Hope

Chapter Thirty Six

Screams, ringing sounds of metal on metal, whipping sounds of arrows flying to their target. Crackling fire, howling wind followed by the sound of a Juga's howl. The sounds of a Prasinis war.

Oddly enough, I find myself fighting side by side with Gemma- Harry's sister. I never expected to see her again. And what's even more peculiar is that her parents are against us. Her hair is matted to her face with perspiration but her face still remains beautiful.

I hear a howl then a whimper behind me and I whip around (with my sword extended so I leave a Wind Juga with gray eyes and white fur headless) to see Gemma remove her sword from a Water Juga's chest. She sends me her signature smirk and I return it with a smile before whipping back around only to be slapped across the face by the hilt of a sword. I stumble sideways but a hand catches me as Gemma's sword slashes across a man's chest. Crimson liquid flows out of the wound as the man collapses to the floor. I look up to see Wilhelm- Rioleo's friend I remember from her bar- release my arm and charges for another male.

I look around again to see Marguerite's arrow bury itself into a female's chest. She releases a scream and crumbles to the floor. Her partner- a large male with graying hair- raises his bow as Marg whips around to aim her arrow at one of Sophia's Juga's. I bolt forward as the male pulls his arrow backward. His arrow flies towards Marg's shoulder blade. I take deep breath as I raise my palm and at that moment the arrow changes direction only a few inches away from its original target and points towards the sky. I grin, pleased.

The man's head whips around and his eyes finally meets mine. His lips pull backward in a snarl and he reaches back for another arrow. His eyes suddenly go wide and his back arcs. His body falls to the floor, revealing an arrow at his back. I look up to see Marg grinning at me for the first time since I've met her.

My skin tingles and I duck, sensing immediate danger behind me. A sword shoots right above my head and misses me by a few inches. The sword shoots back down, aiming for the center of my skull but I quickly roll out of the way as agile as a cat- the way Melissa taught me. I quickly bounce up only to drop back down as the sword slashes the air above me. I kick out my leg, aiming for his knees but my attacker jumps back. I spring up with my sword raised to stare at Duncan's- Anne's guard- green eyes.

“Hello again, Princess,” he hisses. With a grunt I lash my sword at his chest but he springs out of the way and locks his arm around my neck, preventing me from breathing.

“Remember me?” he whispers in my ear. I raise my knee and stamp hard on his toes. He grunts but doesn't loosen his grip on my throat. My heart hammers against my chest painfully. I can feel the coldness of the sword on my stomach through the fabric of my black shirt. My lungs begin to burn. I thrust my head back and am pleased when I hear a satisfying crack as his nose breaks. His grip looses and I spring free. I bring my knee up between his legs but he grabs me and throws me to the floor. The sword falls from my hand as I painfully land on the grass. I roll out of the way as the tip of his word digs in the ground where my stomach was a few seconds ago. I reach for my sword only to have his foot come down hard on my left wrist.

I release a scream as he puts what feels like all his weight on his foot. Suddenly he stumbles sideways, his other foot pressing on my fingers. He falls a few feet away from me, his body twitching. I look up to see Rioleo's intense gaze fixed on him. I scramble up, surveying my now purple wrist. I try to flex it and immediately regret it as pain tore from it.

“It's fractured,” Rioleo says. I look down to see Duncan's body lifeless on the grass.

“How do you-?” I start but she's already gone. I spot her auburn hair disappear behind a wall of people. I quickly take my sword with my good hand and look around for higher ground. For all I know we could be losing. Sophia surprised us with her army- there were so many people against us and several Juga yearning for our flesh. I rush to the nearest tree, placing my sword in the weapons bely set low on my hips provided by Melissa. Climbing up the tree with one hand is tricky but I use my elbow where I can't use my wrist. I position myself on a branch on my feet and look over the field. If Nick was with me he would be probably fuming. If he can see me now I'm sure his face is red with frustration. I can almost hear the words he sure would say; “Are you suicidal? Do you have a death wish? What are you thinking being out in the open on a damn tree in a war zone?”

I smile slightly but my smile is quickly erased as I stare at the field. The sight is absolutely gruesome. There are more Juga than I imagined and more of them. I don't see Sophia and that sends a chill down my spine. I look for Harry and Nick but as my eyes scan for them they spot a Juga sinking its teeth into a man's- Wilhelm- neck. I flinch and the tiny movement causes me to lose my balance. Instinctively, I grab the tree trunk with my nearest hand- my left. I scream as pain shoots from my wrist, causing several heads to shoot up. My eyes meet with bloodthirsty ones and several hands pull back to draw arrows.

I curse under my breath as I jump down, drawing my sword out. My feet sting when I hit the ground. Suddenly, Nick appears on my side.

“What the hell, Kathryn?” he hisses. “What in the world are you thinking?” We duck as an arrow flies towards us. A small smile threatens to pull at my lips at his words but again it is quickly erased as an arrow misses him by inches.

“What if I cast a forcefield?” I ask, my words rushed.

“That won't help. These arrows are too strong. I've never seen anything like them.” He glances down. An arrow shoots right to my heart but I quickly manipulate its direction. It misses my chest by a few centimeters.

“Are you sure? I can try...”

He glances down again and this time I follow his eyes to his leg where there's a hole in his jeans.

“Nick!” I exclaim, bending down to inspect his wound but he grabs my elbow and pulls me up.

“Keep your head up!”

I open my mouth to apologize but I spot an arrow in my peripheral vision aimed for his chest. My hand holding the sword shoots up before I even realize what I'm doing. With speed surprising even myself, I slice the arrow in two.

Nick releases a low whistle. “I taught you-” He releases a strangled sound and I look to see his eyes roll back. He collapses, an arrow protruding from his abdomen.