by C. R. Pugh
His body relaxed for a second and then he struck out at me with his blade. I jumped backward, but not before his dagger sliced through the skin of my chest. It wasn’t a deep cut, but blood began to seep from the wound.
“Pierce?” My brother glared up at me through his lashes, his eyes full of hatred. I swallowed back the lump forming in my throat. “Brother?” I whispered. “Don’t do this.”
But Laela was going to play her cruel game with us. She had bent my brother’s mind against me and would force one of us to kill the other. Pierce and I had fought each other once – the day we’d fought for the position of commander, but that battle had not been to the death.
Pierce tightened the grip on his blade and his other hand curled into a fist. He crouched into a fighting stance, his eyes hardening for the coming skirmish. I kept my eyes trained on him as we circled each other in the midst of many of Ahern’s guards and citizens. I sidestepped, matching Pierce’s strides. He was a few inches shorter than me, but he made up for it with his broader shoulders and larger muscles.
The crowd began to cheer and hoot, watching my brother challenge me. Pierce stepped toward me, keeping eye contact, his fists raised to protect his face. My brother threw the first two punches. I ducked down and whirled away to dodge them. Regaining my balance, I threw a right hook and made contact with Pierce’s side. He grunted, but barely flinched. I didn’t want to hurt him. I hoped I could somehow knock his senses back into him before we did too much damage to each other.
Pierce’s blade slashed toward my face. I blocked the swing with my forearm, but he made a quick uppercut with his left into my torso. The force of the jab sent me stumbling backward. The crowd went wild.
Clenching my jaw, I widened my stance, angry that I’d allowed him to make contact at all. I was a better Warrior than this. Hawke had trained me to be better than everyone else.
Even Pierce, his own son?
We circled each other and exchanged a few more punches and kicks. Blood was oozing from his eyelid. My own nose was broken and bleeding as well. Pierce stepped toward me again, a determined look on his face. I tried to block another swing, but Pierce’s blade slashed across the skin of my upper arm. As I staggered backward this time, Pierce swept my feet out from under me with a kick.
The crowd gasped as I came down hard on my hands and knees. Pierce took advantage of my weakened position and put me in a chokehold from behind. The crowd inside of the dome cheered. I should have seen it coming. It was one of his signature moves. Pierce wasn’t as quick as I was, but if he managed to get on top of his opponent, his sheer strength would shift the fight in his favor.
From her throne, Laela cackled, thrilled with the fight and the control she had over my brother.
Pierce had me in a headlock, strangling me. I gripped his forearm, struggling to loosen his grip without hurting him. My blade was on the floor next to me. It would be so easy to use it against him, but I refused to hurt my own brother. I would die first.
“Pierce!” His hold on my throat was so tight I could barely get the words out.
But my brother wasn’t hearing me. The governor clapped and laughed with glee at my misery and the anguish Pierce would feel when he one day learned he had killed me.
“Finish him!” Laela bellowed. The crowd in the hall cheered and roared their approval.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pierce raise his dagger.
No! I won’t let you do this.
I struggled beneath him, pulling against his forearm to loosen the chokehold. My other arm buckled beneath Pierce’s weight. The air was knocked from my already-starving lungs. I reached out with my one free hand and grabbed hold of Pierce’s wrist to stop him from making the killing blow.
Pierce growled in frustration while Laela continued to heckle us from her throne.
My body was trembling and growing weaker by the second and I was beginning to see dark spots in my vision from lack of air. It was no use trying to hold him off any longer. I would never kill my own brother. If one of us had to die, then it might as well be me.
A wave of peace washed over me. Hawke’s deep voice filled my mind. “I can’t take back what I did and, honestly, wouldn’t change it even if I could. When you love a person that deeply, it changes things.”
At the time, I’d thought he was talking about our mother, but he had been talking about Pierce, his son. Hawke had given up everything, even his own life, for me and Pierce. I knew without a doubt he had no regrets in the afterlife. And I would never regret this moment either.
