Children of Night and Snow

47. What Is The Price For A Life?

I clutched the little pouch close to my chest for the next 48 hours during which we were stuck in our shelter listening to the horrors taking place above our heads. As the rogue invasion of Duskfall progressed, we could hear less battle cries and more horrified screams of those who either failed to take shelter or were found. I didn't even want to think about what was happening to these people. What could possibly happen to us if we were found. Even others were no longer as calm and casual as they all were when this all went down at first. Seeing them that way only made me feel worse, but neither of us said anything. Not just because we didn't want to voice our fears out loud, but also because it was better to not be heard. Last thing we needed was for someone to hear us and dig through what now likely was just burnt ruins of our home to find us. Even if guys were confident the seal would hold, it was still an experience we were more than willing to pass on.

Finally, on the third day, the screams and cries were replaced by haunting silence. Not even the usual loud howls of the wind could be heard. It was like everything outside went still. Nolan and Aaron were dozing off while I was too wide awake listening intently to what was going on and Az was reading a book which he hid somewhere in this place before it all went down. Yet, the utter silence brought him from his focus and he looked at me and then at his brother and my boyfriend, who both seemed sound asleep.

"We should go check," he stated as he got up and walked over to the entrance.

"Okay," I didn't object despite not feeling good about this whatsoever. I didn't like the silence. It was too quiet. And I didn't like leaving Nolan here without saying a word even more. But Az clearly didn't think waking them up was necessary because he asked me of all people to come along.

He slowly lifted the heavy lid of the basement entrance above us and a bit of ash flew in. For a second I thought he may not be able to open it all the way since the door seemed stuck under the debris of our house, but in the end he pushed it up with a loud creak and reached out to me to give me a hand in climbing up. I hesitated for a second, giving Nolan one last look before I grabbed my coat and took Az' hand.

First thing that hit me was the freezing air. There was no roof above where we stood anymore. No cozy living room, no couch, nothing. Just a pile of ash and ruin. I tried not to think about it, about what it meant for us. I didn't want to know. This was a second home I have lost in less than a year. Thinking about it would shatter my heart into pieces once again and I had no time for that now. Instead I followed Az down the path towards the city centre. The snow beneath our feet was stained in mud and blood. The falling snow mixed with ash as it landed on our clothes. The entire area surrounding our place was leveled to the ground. I could see the bodies as well. So many dead. My brain couldn't even comprehend it all. Az stopped to observe a few bodies, observe things, likely trying to determine if we were now safe, if the uprising was truly over. I just mindlessly followed him, unable to do anything else.

"I don't like this, Az. It's too quiet here," I finally voiced my concerns when we reached an abandoned town's square without encountering a living person.

"Yeah," he replied. "Let's go back. We need a plan," he added. I nodded and we both turned around to return when his gaze got stuck on the horizon and he frowned.

"Freya, I hope you have your daggers," he said and before I could ask why, I saw it. There were ten of them. I even recognized some of their faces. The rogues from the tunnels surrounded us before we had a chance to run. I've felt fear so many times since I left Moonvalley. Yet this time was somehow even worse. I wasn't ready for open combat. I was a dead weight, paralyzed with fear. And the thought of that, of bringing Az down only made me feel worse. What were we going to do?!

Being surrounded, we stood there with our backs towards each other. If I were an equal partner, this stance would be great, but I really wasn't. I pulled my dagger out and did my best not to shake as I stared down what I was convinced would be my death. And then two things happened. First Az somehow found and squeezed my hand, his touch bringing me back into reality, grounding me. I wasn't alone. He was a ridiculously skilled fighter. I knew some stuff and I had weapons. And most importantly I really wanted to live.

The second thing was a very familiar face of a woman I once naively trusted with my life, when I followed her into the tunnels and shared my food with her only for her to sell me out for a few coins and a blanket. She couldn't see my eyes which were hidden by the hood I wore. And even if she did, she probably wouldn't recognize me. I was so very different from that dying girl she sold to Devan five months ago. To her I was likely long dead. Did she even remember me? Did she remember what she did to me? Or was I just one of many?

Suddenly my fear was replaced with anger. I wasn't going to die today. I wasn't going to let her of all people kill me. I was determined to do whatever it took to get out of this. Get Az and I back home to Nolan, to Devan, to our family. And I kept that thought as the wolves jumped at us all at once, giving us no chance to escape the oncoming fight.

Az was incredible. And scary. He killed three of them before the fight even properly began and took on another four before they could properly register the loss he dealt them. He was incredibly fast, strong and efficient. Like it was a chore almost. In the meantime I barely held my ground against the other three including the woman. I kept my back towards Az and focused on my footing, making sure I remained standing no matter what. I was incredibly thankful for the metal Lucia sewed into our leathers as one of the attackers broke one of his knives on my chest about three seconds into the fight. He swore loudly and got briefly distracted which gave me a chance to knock him unconscious, leaving me with just two women.

Aside from my former companion, there was also a girl who could easily be my age, maybe younger. There were minor injuries all over her body, she was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. And there was a feral look in her eyes. So much anger and hate I could practically feel it. She jumped at me and nearly knocked me over but I knew I couldn't allow that so I took two steps back to regain my balance before I kicked her in the stomach. She growled and next thing I knew, I felt searing pain on my shoulder. I needed to get her off me, but kicks weren't helping. So I quickly found one of her opened wounds and did the first thing I could think of, I pushed my fingers in, extending my claws, making her scream in agony. The sound nearly made me deaf but she finally let go and fell to the ground holding her bleeding side. Behind me I heard an awful crunching sound of another broken neck.

I turned around for a split of a second to check on Az. Just to see and make sure it wasn't his neck, that he was still alive and standing. But my relief at seeing him alright was short lived. Before I could react, I heard a battle cry behind me. The woman, my former companion. The nameless traitor. She was heading towards me, her claws extended, my neck her final destination. My instincts took over. The very instincts Devan, Nolan and Connor spent months putting in my head. She couldn't reach my neck. I couldn't let her. I'd be dead. And so I threw the dagger I held, hitting her shoulder.

She stumbled and went quiet, but kept going, my dagger stuck in her left shoulder. I used my speed to grab her neck with my uninjured hand, choking her. But even injured as she was, she kept reaching for me. I was hoping the air would leave her before she could hurt me, but it didn't. She got so close she knocked the hood off my head. Recognition flashed in her eyes, but I couldn't afford to wait on what would happen. I triggered the dagger hidden in my sleeve and before she could say a word, I pierced her neck.