Death's Angel

by Colin Lindsay

  The crowds thinned as they ran forward. The sour smell of acrid smoke began to fill the air. Kala guided them toward the bakery where she’d last seen Amber and prayed she’d find her still there. A warrior leaped into her path, and she cut him down. More and more warriors surged toward them down the streets, and Kala and Hawke battled their way through them, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

  Rounding a corner, Kala spotted the bakery. Two invaders kicked open its door and entered. Kala raced forward, taking the legs out from under a marauder who barred her path and opening up the neck of another. She flew through the shattered doorway, swords raised. The two men turned, but Kala drove through them like a wraith.

  When Hawke entered the bakery, hustling Emilie out of the street, Kala was standing over the bodies of the two men. He looked around the empty store. “She’s not here. We have to go.”

  Kala turned reluctantly, but the faint sound of crying stopped her. She spun and raced to the back of the store where the ovens were. She tore through the kitchen, shouting for Amber. Kala ripped cupboard doors off their hinges, looking everywhere. She finally found her cowering behind the ovens. She placed a hand gently on her back. “Amber, it’s me – please come out,” she told her.

  Amber looked up, frightened and unsure, but emerged, covered in dust and flour.

  “Well, don’t you look like a proper ghost?” Kala teased her.

  Recognition dawned on Amber, and she burst into tears. “You came for me,” she bawled.

  “Of course I came for you,” Kala said, pulling her into an embrace. “We’ve got to get out of here. Can you do that?”

  Amber nodded, despite her uncertainty, and Kala led her out to the storefront. Hawke was finishing running through an intruder and looked over his shoulder. “Hi, Amber,” he said, pulling his sword out of the man’s chest.

  Amber flinched at the sight of the carnage.

  “We’re done here,” Kala told Hawke, and they stepped out onto the street, shepherding Amber and Emilie behind them.

  “You lead,” Hawke suggested to Kala. “I’ll guard our rear.”

  Kala nodded and looked down the street.

  Hawke grabbed Emilie and Amber’s by their arms. “You follow her and do not look back, understood?”

  They nodded, and Kala took off like a shot, swords at the ready. She tore down the street, weaving past overturned carts and other obstacles. Any invader unlucky enough to bar her path was cut down mercilessly. Amber and Emilie were left to step over their bodies.

  An invader jumped out of a doorway at Kala, and a sweep of her sword made him fall back into it. Another man smashed through a window behind her and grabbed for Emilie. She shrieked, and Kala looked in time to see one of Hawke’s daggers sail into the man’s chest. She turned back around and charged ahead.

  Kala cut down a side street past the temple, hoping for some support from the monks defending it. She raced up to its gates, but the temple grounds were eerily silent.

  “Don’t waste your time,” Hawke shouted, catching up, blood dripping from a wound in his arm. “They’re long gone. They left in the night before the invaders showed up. Cleaned the place out. There isn’t even a single book left in the library.”

  “You’re hurt,” Emilie noticed, panic in her voice.

  “It’s nothing,” he assured her, but Kala could tell it was anything but.

  “Pardon me,” she said and roughly tore a sleeve off Emilie’s blouse. “I need to borrow this.” She grabbed Hawke’s arm and used the fabric to bandage his wound.

  “We don’t have time for this,” he protested, looking through the smoke back down the street from which they’d come.

  “Shut up,” Kala hushed him. “You’re no use to us dead.”

  He relented for the briefest of moments, then spun and buried two daggers in the chests of onrushing men. He grabbed his arm and winced. “Gods damn, that hurt.”

  Kala raced off again, the girls in tow, with Hawke covering their backs. She guided them toward the tunnels that she used to sneak into the city. Kala passed people paralyzed with fear. “Run, you idiots,” she yelled at them, but they stayed rooted to the spot, and she abandoned them to their fate.

  She kicked in the door of the building that housed the entrance to the tunnels and hurried Emilie and Amber inside.

  Hawke followed and closed the door behind them. “It’s no use using the tunnels – they have the city surrounded. We’ll never make it past them.”

