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63. Help! Reflect Upon This!

  Women, children, and the elderly packed the dilapidated stables being used as a prison. The infirm, elderly and women in late pregnancy were allowed to sit outside among the trees, though under threat of execution if they wandered off. Twenty-three warriors watched over five hundred villagers. They frantically ran back and forth among the stalls while shouting orders. Awlena cried as a teenage boy who tried to run was cut down.

  Shikori held Vestor tightly against her chest as a guard pushed them toward the crowded stable. The guard twisted Shikori’s arm and shoved her into Awlena to further pack the improvised cell. Vestor dove from his mother’s arm. His hat flew to be caught by Awlena. A guard snatched him by the nape before he could get away. Vestor wriggled and swatted madly. Seeing Vestor’s ears, the guard recanted throwing the child back in with his mother, and shut the door instead. Shikori pressed her face against the square viewing hole and banged with her fists.

  “Leave him alone, he’s just a boy! Don’t touch him!”

  “A little Fox-demon spy, heh? Are you scared.”

  A dagger pressed against Vestor’s neck. The boy nodded. Shikori screamed and banged on the door. Dew landed quietly beside him. The handle of his sword cracked against the guard’s skull. Vester freed himself as the guard went out.

  “An honorable warrior never harms the innocent or kills the defenseless.”

  Awlena caught Shikori as she fainted. Vestor checked the guard’s pulse.

  “Hey, Mister. You didn’t kill him.”

  “As I said,” Dew spoke softly, as the others guards were too busy with the overflow of prisoners. “I don’t believe in killing the defenseless. They’ll think you a spy and that makes this place dangerous for you. You’ll be safer with me for now, and I’m sure your mother and my sister will understand.”

  Dew took the child in his left arm and leapt back onto the roof of the building. There was a clear path to Lord Nostrum’s house, so he thought to check there next.

  “Why did you try to escape?” Dew asked.

  “I smelled a friend in trouble,” he squirmed to break free of Dew’s arm. “You need to let me go so I can help her.”

  “Who?”

  “What’s it to you? her name’s Nadia, now let me go.”

  “Where’s her scent coming from?” Dew lifted the boy to his face with both hands. “I need to save her as well, please tell me. Is she at the estate?”

  No sooner than Vestor pointed toward Lord Nostrum’s estate, he was tucked under Dew’s left arm again and they were off.

  Delia’s left shoulder drooped; her arm locked against her side. The stiff, swollen, arm snapped back into joint after she lifted it sideways with her teeth grinding. She approached the building quietly. Once she reached the house, she gathered pieces of wood from the wall Lobar smashed through. Then she crept slowly toward the back where she might enter from the kitchen unseen. Nadia needed to stall them a moment longer.

  “Lobar! What are you waiting for, break her ne...”

  “Stop!” Nadia yelled, still dangling from her hair. “If you kill me, you’ll never be able to harness any of the pendant’s powers. It’ll be a piece of junk, but I can teach you how to use it. You’ll have power you never dreamed of. It’ll allow you to do anything you want. I swear!”

  "I'm not convinced one bit. What can you possibly teach me?”

  “I could teach you rejuvenation techniques that would make you almost invincible in battle. Whenever your body is harmed, it’ll heal immediately. Lost limbs will grow back. You could amplify your amazing powers. Your powers are really incredible by the way. Increase Lobar’s strength tenfold. Shield yourself from magic and spells. But I must teach you. I have to lend you the power.”

  “Lobar, break the chain but leave her alive.”

  “Wait!” Nadia shouted, Lobar stopped.

  “What now!” Groli snapped, exasperated. “I don’t suppose you’ll try to tell me that the pendant must remain around your neck to work. I’m not a total fool, and if that’s the case you would be useless to us anyhow.”

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  “No, I’m not trying to tell you anything like that. It’s just that the chain is part of the pendant. If you break it, all its power will be released at once. Even if we survive the explosion, it’ll be drained forever. There’s a device in the back that unhooks it without breaking the chain. You need to do it that way.”

  “You can remove it of your own accord, right?”

  Nadia shook her head, “Mmm, hmm,” she whispered.

  “Fine. Remove it now.”

  “It’s kinda hard. Seeing as I’m hanging by the hair and it really hurts.”

  “Lobar. Let her feet touch the floor, but if she tries anything funny, lift her right back up again. Girl, from now on you’re our slave. You’ll teach us how to use the pendant, and if I’m satisfied with the powers, it gives me, I might be gracious and let you go free someday when you’re a useless old hag.”

  “Yes, Sir,” she fumbled with the device at the back of her neck, slowly.

  “Good. It seems you got the message. How long are you going to play with that thing? Why don’t you move the device to the front of your neck so you can see it better?”

