The Broken Ones

Chapter 10:1 -Eyes and fingers

-You didn’t know, Ana asked but she already knew the answer.
-No, I didn‘t know anything about brokens or monsters until I met you.
-You liar, Soi blurted out.
-He’s telling the truth, Soi, Nibbles said seriously.
-How could he not know! I knew the moment I saw him. Jagger knew.
-Soi, you didn’t know about brokens or monsters until recently yourself, and that was because of the simple reason you’re not from around, Ana lectured him.
-But he’s a monster! Soi yelled furiously.
-Being a monster doesn’t include a thick book on what it means, Ana yelled at Soi. –And as he doesn’t know what it means he had other reasons for cutting off his fingers. Do you think that is painless?!
-What do you mean? Ard intervened in their fight. –Brother, did you cut off your own fingers? Why?
Haz turned to his brother who had a scared and skeptical look on his face.
-Ard, I did it for you, he said with a sad voice. -Remember when we were kept captive? They wanted to send something to our parents to prove that they had us in captivity so they could get their gold.
Ard’s gold eyes filled with tears.
-I don’t understand, brother.
-They wanted to send your eyes.
Haz’s own eyes turned bright with tears and he shook his head sadly.
-I couldn’t let them, not your eyes.
-So…
-I put up a fight, killed one man and when they held me down to the ground I came up with the plan. I told them to take my fingers instead, the ones with the golden rings mother and father had given me.
-But you’re a monster, Soi spoke without thinking, his face was pale.
Haz gritted his teeth.
-They wanted revenge for the man I killed so they said they would agree to my suggestion, if I cut them myself.
Haz spit the words out.
-You escaped, Ana said.
-The moment I cut the first finger I could feel that something was different. I held on to that energy as I cut the next finger, it helped me through the pain and with the third finger I felt stronger. I got thrown back into the room where they kept me and my brother and sometime during the night we escaped.
-How?
-I don’t know, I carried Ard, he was sleeping, and the guards all died around me.
-You never told me how we escaped, Ard said.
-I couldn’t, you were too young.
-You never told me anything.
-I didn’t want to burden you.
-But was does it make him? Soi asked Ana and Nibbles. –Is he a monster?
-I’m a monster, Haz answered instead. –There is something inside of me that’s killing me.
-No! But he did it to save me, Ard yelled desperately.
-No matter his intentions, if you injure yourself, you can only get evil magic, Ana explained.
-What will happen to me?
It was the first time Soi heard Haz afraid.
-You’ll change, inside-out. Finally you’ll die.
-Can’t you do something? Ard cried.
-How long will it take? Haz asked straight to the point.
-We don’t know that much about monsters. The Academy might know more.
Soi thought about his little bottle with spring water, but he understood that he needed a lot more than a few drops to replace three missing fingers. Nibbles stared at him with a round eye before he realised Soi watched him.
-What? Soi asked.
-Oh, nothing.
He turned his head away.

When the sun begun its journey downwards Soi woke Jagger. She needed to be awake if there would be another attack. In the distance he could see the outline of buildings rise in the horizon, it had to be the Academy. There was one tower that rose above the other buildings and the same second the sun disappeared a white strong light was reflected from that tower. So it was from there he had seen the light. The light belonged to the Academy.
-This is our fifth night and we are already so close to the Academy, Ana said amazed.
-You should have got up on a horseback sooner, Nibbles gave her a peck on the cheek and avoided her beam of light.
Ana cleared her throat and begun to speak:
-Listen up everyone, this night we will be attacked. I don’t know why they would go after Jagger, but this time it’s only us left, they will come after us. This night will be tough, but we’ll come through if we stick together.
That was the end of Ana’s short speech.
-You’ll be alright? Soi asked Jagger over his shoulder.
-I’m fine, she answered and brushed away some tears trickling down her cheek.
-I can’t promise you we’ll stick to the others, Soi smiled at her.
-What do you mean?
-I can’t control this horse, she goes wherever she wants to and she really enjoys fighting.
-Good. I feel like I can kill some monsters tonight.
Jagger’s face was pale but resolute as she pulled up a dagger from her boots.
-Where…
-I have worked with knives since I was ten. Playing with them since I was five.
She smiled mischievously, threw the dagger into the air and caught it with her teeth.
-Let’s start this fight.
A howl broke the twilight silence and they were surrounded by red eyes, sharp teeth, ominous growls and snarls.
-Keep together, Soi could hear Ana call to them.
But as he had predicted the black horse pulled back so they were behind the group and the monsters and run up alongside them keeping a safe distance from the monsters teeth and claws. Jagger threw her dagger and pulled up another one, from where Soi didn’t see. He had his sworn drawn and cut where he could reach. The others were doing alright inside the horde of monsters. Ana cast her spells and killed off the monsters one by one, Nibbles threw flames from side to side and Haz made sure the path before them was open as well as he kept an eye on his brother. Ard had some troubles keeping up with the swift pace as the packhorse kept sagging behind.
-He needs to let go of the horse! Jagger yelled in Soi’s ear, trying to make herself heard over the howls and growls.
He knew she was right but how could they communicate that to Ard? Jagger threw another dagger which cut the ropes to the packhorse and Ard looked behind him to see what had happened. Not only did he discover that the packhorse was gone but that Soi and Jagger weren’t behind him as he had thought. He immediately pulled his horse to a stop.
-Stupid boy, what’s he doing! Jagger shouted. –We have to follow him.
Soi tried to get the black horses to turn back but she only shook her head, disobeying his wishes.
-At least pull up for a moment, I’ll get him myself.
-Jagger, no! You’ll get killed.
-No, I won’t.
She jumped off the black mare and run back to where Ard had disappeared. Soi could do nothing but follow the mare’s own wishes and that was to follow the monsters and the danger.

To be continued...
By J.L.Frick