Echoes

Chapter 19

"Shae!" I called over the crowd.

She looked up. If she was surprised, happy, or angry, she didn't show it. I pushed forward until I was at her side.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," she said, directing a mother and her baby to the door downstairs.

"Well, Sanus wasn't particularly eager to let me out of the house," I replied. "But the leader of the Winoan Council needs her personal guard, right?"

"Of course," she answered.

"Shouldn't you be out of harm's way?" I asked, dodging a panicked man.

"My duty is to my city," she responded. "It always has been, always will be."

"But you're their leader," I said.

"And leading I am. They need to know that their leader puts her people first and does not run from danger."

The bells continued to toll in threes, smoke now rising from the outer stretches of the city. Suddenly, a man on a horse approached the front doors.

"Shae, please," Sanus called. "Get out of trouble, will you?"

"Sanus, calm down. I'll go downstairs when I know my people are safe," Shae said.

Sanus sighed, then noticed me. "Why are you here?"

"I'm Shae's guard, it's kind of what I do," I answered. "How many Beasts are there?"

"Hard to tell so far, but at least five, more than usual," Sanus replied.

"Do we know why?" I asked.

"I have a theory," Sanus said through his teeth, staring at me.

I racked my brain, trying to figure out what he meant. Then it dawned on me. I smacked my forehead.

"This is my fault," I mumbled. "The blood on the hill, when I hit my head on the rock. Goddess, I'm an idiot."

"We'll worry about that later. For now, please try to convince Shae to find shelter. I don't want her getting hurt," Sanus said, before riding off.

I raised an eyebrow at Shae. "He really cares for you, riding here personally to make sure you were safe."

"Well of course he does," Shae said. "We're bethrothed."

I nearly choked. "What?"

Shae stared at me, confused by my reaction.

"He's so much older than you though," I stammered.

"Not really," she replied. "Only by about fifteen years or so."

"That's a lot where I'm from. Why isn't he already married?"

"He was once, but that's not important. The stream of civilians is slowing down," She said, changing the subject.

"OK, well then let's get you down st-"

I was cut off by a fireball landing in the center of the piazza. People screamed and pushed into the Cathedral. The remaining Guardsmen in the area readied their weapons. Shae backed up behind me.

Silence.

Then an ear-splitting screech. Just across the clearing, a Beast emerged from behind the roof of a building, hissing loudly. Before anyone could move, another barreled out from one of the side street. They screeched in unison, crawling forward on their spidery limbs, skirting around the fire blazing in the center of the piazza.

In total, there were about a dozen Guardsmen, myself and Shae, and the last of the civilians, running for their lives into homes, down streets, and into the Cathedral. Directly across from the Cathedral, a handful of Guardsmen appeared, running towards the piazza. They slowed at the sight of the two Beasts circling the fire and scanning the crowd. I squinted and realized it was Charl leading the Guardsmen across the way.

"Don't move," Shae whispered over my shoulder. "They're blind and rely on sound and smell. They already smell you. If they hear you, we'll both be dead."

My hand tightened around the hilt of my dagger. I tried to slow my breathing, but panic had washed over me.

One of the Beasts approached the Cathedral, its claws scraping against the cobblestone. Shae grabbed my arm tightly. I could hear both of our heartbeats. And apparently so could the Beast.

It hissed and charged straight for the front doors. The Guardsmen outside fired arrows into its chest, but it was no use. The Beast barreled forward, batting aside two Guardsmen like they were nothing.

"Hey!" A voice called from across the piazza.

The Beast stopped and spun around. Charl was standing next to the fireball, holding a torch in one hand and his sword in the other. The other Beast crept closer to the fire, but still kept a good distance way, pacing back and forth. For better or worse, Charl now had the attention of both Beasts.

I lunged forward, but Shae tighten her grip on my arm and pulled me back. She shook her head, her eyes both afraid and full of tears. I stared helplessly as Charl struggled to keep their attention. I caught his eyes, his face so full of fear. I shook my head, a silent plea for him to stop. He sent me a small smile as he stepped forward. I bit my lip, trying not to scream.

As soon as he was far enough from the fire, the Beasts lunged forward. Charl, scrambled back to the fire. The Beasts were too slow to turn around, and they, with Charl were consumed by the fire right before my eyes.