The love I had for my brother – I would give everything to keep him safe.
“Finish him!” Laela shrieked from the platform.
The crowd began to chant, “Kill, kill, kill …” Their minds were filled with her twisted thoughts.
Pierce jerked his wrist out of my grip, my body too weak to continue to fight him. He plunged the blade into my side beneath my ribcage. I gasped in pain, but there was barely any air in my lungs to expel.
My brother jerked the blade from my body, loosened his hold on my neck, and rose to his feet. Pressing my hand to the wound, I rolled to my back and tried to get a glimpse of Pierce. Through the dark spots obscuring my vision, I watched him turn to face the governor with the bloody knife in his hand.
“It is done,” Pierce growled in a deep, menacing voice, reminding me of the soldier Kieron had been under Wolfe’s mind-control.
I blinked a few times and tried to breathe deeply, but the blade must have pierced my lung. Blood filled my mouth as I coughed violently.
It’s alright, I thought sadly. Ravyn will save my brother. She and Tallon won’t let him or Archer remain prisoners for long.
Governor Laela suddenly filled my spotty vision. Her cruel laughter was muffled from the sound of ocean waves in my ears. “That was disappointing, boy,” she said with a chuckle. “You won’t even fight to save your own life?”
I closed my eyes. I did not want my last thought to be of this horrible woman. The vision of Ravyn’s turquoise eyes and wavy, black hair came back to me. I felt my lips turn up in a smile. She was my everything.
On the verge of passing out, someone across the room screamed my name. It sounded like Tallon, but it wasn’t possible. I was hallucinating.
Suddenly, a blast reverberated in my ears and smoke began to fill the room.
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25
Ravyn
We pushed hard and reached the outskirts of Ahern four days later, about mid-morning. The wind gusted around us as we hiked across the plains toward a sparkling lake and a small wooded area of tall, slender trees with white bark. A few yellow leaves still hung from the branches, but most of them had turned brown and fallen to the forest floor.
“Let’s stop here,” Brock suggested as we drew close to the large body of shimmering water.
Stifling a sigh of frustration, I shook off my pack and plopped down to the ground. Time was running out – I could feel it in my bones.
“I know how you feel, Ravyn,” said Brock. “He’s my commander and friend. You know I’ll do whatever it takes to get to Thorne, Pierce, and Archer, but we’re all exhausted. We’ll be no good to them if we don’t replenish our strength.”
It was futile to argue. Brock and Tallon had taken turns scolding me during our journey for not giving everyone enough time to rest, but I was growing more and more anxious by the hour. My nightmares ranged from being held captive by General Wolfe to Thorne being slaughtered by Sabers. If I’d been alone in this rescue mission, I would have already been inside Ahern and spilling blood to get to Thorne.
I gave them each a sharp look, brooking no argument. “We move on in thirty minutes.”
Brock and Tallon knelt down and started rummaging through their rucksacks for any food they had left. Kieron dropped down onto the grass and did the same. Tallon had been successful in shooting five or six rabbits before leaving the forest, so we had enough meat for a few more meals.
Camellia settled down in the grass beside me, dumping out a small pile of the acorns we had found before reaching these grasslands. “I’m sorry I’m slowing you down,” she murmured to me in her meek voice.
I tucked my wind-blown hair behind my ears. “I know you’re doing the best you can, Camellia. You’re getting stronger every day.”
She nodded and went back to eating in silence. I could sense Camellia was pondering something, but I didn’t pry. She would tell me when she was ready.
Unable to wait any longer, I rose to my feet and slung my pack over my shoulders. The rest of the small group did the same.
Camellia stood, but she left her possessions on the ground by her feet. “I think I should stay behind,” she announced to the rest of us.
I frowned as I stared at my sister. The thought had already crossed my mind, but my heart rebelled at the idea. “You can’t stay out here by yourself. It isn’t safe.”
