Stolen Princess

21. A Shiny Bauble

Sam lumbers beside me in moose bear form, his breath fogging in giant clouds as it hits the cold morning air, but his warmth radiates out from his side, touching me just a little with its comfort. 

I absently run a hand through his black fur as we make our way out of the castle meadows and further towards the shore. The sun isn't up yet, in fact, the sky is barely the gray predawn that Oren told me to wait for. I just couldn't sleep last night, so I'd come a little early.

Sosha trails behind us in silence. I'm not sure she even needs sleep, but I'm not speaking to her so I won't be finding out anytime soon. My stomach still burns with her accusation of Isobel. She doesn't understand our friendship, how she's practically raised me, been the only person to love me.

I have four sisters, each look and sound almost identical to the last. It's why my green skin is such a burden and that blonde hair they robbed me of was such a trophy. It was the only way I fit with them. 

Until they burned it off. 

But it doesn't matter, I give myself a shake... Sosha got it wrong. Isobel is not the one Alek was speaking with... now I just have to figure out which of my sisters it actually was.

As we approach the shoreline, shouting comes to my ears... I look up just in time to see two figures at the edge of the lake, one slamming a fist into the other's face. The injured figure doubles over and I suck in a breath thinking he's about to go over when he rams into his opponent's midsection, knocking his attacker to the ground.

"Aye!" Sosha yells from behind me, but I recognized those hulking shoulders even in the dim prelit sky and I'm already running.

"Tal!" I scream his name as Oren leaps from the ground, fists swinging, teeth bared. It's like Talon doesn't even hear me -- just meets his brother blow for blow, again and again as I trip over my feet in the sand trying to reach them.

They're roaring at one another in deep guttural noises that aren't words in my language or Orc, I'm sure of it. Oren catches Talon along the left side of his jaw, sending his younger brother down on his arse in the sand. 

That's when I reach them - throwing myself between Talon and Oren, I straighten one arm, palm out in a stopping motion. Without even trying, I send a piece of purple energy shooting from my arm to my hand and out, falling against Oren like a gust of wind. It knocks him backward twenty feet from us, and I immediately turn my attention to Talon.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demand, taking his face in both of my hands, anger, and concern mixing together as I glare at him.

"Wren..." he says my name as if seeing me for the first time now, and I feel every muscle in him relax, even the jaw underneath my fingertips. He sighs heavily, trying to catch his breath from the fight, and I wince as I examine the blossom of a fresh bruise just under one eye.

"I'm going to kill him." I mutter darkly as I run my thumb over the purpling skin. Talon smiles tiredly before carefully pushing my hands away. I let him break the contact, but I stay on my knees beside him in the sand as Oren and Leif approach us once more. I didn't even realize Leif had come... why hadn't he stepped in before I did?

"What are you doing?" Oren demands in a raging tone, and I feel him grab hold of my tunic by the neck, yanking me upwards and away from Talon.

"DO NOT TOUCH HER!" Talon shouts, leaping for his brother again, his yellow eyes going wide as they connect with mine. My heart shudders in my chest, even though I can't name why. Something in those eyes... it's like he'd do anything for me.

But he doesn't get a chance at Oren before a burst of energy comes from behind us, a faint purple color as it snaps like a whip around Oren's arm and then pulls in obedience to some unspoken command. Oren drops me with a cry of pain, and we all turn to see Sosha standing there, just now releasing the last of her magical whip so that it disappears into thin air once more.