Michelle screamed as the Tengura leapt through the open window. She hadn't even thought about closing the shutters to the cottage. She had just bolted the door shut and thought that would be enough. How stupid she was!
The warrior chortled to himself as advanced towards Michelle. In his hand was an iron dagger, filed along the blade into jagged points. It was already dulled with the blood of who knew how many innocent villagers.
But she couldn't think about that. She couldn't dwell on those poor men and women he had butchered. Right now, she had to stay alive.
Michelle darted around the kitchen table, the main piece of furniture in the centre of the cottage. It wasn't a large building and there were only a handful of rooms, this particular one filled with vegetables, plants and iron cutlery, no doubt forged at that blacksmith.
'Come here!' the warrior demanded and he chased Michelle around the table, swinging the blade into the furniture.
She attempted to leave through the window, like how he entered, but the Tengura was too quick. He grabbed her ankle to stop her escape. Michelle screamed as she was dragged back inside and if it weren't for the carving fork next to her, he might have gutted her.
The fork was tiny but it was something to defend herself. The warrior pulled her towards him and Michelle slammed the cutlery into eye-hole of his bascinet.
'Argghh!' the man screamed as the fork must have dug into his eye socket.
He immediately lashed out at the girl in revenge, swinging his blade around so much, he was hacking down onion garlands and chipping the table. Michelle just backed away fearfully, pressing up against the cottage door.
There was a thump behind her.
Someone was being thrown against the door outside. God. Was it Steve?
The half-blind Tengura suddenly leapt at Michelle, thrusting his blade at the tall girl's head. He must have been wanting to blind her too. But luckily, she ducked away, missing the deadly weapon. The dagger plunged through the wood, lodging itself through the wood, right to the hilt.
A muffled yelp was heard outside.
Oh my god, thought Michelle, was Steve on the other side of the door? Had the dagger hurt him?
The blinded Tengura abandoned his blade and leapt at Michelle as she dashed away. The warrior tackled her to the floor and wrestled for control. She struggled as much as she could but the man was far stronger and pinned her to the floor. One hand grasped her throat, squeezing painfully.
Michelle gasped and tried to escape but it was no use. The Tengura warrior snarled and slowly withdrew the fork from his helmet. A trickle of blood dribbled out of the bascinet's eye hole.
'I owe you for that,' he warned her.
Michelle might have screamed if she could breathe properly.
Crash.
The door burst open, distracting both of them.
A dead Tengura was slumped against the wood, his head attached the door –the point of the serrated dagger was stuck in his skull.
But more importantly Steve was there, clutching a stolen blade. The long-haired boy saw the warrior pinning Michelle and he dashed inside, hurling his weapon as hard as he could.
Thunk.
The blade flew straight in to the blinded Tengura's back, right in the spine. Michelle could feel the body go lax and the warrior wobbled for a second before sliding off her.
'Michelle!' Steve cried.
He ran over to her, kicking the dead man aside.
Now that the danger was over, she felt strange. She was traumatised of course but angry. These horrible men were slaughtered everyone for fun. What the hell was wrong with them?
Michelle was pulled to her feet and she met the warm, brown eyes of Steve staring at her. Their closeness felt so natural right now that she didn't care about the past any longer, she just leant forward and hugged him.
He hugged her back.
How long since they were this close?
How much did she need this?
She didn't want to let go.
A murderous snarl ended their moment.
Steve and Michelle looked to the entrance of the cottage and saw a large shadow had stepped inside. It was massive and hairy and its jaws were dripping with bloody flesh.
A hound.
Michelle was terrified. It was like a bear but a hundred times were frightening, reclining its giant limbs, ready to pounce. Even Steve was afraid. She could feel him trying to pull away. But to where? There was nowhere to run. Even if they grabbed a blade, would they stand a chance against that thing? It would kill them for sure.
They were dead.
She knew it.
It wasn't fair.
Like before, the misery and trauma inside Michelle were ebbing away, being replaced by that vengeful fury that she held against these horrible monsters.
'Michelle...'
Steve was slowly moving in front of her. He probably wanted to shield her. Like there was any point now. That thing would devour them.
It wasn't fair!
It's not right!
These things, these people, shouldn't just be able to slaughter them when they wanted! And they shouldn't just give in because there wasn't a choice!
Michelle could feel her cheeks flushed with anger.
The hound growled and then leapt forwards, fangs open and claws set to maul them. But Michelle had already lifted up her hand, instinctively pressing her palm towards the giant beast.
It was an inferno.
A vortex of fire.
The swirling flame burst from Michelle's open hand and enveloped the monster, hitting with such force it was propelled right out of the cottage door, slamming into a Tengura warrior.
Both master and mount screamed in agony as the fires burnt them and they collapsed in smoulder embers, their flesh melting down to the bone.
'Michelle...'
She was so tired all of a sudden.
That had taken everything from her.
She didn't even know how or what caused has it, it was just a reaction. Something inside her that she knew she needed to get out. Just like in the jungle when she destroyed that crab.
Michelle turned to Steve, flustered and exhausted. He was pale faced, glancing between the hand and her face.
'H-How?' he said breathlessly.
She swallowed tiredly. She didn't know what to say.
Screams were heard outside. The villagers massacre hadn't ended and the pair of them were just standing here. People would continue dying. Michelle could feel her blood boiling again.
'Steve,' she ignored his question. 'We have to help them.'
The long-haired boy looked confused. He turned to the door and then back to Michelle. His eyes stared in to hers. He nodded.
Of course, he understood
'Right behind you,' he told her.
Michelle nodded gratefully.
Steve relinquished the blade from the Tengura's back and passed it to Michelle. She took it slowly and then sighed.
She wasn't going to sit back and cry anymore. She was going to help them.
YOU ARE READING
Our Destiny: Bearers of the Dagger
Fantasy... Emma felt the confidence start to seep away. Her earlier thoughts were not pleasant but she couldn't ignore them. 'What's going on?' the questioned burned through her mind. 'Where are we? How did we get here?' Charlie's smile vanished at once. '...
