Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) (25 page)

“Don’t tell me,
you
are what they sent to kill us off?” She started to laugh, it was a bittersweet sound that was like nails on a chalkboard to me. “This is priceless, a weak human
girl
!”

With that I felt my lips tug into a smirk, and the more she laughed the more it changed into a snarl. Lunging at her, I watched as a ribbon of blood started to swell from her shoulder. She wasn't quiet fast enough to move away from my blade as it struck her, and she stared at the cut.

Her lips peeled back into what looked like a wicked smile that sent chills down my spine. Dipping two fingers into the cut, she licked the blood that was now running down her arm and stared straight at me. “You’ve got nerve girl.” She hissed, still watching me closely. “But, nerve only lands you on your death bed with me.”

“I will take you down with me.” I smiled at her, tilting my head to the side slowly.

She laughed at me once more, and then she lunged at me. Her nails suddenly looked too sharp, and her own beauty practically dissolved before my eyes, into something so disturbingly and unnatural it was frightening to see. I flew back, landing so hard that I couldn't help but cry out, white hot pain started to flare throughout my body, and tears stung my eyes.

Her nails dug deep into my right arm, and I lost my grip on the sword that now lay a good three or four feet away from me. She was standing up now, and starting to circle me. I watched her intently, and suddenly she moved away getting something, and made her way towards me once more.

“Stupid mortal.” She spoke, laughing as I laid there. I could see the glee in her
eyes;
hear the joy in her voice.

I sat up slowly, struggling to get to my feet as I started to go for my sword. She kicked me in the ribs, it felt like a car had hit me and I flew back. I wasn't sure how far I was thrown, but I knew she was a few feet away from me, and still coming.

I got onto my knees, and started push myself up, ignoring the searing pain and looked around for something I could use as a weapon. If I wanted to live through this I needed protection, I couldn't just face someone like her without any defense.

“What, not going to fight me? How terribly boring.”

“Fight you? Without a weapon?” I called out to her
, laughing bitterly. “That’s a bit unfair for a mortal.”

“I don’t like being fair, takes all the fun out of ev
er
ything.” Her voice was like a sickening chime that rang throughout the air around me. Though
,
I could still hear the fight that was going on around us.

The clanging of metal, screams of people. I noticed quickly that the people from inside were no longer inside, but were all scattered around us out here.
Running for their homes, or staying to fight alongside everyone else.
When I took the chance to look away for a moment, I noticed the increasing count of dead bodies around us, and I wanted to cry, so many dead now because of her.

I saw a sword next to a fallen body, and I went for it. I had looked around too long though, Amamai was on me again. Her cool hand wrapping around mine from behind, and her nails were digging deeply into my fragile flesh. She held me up, and I began to start kicking at her, unable to yell or speak. My hands were clawing desperately at her hand, but that only made her laugh.

“It’s not a good thing to play with mortals, but it’s so much fun. I'll enjoy killing you.” She cooed into my ear, I could feel her lips against it. “I’ll start by cutting up that pretty little face of yours,
and then
I’ll cut out that delightful tongue. Maybe I’ll get Maldre to help, what do you think? Then we can keep you alive for hou-”

She was cut off and let out a shriek. I noticed the cold sting
of metal
against the back of my knee, and she dropped me almost instantly. It sliced up the back of my leg, before I hit the ground. Once I could, I turned to see what had just happened. A sword was sunk through her stomach, her white dress was turn an ugly crimson red color.

The sword was pulled back out, and came down on her again making her cry out once more, before she moved away from the person. “I’ll kill all of you for this.” She hissed loudly, and then turned before anyone realized what was going on, raising her hand she ran a sword through my stomach. I screamed in agony from the blow, and watched as she disappeared.

I looked up as I tried to bite back my screams, and saw Nixon panting heavily, looking down at me. His eyes were coal black and he was covered in blood. He looked pained, and pulled the sword out of my stomach. Bending over me he was doing something. I was already numb, but I noticed I wasn't bleeding as much. He leaned down and looked at me.

“Raine? Are you ok?” He asked, I felt like slapping him for that. But, then I realized he was trying to get a reaction out of me, to see if I was still with him or not.

“What - about - your sisters?” I managed to get
out;
I felt some pain here and there that made it harder to speak and had to stop. “Raven? Your father?”

He looked at me holding up a hand, and I watched his face change to pure sadness. “They’re fine, but I’m your guardian. I can’t worry about them and not you first, you’re my duty.”

I could feel my facial expression turn to horror, even in this state I was mortified by that. Then I felt the flaring pain shoot up my body, the numbness was wearing off, and I wished it was back again. I bit down on my lip, and wanted to curl up into a ball and see if I could fall asleep and rid myself of the pain. Apparently my body agreed with me, since I was being shaken by an arm making the pain even worse. Nixon wasn't stopping either. “Do not fall asleep Raine!”

