Sword Sisters (24 page)

My own lungs burned with the effort to hold my breath, and my muscles ached from the strain. But the thrashing became more desperate, and I felt the great head slam into the cavern walls in its death throes. Fluid sloshed up from the stomach again as he vomited, and I scrunched my eyes shut against it. It burned where it splashed me, but I held on. Something about this felt very, very good.

I imagined that he were Ganesh. “You wanted to consume me? Well, here I am! Choke on me!” I screamed in my pain and fury. “Choke on me!”

Then Lurida Lumo’s body shot upward and smashed through the roof of the cavern. There was a pause, and then my stomach dropped as the great head plunged down and hit the ground. I had time to prepare. Otherwise, it would’ve knocked me clear. It very nearly did anyway, but I managed to hang on. Still, the impact stunned me, and I sat there for a long time, waiting until I was sure the monster wasn’t moving.

I uncurled with difficulty and risked a breath. The stench was unbelievable, and I almost vomited right there. But I crawled up the throat, into the mouth, and managed to wedge myself out in a gap where one of the great teeth had broken on impact.

All my exposed skin was burned from the stomach acid, and the smell that clung to me was nauseating. I took a few steps away and sat on a boulder freshly added to the landscape when Lurida Lumo burst from the cave. Then I took in the sight.

The ground had been riven as if by a volcano except there was no lava. Felled trees radiated out from the huge hole. Dust filled the air, and shafts of sunlight blazed through it, adding an unexpected beauty to the sight of Lurida Lumo’s gigantic corpse.

The former god looked like some sort of gigantic salamander. His glistening gray skin was already beginning to dry in the sunlight. Along his skull was a huge split in the skin caused by crashing through the cave ceiling; purple, viscous blood oozed from it in streaks down the thing’s head. I didn’t envy the rotting odor that this enormous carcass would generate for the village very soon. He had a long, tubular body and enormous front legs; his lower body was still underground. He must’ve been at least two hundred feet long.

I didn’t know creatures like him existed. Nothing in my experience or lessons had prepared me for this reality. He looked like an animal. He wore no clothes and lived in a burrow, yet he could speak and think. What else might wait in the world away from Raggenborg? The thought filled me with both excitement and dread.

Then the great carcass moved. It was a slight motion, but when anything that big moved at all, it got your attention. Lurida Lumo’s nearest eye rolled in its socket and focused on me.

I stood up. I spread my feet and crossed my arms.

He made a deep, gurgling sound.

“Your time’s over, Lurida Lumo,” I said as loudly as I could. “So is the time of the Reapers, almost. It’s a world for men now. And women.”

If a shiny black orb could express despair, then Lurida Lumo’s eye did so. Then it rolled upward, revealing the white surface along the bottom edge, and I knew he was dead.

Voices approached through the forest. The villagers came charging down the trail, bearing all manner of improvised weaponry. And it wasn’t just the men: the women and children came too. They stopped when they saw the great beast and stared in silence. For a long time, they stood motionless.

Yazel and Litwin stepped forward, their expressions as different as humanly possible. Yazel was grinning from ear to ear and slapped her knees with delight. Her loud guffaw shattered the silence that had gone on uncomfortably long. Litwin stood erect and proud, chin high, while tears poured down his cheeks. Was he actually mourning the death of his god or just his belief?

Amelia was the first to notice me. I must’ve seemed quite small next to this beast. She ran over and started to hug me then thought better of it. “Gosh. Are you all right? You look all burned.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said though I didn’t look forward to the itching as my skin healed. I wrung stomach acid from my hair. What would Andre say about the way it smelled now? “I see you brought the cavalry.”

“Everybody came. Even S’Grun and Connell.” She looked back wistfully. “I think I understand what you meant about him now. He just doesn’t like girls at all, does he?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“That’s okay. I wish he could’ve told me, but I understand why he didn’t.” She looked over the dead god. “Wow. Lurida Lumo was…huge.”

