With a thundering boom, Zephyr was jolted out of the land of dreams by the storm that continued relentlessly outside. Groggy from sleep, she sat up in her bed and rubbed her temples. She could feel the beginnings of a headache setting in, no doubt a side effect of having cried herself to sleep. Judging by how tired she still felt, Zephyr concluded that she couldn't have been sleeping more than an hour or two. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips, knowing now that she was awake falling asleep again would be difficult. She needed to be up early to open the shop though, so laying back and aggravatedly pulling her blankets up to her chin, Zephyr squeezed her eyes shut in protest of her already functioning brain. She turned from side to side, onto her stomach, and finally back to facing the ceiling, resigning herself after ten minutes to the fact that she was not going to fall back asleep.
Throwing her blanket aside, she placed her bare feet on the cold floor and began to stand up. Maybe a snack would help induce sleep. Suddenly another boom rang through her walls, but this time it sounded nothing like the thunder of the storm raging outside. Zephyr went still as she realized that this new thunder was the glass of the storefront window shattering. She doubted that the storm had become violent enough to destroy the large window. It must be a break in. Zephyr felt her fingertips go cold, tingling with nervousness.
Suddenly glad that she was fully awake, Zephyr began to slowly creep toward her bedroom door, not sure what she would do when facing whoever was breaking in. Surely the clamor had also roused Agitha. Reaching for the handle of her door, Zephyr was abruptly thrown backwards when the door swung open with tremendous force, smashing into her and casting her to the floor. A soldier barrelled through into her room and immediately began to toss furniture aside.
"This is the place, we just have to find her!," the soldier shouted over his shoulder as he ripped open the door of Zephyr's closet and began searching inside. Zephyr was too frightened to know what she should do. Frozen where she lay sprawled on her floor, she watched in disbelief as the soldier tore apart her room. She heard another soldier, from inside the bookshop yell back something about letting the others know. Realizing that more attackers would be arriving, possibly soon, Zephyr was stirred from her paralyzing shock and began to lift herself from the floor, trying to make her way out of the room without attracting the soldier's notice. As she stood though, the soldier turned and, realizing that she was trying to escape, he seized her arms, jerking her close.
"Where is she?," he snarled, their faces inches apart. "Where is Agitha?" Zephyr began to shake, the tingling in her fingers spreading into her hands and up her arms, still grasped by the vile man before her.
"What's going on...I...I don't understand why...why you're doing this!," Zephyr stammered, cringing from the pain the soldier was causing as he crushed her thin arms in his sizeable hands.
"Tell me where she is!," he roared, tightening his grip on her. The pain forced a small whimper to spill from Zephyr's trembling lips. She began to think that her arms would break under the pressure of his grasp when suddenly the soldier's eyes went wide, his grip loosening enough for Zephyr to wrench herself away from him. As she pulled away, backing toward her door, she slammed into someone else. Twirling around and expecting to find another soldier, relief flooded over her as Agitha pulled her into a quick embrace.
"Oh darling, I'm so glad you're ok," Agitha said gently, pulled the younger woman in for a quick embrace. "I need you to focus though. We have to get out of here as quickly as possible. More soldiers will be here any second, and we need to be gone." She pushed a bag into Zephyr's arms. Still in shock, Zephyr couldn't find the words to respond. She remembered the soldier on the other side of the room and quickly looked over to where he was standing. Still wide eyed, he was holding his head with one hand and frantically looking around the room, not seeming to notice the two women standing just a few feet away. Zephyr turned back to face Agitha.
"What's wrong with him, why did he stop?," she questioned, her voice a mere tremble, as she tightened her grasp on the bag Agitha had handed her.
"Zephyr, not now, I promise I will explain everything to you later." Agitha looked more scared than Zephyr had ever seen her, but she was still much more calm and composed than Zephyr was at the moment, her voice strong and commanding despite the fear in her eyes. Zephyr nodded at Agitha and allowed herself to be herded out of the room, toward the back door. She desperately wanted Agitha to explain what was happening. Why she had been assaulted by a soldier? What was happening to him?
As they rounded the hallway corner, another soldier appeared in their way. He made as if to run towards them, but had barely taken a step in their direction when he came under the same mysterious alteration as the first soldier back in Zephyr's room. Zephyr looked at Agitha and saw a look of deep concentration on the older woman's face, accompanied by such intensity in her eyes that Zephyr's shuddered. She was now convinced that Agitha had done something to both of the soldiers, but what? Could Agitha be Gifted?
