The Broken Ones

Chapter 18:3 -Consequences

Jack's vengeance followed soon thereafter.
-Get him! The chairman snarled and the monsters attacked Ard.
And Haz stepped in to protect his little brother as always. Before Soi turned away from the scene he saw Haz fall to his knees. He heard Ard’s heartbroken cry.
In front of Soi stood Jack with his back turned. Soi clenched his teeth, reached for his sword and took a step forward. Jack sensed his attack. Slowly he turned around, his face was composed and alarmingly calm. With only a wave of his hand Jack sent Soi flying backwards to the edge of the spring.
-Finish him off, Jack ordered Sam and another monster and turned away from Soi.
Soi tried to rise but his knee hurt and his head was spinning. Some feet away lay his sword, out of reach. The first monster closed in on Soi walking in a half circle like a predator observing his prey, watching him with red eyes. Soi tried to back away, into the water. Sam followed the first monster, showing off his pointy teeth in a happy grin. Unlike the other monster he still stood on his feet while the others moved with four legs and a hunchback looking like large scraggy black panthers with almost human faces. Except from his eyes and teeth, Sam could easily be mistaken for a human, if it wasn’t for aura of evil and disaster oozing around him. Sam looked at Soi as if he was going to rip him to pieces. The other monster watched him with a drooling mouth. Even if he had his sword, Soi wouldn’t be able to get away uninjured. His body began to shiver in fear. Suddenly Soi heard sounds from the water and he glanced terrified over his shoulder, expecting another monster.
From the spring rose a long person with long blond hair dripping with water. A female with piercing grey eyes. She stepped out of the water and approached the first monster with nothing to defend herself with. The monster snarled and prepared to attack. As the monster took off from the ground the woman threw water in the monster’s eyes. While the monster shook off the water the woman got a hold of Soi’s sword and before the monster could attack she pierced it. In her next swing the monster fell to the ground whimpering as it died. She then turned to Sam, who paralysed had watched the whole thing. He staggered backwards away from her. But the woman didn’t even look at him. She had her eyes set on the chairman.
In the middle of the battlefield Jack sent his monsters in different directions with just a wave of a finger. It wasn’t a small fight like at the Black Eye but a war. Soi saw bodies of both spring guardians and monsters lie on the ground. The stench of blood filled in the air.The monsters fulfilling their task gathered around the victims they’d killed and feasted on the dead bodies. Soi threw up when he saw what the monsters were doing. He hoped his sisters and mother were safe. They had to be.
The blond haired woman began her walk up to the chairman with confident steps. Soi watched with worried eyes. Surely this woman couldn’t accomplish what he had failed to do. Jack turned around and Soi awaited the blow the woman would take but instead the chairman lowered his arms. His eyes widened with fear.
-Mother, Jack whispered.
The woman calmly raised the sword, ready to strike.
-No, she said with a low voice.
The sword cut through the chairman and he kneeled down.
Suddenly all motion ceased, the monsters stopped moving and stood completely still.
-Get them water, quickly! Someone called out, Soi thought it was his mother and sighed relieved, and all spring guardians rushed to the spring and filled buckets and bottles with water. But Soi remained still, he looked at the chairman and the woman. The woman still held the sword in her hands. Slowly she turned it while still pierced in Jack’s body.
-Don’t you recognise your own little sister? The woman spoke and Jack’s eyes begun to tear.
-Ana? He stuttered while blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. –My Ana?
Jack lifted his arm and put a bloody hand on her cheek.
-Except, I’m not your Ana anymore. I’m no longer a broken, brother. And soon you won’t be either.
Ana turned around and looked at Soi where he lay at the edge of the shore. She looked at him with cold grey eyes. It really was Ana.
-Soi, bring me the water, she ordered him.
As she uttered the words Sassa came out of nowhere and threw herself at Ana but before she got to her, Sam stood in the way and the two crashed into each other. Sam overpowered her and pushed her to the ground.
-Quickly, Sam snarled at Soi.
Soi got unsteady up on his feet, filled the cup with spring water and limped quickly to Ana’s side. She took the cup from him, poured the water into Jack’s wound and slowly pulled the sword out.
-No, no, no, no, what are you doing? Let me die! Jack cried. –I’m nothing if I’m not a broken.
-Exactly. You won’t be you anymore. Like Nibbles won’t be Nibbles, Mack won’t be Mack. And I won’t be me, Ana spoke through clenched teeth.
Slowly Jack’s wounds healed and the scars on his face faded away. Jack touched his face where his jacks had been with an appalled expression. He fainted.
Suddenly there was a screech and Soi and Ana turned their heads to where Sassa and Sam were wrestling. Sam had a dagger thrust in his chest. His own silver dagger. Sassa was sitting on top of him, pushing the dagger deeper into his body. Ana run towards Sam and Sassa. She pushed Sassa off him. Sassa rolled down laughing.
-Now we’re even, she said to Ana with a smile.
-What do you mean? Ana yelled at her.
-Your man’s dying and mine is dead. Even. Sassa shrugged her shoulders and laughed again.
Ana held back her anger and clenched her teeth but her tears begun to roll.
-Jack isn’t dead, she said, trying to hold back her tears.
Sassa sat up, confused.
-But…
-I gave him the water… I saved him, despite everything he’s done! Ana spit out.
Sassa looked at the place where Jack lie on the ground beside Soi. Then she stood up, nodded to Ana and walked away. Ana turned to Sam.
-It’s going to be alright. They’re getting water, she said to Sam.
-I don’t want the water, Sam coughed.
-You’ll thank me later.
-I don’t want it. Not after everything that’s happened.
-What do you mean?
-I want you. But you can’t forgive me. I know that now.
-Stupid boy, what are you talking about? Then why did you save me?
-Because I love you.
Then he stopped breathing.

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