Siena (Forestfolk, Book 1)

Chapter 23a

Dawn was breaking when we exited the chieftain's hut. A crowd had formed around it. The guards spoke, drawing the entire Krat population to gather there. A hush fell over the crowd when I emerged, and I was reminded of that first time in Foresthome all over again, when I addressed the masses.

I felt a hundred eyes on me. My heart pounded as a brief moment of panic swept through me, but I wasn't the same timid waif I was when I ran into the forest. I climbed atop a nearby table as Galen and Remi dragged Borga's body out and dropped it to the ground.

"Your leader is gone," I said, summoning more courage as I spoke. "I had no choice. I deeply regret causing his death." My voice broke and I cleared my throat. "I accept whatever punishment you deem fit. All I ask is you release your prisoners, and my two friends." I gestured to Galen and Remi.

"Siena, no!" Remi rushed to the table. "What are you doing?"

"I killed a man," I said, fighting the tears of guilt that threatened to spill. "It isn't right."

"That was no man," a woman shouted from the congregation. "That was a monster!"

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"He killed my son for having the sharp eyes of an eagle," a man declared loudly. "My boy never hurt anyone!"

"But she's an Aberration." A woman narrowed her eyes at me. "We can't trust her kind."

The murmurs grew louder, and I began to fidget, looking from face to face. Some seemed to express gratitude, while others were hostile.

The first guard I had healed—the one with the kind eyes—tugged on my arm. "You should come down." His eyes roved over the growing unrest as Krat argued against Krat. "We should free the prisoners while we still can."

I climbed down from the table and found myself flanked on either side by the other two guards. Were they my captors or my protectors? My mind was so muddled I couldn't tell. "What is your name?" I asked the first guard as he began to part the crowd.

"I am Rinnic." He continued leading the way. Even men who glared at me melted to one side in deference to him.

There were six pits in all. A surge of anger tightened my jaw. I couldn't fathom why anyone would feel the need to take so many prisoners, forcing them to live in such squalid conditions. I fumbled at the first latch I saw, pounding it with my fist when I couldn't get it open.

"Allow me," Rinnic said as he lifted part of the mechanism and unfastened the latch. He lifted the large hatch and swung it to the other side. Onlookers scampered out of the way as the door slammed to the ground, lifting up clouds of dust. The prisoners in the pit were all awake now, goggling at the sea of faces around them, unsure what was to happen next.

"Borga is dead," I announced. "You are free."

They stared at me, this unassuming young girl standing before them, not sure what to make of me, too scared to hope that my words might be true.

"Well, I'm not staying in here longer than I have to," a spry youth said before grabbing a ledge and hoisting himself out. As he dusted himself off, more people began climbing out.

A different kind of chaos ensued. The kind not born of battle or conflict, but from benevolence and goodwill. Pit after pit was opened, and some of the Krat came to help the prisoners out. Others stood by, frowning.

Many prisoners stood trembling with shock, while others whooped with joy. I found myself drawn to the sick and injured, healing anyone who needed it. I reduced fevers, repaired broken bones, and closed festering wounds. The masses of them did not matter, for I drew upon a well of strength so deep, it seemed fathomless. I would not keep my stolen vitality.

Remi jumped into pits to help children clamber out, and Galen began organizing the throngs of ailing captives so that no one was left out, and no one mobbed me. I was so intent on my task that I barely recognized Meresh when he stood before me, a dried gash across his forehead.

"Siena." His smile lit up his tired face. "You are the last person I expected to see here."

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