Carmine (Completed)

Chapter 39

My eyes wandered around at the soldiers. We were still on the street. 

Me? 

I sat on a dirty wooden plank box. Janilla wrapped my cuts tightly with the sliced pieces of her robe.

No one said a thing as they still stared at me and my partially injured band of misfits like we were diseased.

It must be my face, I did not look pleased at that point. My fury was boiling. I held the strap gripping my hand to the metal circle, but it was not a shield anymore.

How did it do that? I tapped on it, but nothing happened. This drew Five's attention. "You have to spin it," Five said.

I asked, "How? It's strapped down."

Someone shouted. Janilla leaned up and stared to her left. Five put his finger on the shield's tip and with a gentle flick, it spun and got bigger.

A soldier glared at my shield, yet the others were preoccupied with something. I listened.

The keep was under attack. All soldiers were falling back to the keep. I saw most of them ran off, leaving us with the curious one and a heavy-set soldier wielding a spear.

"Five?" I asked.

Five lowered his voice. "Chaos, fear, everyone is scared. People are dropping dead, a lot of people."

My eyes widened. I stood. Five turned to me. 

That conniving little—"What is it?" Janilla looked between me and Five. 

I gritted my teeth and tensed my arms in fury. "She kept her promise."

Janilla said after her face softened, "Oh my..."

Five asked, "Should we leave or go back?"

I averted my eyes as I tried to think. "You need to go," Janilla said.

I looked at Janilla like she was crazy. "We barely escaped her." I pointed up the city towards the top where laid the keep. "That is a trap. She is daring me to come up there."

"And if you don't she will slaughter everyone."

"And how am I supposed to prevent that?!"

"I do not know! I just—"

"What is your decision?" Five interjected.

"Would you shut up?" I asked in disgust.

"My apologies Mother," Five answered.

Janilla stepped in. "Do not insult him. He saved your life."

"His plan also failed. I got hit with my own arrow Janilla, my own arrow. Besides, who is Corona after, me." I patted my chest. "She will follow if I leave. I am not going up there."

Janilla twirled and walked off. "I am done with you."

"Fine, I do not need you. You cannot fight anyways! Useless, you always shaking like a bloodcloth leaf!"

Janilla turned back around and barked, "You are a horrible person!" She walked only two feet before the Jester came into our corridor.

Jester passed Janilla and stepped into the space with Five, me and the bemused soldiers. Jester spoke, "Carmine, yes?"

I blinked. Jester flung her arm and the curious soldier grasped around his neck, which was now spewing blood swirling around the knife dug into it.

The Jester killed the next soldier with a thrown knife. Five rushed in front of me, the Jester appeared at his side immediately crushed his arm, and threw him over.