"You're such a monster. That werebear was right about you," she snarled. Then it dawned on her—Androx was right about Sev. Him? No, Sev is so sweet. Her Sephy was too good to be like this. He is not……
Deanna couldn't stop the tears from filling her eyes. She had to cover her mouth with her hands to keep from making any sound. What if the Ursine was right and Seph should be killed? The thought was enough to send her over the edge. She had felt the loneliness creeping back in, a loneliness that could only be eliminated by taking care of that cute little thing. Her imagination was ignited by images of Seif being strangled, then being stoned to death or beheaded. Each time, she imagined his lifeless body, his thin arms and legs, his lifeless eyes staring into something. This will be just. He's a little monster.
She didn't see the kick coming, and when it hit her it was enough to knock the air from her lungs and throw her five feet to the ground. Another invisible kick cracked her skull, and a white, blinding pain left her breathless and writhing.
"Cheer up, girl!" shouted Agun. The woman's voice penetrated the haze in her mind, almost waking her up. Aguna doesn't sound desperate or scared at all; instead, she sounds confident.
Deanna wiped the water from her eyes and stood up. At this moment, the wolf screeched
Came out of the house. His light illuminated everything and distracted the demon, who seemed completely entranced.
The little bird child flew to Aguun and shouted: "Mom, I saw Gabby! She is fine!"
"Of course, you little nuisance!" We need you to make light. Look at Deanna! "This is what happens if you run away like this." Aguna said, shaking her finger angrily at the little fairy. The fairy looked horrified when she saw Deanna's wound.
"We need daddy!" the fairy thought for a while and said.
"Stay here and light the fire, you nasty little bat!" Don't you think Mom can do tricks? Huh? asked Argon.
"Eat it," said the devil, staring at the wolf.
. He walked around Argen, ignoring her completely, and jumped up to catch the bird boy. Wolf Sca
With a scream that sounded a bit like an eagle's call, he barely managed to fly in time. The demon jumped a few more times, then screamed with fury. It was frothing at the mouth and slashing wildly around itself with its claws and tail, without any aim.
Deanna pushed away the last of the haze, ignoring the pain in her body, and ran up to the demon, killing him while he wasn't looking. But before she could reach him, Agun stepped forward gracefully, somehow avoiding the demon's claws and tail, and tapped the demon lightly on the shoulder. The woman said something that Deanna didn't understand, and a subtle force swept over her.
The demon immediately stopped moving, stood up straight, and looked around with confusion. He turned slowly and looked around. His mouth was open, showing his teeth, but there was no growl. The demon was completely stunned.
Aguna sighed heavily, then bent over, placing her hands on her knees, panting. Then she stood up again, nodded toward Deanna, pointed at the demon, and made a motion like pulling the head off a chicken.
Deanna didn't act immediately; for a moment, she considered whether she was ready to take another human's life. It doesn't take much thought, though; this isn't human. There is no love or kindness in him, only madness and viciousness, like the most ferocious beast. The feeling of his presence was enough to confirm it.
Aguun nodded more firmly towards the black figure, who looked around blankly, as if he didn't know where he was. He didn't even look like he was really seeing anything. It made him less scary. Deanna took a few deep breaths to center and balance her energy. Then she focused all her strength on her fist, what her father called the "stone punch," and started punching.
It has no connection. The demon instinctively stepped back, her punch dangling in the air. Their eyes met, and she saw awareness flash back to them. She had waited too long.
"Do it again!" she yelled desperately, throwing a few more punches; most of them hit, but none were solid enough to do damage. The demon regained consciousness and blocked her attack with a look of disgust on his face.
"It's not that easy!" Agun shouted, more angry than desperate.
"Anyway, do it!" Deanna replied. The demon turned to attack Agun, but Deanna used the opportunity to kick him right in the ribs, knocking him off balance and nearly knocking him over. He yelled at her, a wordless cry a baby might make.
He walked slowly towards her, his whole demeanor becoming more attentive, he crouched slightly, arms at the ready, his mouth wide open, showing his sharp teeth. She feinted a low kick and then tried to punch the demon in the jaw, hoping to knock him out, but he kept waiting for her.
He caught her fist with one arm, then stepped closer to her, picking her up before she could slip away. She jumped back, but he held on, and when he saw his opening, he bit her neck and twisted, trying to pull it away.
Only her training saved her. She instinctively tensed her neck, using all her strength from her skin to her muscles. All those years of being speared had its benefits after all.
The demon refused to let go, biting and twisting to tear her neck off. Deanna twisted and poked his hands and wrists, but she couldn't escape.
Aguna tiptoed over from behind, and like before, she patted the devil's face intently.
He froze and Deanna pushed him away. He fell backwards, hitting the back of his head hard on the frozen dirt, and Deanna felt a pop in her stomach.
Seeing the opportunity, she jumped up and landed on his forehead with her heel, right between the two corners, smashing his forehead into pieces. His head split open like a gourd.
She stepped back and shuffled in the snow, trying to get the blood away. He is dead and she is alive. She won... but it was also her first time killing someone. The remaining vitality in her body could not resist the sudden fatigue and dizziness; her legs lost the ability to support her, and she sat down heavily.
Agun stood above the demon, looking down at his broken body. Deanna frowned, whether out of disgust or pity. Aguna said: "No wonder Androx hates them. Can you imagine, girl? Imagine being a poor little soldier and having to face one of these things."
Sev...oh, my poor Sev...Deanna fought against the despair that crept into her chest. Will Seph turn into a monster? Is Androx right about him? It's unthinkable, but still...
