Lost Soul

Chapter Seven: Third Party

"How do you know my name!?" I shout, because that's what's important right now.

The woman spreads her crow wings and leaps down in front of me.

The man comes down slower, his wings hugged to his body as he picks his way down the hill.

The woman stalks closer, a spear tip pointed at me.

"You're supposed to give me to Thomas," I say, indicating the spear. I glance around, but I can't see where my dagger fell when I rolled down the hill.

She cocks her head to the side. "You think we work for Thomas?"

I glance at the spear, then back up to her. "I'm guessing you're not with the rebellion, either."

Faster than my eyes can follow, she darts in close and grabs me by the throat. She slams me into a tree.

I choke out some string of expletives that don't really sound like anything.

"You dare think we would work for those traitors?" She snarls.

A third party. I wonder if Charlie knows and didn't tell me, or if he's in the dark about this.

I try to claw at her hands to get her off my throat, but it's like she doesn't even feel it. I gasp for air as black spots start to bounce around my vision like a windows screensaver.

I grimace. Ah, this is going to be gross.

I reach forward and slam my fingers into the woman's eyes.

She screeches and lurches backwards, grabbing her eyes.

I can't get my feet under me and drop into the dirt like a Raggedy Anne Doll. I wheeze and search for anything to defend myself with.

A hand grabs me by my hair and yanks me to my feet. I try to warn the male Fae that I'm close to vomiting, but he doesn't listen to my silent warning.

He shoves me, hard, and I hit the ground with my hands and knees.

My stomach twists and I know what's coming.

He slams his shoe into my abdomen. I turn and hurl on his shoes.

"Ack! Gross!" He shouts, taking a step away from me.

"Peter?" The woman asks, blindly stumbling around, using her spear as a guide.

Something glints in the underbrush a few feet away from me. While the Fae is distracted shaking my puke off his shoes, I lunge for it.

My hand curls around my dagger hilt and when the man approaches, I slash it across his shins.

He bellows and backs away, nursing the wounds.

The woman appears in front of me, wings fluttering, but she can't see where to stab her spear.

Well, I'm going to feel like a terrible person after this.

I grab the back of her neck and yank her forward, plunging the dagger deep into her stomach.

She gasps, like all the air is forced out of her. She arches into me, a tear streaking down her face.

"Sorry," I murmur, "but you are trying to kill me."

"NO!" Something blasts me away from the woman.

I'm launched thirty feet away and slam into a tree, then fall to my face in the dirt. I lay there for a moment as my shoulder and ankle scream at me to stop torturing them.

When I lift my head, I've lost my dagger again and the man is creeping towards me, his eyes still glowing red.

"I'm going to make this slow and painful," he warns me, seething.