“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” she purred, and as she came closer I could feel the sentinels shifting closer to me and my mother, their swords still drawn.
“Ignara, always a displeasure to see you,” Caelan said with a fake smile on his face.
“Ever so charming, Caelan. Tell me, how is celibacy going? I heard it can get quite lonely at the temple. But I am sure there is plenty of fun to be had with your boyfriends from the order, right? I heard thewildeststories about those who pretend to be so pure.” She rolled the “r” and the sound of it vibrated all through my body. I didn’t know it was possible to hate someone with such an intensity without actually knowing them, but I guessed there was a first time for everything.
“I am touched that you care so much about what I do with my private parts, but I am afraid we are going to have to leave you now. Please tell these men to stand down and let us walk away. We won’t be getting in your way.”
Caelan sounded unimpressed by her taunting and walked casually towards the field we had come from.
“Not so quickly,” Ignara called out. “I’m afraid I can’t let you leave, at least not withher.”
As if answering a silent command, the Heralds moved. A pressure slammed into the air, heavy and suffocating, pinning us in place. Magic. Cold and absolute. The sentinels tried to move, muscles straining, weapons half-raised, but their bodies betrayed them.
Steel flashed.
One by one, the Heralds stepped forward and drove their swords home with brutal efficiency. There was no fight, no chance to defend themselves. Only the sickening sound of blades finding flesh. A scream lodged in my throat as I watched them crumple to the ground, their bodies folding as if cut loose from the world.
My heart hammered so hard it drowned out everything else. Two of the sentinels and the guard lay still. The thirdsentinel twitched, a low, broken sound slipping from his lips as he struggled for breath.
Ignara walked over to him and rammed her sword into his chest without even flinching. I was paralyzed by shock and fear. I knew I should do something, help in any way or at least fucking try, but I couldn’t move or speak. I looked down at the ground, where a puddle of blood was forming around the sentinel’s body, slowly inching towards my boots. I took a few small steps back, until I felt my mother’s hand grip me hard. That brought me back to reality.
Ignara spoke again, less snarky this time. “See, you can’t stop what’s coming, and it would be so much easier if you simply started working with us.”
Caelan stared in disbelief at his fellow sentinels, apparently having completely underestimated how far Ignara would go. In a fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword and attacked the the Heralds, taking a few of them down before Ignara put an end to his advances. She pulled a sword made of fire and flame out of its sheath and held it against my throat.
“You’d be wise to put down your sword, Cae, or I will impale your little friend here in this very spot, consequences be damned.”
Caelan’s breath came ragged as he looked at me. His grip faltered, and with his eyes still on mine, he slowly lowered his sword.
“Good boy, Cae,” Ignara purred and stepped towards him. “Put these shackles on and no harm will come to any of you.”
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out. “Please let my mother go with Caelan. I will come with you, if that’s why you are here. But please let them both go.”
Ignara’s eyebrows rose up in surprise.
“I was expecting a little more fight from you, wordsmith,” she said with a sneer, but she signaled her men to seize me. Facing Caelan once more, she waved her hand and the shackles on his wrist disappeared.
“Go back to Auretheos and tell him to meet me at the holy mountain. We will talk about him joining our fight.”
Caelan laughed haughtily. “You are insane if you truly think Theo is going to help you. He has spent his entire life trying to avoid war, he won’t give that up for a stupid human girl who can’t even use her heka.”
The words stung, but he was right. Ignara overestimated my importance in all of this, but I could use that advantage to help my mother and Caelan escape.
“Don’t listen to him,” I said. “Theo knows how important I am, without me, he can’t fulfill the prophecy. I will help you, if only you let go of Cae and my mother.”
Ignara looked confused, as if she didn’t quite know what to make of this situation.
“If you think for one second that I would believe anything you two told me, then you are even dafter than you look.” She seethed, her otherwise beautiful face transforming into a grimace. “Take her and her mother now, Caelan will return with my message for Auretheos.”
I had seconds to decide what to do next.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Red for the roses, whi—
Before I could finish my chant, I saw Ignara moving towards me from the corner of my eye. It was now or never.
I imagined that water of the mountain in my veins, let it pool in my belly, let it flow into my palms and focused on the burnt tree that Ignara had stepped out of. And with allmy might, I pulled it towards us. The second I released my magic, I grabbed my mother and pulled her to the ground with me, laying on top of her to shield her.