  “By air, we will,” Kala replied and led them onward. She pushed the crates and barrels that hid the tunnel entrance aside, not caring if it were discovered after they’d exited it. If someone else could use it to escape, so much the better. She lit a torch to help the girls see and guided them down the tunnel. She squeezed through its twists and turns but didn’t slow down. Seeing faint light at its far end, she dropped the torch and pushed through the vines that covered the exit to emerge into the bright light of day. Smoke billowed into the sky over the walls of the city at their backs.

  The airship still rested just up the hill, but a party of eight invaders milled around it. Kala looked back at Hawke. He was pale from blood loss. “Watch the girls,” she ordered him and advanced toward the men. Hawke shook his head, but realized that he lacked the strength to fight her on the matter, and moved to stand between the invaders and Amber and Emilie.

  Kala advanced toward the men. “Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” she asked them.

  They drew their weapons.

  “Always the hard way,” she sighed.

  The first man brought his axe down on her. She sidestepped it and cut open the length of his arm. She pivoted around him, and the nearest two men swung at her with their swords. She dropped to the ground, and their blows connected with the man whose arm she’d just sliced open. They pulled their swords from his body, but not before she had stabbed one in the thigh, then rotated on her knees and ran a sword through the knee of the other one. They fell to the ground howling as she rose to her feet and advanced toward the remaining five men.

  The next two advanced with spears, and she had to contort herself to avoid being impaled. She deepened her focus, dodged and parried. One of the men finally overreached, and she swept his spear aside, pivoted close to him, and ran the two of them through with the same stroke. She turned to face the final three.

  They just raised their hands and backed away slowly.

  “Finally… the easy way,” she muttered and waved Hawke forward with the girls.

  The men had fled by the time the four of them stepped into the airship.

  Hawke looked out the door at the forces arrayed around the city. “We can’t hide in here forever,” he told her.

  “Not planning to,” she replied, pulling the amulet from around her neck and pressing the button in its center. The airship was released and began to rise. Kala pushed Hawke gently out of the way to close the door. She caught the eye of a man on horseback watching her intensely. She paused, ensnared by his gaze, then shook it off and slammed the door closed.

  When the realization sunk in that they were going to survive, Emilie finally broke down and collapsed to the floor sobbing. Hawke slid down beside her and put his good arm around her, whispering reassurances in her ear as he held her tightly.

  Amber looked down at her hands, trying and failing to will them to stop shaking. She looked up helplessly at Kala, tears filling her eyes. Kala stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug, stroking her hair. “You’re going to be okay – we’re going to be okay,” she assured her.

  Kala lifted the amulet and looked at the setting that her fingers had traced subconsciously a hundred times whenever she found herself holding it at night. She let herself breathe and slumped to the floor with Amber. “We’re going somewhere safe,” she said.

  14

  Forest

  Forest and Cera walked back to their spot in the refugee camp, followed by Dhara and her sisters. Forest spotted Lily and called t
o her as they walked up, “Cera and I made some friends.”

  Lily looked up and glanced at the sisters. “Hi,” she said tentatively.

  “Cera was getting hassled by some real lowlifes,” Forest told her.

  Lily looked Cera over, concerned.

  “It’s okay,” Cera reassured her. “Dhara and her sisters rescued me.”

  “It was epic,” Forest chimed in. “They beat up five guys!”

  “Six,” Dhara corrected.

  “I got one,” Kaia announced, somewhat disappointed.

  “I got two,” Zara added.

  “I got three,” Dhara gloated, flexing her sore hand.

  “You had a head start,” Zara complained. “Totally unfair.”

  Lily watched in awed silence as they squabbled.

  Dhara turned to Lily. “We were getting pretty restless, cooped up in this Goddess-forsaken camp. It was refreshing.”

  Lily couldn’t comprehend how beating people up, even lowlifes, was refreshing. “Thank you for looking out for Cera,” she said and sat her down, fussing over her.

  “I have an idea,” Dhara announced.

  Everyone swiveled around to hear it.

