approach us. Once we were all together, I brought up a wall of fire, blocking the revenants and red alchemists’ path.

“Time to leave the enclave,” I said, my heart heavy with guilt and sorrow.