The realization of this would have stopped Zephyr dead in her tracks had Agitha not been firmly grasping her wrist as they desperately raced through their home. As much as she wanted to dwell on this fresh revelation, Zephyr forced herself to focus on escaping the brutal men who were after them. They had just reached the door that led from their kitchen to the darkened alley behind Agitha's shop when suddenly Zephyr was wrenched backwards, torn from Agitha's grip. She let out a startled yelp that caused Agitha to turn back, just in time to see a new soldier put a knife to Zephyr's throat. Agitha started back toward Zephyr but stopped short when the soldier added just enough pressure to his knife to draw blood. Zephyr could feel warm drops begin to run down her neck as several other pairs of boots could be heard storming into the room behind her.
"Now Miss Agitha, we're going to need you to come with us nice and quiet, that way this pretty little thing doesn't get hurt," coaxed the soldier holding Zephyr, his liquor soaked breath hot on her cheek. Zephyr looked desperately at Agitha, longing for her to have a way out of this situation.
For several seconds it seemed as though Zephyr's hope had been realized, Agitha's face showing the same signs of focus and determination as it had when she had overcome the soldier in the hallway. After mere moments however, Agitha's eyes widened into a look of utter fear and heartbreak. The woman began to walk toward the soldier holding Zephyr, his grip loosening as he realized what was happening.
"I'll go with you, but please let her go first," said Agitha, her voice solid and strong, contrasting with the fear masking her face and her shaking hands. As Agitha closed the distance between herself and the soldiers, the one grasping Zephyr pushed her away, hard enough to cause the girl to stumble into the kitchen table and drop the bag she had been gripping. Zephyr turned quickly, noting five additional soldiers in the room. Realizing that Agitha really was turning herself over to the soldiers, Zephyr could feel the fear that had been tingling up her arms settle into her chest. Her head throbbed and her pulse shuddered throughout her entire body. She wanted to react, to help in some way, but she was stuck grasping the table, afraid to move lest the soldiers attack Agitha. Tears began to sting her eyes as she looked at her guardian. After just a moment, Agitha's face softened and she even smiled slightly at Zephyr.
"Darling, I love you as deeply as if you are my own. Let no one take you lightly," Agitha said gently, with damp eyes, a smile still playing on her lips. Zephyr's own tears spilled onto her cheeks as she finally found the strength to move. As she began to step toward her caretaker, Agitha turned to follow the soldiers out of the room. The older woman held her head high as she walked in front of the men, into her book shop. Zephyr rushed forward to follow, but was held back by one of the burly men. She struggled to break free of his grip as she watched Agitha willingly hand herself over to the soldiers. Zephyr didn't understand. Why hadn't Agitha been able to stop these soldiers as easily as the first two? Why was she giving up so easily? She ached to do something, anything to help the woman who was the closest thing she had ever had to a mother. She felt as though her head would explode at any moment, throbbing with a pain that darkened the edges of her vision. The tingling in her arms and hands became a burning sensation that she could no longer ignore. Zephyr continued to struggle against the soldier restraining her, throwing her entire weight into an elbow that she sent crashing into the man's nose. Her effort paid off; the soldier lost his grip on her as he covered his face with his hands, blood already dripping from his chin.
Zephyr once again started after Agitha and the other soldiers, who had almost reached the front door. She burst into the shop just in time to see the soldier behind Agitha pull his sword from his sheath. Zephyr stopped dead in her tracks.
"Agitha, run!" she screamed. Instead of running though, the woman turned around just in time for the soldier's sword to pierce her abdomen as Zephyr watched. Time seemed to stop as Zephyr let out a wordless cry. Needing desperately to reach Agitha, Zephyr was unable to form any thoughts, unable to feel anything other than the pain that finally peaked in her head and seemed to erupt, the burning in her arms unleashed from her body as she looked into the amused eyes of Agitha's assailant. Though the men were moving and shouting, Zephyr heard nothing but the sound of wind from the storm coming in through the shattered front window and rushing past her ears. She was aware of the men moving toward her, but her fear was suddenly gone. A feeling of unadulterated hatred for these men who were trying to steal away her only family.
As one of the soldiers reached out to grab her, Zephyr felt a burst of pure energy tear through her entire body, the pain in her head vanishing completely, replaced with a euphoric sensation. The attacking soldier's hand was mere inches from her throat when he suddenly stumbled. For a moment, confusion showed on his face, and was mirrored on the faces of the other soldiers in the room. Then, as he and the others realized what was happening, their eyes widened in fear and anguish, their hands reaching up to grasp their own throats.
Zephyr could feel waves of energy coursing through her, and could still hear wind roaring past her ears. Only now, the air streaming through the room was not only coming from the window. Although she didn't understand how it was happening, Zephyr could feel herself pulling the air away from the soldiers, reaching down into their lungs and ripping their breath away. She channeled every ounce of anger, hatred, and grief she felt into making sure the soldiers would never find the relief they were gasping for.
