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Cole moves his hand to rest on the hilt of the sword by his hip.
“What a lovely little tavern.” The man leading the soldiers says, venom dripping in his voice and something sinister shining beyond his eyes.
The tavern owner stalks forward, much too boldly for the soldier he’s facing, that is almost twice his size.
“What are you doing here?” He dares to ask.
I hold my breath for him, this soldier doesn’t look very forgiving. Though most of Hidale’s men are conscripted, there are still a few volunteers and those men usually rise quickly in the ranks due to their ruthlessness in comparison.
The soldier grabs the owner by his throat and lifts him off the ground, with ease. Leaving his feet dangling, grasping for contact.
“You dare question the King of Hidale’s orders!”
I see the owner's face go white and his eyes wild with realisation, he hadn’t known. I supposed they wouldn’t, the war hasn’t reached these lands yet.
My gaze shifts to look at everyone in the room, it’s possible that none of these people have actually seen one of Hidale’s soldiers in person.
“I… I didn’t know… I—”
The tavern owner stops talking, his voice drowned out by the sound of an aggressive snap. His body goes limp in the soldier’s hand before he discards the now dead tavern owner to the side, without even a second thought.
The soldier looks up, addressing everyone in the room before him.
“We’re here to gather the filthy hybrids of this wretched town, hand them over!”
The brutality in his voice shakes the room around him.
Everyone is dead silent, no one moving a single muscle.
Seemingly paralysed by fear.
The soldier runs his gaze menacingly around the room. “If you do not bring your hybrid friends forward, we will be
forced to kill everyone in this room and set fire to the town.”
I feel the energy in the room change. Responding to the soldiers' threats, ready to listen or act.
The faces of everyone around me now struck with a sudden eagerness to betray their friends and family.
All too ready to let others die to save their own skin.
I watch as their gazes shift between the soldiers and people around them who I can only assume are the hybrids.
I want to scream at them, tell them that it doesn’t matter, that the soldiers are planning on burning the place down anyway.
But I can’t.
“I have one here!” I hear someone exclaim and shove one of the hired women forward. Unable to mask my features, I stare daggers at him.
“Him too!” I hear as another person gets shoved forward, a man this time. Fighting back against the other man shoving him. A flash of hurt flows through his eyes as he stares at his friend who is all too eager to give him up.
I can’t watch this any longer. This is too sick, too wrong.
I see the soldier’s face turn to a twisted smile, he’s got them exactly where he wants them.
“STOP!” I yell out as I stand up and hold my dagger in front of me. I see Cole stand up in an instant beside me, sword now in hand.
Everyone’s attention is on me, the people that were betraying their friends, the soldiers of Hidale, everyone.
“If you want to kill these people and burn this town, you’ll have to go through me.” I seethe at them.
The bastard laughs at me and looks at his men, egging them on until they start laughing too.
He opens his arms in a gesture. “You think that dagger is enough for me and my men.”
I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes at the soldiers, sizing them up.
“No, I think my hands would be enough but you pissed me off and I want this over with.”
He laughs again, clearly not understanding who he’s talking to.
“It would be but a shame to kill you, when you clearly could have much more beneficial uses.” The soldier purrs.
I hear Cole growl beside me but I’m careful not to turn towards him, keeping my focus on the man in front of me.
I shrug, looking unbothered by his disgusting comment.
“Try and take me then.”
The soldier and his men launch towards me the next second and I turn invisible, ducking beneath them.
I turn around briefly and see Cole fighting one of them, swords clanging against each other. Cole is currently winning, so I shift my focus back to the task at hand.
I stand up and stab the soldier to my left in the neck and he falls to the ground, clutching at the blood now pouring out.
I quickly duck as a soldier swings at the air where I once was.
I smile slowly to myself, I’ll never not be glad to have my power.
I reach up to the table on my right and grab one of the candle lamps.
I stand up and smash it over a soldier's head, he stumbles clutching the burns that now mark his skin.
I kick him in the chest, knocking him and the soldier behind him over.
