Chapter 19 Audryn
AUDRYN
Sky was off her stool and at the open door before I had a chance to ask a single question.
Confused, I trailed behind, exited the tavern, and traced her gaze to the sky.
Dozens of red capes breezed behind golden-haired witches; they rode not on wyverns, but on black wooden staffs.
Against the sun, the glass globes on the front of each rod swirled with red smoke inside.
“Go home, Audryn.” Sky held her hand back and unsheathed her sword with the other. “Lock yourself in Col’s room and don’t come out, no matter what.”
I reached for the daggers at my thighs and quickly remembered I’d started leaving them behind.
Wyverns launched from the nearby mountain line, and I instinctively scanned for my emerald-eyed beast, but didn’t find her.
They were too late to prevent the attack as the swarm of witches descended on the capital.
Screaming fae bolted through the street in all directions.
Two were swept up and into the arms of flying women.
My stomach dropped seeing them dangling from their feet high above.
Their captors maniacally laughed as they whipped through the air.
Time slowed as one of the victims was released and plummeted to his death.
The body hit the ground with a thick thud, blood misted buildings and bystanders.
A scream tore through the air as the second victim was released.
An elderly man trying to escape the war zone was struck as the second victim landed on top of him.
His unmoving body lay crushed below the wad of bones and mangled flesh.
I froze, too terrified to help and unsure which way to head. It wasn’t until the soft weeping from a tiny voice pulled me from my daze.
I kneeled and met the reddened eyes of Dolcie’s daughter. “Hi, I’m Audryn. Col’s friend, remember?” My lip wobbled as I tried to offer a reassuring smile. “What’s your name?”
“Edithiya, but everyone calls me Edith.” The girl, no more than six years old, wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Where’s your mother?”
With a shaky finger, she pointed to the mountains. “She works up there.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Okay, how about we wait for her at Col’s?”
Metal clattered, drawing my attention to Sky, who was fighting a much larger woman in the street.
Her opponent wore black leather pants, tall boots, and a long-sleeved, tight-fitting shirt.
Steep cutouts on the sides of the shirt angled into an upside down V, accentuating the curve of the witch’s ribs.
It was the uniform of an enchanting warrior, and her beauty was hypnotizing.
The witch swung her staff narrowly missing my friend.
I flinched. A moment later, Sky dug her sword through the woman’s abdomen with ease.
Withdrawing the blade, the witch grabbed at the spewing wound as Sky swung again, slicing clean through the woman’s neck.
The momentum sent the head bouncing to the other side of the street, and the tangy scent of blood sang through the air.
“Is Col going to be there?” Edith’s eyes brightened as she tugged on the corner of my shirt.
“Probably later. I’m sure he’s working really hard to keep us safe first.” I grabbed her hand and moved into the street. A man ran into my shoulder nearly knocking me over, his gaze skyward.
“Why are you still here?” Sky scolded. “Don’t stop running until you get home.”
“I’m going,” I said, pulling the little girl into a sprint. After several turns, we were still too far away. I started to doubt we’d make it back at all.
“I want my aunt.” Edith’s chest heaved.
I watched as riders and witches battled in the sky. Beasts bit into the flying women while the witches impaled them with unridden staffs. My heart sank thinking that Dysis could be harmed in the melee. I sent a thought into the void, begging her to hide and stay safe.
Far above, I searched the sky for Col, but didn’t find him. For all I knew, he’d been at the seeps and was likely among the first to confront the invaders. My stomach sank as one rider tumbled from their beast and fell through the open air.
A witch swooped down from the sky and I pulled Edith into a corner, barely missing the woman’s outstretched arms. A wyvern chased the woman from above the narrow street lined with buildings, its black maw snapping at her as she flew close to the ground.
The beast was too big to get within range and knocked out a residential support with its attempt.
The building partially crumbled in the wake of the chase.
“We need to keep going. Can you make it?”
Edith ran the backs of her hands over her eyes and shook her head.
“That’s okay.” I pulled her up into my arms. “I’ll carry you. We'll get there together.”
Stepping away from the building, I looked both ways. Although we weren’t outnumbered in the sky, most fae on the streets had made it indoors, leaving only a half-dozen of us as targets.
“Where does your aunt live?” I pushed my hair back. “Is it close?”
Edith nodded. “She lives with me.”
“Which way?” I waited for directions.
