Page 34 of The Great and Terrible

A slight whistle and whoosh hit my ears a second before an arrow embedded in my captor’s throat. His eyes widened, as if he was unable to comprehend what just happened.Myeyes widened. Blood leaked from his wound, and he gasped for breath he couldn’t catch, stumbling backward before crashing to the ground, where he writhed in agony.

The crowd froze, everyone just as shocked and confused as me. Earl had found and used a bow? But, but…

Screams from others erupted. “The hut burns!” someone called. Others bellowed, “Fire!”

“The otherworlder!” I heard repeated in frantic tones.

“You, you and you, find the shooter,” a voice commanded. “Kev, you and your group help Tommy. The rest of you put out the flames!”

The crowd dispersed, most running for a well to draw water for buckets. A good handful of men closed in on the fallen, now still Tommy. I wasted no time. I bent my head to pluck the glass shard from my mouth and began cutting the rope binding my wrists as best I could.

In the sunlight, I couldn’t help but notice the colors sparkling in my shadow ring. Seven colors, to be exact, and another reminder of my mother’s ring. Almost as if…No, no. Impossible.

A humorless laugh bubbled from me. Was anything impossible anymore? I might as well finish the thought. Had I somehowabsorbedthe ring? And now, it un-absorbed, for whatever reason. A process that made no sense. I mean, how? Why?

When a big brute comprehended what I was doing, he abandoned the dying or dead Tommy to reach for me.Whoosh. An arrow embedded in his temple, and down he fell. Unlike Tommy, he didn’t writhe for a bit. He laid motionless and bleeding, staring up at the morning sky without blinking.

What was even happening right now? More desperate by the second, I sawed the rope faster. Faster still.Come on, comeon.Four men hauled Tommy off as though their feet were on fire. Another villager raced for me, reaching…

Whoosh. An arrow sliced into his shoulder, and he stumbled to the side, bellowing with pain.

Those in the area realized the truth at the same time I did: approaching me equaled certain death.

Suddenly everyone backed away as if I’d morphed into toxic waste.

“I suggest you don’t touch the girl,” a calm, familiar voice called.

Jasher! Relief, elation, and astonishment washed over me, one after the other. A whimper left my mouth on a tide. He wasn’t dead, and he’d come for me, despite his claim to the contrary.

“I need the leader’s keys,” I shouted. A metal collar wasn’t going to be my new fashion accessory, and that was that.

Other arrows rained, taking down Tommy’s helpers before they got far. They fell two by two just as my rope gave way. Oh, thank the Lord! I pulled free, the strangest, most sublime strength rushing from the newly color-filled shadow ring, filling my limbs, keeping me upright, and further dulling my aches. I didn’t understand it, but I appreciated the boost.

“I’m getting the keys, my friend, and my dog. Cover me,” I bellowed. I didn’t wait for Jasher’s response. Just ran toward the dropped Tommy.

Took some doing to free the body from the heavy weight of the fallen who’d landed on him, but I did it. I snatched the iron circlet from his belt loop and took off running for the hut. Anyone in my path received an arrow, male or female. Only the children escaped the executioner’s wrath. But then, they didn’t attempt to approach me.

Near the hut, the now familiar scent of cooking meat hit my nostrils, and an awful suspicion rose from the mire of mythoughts. No, no, on. I quickened my pace. Earl didn’t. He couldn’t.

But he did and he had.

I stopped abruptly, crying out. He’d pushed himself out of his bed, pulled himself straight into the fire, and cooked himself to death, knowing the villagers would come running to save their favorite snack meat, leaving me to gain my freedom without an audience.

Tears blurred my vision. I should have known. Should have suspected at the very least.

Furious shouts penetrated my haze of grief, and I shoved Tommy’s keys into the collar around my neck until I found the right one. The metal shackle unhinged and fell with a thud. Now wasn’t the time to mourn. To waste Earl’s precious sacrifice on my behalf. I scanned the rest of the hut. No sign of Nugget on my bed. No sign of momma rabdog or any of her pups, either.

“Nugget,” I bellowed.

A slight movement under a blanket on the floor caught my attention, and I rushed over. Yes! I gathered the scared baby boy in my arms and zoomed outside, entering total chaos. People ran in every direction, searching for family members and trying to hide from the shooter. Dead and dying bodies with arrows protruding from various locations were now piled all around.

Jasher must have shot anyone who approached my door. How many arrows did he have left? Couldn’t be many. He’d already unleashed more than someone who’d had a grand total of zero arrows yesterday should possess today.

Rather than race for freedom, I held Nugget close to my chest and sprinted for the tent that held the captives. After releasing the first person I came upon—a near impossible feat while cradling a puppy—the newly freed man claimed the keys and released the next prisoner. As the pattern repeated, Idashed for a forest thicket.Get to Jasher. Just get to Jasher.But which way should I go?

An arrow hit the ground ten paces to the right. Jasher’s way of leading me? Guess I’d find out.

Go, go, go!I switched directions, zooming along the arrow-marked route as if someone brandished a whip behind me. When leaves rustled and anotherwhooshsounded, I slowed, expecting another arrow to land nearby. Except, a big, strong body jumped from a tree branch to land within striking distance of me.

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