I laughed. “So I guess size does matter, huh?”

She looked at me oddly. “I don’t get that. What does it mean?”

That was the funniest thing I’d ever heard, and I began to laugh. So did she, although she had no idea why. She sat down next to me, and the two of us laughed our fool-heads off as the real god of the village dried out in the sun.

I took a long, hot bath courtesy of Sela while the village celebrated. It felt wonderful. I scrubbed until my skin hurt from washing almost as much as it did from the burns. I could still smell Lurida Lumo’s insides, but it was much fainter. I hoped it would wear off soon because tracking class would be impossible until it did.

“Where will you go?” Sela asked as she poured fresh water with flowers and herbs over me.

“Back to the castle. They’ll be wondering about me.”

“You can stay, you know. You’re welcome here. You could meet a nice boy, and—”

I’ve already met a nice boy, I thought, but I only said, “That’s not for me, Sela. I have responsibilities that I’ve ignored for too long. But thank you.” And that was true. I hadn’t thought of Aaron in longer than usual, and that ache in my heart was replaced by—confidence? Is that what that was? Whatever it was, it felt good. Really good.

“Well…be careful. Come visit.”

“I will,” I said, deliberately vague about which of the statements I answered. I was probably lying about both.

Whatever awaited me at Raggenborg, I needed to face it head-on, not hide from it in a tiny human village. I had a prophecy to claim after all. I knew now that Eldrid was wrong; I was the Red Reaper. No mere brood mare could’ve taken down Lurida Lumo. It wasn’t bragging or ego; it was a simple certainty that I’d never before felt. I knew a little about who I was and who I was supposed to be.

My heart ached for Damato though. I don’t know what might’ve happened between us, but I felt cheated that I’d never get to find out. Was there room in my world for both a boyfriend and the duties of the Red Reaper? This was the first time I’d needed to ask. I honestly didn’t know. What I did know was that if I ever did find Aaron, or whatever his name was, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d let him know exactly how I felt and exactly what I wanted.

My armor was destroyed. The god’s stomach acid had done what no Demon could ever do. I’d have to explain that, but I’d come up with something. I’d tell Keefe the truth of course; he’d believe me. And who knows, maybe Adonis would believe me too.

I slept through the party that night. When I awoke the next morning, Amelia, Sela, and Horva brought me a new dress, fancier than the other one they’d loaned me. It was forest green, low-cut with copper embroidery, and had one and one-half full skirts and fancy sleeves. It covered most of the burns that hadn’t yet healed. I knew they were trying to be nice, but I blushed at the thought of striding back into the castle wearing it. I’d have to sneak back into my room and change before anyone saw me. I had to admit, though, it really was the most beautiful thing I’d ever owned.

When we were alone, Amelia said, “I have something for you.”

I expected a gift from her. Instead, she pressed Damato’s locket into my hand.

I stared at it, then at her. “How did you know?”

“I didn’t. I went to his home and looked. I felt you deserved a memento of some kind. Had to chase S’Grun out of there; he was looking for the gold he was sure Damato secretly hoarded.”

“He’s an ass. I won’t mind not seeing him anymore.” I put the locket around my neck. “Thank you.”

“I also have to tell you something. I’m leaving too.”

“You are?”

“Yes. I can’t stay here. It’s not that I don’t understand these people anymore; it’s that I do. And whatever they’ve learned from this whole Lurida Lumo thing will fade with time, and their minds will shrink back to their previous size. I don’t think mine will.” She held up her father’s sword. “I wonder if I could learn to make my living with this.”

“Could you kill someone with it? Because that’s what it’s for.”

She looked me in the eye. “Yeah, I think I could.”

“Then I have something for you.”

I had retrieved my own sword from the rubble, so now, I had two Reaper swords. I decided to keep the one that helped me defeat Lurida Lumo, so I presented her with mine. “The one your village gave me means more to me now. This one is a fine weapon though and has never let me down.”