  “Girls’ night out.”

  Lily began to shake her head, but Cera looked at her beseechingly. “Could be fun,” she said, then added earnestly, “We could use some fun.”

  “Go ahead,” Forest agreed, “Enjoy yourselves.”

  “Oh, no,” Dhara declared. “Don’t think you’re not coming,” she said to Forest. Lily began to object, but Dhara waved it away. “The girl’s got heart,” she said, daring Lily to say otherwise, which of course she couldn’t.

  “Nina will be fine on her own for one night,” Kaia confirmed.

  “Who’s Nina?” Lily asked.

  “My daughter,” she replied, which confused Lily, given that Kaia looked younger than her.

  “Great – it’s settled,” Dhara concluded. “Meet back here at dusk.”

  “Can Nara come?” Forest asked. “She’ll be pissed if she finds out we left her out.”

  “Friend?” Dhara asked.

  “Cousin,” Forest replied.

  “Well, then, of course, she can come,” she said, and with that, she and her sisters turned and strode off.

  “Wow,” said Lily. “Could this day get any stranger?”

  Cera smiled and examined Lily. “We’ll need to see which of the clothes you brought are best suited to going out.”

  “Nothing’s appropriate,” Lily frowned.

  “Then we’ll have to find you something inappropriate,” Cera winked.

  “Oh gods,” Forest said, rolling her eyes. “I’m going to go tell Nara.”

  Cera waved her off jovially and began rummaging through her and Lily’s bags.

  Forest walked over to where Nara was camped. Nara spied her coming and rushed over.

  “Girls’ night out,” Forest declared.

  Nara almost exploded for joy. She turned to her father. “Can I?” she asked.

  “I guess so,” Jarom replied, “Just don’t make Thorvyn jealous.”

  “You’re brilliant, Dad,” Nara declared. “Of course, I have to make him jealous. What would I do without you?”

  “Oh, gods,” Jarom muttered. “Be normal, maybe.” He turned his attention back to getting a fire going, and Nara turned hers to selecting an outfit.

  “Which one would be more risqué?” she asked Forest, showing her two options.

  “That one,” Forest replied, pointing.

  “That one it is then. You’re the best cousin ever.”

  Forest frowned over her lack of options for an outfit. She’d never gone out before.

  “Oh, don’t worry about you,” Nara told her gleefully, noticing her consternation. “We’ll work on you next.”

  Forest reluctantly placed herself under Nara’s care, which made her cousin ecstatic. Nara had to ask several of her kin to see what she could borrow for Forest but eventually assembled an outfit.

  Nara put the finishing touches on their makeup, and they wandered back together to meet Lily and Cera a little before dusk.

  Lily did a double-take when she saw her little sister. “You look so… mature,” she said uncomfortably.

  “I know!” Nara burst in. “Isn’t she gorgeous?”

  Lily smiled wanly. Cera had done her up, and she looked radiant. Cera herself looked like an angel descended to earth, but she always looked that way, so Forest and Lily didn’t blink. Only Nara stared. “Wow,” she mouthed.

  Lily turned to Nara. “I apologize for my manners when we met. I was a bit stunned, to say the least. I still am, to be truthful.”

  Nara took it with good grace. “I understand,” she said, then added with a wink, “Cousin.” She rubbed her hands together. “When are the sisters getting here?” she asked Forest.

  “Already here,” Dhara announced, walking up.

  Lily’s mouth fell open. “That… is a lot of skin,” she stammered.

  Dhara looked herself over. She and her sisters wore short skirts and cloth strips that barely contained their breasts. She hiked up her breasts. “There’ll be boys there, won’t there?” she asked.

  “Probably,” replied Cera.

  “So, there might be sex,” she concluded.

  Lily choked.

  “What? Boys like skin.” Dhara muttered, confused.

  “I think you look great,” Cera intervened. “We make quite the spectacle, we seven,” she said, smiling.

  “That we do,” agreed Dhara. “Time’s wasting. Let’s go,” she said and strode toward the town gates.

  “We don’t have any coin,” Lily admitted.