She pointed to the left, and I hesitated—we’d need to backtrack toward the tavern.
But we weren’t even halfway to Col’s townhouse, so all I could do was hope her home was closer.
Wishing I had a white stag to impart its courage, I drew in a breath and moved down the street while Edith continued to provide directions.
Witches and fae rained down from the sky, landing on the buildings and the graveled land. With the number of bodies falling to their death, the likelihood of Col being one of them increased exponentially.
“Now where?” My voice cracked as I panted. Edith sent a finger out, and I found Sky lying on her back with a witch looming over her.
“Traitor!” the onyx-eyed witch shouted and followed the insult up with a thick wad of spit to my friend’s face.
Sky had her sword sideways while trying to fend off the blackened staff. On the opposite end of the globe, the wood was formed into a sharp point; and the woman was attempting to lodge it into her intended victim; my friend.
My vision darted; I needed to find somewhere safe.
“I need you to hide in here.” I pulled off the lid of a large metal trash can.
“It’ll only be for a couple of minutes. I’ll be back.
” Kneeling, I faced Edith head-on and pushed back several strands of hair that clung to her wet cheeks. “I promise you.”
Her lips shook, and tears streamed from her eyes. “I don’t wanna.”
There was no time to come up with a better choice, so I picked up the girl and stuck her inside. Her cries echoed against the metal.
“Shhh.” I grabbed her hand and placed it over her lips to muffle the sobs. “Two minutes. That’s all.”
Still crying, Edith nodded and sunk deep into the cylinder filled with trash.
“You’re so brave.” I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Just beyond Sky, a second witch landed. The woman’s gaze focused on her comrade and my friend. The woman’s red cape dragged against the ground as she stalked toward the battle.
I looked around for anything I could summon with my magic. But aside from measly vines and bushes in a few pots, I had nothing. Nothing but the lid still gripped in my hand. I sprinted.
Sky’s onyx pools flashed to me just as I smashed the lid into the skull of her opponent. The woman lost her footing and fell back, right as the other witch bolted toward us. I turned just as Sky impaled her sword into the eye of the one who laid on the street.
“Didn’t I tell you to get to the house?” Sky’s words were curt, but unmarked by anger.
“You can thank me later,” I whispered as we both turned to face the witch who’d stopped running. “I guess we should see if there is a later.”
“Get the kid out of here,” Sky muttered and moved forward elegantly, twirling the sword in her hand.
“A witch defending a fae,” the witch mused. “Interesting for you to forsake your own in favor of—that.”
“She is more my own than you ever will be,” Sky growled and lifted her head.
The witch lunged forward. But Sky was faster, swinging with a wicked force that shouldn’t have been possible for her slim size. Metal met hardened wood, sending a cracking sound wailing through the air.
The witch’s eyes went wide. “How?”
Sky’s only reply was barreling the black-hilted sword through the woman’s gaping mouth and through the back of her skull.
A tiny scream filled the air, and I turned to find Edith watching the scene. Quickly, I scooped her into my arms, dropped the lid, and ran. At her direction, we turned left down a side street and maneuvered into a narrow alley.
“Keep going!” the girl commanded as we rushed toward a dead end.
I shook my head, turning slowly to assess. Surely she was confused. Tall, thick stone walls corralled us, and the only exit was where we’d just come from.
“Keep going,” her voice pleaded.
“We can’t, there’s nowhere to go.”
“It’s right up there. The door to my house is there!” Edith pointed toward a nonexistent door.
“The door is just up there,” a cackling voice mocked behind me.
I whirled. And my stomach pitted. We were trapped.
“Don’t you want to run?” The woman’s velvety voice dripped past her crimson lips. “It makes things so much more fun when they run. And be sure to scream too.”
I swallowed hard.
“Give me the girl and you can leave,” the witch offered.
“No.” I set Edithiya down and motioned her behind me. She took off running toward the dead end and skidded to a stop. Her fists beat against gray-painted wood that blended into the stone walls.
“Well, I guess you will do for now.” One corner of the witch’s mouth quirked. “Though I suppose I could kill you and take the girl anyhow.”
“No,” a familiar voice boomed. Dolcie stepped from the street and into the alley, stalking toward the witch. If she were half as skilled as Sky, we might have a chance. “You’ll leave my daughter alone.” Dolcie disappeared.