Chapter 29
“What is it?” I ask in alarm as I too stand up.
“Guivre,” Kaldar says, already pulling his sword from its sheath on his back.
“Stay here.” Reika starts to follow, but Kaldar stops her.
“You’re with Kinsley.” Then he and his men and most of the other men in the room run towards the exit.
After the mass exodus, I look around the Grove.
It’s mostly women and children left. Reika strides towards the double doors, and I wonder if she’s going to disobey Kaldar’s orders.
But she takes up a stance right next to the door where she’s able to look through the glass pane and see out.
Her sword is in her hand, and she looks downright scary.
It takes me a second to realize the entire place has gone completely silent.
It's eerie. Even the children know to be quiet. I glance at Harper, but she doesn’t meet my gaze as she stands to her feet and walks slowly over to one of the windows.
My heart beats so loudly in my chest, I feel like everyone in the entire Grove can hear it.
Suddenly, a shriek sounds; and my entire body jolts in response.
It doesn’t sound too close, but I’m not sure if that’s just because we’re inside.
Another shriek sounds, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
A child whimpers, and I watch as a mother grabs the little one and pushes him to her chest. I slide my knife out of its sheath silently and start towards the double doors.
Another child cries out, and my panic rises.
I turn in time to see Harper picking up the second crying child while the mother tries to hush the first one.
Harper puts a hand over the little one’s mouth and whispers something in their ear.
Reika turns her head just the slightest bit towards me.
She makes a motion with her hand that I think means for me to get away from the doors, but I’m not leaving her to face whatever is coming by herself.
I ignore her and step closer to the doors.
The glass plate on the door is small, but if I look just right, I can see out.
I scan the tops of the trees but don’t see anything.
Another child makes a crying sound, and I turn around.
But the child is silenced pretty quickly.
When I turn back around, there’s a thud that shakes the ground.
My heart stalls in my chest as I watch a guivre land just a few feet from the Grove.
My hand tightens on my knife, even as my heartbeat kicks into overdrive.
The guivre is facing away from us. I look over to Reika quickly.
She’s got her sword in one hand and a knife in the other.
Her knees are bent, and she’s ready if that guivre should come in here.
I glance behind me once again at all the women and children, and my heart drops to my toes.
There’s no way we’ll be able to keep everyone in here from harm if that guivre comes this direction.
I stare out the small window and will the guivre to walk away.
I don’t see any sign of Kaldar and his men and wonder what happened to them.
I push those thoughts away and refuse to let the fear building in my chest paralyze me.
The guivre takes one step then another away from the Grove.
I wonder absently if the Grove has any kind of protective wards over it; if so, this will be a good time to use them to keep the guivre out.
It takes another step away, and I can feel the relief building in my chest.
Suddenly, a cry pierces the silence. My head whips around to find the source, but I can tell by the sound that it’s a baby, maybe even a newborn.
I jerk my gaze back out the window, hoping against hope that the guivre didn’t hear it.
As if in slow motion, I watch it lift its head and then turn slowly around, that serpent's tail dragging behind it. I can hear the rattle of it from here. My blood goes cold as it fully turns to face us, and I resist the urge to run. Even though it can’t see us, it’s eyes seem to lock on us.
It begins to advance, and I think my heart’s going to explode.
Reika motions me aggressively away from the door, but I don’t move.
My heart is pounding so hard, I'm having a hard time breathing. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know if that thing gets in here, it could destroy the entire building and take away the only protection all these people have right now, not to mention the gruesome deaths that would take place.
Not on my watch. I don’t know what overcomes me.
Fear, I guess; or maybe stupidity. There would be time to ponder that later; not right now.
Before I have a chance to succumb to my fear, I open the door as silently as possible and step out.
Or at least I try. A hand on my shirt tugs me back.
Reika stares at me with wide eyes and a fierce scowl, but I can’t take the time to explain what I’m doing.
I pull away from her before she’s ready and rush outside.
The doors swing shut silently behind me, and I’m left staring up close at a guivre that’s nearly three times my height.
It takes another step towards the Grove, and I’m out of time.
I have to act now, or I’ll never be able to live with myself.
Being careful to watch the ground for anything that could make sound, I move as quickly as I dare away from the building, in the opposite direction.
I really hope this works. Without allowing myself to think about it, I yell.
My voice seems to echo through the trees for minutes on end, and my heart races as the guivre hears the sound and turns around.
I’ve already moved from the spot, so when fire devours the area I was standing in moments before, I feel the heat of it but not the burn.
My arm aches as the memory of the burn returns, but I shake it off.
I can’t afford to be afraid in this moment.
I’m coming.
The thought of Veyra facing the guivre terrifies me. No, you can’t be here for this. You’re pregnant.
I hear another cry from inside, and panic rushes through me.
The terrible creature turns back and lets out a horrific shriek.
It stumbles back, and I move to get out of the way of its tail.