She took it and looked it over. Then she held up her father’s sword with her free hand and put the blades side by side. “Maybe I’ll keep them both. They could call me ‘Two-Blade Amelia.’”

I smiled. “It does have a ring to it.”

Goodbyes were said, hugs exchanged, and thanks expressed. Then I set off in my ridiculous gown and Reaper boots through the woods and back to Raggenborg.

#

At the castle, just as I knew they would, everyone watched me as I strode through the halls. Had they noticed my absence, or was it just that I was dressed in such rustic finery?

I found Eldrid hunched over a book. She looked up, frowned, and said, “Well, not only have you missed class, you’re here at the wrong time now. Come back tomorrow. If you can manage it.” Then she looked me up and down. “And what are you wearing?”

“Do you like it?” I said, doing a little half-curtsey and a spin to show it off. The skirts really did flair nicely!

“Do I like it? I’m neither your mother nor your friend, Aella. I have no opinion on the way you dress.”

Well, so much for that overture. “I’ll be on time tomorrow.”

“Good.”

“And I just wanted to say that…your teaching was helpful.” I turned and marched out before she could reply.

Keefe snagged me before I’d gone very far. “Wow, I heard you were dressed up, but this is…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Where did you go? Did you get married?”

“What? No! Why would you ask that?”

“The last thing we talked about was your imaginary boyfriend, so I thought maybe you’d found him.”

I grinned at his teasing. “You’d be my maid of honor, you know.”

“Where did you go?”

“Meet me at the waterfall tonight, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

I headed to my room, ready to be out of this ridiculous dress, but ran into Freya. She kept any surprise off her face. “Aella.”

“Freya.”

“I haven’t seen you in a few days. Your father was asking for you.”

Oh, crap. “I had some business to attend to. I mean, some studying. That is, some business studies.”

She nodded as if that explained it. “Well…good to see you. Andraste will be delighted for you to return to training.”

“I’ll be glad to see him too.” And that was true now more than ever. I missed that big lug!

“And…you look beautiful.” With that, she turned and walked off down the hall.

I went to my room, taking every last stair, delighting in the new feeling of the pretty, soft skirts as they danced around my legs as I climbed. I found that in my absence, Vikki had cleaned and arranged everything. At first, I thought I was in the wrong place, but no, it was my room. I pulled off the dress gently, even though the fabric was too thick to catch on my spine, and changed into training clothes and fresh armor. Then I went looking for Adonis. I’d never tell him that I was more afraid of facing him than I was a god.

It took a while, but I finally found him in conference with two other Reaper administrators on one of the castle’s many balconies. How anyone could get so involved in discussing politics escaped me. He finally noticed me, excused himself and came over, glowering.

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

“I was in the woods,” I said. “I had some thinking to do. I’m sorry if I worried you.”

“It smells like you have some bathing to do as well.”

The odor of Lurida Lumo still clung to me, at least to a Reaper’s sensitive nose. “I will, sir.”

I continued to gaze up at him. Behind his harshness, his disapproval, and his always-simmering anger, did I see affection? Had I always missed it because, until I saw the way Heod looked at Amelia, I never knew what it was supposed to look like?

“What?” he said with a frown.

“Nothing. Just…” And impulsively, I hugged him.

He was stiff and unmoving and made no effort to hug me back. But that was okay. I released him, turned, and walked away, back into my life, where I trained to be the guard of a future king I’d never met and dreamed of a boy with gentle lips who didn’t look away.

About the Authors

TARA CARDINAL grew up on a small farm in Indiana, the daughter of a psychic and a musician. Cardinal moved out on her own at age 16 and worked three jobs in order to initially support herself. She was discovered in a shopping mall and acted in her first movie in 2006. Tara frequently appears in horror and fantasy films and likes to perform her own stunts. Moreover, she has not only acted on stage, but also modeled for various comic book characters, performed at Renaissance Festivals, and even done live shows as a professional wrestler.