Old Legends

Chapter 8 - Than

We enter a grove. The sun fades behind the treeline as it trades places with the moon. Sela is wearing a white breastplate with an engraving of the moon cycles, with matching white tassets covering her thighs. She's holding her black staff in her left hand. The way she stands in the moonlight makes her look like a true warrior, not a member of a primitive village.

Nico is standing in the middle of the grove wearing a leather Cuirass, and a metal helmet. Salem's wearing the same leather tunic and lion's fur as earlier. Both of them have a smug look plastered on their faces. Their nonchalant posture let all of us know they expect this to be an easy win against the Holy Child of the weakest village.

"I honestly didn't think you were going to come." Nico taunts. "I thought I'd have to drag you out by that pretty white hair of yours."

"I never back down from a fight," Sela growls.

"Well then, let's finish this. I'm already bored." Nico's hand morphs into a claw as he lowers into a crouch, ready to pounce.

Sela swirls her staff above her head and lowers it to point in his direction. In an instant he is charging at her, teeth bared.

Sela spins out of his way, moments before he reaches her. As she completes her rotation, she lowers her staff to his back, smacking him square in the back. Nico's body lowers, but he uses the momentum to bring his hand up to clash into Sela's breastplate. The grating sound of metal echoes through the clearing. She flies backward and lands on her back with a thud. For a second my breath catches in my throat and I take a step forward. Dagon grabs my shoulder and pulls me back. I watch as she uses her staff to rise back to her feet. Repeating her spin from earlier she readies herself for Nico's upcoming attack.

They fight back and forth, trading painful blows with one another. After both are well bloodied, Sela hooks her staff between his armor and body, flips him over, and slams him onto the ground. With elegant ease, she pulls her staff out of his armor and slams it down onto the exposed back of one of his legs.

Crack!

The sound of his broken bone reverberates through the grove. Nico tries to scramble out of the way, crying out in pain as he puts pressure on the break, but Sela is unrelenting. She raises the staff and brings it down against his armored back.

From my spot I heard a crack even louder than the one from his leg. Seeing where the staff landed, I was sure it was the sound of her staff breaking. The world froze in silence for multiple breaths. Then I hear the scream. Nico's pained shriek sends the birds in the trees flying. Sela's resolve is unbreaking, she uses her foot to kick Nico in the side so he flips over onto his back. I hear his weak whimper. She brings up her staff one final time and slams it down precisely on the center of his ribcage. Crack! and then a choke-filled scream. Unable to move from the pain, Nico lay on the ground with Sela towering over him as the victor.

Her face remains emotionless as she brings her staff up one final time, with it still in the air she looks to the moon, eyes closed. As she draws in a breath to deal the final blow, Salem charges at her. Despite his speed, he is unable to bridge the gap to stop her deadly strike. The staff makes contact. There is another crack, but no scream. I watch for movement from Nico's body, but it remains limp.

Salem's attack doesn't falter, despite the death of his charge. He makes impact and she falls to the ground, Salem now on top of her. She wheezes from the collision, but still stares at him in defiance. He raises his clawed hand. "You killed our prince!" Angry tears stream down his face and saliva flies from his mouth. I'm not sure why, but he's hesitating.

"I did what I had to." She struggles to get out from beneath him, but she grimaces in pain. She's hurt! As quickly as she tried to free herself, she resigns to his hold. I watch as she closes her eyes and waits for the pain.

My feet are moving beneath me. "Sela!" Before he can bring down his hand, he's beneath me. He attempts to lash out at me, but he's taken aback by my sudden tackle. He squirms beneath me like a pinned cat and somehow slips from my grip. Before I can respond, he's on my back ready to cleave his hand through my neck.

Unbeknownst to me, Gabriel had charged at Salem the same time I did and was now fighting to get him off me. In the confusion of our quarrel I suddenly feel a rush of wind, hear a crack, followed by a scream, and see Sela's staff being pulled away from Salem's now-broken arms.

"You will not harm any more of my people. I have killed your Holy Child; you are now under my control. By the gods' decree, you and your people serve my village." She barely finishes her last word before collapsing into the grass.

I throw Salem off me and crawl to her side. "Sela!" I stroke her cheek, "Sela, don't leave us." My tears are dripping onto her face. I can't lose you. I need you.

"Her ribs must be broken, maybe her back, I don't know if she'll make it. That initial blow Nico landed on her was brutal. She was probably surviving off of adrenaline to win the fight." Dagon places his hand on my back.

I pull my gaze away from her and frantically look between my twin and Gabriel. "We must get her back to the village... get her into her hut, to her mother's fountain." My heightened emotions cause me to struggle to stand. "It's her only hope." I strengthen my stance and scoop her into my arms. All those years I spent as a scholarly recluse have made me weak. My steps are shaky as I attempt to make my way back to the village. pick her up in my arms and attempt to make my way to the village. I curse myself for being so weak and struggling to carry such a small woman. I can't fail this time. I push myself to my limits, determined to get her to the pool.

Gabriel remains next to Salem, who was crying in pain at his broken arms and the loss of his Holy Child. There are tears in his eyes. He looks at me as I labor against my own fatigue.

"Are you going to help me?"

He continues to stare at me and shakes his head. His brown eyes were dull with a lack of hope. "There is no hope, we've lost her, just like we lost my father..." He drops his gaze to the grass in the clearing.

A growl rumbles through my chest. "You have no right to be a leader... no right to love Sela." I straighten with my newfound resolve and begin walking to her village. "I'll save you," I repeat into her ear. Dagon is at my side, ready to help, but I decline his offer. This is something I have to do.

I enter the village, adrenaline pushing me forward. I shoulder open the closed door and drop to my knees to the edge of the water. I place her in the water. Wait. one... two... three and then pull her out, laying her on the ground in front of me. My hands burn. Unlike my response earlier, she doesn't roll in agony. She lays completely still. I pick her up again and place her in the water. Wanting her body to absorb the water, I leave her there with her head out of the water so she can breathe.

"I won't let your mother take you from me." I close my eyes and raise my face to the sky. "Please, give her back." Tears stream down my face. I don't understand how after only a few hours, she has become such an integral part of my life. My head still lifted, I bawl loud enough for anyone in the village to hear. "Please Luna, don't take her from me! Please, please, please."