Inheritance

Chapter 13: The Woman of Legend

"By carriage, we should be at the castle in a few more days!" Kori exclaimed cheerfully.

Eory nodded silently and shyly with a tiny smile.

Night was falling, and Eory was entranced by the snow that looked like pixie dust as it gently floated down in the orange light of the torches lining the path.

He hugged Gershom close as he looked at wonderment at the world around him. He described it in his mind as he was wont to do.

White flecks of snow gently crept down from the sky—looking for all the world like tiny crystals that glinted in the orange firelight. All around, snow was piled up on the side of the road and brought out how emerald green the leaves on the trees which framed the path.

Eory thought the description was apt and beautiful and was proud of himself for thinking such pretty thoughts until his imagination ran away with him again.

There was a dark-skinned woman waiting for him in the forest that framed the path. She was seven-feet-tall, had piercing blue eyes, and wore a beautiful pink dress with a hood and fur trim. The fabric was heavy to protect her from the cold, and when he approached, she lowered her hood and looked at him with a brilliant smile. She revealed a silvery white mane--her captivating face came into full focus.

Eory was brought back to reality with a jolt. His dog was barking loudly in his ear and Kori was yelling his name. "Eory! Eory! We have to get out of here! It's Pollyanna!"

Eory leaned out of the carriage for a moment—gripping the side—and glanced behind him.

It was definitely her.

She did not have the sweet expression she had in his fantasy. She had a battle face on as she grunted and yelled and cut down three of the guards travelling behind the carriage easily.

She was shot by three arrows as the knights circled her skillfully. She growled as she was brought to her knees in pain. She was bleeding heavily for a moment, but she ripped the arrows out of her body and her wounds were healed easily--with the blood retracting into her body.

She stood up with a roar and continued dueling the dozens of knights who were not match for her even on horseback.

The man driving the carriage whipped the horses to speed up. Eory heard steel-on-steel behind him and the grunts of a woman possessed being carried on the freezing wind.

Kori's hands lit up with green fire as she prepared to attack Pollyanna. It began as a tiny yellow flame floating above her wrinkly hands—about an inch wide—and then roared into a full, green flame that was larger than both her tiny waif hands. She peered behind the carriage—ready to launch the fireball—but Eory grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Wait! Don't harm her!"

Kori looked at him, stunned, and then she scowled and pushed him away. She said sternly, "sit there and do as you're told, Eory!"

"But she's protected my family for centuries! She has been nothing but good and kind to us by your own words!" Eory cried.

"I may have told you stories about her being a hero, but she is just as terrible as your ancestors! She followed any horrible orders your family gave her!" Kori yelled above the screaming of the knights being massacred behind them.

In a moment the screaming went silent. The only sound was the churning of wheels on gravel and the cold wind in their ears.

Eory was in tears and he turned away, hugging his dog close.

Kori felt bad, but she had no time to soothe him. She peered behind the carriage again and saw that Pollyanna had disappeared and that all the guards were dead.