Page 27 of Aofie's Quest
“Climb,” a man called, scaling the ladder with surprising speed.
People jostled around me, hemming me in as they pushed me toward the ladder. A detachment of guards moved up it first, to secure the house above, I assumed. My mother and half-siblings were escorted up next, followed by more guards and then some elders. I hung back until a guard nudged me. “You are royalty,” he said. “You must go.”
I glanced back but he placed his hand on the small of my back and gently steered me toward the ladder. “Please. The gnomes are gone.”
I glanced up at his face, surprised at his calmness and steady words. He gave me a quick smile, causing lines to wrinkle around his eyes. That bit of kindness from a stranger encouraged me. Sheathing my knife, I climbed.
A deep bellow made me jump as I reached the top. I climbed out, eyes wide at the destruction that lay before me. The front half of the log hut had been ripped apart, the wood crushed and mangled. What kind of beast had the strength and power to perform such a feat, let alone break the magic that hid the house? I had an open view of the land sloping to the river, where logs and branches lay tossed and broken. My stomach turned and my mouth went dry. A warm scent filled the air, almost hazy. I blinked and stumbled over sticks and rocks, creeping my way to the opening.
Beyond the hut, a group of guards steered my mother and half-siblings toward the riverbank, just as another bellow ripped through the air. In the early morning light, a shadow moved across the ruined hut. I half expected the ground to shake as a monster lumbered into view. It rose a good five feet taller than myself, with greenish skin and arms and legs as thick as tree trunks. A loincloth covered its waist and curved fangs hung out of its slobbering mouth. But it was those eyes, bulging with fury, that gave me pause. The troll was here for the children.
“Here.” The same kind guard who’d encouraged me to ascend the ladder held out something.
I pivoted toward him, grateful for a comforting presence as chaos reigned. He held a short sword toward me, hilt first. I took it, surprised at how light and balanced it felt in my hands. Sheathing my knife, I glanced at the guard. “Thank you.”
“I’m told you know how to use it well,” he admitted.
Something inside of me softened, and I regretted that we were under attack. I might have had a friend, someone to divert my attention and make me feel less lonely. I wondered if he was assigned to escort me to the elven haven. I smiled at him and flipped the blade in preparation for attack.
“I do,” I told him. “I’m Aofie.”
He chuckled. Obviously, he knew my name. “I’m Eion.” He pressed a hand to his heart.
The way he said his name sounded likeoo-winand I liked it. I parted my lips to respond and a roar made the ground tremble. Another troll stomped into view, shoulders high and tight, eyes wild with anger. It charged, massive hands open. It swept through a group of guards like they were children, bowling them over and slamming their heads into the ground. Three men did not get up from the assault. I swallowed hard as more guards pushed past me to halt the beast.
“Stay back here,” Eion told me. “With luck, they’ll head off the attackers and I’ll guide you to the river.”
Mouth set, I nodded at him, knowing I shouldn’t be surprised that there was an escape route. My mother had the look of a queen who prepared for everything. Ducking from flying wood, I sidestepped in front of the fireplace, where I’d had my first conversation with my mother. Pushing away bitter thoughts, I focused on the trolls until the sound of marching drew my attention.
Behind the trolls marched another set of gnomes. Unlike the ones creating chaos in the tunnels below, these creatures looked like little men. Helmets covered their round faces where long beards sprouted out. In their hands they carried shiny axes, but my eyes were inexplicably drawn to their golden shoes with curved toes. One moment they were marching, the next, they raised their axes and charged, shouting out a battle cry that made me shiver from head to toe.
I knew how to protect myself because I’d done so, hundreds of times, but sparring was vastly different from battle. Within minutes the air hummed with the clash of blades. The guards moved in some semblance of order but I simply fought to stay alive. I twisted away from axes at knee height and kicked back at the gnomes, focusing on their arms. Grunts and moans echoed through what was left of the hut and the air stank of blood and bowels.
The sun rose fully as we fought and flares of purple magic shot up from my fingers. A high-pitched whistling grew louder than the sounds of battle. Something flittered through the air and I dived, knocking an ax from the hands of a gnome. I stood tall again just in time to see the grass move.