They try to scramble to their feet but I’m already one step ahead of them, I stab one of the soldiers in his neck and just as I’m about to finish the next guy off, Cole comes through and stabs him in the chest.
“Careful!” I shout at Cole as he moves on to the next. “Remember, you can’t see where my dagger is!”
“I think it’s you who should be careful then.” He grunts out as he’s fighting the next soldier.
I look around, four more to go and then the main leader, who is currently fighting with his soldier against Cole.
I run towards one soldier and jump on his back, stabbing him in the neck.
I yank my blade out, the blood splattering both me and him.
I jump off the soldier's back as he falls, before I fling my dagger at the soldier fighting Cole.
Leaving him to only have to deal with the leader, who is the much more skilled fighter.
Two to go.
They’re heading towards me cluelessly, they know I’m here from the evidence of the body but they don’t know where. I almost laugh as they start swiping next to me. I crouch down low and kick the legs out from under one, while picking up a sword from a fallen soldier, turning it
invisible and stabbing him in the back.
I see the soldier's eyes widen with shock as he sees the blood pool around his comrades back and hears the screams start to fade.
Taking advantage of this, I plunge the sword into his chest. The soldier buckles over when I withdraw my sword, groaning as he grabs at his chest.
I smile gently to myself. Just the leader left now. But I have other plans for him.
I stalk to where Cole and the leader are engaged in a sword fight, neither showing the upper hand yet. I twirl my new sword through my hands as I stalk even closer.
When I’m next to them I raise my sword and swipe down at the leader's arm.
The limb falls to the ground with a heavy thud. I ignore the blood that splatters on my cheek.
Cole stops fighting and looks at me as I become visible.
The leader falls to the ground in agony. Screaming as he clutches his shoulder where his arm once was.
“You will send a message to the King of Hidale.” I demand as I point my stolen sword towards the leader's neck.
He only looks up at me, fear and pain tracing his features, his face turning white and pale. I’m now hoping I didn’t cause so much damage that he won’t make his trek back.
“You will tell the King that the hybrids are under my protection.”
He looks at me, brows pinched together, sweat dripping down his pale face, eyes widening as he takes me in.
“You’re… h… her.” He sputters out, breathing ragged.
I nod my reply, guess they have been searching for me.
“You will tell him this and you will remember that the next time I see you come for any hybrids, I will not stop at the arm.”
He doesn’t dare nod, still trying to hold his ground but he has lost, he surely knows this.
I dig the blade further into him, pricking his neck and watching the beads of blood start to form.
“Do. You. Understand?” I bite out each word.
He nods, ever so slowly.
I shoot him a menacing smile. “Good, now get out of my sight before I decide to kill you and send an entirely different message, to the King of Hidale.”
He gets up slowly and I move my sword slightly to let him pass. He walks out of the tavern, still clutching at his shoulder, stumbling as he takes each step.
He dares a look back towards me before walking out the door. I twirl my blade at him, death promised in my eyes until he finally turns back, fading into the dark night.
I feel Cole touching my wrist, a gentle request to drop the sword, so I do.
“Gods Maeve, you really are terrifying.” He says as he looks me in the eye, I can tell he means every word.
I look around the room now, at the bodies left, the blood everywhere and the people who reside in the tavern, sitting
there unharmed.
They all stand up in unison, looking at me. Before the room explodes in a sound of clapping and cheering, all for me.
Unable to stand looking at them any longer, I walk out the door and leave them behind as I wipe the blood from my cheek.
Cole’s following me, I can hear his heavy footsteps from behind.
“What was that?” He asks when we’re outside in the cool air. I whip around to face him, my shoulders tensing.
“What was what?” I demand.
“You— leaving after what you did for them. They were saying thank you and you left.”
“I couldn’t stand to be in there anymore and I couldn’t stand to see the people who were just about to sacrifice their friends clapping for me.”
Cole lets out a sharp breath and takes another step towards me.
“I get it.” Is all he says.
I nod my reply, my shoulders loosening a fraction.
With a silent understanding, we get on Cole’s horse and leave the town we just saved behind.