  Lobar screamed, losing his grip on Nadia’s hair. Nadia covered her ears and fell backwards into the troll’s belly as Groli scolded the half-troll. Then he saw black liquid dripping from a knife wound on the back of Lobar’s upper arm. Nadia recoiled as Groli fired a clay-maker; it was only an inch from the tip of her nose when a piece of wood intercepted it. A lump of hot clay landed on the folds of Nadia’s kimono. It evaporated off the garment. Nadia wiped sweat from her forehead, dove, and crawled back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Delia dodged Lobar’s crazed fists as pieces of wood intercepted the imp-man’s clay-makers. After ducking Lobar’s punch, she threw a chair at Groli face. He blasted it.

  A lump of hot clay fell into his eyes. Delia jumped behind Groli and kicked him toward the half-troll. When the imp-man fired to clear the clay, the beam burst through the clay mask and hit Lobar in the stomach. A mass of burning clay melted from a bloody hole in the troll’s midsection. Broken innards exuded from the edges of a wound semi-sealed by the clay. Lobar fell backwards with a piercing scream that lasted for an entire minute. It was so powerful that no one inside Nostrum’s home could move against the shaking. Groli fired wildly into the air to get the clay off his eyes. Upon seeing Lobar’s condition, he turned on Delia in a rage.

  “You’ll pay for this! You’ll paaaaaaaay! You’ll pay! You’ll pay! You’ll paaaaaaay!”

  He shot clay-makers recklessly, each one came faster than the last. Delia could barely keep up. Jumping behind Lobar’s body provided cover; Groli wouldn’t risk desecrating it any further. As Groli jumped to get a clear shot, Delia dove to the other side of Lobar’s body and pulled the kitchen knife from Lobar’s arm. Its blade dripped with black goo. She franticly wiped it on her uniform until she could see her reflection, paying no heed to the cuts on her waist.

  “Stay away from him!” the half imp jumped high to get a clear shot, “or I’ll see you rot!”

  “No,” Delia rose from her cover, “You’ll see yourself.”

  The next beam bounced off the blade of the reflective kitchen knife, right back to the one who produced it. The knife melted. The imp-man screamed wildly as part of his body melted into a hunk of black tar.

  “I’m sorry- Lobaaar!”

  Nadia leaned against the wall as she limped to the living room.

  “Never underestimate a good utensil,” Nadia sighed as she slid to her knees. “I’m bushed.”

  “Where’s Mardela?” Delia asked.

  “She was too weak to go see her husband. So I used the pendant and gave her some of my strength.”

  “What’s wrong with you?! You’re already weak as it is from everything you’ve done. Do you want to die?”

  “Not at all,” Nadia said, resting her head against the door sill.

  Vestor popped through the big hole in the wall, ignored the troll, and scurried directly to Nadia.

  “Nadia!” Vestor jumped into her chest and hugged fiercely about the neck, “You’re okay!”

  “I didn’t know you were such a fan,” Nadia giggled, hugging him back. “Where’s your mother?”

  “They took her prisoner,” Vestor said.

  “Don’t worry,” Dew removed his sandals before he entered Nostrum’s home through the remains of the doorway. “I’m sure she won’t be harmed. The prisoners are looking after one another.”

  “You’ve arrived at a great time,” Delia said.

  Dew knelt by Delia’s side and kissed her hand. Her face turned a brilliant shade of red.

  “I owe you greatly for saving the woman I love. I could never gather enough wealth to repay you.”

  Lobar stirred from his rest, pushing himself to stand with an agonizing cry as blood-soaked clay oozed from his waist. Delia assumed a fighting stance, but Dew held his arm out to forbid her. The same black goo that escaped Lobar’s wounds dripped from his eyes as he drug himself to Groli’s body. Lobar cradled it.

  “Groli, friend,” he cried.

  A wailing roar echoed throughout the village. Lobar shuffled through the gaping hole in the building. Everyone watched silently until he was in the yard. Nadia cried.

  “He’s going to the marshes to die,” Dew said.

  Vestor jumped from Nadia as Delia picked her up.

  “Stop crying. Now’s not the time for sympathy. They tried to kill us, remember?”

  "Delia, one does not simply tell a lady to stop crying."

  Delia placed Nadia in Dew’s arms, “Mardela’s on her way to the shore. I’ll go protect her and help Nefri if needed. You take care of this one.”

  Nadia dried her eyes as Delia darted off. Dew slipped into his sandals and left through the front door. Vestor did his best to keep up.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Back to the inn, which is the safest place in the village. If the worst comes, we can escape the village entirely. Besides, you’re behaving strangely.”

  “I’m under a spell,” Nadia rested her head on his shoulder. “Bradox took away my will. Any man could make me their slave for life just by commanding it today. I even have to tell you this. You could even force me to marry you. There’s nothing I could do about it, unless you wait until tomorrow. Please wait till tomorrow.”

  “I command you to be yourself, don’t let a spell force you to submit to anyone’s word.”

  “Thank you, Dew.” Nadia sighed before she fell sound asleep.

  “Don’t worry, Nadia,” Vestor yelled from behind, his ears twitching, “If anyone hurts you, he’ll have to deal with me.”

  “There you go,” Dew laughed. “You have a new protector and I have more competition.”

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