Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) (9 page)

“Stay out of our affair's human, and we won't let the children cut you to pieces while you’re still living.” Jade hissed, looking at me and curling her lips back in a snarl.

“Now, see, I don’t give a damn what you say really, or do, for that matter, but do not threaten my sister.” Tom shifted. His voice came out sounding, cold and sinister; I wasn't used to it and felt the goose bumps on my arms forming.

Looking over at him, I noticed how he was smiling straight at Jade, and it wasn't a happy smile, it was one of those ones that made your blood run cold.
A smile
that he rarely sported
,
unless he really was pissed off and ready to kill someone with his bare hands. He'd only spoken and looked like that once, when someone mom brought home raised his hand to me.

“Bold humans aren’t they?” Jade's voice rang in an amused sounding laugh. “Fine! Kill them all! Spare no one! We will feast on their dead bodies tonight!”

Before I could even comprehend what was going on, dozens of bodies lunged towards us, shredding their flesh and turning into large cats. The teenagers that were with her ran forward carrying blades, and shouting their bloodlust for all to hear.

Dolphus let out an inhuman snarl, shredding his skin almost as they had, and turned into an actual wolf, with tan fur and bright yellow eyes. He grabbed one of the cats and threw it to the side as quickly as he could, just seconds before it'd been an inch from my face.

Felan's skin
rippled
and I heard the bones snapping. Her body shot up a good two feet, and she began to change into her Lycan form, throwing anyone who came within a foot of her to the side. I felt the pounding of my heart in my chest as I looked as chaos broke out within a few seconds.

I found Tom, looked over just as he ducked a boy who came charging towards him, turning he slammed his foot into the boys back and bringing it down onto his head. The boy fell to his knees, dropped his blade and was out cold. Tom grabbed the blade, looked back at me with a cool dead look in his eyes and swung at a boy who had come up behind me, knocking him down.

“Watch it, Raine.” He said, meeting my gaze.

I took note of what he said, and looked for Saphire quickly. I caught a glimpse of her for a moment; she yelled something I couldn't understand before she lunged at Jade, turning into her panther form mid jump. Jade's expression was full of panic for a moment. Then she flung Anna to the side to run towards Saphire while turning into a white
Bengal T
iger. I saw Anna fall to the ground, crying out for her mother to stop.

I looked away just in time to see a blade coming towards me, before it suddenly fell to the ground. The person that had been holding the blade lay in halves in front of Dolphus and one of the other Lycans. I thanked them quickly and grabbed the fallen sword. It was unfamiliar in my hand and weighed so much I was worried about using it.

Swinging it once I figured it was better than nothing, I needed the protection. Dead bodies littered the ground around me as I sprinted toward Anna, dodging the mangled bodies that were falling as people fought. I dodged one of the cats that came flying by, and heard it meeting its death soon after by the hands of Dolphus, Eyloff or someone else.

Careful not to be seen or heard I made it up to Anna and grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away from the fight. I ignored the screams and kicking as I pulled her aside, until I was sure we were far enough back to safely talk to her.

“I’m not going to hurt you!” I said to her calmly while tightening my grip on her as she struggled against me.

“Mom!” She screamed as loudly as she could, kicking her leg against my own. “You can’t leave her like that! She’ll die!”

I let my head tilt down, looking sadly at Anna. “She wants you safe, Please Anna.”

I felt the hot splatter of her tears against my arm as she began to sob. “She’ll die! She can’t die!”

I pulled the small girl against my chest, holding her there to try to shield her from the massacre as well as to comfort her. I looked for Tom, remembering that he was out in that mess. I was relieved when I spotted him charging towards us, a blood-drenched blade in hand. His face was emotionless and covered with blood and dirt.

“You ok?” He managed to ask as soon as he was close enough to make sure we heard him.

Nodding my head, I looked down at Anna, then back at him, giving him a look over. “I’m alright, what about you? Are you hurt?” 

He looked at me for a moment and then began to move his arm around in a circle, wincing from it as he shook his head. “I’m fine.” Turning his head, he looked over at Anna, and I saw his expression change. He looked so sad; he moved closer to her, and I let Anna go, watching as he talked to her in a hushed voice, trying to calm her down.

He was using his body as a shield as he stood there, and I saw her nodding and muttering back to him. She seemed at ease with him, and that was good enough for me. I moved to look at the battle.

I looked in pure horror at the scene behind him; I spotted a black panther running quickly from a tiger. The tiger lunged and knocked the panther to the side, making it yowl loudly and struggle to stand up. The tiger started moving closer.

“Saphire.” Whispering to myself, I covered my mouth and watched.

Jumping up, I charged and ignored Tom as he yelled out his protests. I kept going, gripping the sword I'd picked up earlier tightly in my hand. Don't be too late Raine, don't be, don't, don't, don't… I thought to myself as I got to Saphire, jumping forward.

The tiger's paw was about to come down, claws out at full length.  I swung the sword in my hand out of sheer reaction, slashing it at her paw. I watched the small beads of blood as they started to well up in a large cut, Jade let out a snarl and started pacing back and
forth
in front of me.

