Starting Life From Zero: Far From Home

Chapter Forty-Six

Something in the air changed.

Rem felt the sharp sting of it in her chest, the weight of the atmosphere around her became oppressive. Still she pressed on, running alongside the row of Ground Dragon carriages as they broke off from the road to steer into the grass following Crusch's orders. As she moved, she held tight to Meili, when there was enough distance between herself and the two Witch Cultists she could stop to tuck the young girl into one of the carriages and go back to help.

Wind whipped past her face, pushing at her powder blue hair. Just as they neared the tail end of the convoy where the pieces of the White Whale had been loaded onto flatbed wagons, Meili started to kick and scream, shouting to go back.

When Rem glanced over her shoulder she spotted Steve down on his knees, struggling to stay kneeling before toppling onto his side. Rem froze, turning to the side to watch what was happening, to see where the thin tan skinned child that had been after them had gotten to. It was then that Meili wriggled free, dropping to the ground to hand on her butt.

The smaller of the two Witch Cultists appeared near them, lunging toward Rem to dig one of his daggers into the back of Rem's shoulder and tackling her to the ground. The two of them rolled over, tussling and fighting. Rem ripped the knife from her where it jutted out of her body and flung it aside. Her glowing red horn grew from the middle of her forehead, there wasn't much mana left that she could force through her gate to cast spells at this point.

If she tried and failed, there was a chance it could kill her immediately. There was no chance that the little bit of magic she could muster wouldn't be enough to stop either of these two. Rem rolled to shake the cultist free, only to hear Meili scream until her voice went hoarse.

"Get away from her!" Meili had picked up the cultist knife, clutching it in both of her small hands and dove on the boy. He was slightly smaller than even her and his being distracted by Rem gave Meili the opening to sink the knife into the meat of his leg. The boy let out a horrendous howl and kicked Meili in her chest, sending her bouncing across the grass.

"Run! Get out of here!" Rem shouted.

Meili climbed to her feet, her stance wide as if she were ready to fight. A trickle of blood running down from her right nostril and flowing off to the side of her lip. "No, Elsa wouldn't run, Momma wouldn't want me to run and I'm bigger than this vagabond trash. Meili Portroute doesn't run from a fight she can win!"

Meili jumped onto the boys back, wrapping her arms around his neck to pry him off Rem. She managed to get him away from Rem and pull him into the grass, though the element of surprise in Meili's favor wore off. The boy forced her to the ground holding her at the next as dragged his tongue up the side of her face, from her chin to just at the hairline. The disgust at the action seemed to cause Meili to freeze up and scream.

Just as Rem moved to help the girl, she watched as the cultist raised his left hand and licked his palm as he muttered something under his breath. Meili fell silent at that causing Rem's legs to lock up.

"Amazing, exquisite! Such a succulent, bountiful feast!" the boy flung his hands out to his sides theatrically.

A kukri flipped through the air, catching the boy in the eye and sending him careening off of the girl. Rem glanced up to see Elsa racing toward them, brandishing multiple knives in her hands, her dress in tatters from all of the damage she had sustained and maddened look in her eyes. Seemingly she was worried about the fate of this young girl.

Rem peered at the girls vacant face, her eyes the young girl lay with her eyes closed on her back, arms flattened on the ground. She thought, maybe, that she had watched this girl struggle with the boy who attacked her, but she couldn't remember. It was as if she had never laid eyes upon the girl in her life and she had no idea where she had come from or how it was she could have ended up there.