The Raven's Source

Chapter 44 - Danger in the Woods

Jhon stepped right up into Sheja's space and hooked his heel behind Sheja's foot, causing her to topple backwards. He leaned over her with a grin. "I've broken you before, I'll break you again," he growled. "Let's see, shall we start here? Does this still bother you?" he asked as he leaned over and roughly grabbed Sheja's shoulder. He grinned widely as she let out a yell of pain.

Leena had woken up and was starting to sit herself up. She saw Jhonnis standing over Sheja and she panicked. "Sheja!"

"Stay back!" Sheja cried, struggling against the fingers buried deep into her shoulder. Just like she had done to both Twyn and Salashai, she managed to swing her feet up and grab her father by his sides as he was leaned over, pulling him backwards and slamming him on his backside as hard as possible down onto the ground. She quickly scrambled to her feet, one hand reaching up to her shoulder which now throbbed continuously from how hard he had grabbed her.

Jhonnis laughed loudly as he sat up. Just as he started to get back to his feet, he noticed Sheja coming at him again. He grinned. "You got a good stab on me earlier because you had help. You're all by yourself out here though, child."

Just as she swung her blade at him again, he vanished. Sheja toppled forward, having expected to hit him but there was suddenly nothing there to catch herself on. As she started to stand up straight again, she let out an agonizing cry as something hard suddenly slammed into her shoulder and forced her the rest of the way to the ground once more.

He laughed after using the flat side of his sword as a bat and watched as his daughter writhed in pain in the dirt. He turned and looked at Leena as Sheja cried and panted audibly. "I should dispatch you and your vermin while she tries to regain herself. It would be less hassle for me," he said, starting towards her. "Plus, it'll be easier on you because then you won't have to watch me kill her. Again."

"You stay away from her!" Sheja yelled through gritted teeth, trying to push herself up with only one arm as she tried to pull herself together. She was very clearly suffering.

"Stay down if you know what's best for you," he said, turning back to his daughter one more time and kicking the flat of his boot into the shoulder he had just no doubt shattered again.

"Sheja!" Leena cried as her wife let out another anguished cry and fell back into the dirt again, landing several feet back.

Jhonnis turned again on Leena. With the sword in one hand, he started to pull Leena to her feet with his other, Leena letting out protests as he grabbed her roughly. "I know you're due any time now, but the only way I'm going to allow those cursed children to meet the light of day is if I slash them out of you and bleed you three dry, right now!"

"Let me go!" she yelled loudly. Before he could get her all the way to her feet, she let out a piercing yell and her body exploded into flames, forcing him to jump back from her and she once again fell back to her hands and knees. As the ground around her burned and forced him back further, she wished she knew how to protect Sheja. She couldn't get to her feet to close the distance between herself and her wife.

A ball of water began to form in Jhonnis' hand and he grinned. "You know, I could cause all these flames to turn my water to vapor and you'll just suffocate on the vapors. That works too."

Suddenly Leena remembered Rosalie hitting her with water the first day they were in Saorsa. Her eyes went wide as he was about to douse her.

"Don't touch her!" Sheja growled as she quickly forced herself to her feet and lunged at him again.

Jhonnis let out an annoyed sighed and the water around his hand vanished. This time as he Voidstepped, he managed to grab Sheja's arm and swing her into a tree. He laughed as Sheja let out another cry as he had aimed her broken side first. "That's three. How much more damage do you think your shoulder can take before it's irreparable?" He gave a booming laugh, "Oh, that's right! I'm going to kill you and make sure you're dead, so it makes peanuts for a difference!"