  “No problem – we do – from our ‘business dealings’ in the camp,” she said, jingling a purse tied to her waist. She didn’t elaborate on what those business dealings were, and Lily didn’t press her.

  They arrived at the town gates, only to be stopped by a pair of guards. “You can’t come in here,” one of them told the girls.

  Dhara clenched her fists, but Kaia restrained her. “I’ve got this,” she whispered in her sister’s ear and stepped forward. Kaia stuck one of her long legs forward and made sure the two men had ample time to examine it. She placed a hand above her breast and batted her eyelashes. “We’re just looking for a drink,” she said demurely. “You’re welcome to come join us when you finish keeping the bad people out,” she added innocently.

  The man turned to his colleague. “What could it hurt?” he asked. His companion had no objections. “Fine,” he said, “but no wandering about. You stay put until we arrive.”

  “You’re so sweet,” Kaia cooed and held onto his arm. “Where do you suggest we go?”

  The man looked at his colleague. “It’s got to be somewhere out of the way, or we’ll catch hell,” he said.

  “I know just the place,” his friend replied and gave the girls directions on how to get there.

  “Thank you, boys,” Kaia said with a wink and a wave.

  Dhara marveled as they strode off. “Who knew you could be so beguiling?” she said.

  “Take notes,” Kaia replied, smiling. “You’re about as subtle as a hammer.”

  Dhara smacked her, but she smiled and put her arm around her.

  They arrived at the recommended place, and it was far seedier than Lily or Cera imagined it could be. The furniture looked tired, as did the patrons. The staff were too bored to clean the dirt off the floor.

  “I love it,” Dhara declared as she stepped inside. The rest of the girls shook their heads but followed her to a table for eight. Dhara slammed her purse on the table, calling, “Bartender – drinks!”

  He rolled his eyes but began pouring seven glasses of beer. He motioned for a serving girl to bring them to the table, and she placed a mug down in front of each of them.

  Lily pulled the mug away from Forest. “She’s only thirteen,” she whispered to Dhara.

  Dhara looked to Forest for an objection, but Forest knew her sist
er needed to feel some measure of control and threw up her hands in surrender.

  “Suit yourself,” Dhara declared, grabbed Forest’s drink, and drained it.

  Lily pulled her own mug closer. “I need a drink. It’s been quite a day.”

  “How’s that?” Kaia asked.

  “I learned that my mother wasn’t dead,” she replied.

  “I wish mine was,” Kaia replied, stone-faced.

  Lily spit out her beer, then wiped her face with a napkin embarrassedly.

  “She’s an evil bitch,” Zara agreed.

  “She sent me off to be sacrificed,” Kaia added, taking a sip of her beer.

  “She tried to have me murdered in my bed,” Dhara joined in.

  “Wow,” was all Lily could think to say as she blotted her blouse with her napkin. “My mother was wonderful,” she said wistfully, but a little guiltily after the girls’ confession.

  “I’ll say,” Nara piped in. “She used to make cookies for all the village children, and she’d sing while she brushed the horses.”

  Lily felt a phantom brush pass through her hair and tears sprang to her eyes. Cera put a hand on hers.

  “A toast…” Dhara chimed in to lighten the mood. “…To mothers – were the live ones dead and the dead ones alive.” Drinks went up around the table. Dhara looked at Forest’s empty hands. “For the Goddess’s sake. At least get the girl a small glass.”

  “I like her,” Nara confided, nudging Forest.

  They ordered another round, and this time Forest was given a small glass of her own, which she cradled happily.

  A handful of townsfolk walked into the bar and sneered at the party of girls. “Go back home, foreigners,” one of them muttered under his breath.

  Dhara flexed. “Now the party is really getting started,” she said and began to rise.

  Lily put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Dhara looked annoyed.

  Cera took this as her cue, got up, and walked over to the table of men. They watched her approach, dumbstruck. She placed her hands on the table, leaned forward, said a few words in quiet tones, then wandered back.

  “So, can I punch them now?” Dhara asked, a little tipsy.