I stared at him, through half open eyes. I felt him lifting me up and moving as fast as he could through crowds of people. He kept saying my name over and over again, as I fought against closing my eyes. I was only able to stay awake because of him, but it was growing to be too painful, I couldn't help it anymore. I was tired, in pain and it sounded so nice to fall into nothingness. I couldn't listen to him
anymore;
I let my eyes start drooping once more.

Why can’t I sleep?
I thought over and over, wanting to ask him so badly. I just wanted to sleep. To get away.  To pretend none of this ever happened.

I began to bury my face against his chest, let my eyes close slowly once more. Only this time, he didn't get through to me. His voice was too far away from me, and I let the darkness take me over completely.

**
*
**

“Raine? Raine, wake up!” I could hear the voice, only I couldn't place it. I couldn't even get my eyes to open, as much as I wanted them to. It was a long time before I as able to even pry them open one at a time, blinking groggily towards the blurred figure that sat next to me. 

“Raine?” This time I actually recognized the voice. My eyes cleared enough for me to make out the matching eyes, blond hair and the worried expression of an older brother that Tom always seemed to wear on his face when he looked at me.
Tom
was okay. That was all that mattered.

“T-Tom?” I asked aloud, thinking it sounded normal, until I heard the hoarse rough voice that left my mouth. I wanted to slam my hands over my mouth almost instantly. 

“Thank god…” Tom muttered, and pressed his head against my shoulder. It seemed like relief was flowing off of him, I wasn't sure what was going on here, but it was scaring me a bit. “They thought you had a concussion, hell you might have, you’ve been out for the past four days.”

I jolted up right when I heard that, and was greeted by the piercing pain from my wrecked body. Tom grabbed hold of my shoulders, and he gently pressed me back against the pillows once more. “Careful, you’re still hurt.”

“Four days?” I nearly shrieked at him, my eyes were suddenly huge, and I could hear my heart beating insanely in my chest. This wasn't right, maybe a day but not four, no way.

Tom nodded his head slowly, and then frowned at me. “You got beat up pretty bad; hell a lot of us did actually.”

I could only stare at him, still not able to comprehend what he'd just said. He continued, but I was still stuck on the part where I was out for the past four days. All I remember was fighting, and now a bed.

“Nixon’s mom was nearly killed in her own house, she was found in a pool of blood almost dead. Bliss and Pandora had a few broken bones, and Raven got a pretty bad concussion but has healed from it already. Their dad was beat up pretty well,” Tom paused taking in the mortified look on my face. Nixon's mom was almost killed, I was afraid to know the details, but even knowing that much was difficult enough to hear. She of all people, didn't deserve this.

“Nixon saved you, if he hadn't gotten to you when he did, you would’ve been dead. Talon, he’s beat up still, so is Dolphus Eyloff and Nickel. Talon got his neck ripped open, and his leg was not just broken but shredded in different
areas
, though he was still trying to fight when Nickel got to him. At least that’s what Nickel said, Nickel had both arms broken, and his entire chest was shredded. Dolphus tried to protect him, and got slashed up pretty badly, Eyloff… I don’t know what happened to him, he won't tell anyone.”

I was speechless from all this information, I just stared at him. Everyone was hurt, and I didn't know how to even react to any of it. I was only able to sit there breathing normally, and feeling nothing. I was so
numb;
it was too much… for anyone to hear.

“Nixon got hurt
too;
he just
won’t
leave his mom. His back is nothing but huge gashes that he
won’t
let anyone touch. Layre has bloodied rope burns all over her body, and she’s weak as hell. Somehow her blood was practically drained from her body, I think me and you got away luckiest
...”
He smiled at me weakly,
and then
I actually took in how damaged he was.

His lips were scabbed over, his neck had slices along them in different
areas
, his left arm was hanging in a sling, and those were only the visible
areas
of him. I couldn't see if there was anything else or
not
and that alone was starting to worry me. “If you’re wondering, your neck, it’s covered in gashes from that things nails, you got a pretty bad blow to the head
.”

"They said your throat may hurt too, it was nearly crushed. Two shattered ribs, your face has scattered cuts on it, your stomach has a wound like you fell on a sword and never realized it, and your leg’s slashed open.”

Looking down was my only response to
him;
I stared at my bed sheets and swallowed slowly. It hurt like hell when I did, but I refused to show that kind of pain. I felt his hands falling onto my shoulders and start to rub them slowly. At some point the tears fell, but I didn't feel anything and I wasn't sure if it was from rage, fear, sadness or something else. But, when I cried and couldn't stop I wanted to scream.