Tabula Rasa (Unlike Loki: Book Two)

Chapter 31

(Anna)

"Honestly!" Loki yelled, scrambling off of me. I groaned out of shared frustration. "Can I not have a solid 24 hours of peace?!" He yelled at the recently exploded doorway.

We both put on whatever clothes that we could find as the dust settled and the sound of distant exlosions continued.

"Get Leolin!" Loki told me as he ran out of the room.

I ran immediately to Leolin's room, the opposite way from which Loki had went. I jumped over the debris made from our doorway and sprinted toward's Leolin's room. His door was intact, and I roughly pushed it open, slamming it aside, as I ran into my son's room. Leolin was sitting up, curled up underneath his sheets. I ran to him, letting him know that it was me. I pushed the sheets aside.

"He's back, Mommy. He's back." Leolin suddenly said, his face covered in fear, a look you should never have to see on your little boy.

I grabbed some shoes and a jacket and shoved Leolin's feet and arms through them. "Who's back?" I tried to keep my voice calm.

"Mangog." Leolin's voice shook with terror as I picked him up.

"Don't be silly. It's just a nightmare. There are big booms outside, they probably scared you." I knew I was lying to him and myself. I wasn't as scared of Mangog as I was my little boy knowing these things before anyone else.

"No, Mommy. He's back. He's making the big booms."

I froze. "What do you mean? How do you know this sweetie?" I asked him, brushing his hair out of his face to calm my nerves.

He shugged his shoulders, his body beginning to tremble. "I don't know. I just do."

I took a deep breath and ran with him in my arms, out of the room.

I ran right into By.

His nose was still bloody, but drying on his face. It was now a little crooked and his eyes were deranged. "Give him to me. I'll take care of him." He began to take Leolin out of my arms.

"No." I spun around, keeping my son away from him. Leolin held tightly to me. "What's going on?"

His face darkened at my distrust. "We are being attacked by Mangog. I don't know how, but he's possessing many people at one time, making nearly all the village people attack the castle." He was breathing heavily.

My knees nearly buckled. Not over the fact that we were being attacked, but over the fact that all of those people were now dead.

And I couldn't help but feel that it was all my fault.