I stared at her intently. My breath was coming quicker than normal, but I didn't care; I was too worried about this. A growl erupted from her, and she started slinking forward again. I could feel my heart hammering so hard I thought it was lodged in my throat.

My right arm slashed out again, this time it swiped across Jade's face; she roared in anger, and I wanted to cover my ears. Then she lunged at me. I lifted my arms up as fast as I could to try to cover my face, the sword was pointed out away from me, and I let out a scream.

Man, I really didn't think this whole thing out that well. If I died, I would come back just to laugh at how pathetic this was.

I felt the blade of my sword sinking into something, and warmth started to flow down my arm. Jade made a st
rangled noise as she fell on me
completely limp and pinning me underneath her. The warmth I had felt only seemed to grow I laid there, then I realized the pain I was in, and was starting to wonder if I was bleeding or her.

“Raine!” I heard the shout, but I couldn't tell who was shouting my name. I thought I saw something large and black move in the little vision I had, and then leave again in the same moment.

I started to shove at Jade's body as hard as I could, until the pain from my right arm stopped me in my tracks. It shot up from my shoulder into my wrist, and I let both of my arms quickly drop. Then I felt the pain that radiated throughout my body, everywhere all at once. There was a swelling pain in my chest, and my right leg.

I ground my teeth together before biting down on my cheek to keep from crying out in pain. I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes, and I started to take in harsh breaths from the agony I felt. I seriously, needed to come up with better ideas after this. I started trying to find a way out, and saw only fur and trees, with a bit of blue sky.

‘Shit, shit, shit.’ I thought rapidly, squeezing my eyes shut. ‘Not good.’

When I opened my eyes again, Dolphus and Eyloff had appeared in my vision. Jade's dead body was being lifted off of me, and then Lupus stood above me bloodied and beaten, but in his human form with clothes. Dolphus came back, smiling weakly down at me before then lifting me and moving me off to the side. I heard the thump of Jade's dead body being tossed away.

When I looked around I saw Tom glaring down at me. Yeah he was pissed off at me for what I did, but I bet he was happier that I was still alive. Hell, I was happy that I was still alive. I wanted to get up and shout my happiness, but I could barely breathe.

Sitting up as slowly as I could manage, I winced a few times from the pain in my arm. There was probably a really bad bruise or cracked rip in my chest, but it didn't hurt that bad now. I could ignore it actually. “Saphire, where is she?” It was the first thing out of my mouth, and I got some weird looks for it, but I didn't care. I wanted to know, and I damn well was going to be told.

“I’m here,” I saw her limp over to me, her left arm dangling uselessly at her side. You could barely see her skin under all the blood she was covered in, but I was glad to see her alive. “You saved me, why would you, why would you risk yourself like that?” Shaking her head, she smiled at me slowly.

“Because, you were hurt, and Anna needs you, and Jade would’ve killed you.” I told her before looking over at Anna, who was now next to her mother hugging her leg without hurting her.

“I-” Saphire looked at me with a look that I wasn't sure how to describe. It was sadness, mixed with happiness. I was going to hope it was happiness though, more than anything. “Thank you; you don’t know how grateful I am.”

I nodded my head slowly, unsure of what to say. I looked over watching as Lupus walk up to her, fully clothed and covered in blood with visible bruises on his face and arms. He lightly tapped her arm and then apologized when she turned, hissing in pain.

“General, if you don’t mind,” Lupus licked his cracked lips, and swallowed before he continued. “I’m going to stay back, help them; they need it right now.”

“Oh no! I don’t ne-” Saphire started, then she cringed away from Lupus due to the look he was giving her.

“Your arm is broken. That's clearly visible. You've got slashes from head to toe; you can barely walk on your right leg. You need it.” He sighed deeply, shaking his head at her before he looked over at Anna, nodding towards her. “At
least take the help until you heal and can take care of your child.”

Eyloff looked like he was having a battle with himself, then it changed to looking as if he was about to burst at the seams. It was like he wanted to drag Lupus away, kicking and screaming if he had to, and leave them on their own. Instead, he only nodded his head and looked away. “Fine.”

Anna looked up at Lupus with a wide eyed stare, and then to her mother. Saphire only nodded to him as he leaned down and ripped a shirt from a dead body that was so mangled you couldn't tell what they'd looked like before.

Examining it for a long moment as if making sure it was clean, he then started to shred it and looked back at Saphire. She recoiled a bit, and he laughed at her before walking back to her and saying something I couldn't even here.

“We need to get to the stables. They're not far, and we can mend better there.” Eyloff announced, looking to Tom. “Can you walk?” I noticed that his gaze had turned, and he was looking straight at me.

“Yes I believe so.” I muttered knowing he could hear me. I started to push myself up slowly. Dolphus put an arm underneath mine to help steady me; I looked down and saw the white linen of his shirt had started to turn to a deep crimson color from a cut I hadn't even noticed.