For the first time since finding him, she was thinking that maybe she should get rid of him. Now that she knew, maybe it was best to get rid of Seph. He wasn't even her real son - just a child she chose to save. Maybe she should give him back and forget about him altogether. Many problems will be solved easily. She felt guilty just thinking about it, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. She loved him—she really did, and she was sure of it now more than ever—but the thought and the guilt that came with it lingered.
Deanna quickly stood up and rubbed her face so that Aguna wouldn't notice anything was wrong, because she didn't want to talk about it yet.
Aguna nodded, turned around and started walking, expecting Deanna to follow. She did it.
They came to the mud hut where Garbi and the slave traders were hiding. Agna looked at it for a moment, then knocked on the wooden door with her knuckles. "Hello?" she shouted. There was movement inside, but no one answered.
Deanna clapped her hands and said loudly: "There are people here, there are people here."
Aguna gave her a confused look, and Deanna calmly explained: "You can't knock on the tent."
"What?"
"My tribe lives in tents. You can't knock the tents. We applaud."
Aguun nodded sagely, and then said: "Okay, let's knock on the door." Then she suddenly became furious and shouted at the top of her voice: "If these and the sons of bitches don't open this door, pee my daughter If your rights are returned to me, I will demolish this house and beat them to death one by one!" 10 ! 9 ! 8 ! 7 !"
The door opened wide enough to push little Gabby out. Then the door slammed shut and Deanna heard the people inside holding it open. She felt herself smiling at its effect, and the dark clouds inside her began to lift. Just a little, but she definitely felt better.
Gabby's wrists were still bound. She looked groggy, her clothes were in disarray, and her blond hair was in desperate need of being tied into a bun, but Aguna hugged her tightly anyway. She lifted Gabby's feet off the ground and squeezed them together, the girl protesting and trying to break free.
"Mom, stop! Untie my hands first! This hurts! I can't breathe."
Aguun set her down with a chuckle and began to try to untie the rope.
Galbi stood on tiptoes, looked around, and asked, "Where is daddy?"
"He's looking for the kids. Deanna is here to save us."
"Why did he go to the kids instead of us? Where's Seff?" She sounded disappointed, or maybe unappreciated.
Deanna said: "Oh, it's not like that. He didn't send me to save you. He believed that Aguna could handle all this alone. He sent me to deliver a message to her."
Aguna stopped and tried to untie the rope, which was obviously tighter than it needed to be. "He's got a message? What's that?"
"He asked me to tell you not to get any ideas."
Deanna expected a reaction, but Aguin and Gabby only smiled briefly, half-heartedly, and looked away.
"What does he mean by that?" she asked. "What kind of idea?"
Gabby gave a mischievous giggle and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Dad thinks he has funny jokes, but he doesn't."
Aguna also had a happy smile on her face. She said, "Don't get any ideas! What a horrible person." Instead of, "I pray you are safe, my love" or "I swear I will have you back in my arms before dawn." No, he said, "Don't get any ideas!" "That bastard. He would know how much I think. "
"I have an idea too, Mom." Galbi laughed even harder. "I'm going to secretly pee in his wine"
Deanna didn't know how to react to such comments from an elegant little princess like Gabby, but Aguin roared and laughed and said, "How dare you, you little mouse! I'll drink too."
In Deanna's experience, the men would happily make rude jokes while the women would frown and complain, but she suspected Aguna had little regard for etiquette, and that was part of her charm. Who knows where Galbi learned his elegance and grace? It's a mystery.
Deanna had a free moment to wait, and she walked up to the wall of the house where the two men were hiding and punched them hard enough to punch through the wall. It knocked off a chunk the size of her torso. She glanced inside, and though it was dark inside, she looked at the people holding the door and said, "I've had enough of the peace. Come after me and my Sefi again, and I'll be like the monster that kills you." Kills you the same, just messier and slower. Then she spat into the room, snorted, turned and walked away.
She's Seffy. She said it almost without thinking. She can do this. She could keep him until the end. She could ignore those thoughts…
Once Aguna was satisfied that Galbi was mostly uninjured and ready to go, she picked up her pack from the horse's carcass, some tied to the shoulders and others to the waist, six in total; then she removed the saddle , turned out to be a piece of leather covering the blanket. She plopped the folded blanket into Gabby's arms and said, "Can you hold it?"
"It's not too heavy."
Deanna asked: "Have you found your mojo, Aguin?"
"They are in this box." Aguna said, patting one of her schoolbags. "It's underneath the other one and they look exactly the same. Oh, don't look at me like that! I'm not simple. I'm scared."
Deanna nodded at the unexpected admission and looked away, saying it was okay.
Soon Aguna, satisfied that she had collected everything she wanted to take with her, said: "It's time to go."
Deanna asked, "Would you like me to take a horse for a ride?" They had more of them somewhere. "
"That's a nice idea, but what do I feed it?" Let's go. "
Deanna nodded and walked out of the fort with them.
What on earth were those big wooden walls for? They were made of logs erected and tied tightly together, which seemed like a lot of work, especially in such frozen land where the wood was best used for fires to avoid freeze to death. Think about it, how could there be trees in the first place? Do they have no leaves?
On their way back to the gate, Agun asked Deanna to pick up a burning lantern, which made their way easier to find. Although it was dark and there were signs of people coming and going, only one person left bare footprints: Deanna. They can track it all the way to the campfire.
As they followed the sloping path back into the woods, Gabby and the wolf sc
Take a few steps ahead of them. The bird boy sat on her shoulders and against her neck, wrapped in Gabby's thick brown scarf, and they kept talking.
Will Sefi make a little friend? He needs one. It's not good to be alone. Maybe this will help him...he needs little kids around him to play with. Once or twice he tried to play pretend with her, but her heart wasn't in it. He was terribly disappointed, and she stayed up half the night feeling like she had let him down.