“And I can’t go and be a liability to you all,” she argued. “I’m not a fighter like the rest of you. I would only slow you down.”
“She’s right,” Brock agreed. “But someone would need to remain behind with her.”
Camellia shook her head. “To leave just three of you to get Thorne and the others out of there? I’ll be fine on my own.”
“I’m not staying here,” Tallon snapped. “Thorne is my brother and Pierce might as well be too.”
“I’d rather not stay either,” Brock said, though his words were less vehement. Brock would stay if I insisted, but I could see he wanted to help his Warrior companions.
Kieron stepped toward me. “I’ll stay. You three go take care of things.”
My lips pinched together. Can I trust him with Camellia? The second the thought went through my mind I mentally scolded myself. It had been over a week since Kieron had come back into his right mind and he’d showed no signs of returning to his brainwashed state.
Kieron rolled his eyes at my hesitation. “You know it’s the best plan, Ravyn. I don’t know my way around Ahern any better than the three of you, and none of you want to stay behind. That leaves me.”
“But only three of you will go against the whole town if there’s a fight!” Camellia shouted.
“There are four of us.”
I whirled around at the sound of Kaelem’s voice. He marched toward us from the north with his crossbow on his back, chewing on a pine needle.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded. A few twigs were tangled in his long, brown hair, and his clothes were ripped in places. “You look terrible.”
Kaelem smirked. “Have you seen yourself? You all look like you’ve been rolling on the ground.”
I narrowed my eyes, still skeptical of his motives. “Why are you here?” I asked again, a bite to my words this time.
“I’m back to help,” he explained. “You were right before … about getting justice for Laelynn and my mother. I can’t let Nash and my aunt continue to control people.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. “I need to make things right. Plus, you don’t know the city like I do. Aunt Laela doesn’t trust strangers. I can get you in unseen.”
I turned to Brock and Tallon. “What do you think?”
Brock shrugged. “It might be our best chance.”
“Fine,” Tallon grudgingly agreed. She pointed an accusing finger at Kaelem. “But if you decide to go rogue on us, I will shoot you.”
I turned to Camellia and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m still not sure about leaving you here.”
Camellia pulled me into a warm embrace and, for once, I didn’t flinch. “I’ll be fine, Ravyn. Kieron and I will be fine.”
“I’m scared something might happen to you,” I whispered into her ear.
My sister tightened her hold and said, “Focus on getting Thorne out of there in one piece.” She stepped back out of my arms and smiled.
“If someone comes, you hide in the woods. Don’t try to fight them. Run and hide.”
Camellia nodded. “I will.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Kieron promised. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers down the side of my face.
A lump formed in my throat at his intimate gesture and the warmth in his dark eyes. It was as if the last year had never happened. He had never been the brutal soldier, Two, and I had never been tortured by him and General Wolfe. Kieron was trying to win me back, but my heart didn’t race and my skin didn’t go up in flames as it did with Thorne. I didn’t want to hurt Kieron, but I had made my choice weeks ago. There was too much hurt between us; too many things I was still unable to forgive.
I stepped back and his hand fell from my face. The wounded look in his eyes was difficult to ignore. “Thank you.” I gave Camellia one last glance. “Be careful … both of you.”
“Let’s go then,” Tallon said, turning toward the white-tree forest.
“Hold up,” Kaelem called out. “Leave your rifles. They don’t use rifles in Ahern. You’ll draw attention to yourselves.”
I gritted my teeth at having to leave some of our weapons behind, but swallowed back my arguments as I handed my rifle to Kieron. At least he’d have more ammunition in case he and Camellia needed it.
“What about the pistols?” Brock asked.
“Hide them under your shirt,” I said before Kaelem could suggest tossing them aside as well. I wasn’t going in there without any firearms whatsoever. “Leave your packs too. We won’t need them.”
“Take my crossbow,” Camellia said, handing me the weapon she’d been carrying for over a week.