My jaw dropped as the blades of grass lifted themselves from where they’d been crumpled on the ground and stood tall, as if they had spirits. A gnome took advantage of my distraction and kicked my shin. I hissed against the pain and slammed the butt of my sword into his head. He collapsed on a woven rug but two others ran to take his place. I knocked them down with a blow and returned my attention to what was happening by the bank.
Eyeless snakes slithered out of the river and weaved along the bog, their green bodies appearing more like vines than creatures. A blue shimmer hung in the air and my heart constricted. Reish’s warning came back to me and suddenly I knew I needed to get out, get away before the terrible thing that was coming trapped me. Frantic to escape, I kicked a gnome in the groin and hissed as another bit into my leg. I kneed it in the stomach and I moved out of the broken house.
Briefly I glanced over my shoulder for Eion, but he’d disappeared into the chaos. My heart sank. Guards roared as they fought and bodies crashed to the ground, never to rise again. Screams and shrieks lit up the air as long-robed elders fled through the grass, some falling to their deaths on the river bank. Others made it into the trees on the other side of the house, only to be crushed by rage-filled trolls.
Holding my blade out to ward off attacks, I pivoted slowly, searching for a place to hide. A flash by the river drew my attention. A guard pushed a boat off from the shore and began to paddle away. My heart clenched as my four dark-haired siblings sailed down the river, away from battle. A lump settled in my throat and my sword arm came down. Mother was intent on ensuring her bloodline, heirs to the kingdom, escaped while I was left to fight. Her warrior princess.
Blood roared in my ears and I launched myself at the nearest gnome. This time, instead of swinging my sword to render them unconscious, I swung to kill. Spots of light flashed before my eyes, only clearing when the glint of silver broke through. Armor. Nostrils flaring, I whirled to examine the newcomers to the battle. Solders—like the ones I’d fought when I met Takari—moved with ease through the guards, cutting them down like they were nothing. A river of crimson stained the grass and mixed with mud. The eyeless green snakes slithered closer, their thick bodies undulating but reminding me of something vaguely familiar.
The vague blue shimmer in the air moved and my eyes flickered to it. A woman walked out of the river, water trailing off her sheer gown. Her moss green hair and nut-brown eyes gave me pause. Bile churned in my gut and I bent over, heaving nothing but spit into the grass. A gnome almost overcame me as I gasped for breath and I moved instinctively, knocking it away. My ears rang as a soldier ran with the intent to skew me on his blade. Bringing my short sword up, I blocked his blow, my arms shaking from the force of it.
Jezebel, the fallen goddess, was free from her haunt in the Vale of Monsters and had come for me. Why? Had she come for revenge? But no, I would not give in to fear or speculation. I had to escape. I gave in to battle rage as green vines slithered toward the house and the soldiers cut down my mother’s guards, one by one.
“Stop!” The command rang through the air and I froze, sword poised to drive into the closet gnome. “Put your weapons down or she dies,” Jezebel ordered.
The magic of her order rippled across my skin, making it itch and prickle. The air was heavy with the scent of something raw—her power? The power I’d inadvertently given her when she took my blood? The sight of her licking drops of blood off of the knife flashed before my eyes and fear buzzed in my ears. Before I turned around, I knew who she threatened me with. I glanced over my shoulder to be sure.
Jezebel stood in the middle of the battle, head up, sheer gown flowing, and my mother’s obsidian black hair in one fist. She tugged so hard my mother was forced on her tiptoes, face red, neck bared to the sharp end of a knife. My eyes went wide and Jezebel’s mouth curved into a leering grin. Triumph gleamed in her eyes.
Mother. The word did not even leave my lips. She hadn’t left with my siblings. Had she come back for me? To fight with me? To save me? A visceral rage rose within me. She wasmymother.Myblood. The only true family I knew. Despite her abandonment, her mistakes, and the dark choices she’d made, a fierce need to protect her hardened inside me. I recalled the way she’d hugged me when we first met, and all my anger toward her melted away. My breath caught. I need her to live. I wanted her to love me. My fingers opened and the sword dropped out of my hands.
“Please.” I raised both hands, showing Jezebel I was unarmed, even though my magic flared a more vivid shade of purple than I’d ever seen.