It shrieks again, and I see it has an arrow embedded in its eye.
It opens its mouth, and I yell even as I move.
If it lets go of its fire, it will burn right through the double doors.
I slash at its massive tail, trying to get it to turn away from the doors.
The tail rears up and slams onto the ground, and I jump to get out of its way.
But then the tail swipes my feet from under me, and I crash to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the guivre turns towards me and opens its mouth.
Terror seizes my muscles, and I can’t move.
Somebody grabs me by the arms and yanks me from my spot on the ground just as fire explodes from its mouth.
The area catches on fire, and the heat of it feels like a blast to my face.
I feel Veyra before I see her. The guivre turns towards us, and Veyra races towards it.
Her jaw locks around it’s back leg, and it stumbles back.
Reika shoves at me to run, but I can’t leave Veyra.
It shakes her lose and throws her into the nearby tree, and I barely hold back a cry.
I hear a new sound, and suddenly a blur races past me.
There’s an animalistic snarl, and then the guivre shrieks again so loudly, the ground shakes.
I turn back around, but Reika shoves me forward before I can see what’s going on.
“Go,” she whispers harshly. I glance over my shoulder and see Jespar on the guivre’s back with its jaws locked.
The guivre lifts its head and makes another awful sound.
“No,” I whisper and run towards Veyra.
Something hard slams into me and I hit the ground hard. The ground a few feet in front of me erupts into flames, but I can’t move. There’s a heavy weight on my back prohibiting me from moving. And then there’s a voice in my ear that I’d recognize anywhere. “Do not move.”
The weight is suddenly gone, and I look over my shoulder to see Kaldar racing towards the guivre.
Jorren and Taren are already engaging it.
Jorren throws his long spear into its side, and Taren runs up its back.
When the guivre bellows and rears up, Kaldar races underneath it and carves its heart from its body.
There’s one last shriek, and then an eery silence settles around us.
I scramble to my feet, looking for Reika.
She’s on the ground holding her arm. I hurry over to her and drop down on my knees next to her. “Are you hurt?”
She stands to her feet. “I’m fine.”
A hand encloses around my elbow, and I turn to face Kaldar.
He asks me the same question I just asked Reika.
“Are you hurt?” I shake my head and try to calm my racing heart.
I stand on shaky legs. “I have to get to Veyra.” I feel something brush against me.
“Veyra!” I drop to my knees in front of her.
Jespar comes over to stand next to her, but my focus is all on her. Are you okay?
I’m fine.
The babies? I hold my breath.
They’re perfectly safe. Jespar nudges his nose into her side. I will check with you soon.
I watch them go a moment and then stand to my feet. Adrenaline is still rushing through me. “Is she okay?” Kaldar asks. I nod. Without another word to me, he turns to Reika. “What about my orders didn’t you get?”
Reika lifts her chin. “You told me stay with Kinsley. That’s what I did.”
“You risked her life coming out here.” I’ve never seen Kaldar so angry. It's shocking really; he’s usually so mild-mannered.
I finally find my tongue. “It’s not her fault, Kaldar. I came outside on my own; she tried to get me to stop. She protected me. Got me out of the way of the fire when I couldn’t move.”
He turns towards me slowly, and bright green eyes burn into mine. “You were supposed to stay inside.”
I don’t look away from his furious gaze. “That guivre was seconds away from coming inside. We had to do something.”
Reika bends over and swats the dirt off her pants before standing back up.
“When you get your head out of your backside, you’ll realize she saved everyone in the Grove.
” Without another word, she strides away.
I watch her go in silence, not quite sure how to respond to that.
When I turn back to Kaldar, his jaw is tight.
He turns away without another word and starts helping Jorren and Taren drag the body of the guivre away.
I head back into the Grove to check on everybody inside.
When I get inside, all noise ceases. I feel the eyes of every single person inside on me.
I freeze, wondering if they’re all angry with me.
Then an older woman stands up and walks over to me.
“Thank you,” she says simply. Surprised, I can do no more than just nod at her.
Another woman, this one carrying a baby, walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
There are several more after that. I lose track of faces as each one of them thanks me.
I stay quiet because I didn’t really do anything.
I meet Harper’s gaze at one point, and she just gives me a serious nod.
I take a deep breath and turn around once everybody has left me alone.
My eyes clash with intense green eyes, and I suck in a breath.
Kaldar stands next to the door watching me.
I have no idea how long he’s been standing there, but it’s obvious it was long enough to catch at least some of what just went on.
I feel my cheeks heat, and I drop my gaze.
Something wraps around my knees, and I look down at the top of a little girl’s head.
She looks up at me and gives me a smile.
“You’re an angel,” she whispers.
I bend down so we’re eye to eye. “I’m not an angel, Sweetheart.”
“You are,” she argues. “My mama tells me every night that my guardian angel is watching over me and protecting me.” Her face is completely serious. “Now I know it’s you.”