One by one the men sank to their knees, faces reddening as they began to convulse on the floor of the book shop. After several minutes, when the last soldier lay silent and still, Zephyr felt the energy that had been powering her release and slumped against the counter, suddenly feeling weak and nauseated. Refusing to let the sudden lack of strength overpower her, Zephyr hurried over to where Agitha was now laying still on the floor. Zephyr could see before she had even reached the woman that the situation was hopeless, but she slumped down next to her caretaker, trying desperately to revive her. Zephyr hugged Agitha, whose lips had begun to lose their bright pink color after just a few minutes. The young woman began to weep silently, rocking Agitha in her arms. She knew Agitha would want her to run, to get away from this place that had once been a safe haven, but had now been turned into a hell. Zephyr didn't want Agitha's sacrifice to have been made in vain, but she couldn't bring herself to get up, to leave the woman who had been her family for as long as she could remember. Zephyr didn't know how long she had been crying over Agitha's body when she heard the voices outside.
"Agitha!," a desperate voice cried out, close to the shop. Zephyr was finally startled out of her anguished stupor. She quickly rose, her tunic now soaked through with the blood of the woman lying on the floor. Heart racing, she took one last look at Agitha, and steeling herself, turned to run to the kitchen, grab the bags Agitha had packed and sneak away through the back alley. Before she could get out of the shop though, two more soldiers burst in. Two soldiers that Zephyr recognized.
Jasper and Bennet saw Zephyr, both taking note of her bloody state, then looked around the room. Jasper's eyes landed on Agitha, and he sank to his knees next to the older woman. Feeling for her pulse, his face sank in distress and he looked up to his friend.
"We're too late." Jasoer's voice aches with sorrow. Zephyr could feel rage once again heating her body, her fingers once again beginning to tingle.
"You're too late? Too late for what? To make the kill?" Zephyr voice rose with each question. She could feel herself beginning to pull the air toward herself once again.
"No!," Jasper cried as he stood and began to rush toward Zephyr. She backed away from him into the kitchen, grabbing a knife from the counter as she did. She held it in front of herself when he was just a few steps away. Bennet followed him into the room.
"We were trying to get her before the others found her, trying to warn you so that you could get away," Jasper continued, with such pity and sadness in his eyes that Zephyr began to believe him. "I'm so sorry Zephyr, I'm sorry we couldn't get here quick enough."
Zephyr looked past Jasper to his friend, who confirmed what he was saying with a quick nod, then dropped his eyes to the floor. Zephyr was unsure of what she should do. She wanted to trust these men, but she had no reason to other than their word, and that wasn't enough. She had few resources now though, and if she could trust Jasper and Bennet, they could be valuable companions in helping her get away from the attackers, more of whom could arrive at any moment. Not having any time to spare, Zephyr made a decision based on the discovery of her newfound Gift, trusting that if Jasper was lying and tried to hurt her, she could, hopefully, defend herself. She lowered the knife.
"Are you going to help me?" she asked the men. Jasper looked back at Bennet for a moment, as if to make sure they were in agreement, then turned back to face Zephyr.
"Yes, of course. In coming to warn you we have already relinquished our positions in the army," said Jasper.
"I want nothing to do with men who would kill an innocent woman, or a queen who would condone it," Bennet chimed in, finally stepping forward and looking Zephyr in the eye. "But I have to ask, what did you do to the men in there?" Bennet pointed over his shoulder to the soldiers lying motionless on the floor of the shop. Zephyr felt her pulse quicken as realization of what she had done finally set in.
"I'm not entirely sure yet," she answered quietly, "but we don't have time to figure it out now." She picked up the two bags off of the kitchen floor and handed one to Jasper, then continued. "We can try to sneak out through the back door here. It leads into an alley." The men nodded.
"Hopefully the storm will help us to get out of town unnoticed," added Jasper. Zephyr led them through the kitchen, grabbing her cloak hanging from a hook next to the back door. She quickly put it on and then turned back around to face the men.
"Thank you for trying to save her," she said, meaning every word. "And thank you for helping me." Jasper once again nodded, and Bennet smiled at her. Zephyr looked past them, through the kitchen and into the shop where Agitha lay. Forcing the tears building in her eyes back down, she remembered Agitha's last words to her. Let no one take you lightly, she had said. Those words were what finally helped Zephyr to tear her eyes away from the still body lying on the cold, hard floor. She turned around. Pulling open the door to the alley and whatever else lay in wait for her out there, she repeated Agitha's words to herself.
I will let no one take me lightly, not again, she thought, stepping into the alleyway.