I shouldered the crossbow and gave Camellia another one-armed hug. “Be safe.”
***
Half an hour later, we reached the outskirts of the village.
“The city is so quiet,” Kaelem whispered as we ducked down between two houses on the outer rim.
With the crossbow tucked into my shoulder pocket, I crept to the front of the house to peek around the corner. The wide dirt road ran north and south and should have been filled with villagers. Instead, it was abandoned. “Where is everyone?”
Kaelem joined me and looked around. “They must be having a gathering at the dome. That’s not a good sign.”
“Why?” Tallon asked, hovering behind us.
“There’s only two reasons why they’d drop all work and have a gathering,” Kaelem stated. “One is the Spring Festival.”
“And the other?” I asked.
“Someone is on trial for a crime.”
Tallon muttered a curse under her breath, and I had a feeling I was thinking the same thing. It had to be Thorne, Pierce, and Archer. It was too much of a coincidence for it to be anyone else. If Nash had put all this in motion, I would make him pay.
“The road is clear,” I told him, glancing north and south once more. “Let’s keep going.”
Kaelem led the way south down the dusty road, keeping his head on a swivel. I stayed right on his heels, Tallon and Brock following behind us, watching our backs. The dome Kaelem had been speaking of was in front of us. A horde of people was gathered outside.
Veering off the road, Kaelem pulled us behind another house to hide and assess our situation.
“We’ll never get through that crowd,” Tallon said, wiping the sweat from her face with the back of her sleeve. “There has to be over two hundred people up there.”
Brock nodded. “If they realize we’re foreigners, they might overtake us.”
“Is there a way around those people?” I asked Kaelem.
“There is,” he replied with a nod.
Without a word of explanation, Kaelem started walking west instead of heading toward the dome. We zigzagged through the homes surrounding the dome, doing our best to avoid being seen by the throng of people.
I had never seen a community quite like this before. In Terran, everyone’s homes were the same size. Here, the homes increased in size as we drew closer to the dome. The homes on the outer rim of the village were no more than one
-room hovels for the poorest families. The homes in our immediate area were quite large with several rooms, and the materials used to build them looked far more expensive and durable.
As we moved further west, we began to see more shops and cafés. All of them were empty, which worked in our favor.
We reached another wide dirt road, identical to the one we had been travelling down ten minutes ago. The dome and crowd were to our left, east of us. Off to the right, on either side of the road, were multiple shops. I noticed a hut for the local blacksmith. Another shop was set up to sell and repair shoes. There were shops for just about any service or product a person would need. Terran’s market was the same.
“This way,” Kaelem murmured.
To my surprise, he turned to the left and headed toward the dome.
“They’ll see us,” I hissed.
Kaelem glanced over his shoulder. “Take it slow. Keep your weapons on your shoulder. Act natural.”
“This is insane,” Tallon complained, but she stowed her bow and arrows in her quiver as she was told.
My stomach clenched as we drew closer. A shout from the mob had me skidding to a halt. I was sure someone had raised an alarm, but none of the citizens noticed us. They cheered for whatever was going on inside the dome, even though most of them couldn’t see inside the building. I wiped my sweaty palms on my trousers and continued strolling along behind Kaelem.
“How do they even know what they’re celebrating?” I asked.
“Gossip from inside,” Kaelem replied.
Kaelem lengthened his stride and veered to the right, skirting around the masses. My heart raced as we weaved through a few citizens on the very outer edge of the crowd. Kaelem, and even Brock, blended right in with these people. Most of the citizens of Ahern had brown hair and tan skin like the two men did. Tallon and I both stuck out with our pale skin.
I risked a peek over my shoulder to make sure Tallon and Brock were still behind me. Tallon was right on my heels, Brock bringing up the rear. Tamping down my anxiety, I kept my head down and my eyes fixed on Kaelem’s feet. No one stopped us or even seemed bothered by our movements. They were enthralled with the goings on within the dome.
