Chapter 2 Annihilation
Rowena tried not to imagine the worst as the village came into view.
The well's outline loomed through the haze. Beyond it, flames cast jagged shadows across the destruction.
Cabins were ablaze. Black smoke twisted into the sky.
Splintered fences jutted like broken bones, and overturned wagons blocked the main path.
The village was a vision of chaos.
Even the trees threatened to ignite. Ash rained down, stinging her eyes and clinging to her hair.
Shouts and the clash of metal echoed through the smoke, but not enough voices for a full village or army.
Rowena coughed, waving smoke from her face as she darted around the well.
Suddenly, her foot caught on something heavy.
She stumbled, spun
and froze in horror.
A woman she'd known all her life lay dead, hands still gripping a bucket-her severed head missing, a crimson pool blooming beneath her body.
Rowena stared, paralyzed with horror, her mind refusing to process the nightmare before her.
Heavy footsteps approached, and a tall, armored man emerged from the smoke, spotting her instantly.
He howled, "Ay! Another one over here!"
He lunged at her with his sword raised, but his shout broke her paralysis.
She sprang aside at the last second, the blade grazing her ribs as she twisted away. Pain exploded, and she screamed.
He attacked again, relentless. Rowena barely got her sword up in time, and she stumbled under the force of each blow.
Desperate, she stabbed her blade through her fire thistle pouch, so the oil slicked her weapon. Then, she rolled between his legs and slashed his calf.
It wasn't deep,
But it was enough.
He shrieked and stumbled as the potent oil burned his flesh.
Favoring his leg, the man swung wildly, but he was slower now. Rowena dodged easily as spasms wracked him and his howls grew frantic.
He fell to one knee.
Rowena knew this was her moment.
She knocked his sword aside and kicked him in the chest, forcing him to topple backward.
In a single, swift motion, Rowena planted her foot on his chest and drove her blade through his heart.
At last, he was still.
Sweat dripped down Rowena's face and she staggered back, trembling violently. Her wide eyes were locked on the corpse at her feet.
She'd never killed before.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do. But then, the commotion in the center of town rose up again and beckoned her forward.
She gritted her teeth and yanked her sword free with a wet squelch. The sound made her nauseous.
Clutching her bleeding side, she staggered into the ruined village, every step fueled by raw adrenaline and terror. She barely noticed the carnage all around her or the stench of death that hung in the air.
In the garden, Galdir and Elder Davenport faced off against two soldiers. Davenport cowered behind Galdir, white-knuckled around his battered shovel.
Galdir's quiver hung empty at his hip and his bow was nowhere in sight. He wielded only a battered sword, blood streaking his face and bruises swelling on his arms.
He swayed, barely standing.
Every breath was a struggle.
The two brutish and imposing soldiers advanced, grinning. One hefted a notched axe, the other spun a heavy club.
Their eyes glinted with cruel anticipation. They weren't just here to kill.
They enjoyed the torture.
"Come on. Is that all you got?" one taunted, laughing.
"Yeah, we even let you have the sword," jeered the other.
The axe-man swung, and Galdir quickly parried, barely having the strength to fend off the blow. But the next second, the clubman swung too and caught him across the temple.
Rowena heard the crack and watched in horror as Galdir collapsed to the ground. The soldiers laughed, oblivious to her approach.
A white-hot fury erupted inside Rowena, burning away her fear.
It was a rage she'd never felt before.
Without thinking, she sprinted forward and slashed the clubman's shoulder. Blood spurted, and he staggered back, howling in pain.
Beside her, Davenport lifted his shovel with trembling hands, but his age made him weak.
The axe-man ripped the shovel away and threw Davenport down beside Galdir. Then he struck Davenport with the shovel, echoing a hollow thud.
When the clubman recovered from Rowena's attack, his eyes blazed. The pain had only fueled his wrath. With a roar, he swung so hard Rowena's sword flew from her grip, then the next blow came immediately after.
His club slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her to the ground.
Stars exploded in her vision as she gasped for air.
Her instinct took over then, and she rolled aside, just escaping a third, lethal strike. Gritting her teeth, she tried desperately to crawl for her sword,
But the soldier's boot slammed into her ribs, flipping her over with a cry.
Her heart thudded wildly in her chest and her mind raced.
Panicked and out of options, she ripped off her fire thistle pouch and hurled it at his face.
It struck his forehead, bursting open. The oily, red liquid spattered into his eyes and ran down his cheeks.
He screamed and stumbled blindly as the burning oil seared his skin.
Rowena tried to scramble for her sword, but the world suddenly spun and blurred, and black spots began to cloud her vision.
Her pulse thundered in her ears, drowning out everything but her desperate will to survive.
She turned just in time to see the axe-man drive his weapon into Galdir's neck.
"No!" Rowena screamed, voice raw and broken.
But it was too late.
She had no time to process the loss before a hulking shadow loomed over her.
She looked up, blinking through tears and sweat, to see the clubman's face twisted with rage. His bloodshot eyes were wild, and his lips were curled in a hateful snarl.
He yanked her upright by the collar, breath hot and foul on her cheek.
"You're going to regret this," he spat.
He threw her down, looming with a malicious grin as his hand went to his belt.
Rowena panicked, trying to crawl away, but her body wouldn't respond.
She stared up at him in terror.
For a split second, she wished for death-anything to escape what was coming.