Carmine

My eyes wandered around at the soldiers. We were still on the street.

Me?

I sat on a dirty wooden plank box. Janilla wrapped my cuts tightly with the sliced pieces of her robe.

No one said a thing as they still stared at me and my partially injured band of misfits like we were diseased.

It must be my face, I did not look pleased at that point. My fury was boiling. I held the strap gripping my hand to the metal circle, but it was not a shield anymore.

How did it do that? I tapped on it, but nothing happened. This drew Five's attention. "You have to spin it," Five said.

I asked, "How? It's strapped down."

Someone shouted. Janilla leaned up and stared to her left. Five put his finger on the shield's tip and with a gentle flick, it spun and got bigger.

A soldier glared at my shield, yet the others were preoccupied with something. I listened.

The keep was under attack. All soldiers were falling back to the keep. I saw most of them ran off, leaving us with the curious one and a heavy-set soldier wielding a spear.

"Five?" I asked.

Five lowered his voice. "Chaos, fear, everyone is scared. People are dropping dead, a lot of people."

My eyes widened. I stood. Five turned to me.

That conniving little—"What is it?" Janilla looked between me and Five.

I gritted my teeth and tensed my arms in fury. "She kept her promise."

Janilla said after her face softened, "Oh my..."

Five asked, "Should we leave or go back?"

I averted my eyes as I tried to think. "You need to go," Janilla said.

I looked at Janilla like she was crazy. "We barely escaped her." I pointed up the city towards the top where laid the keep. "That is a trap. She is daring me to come up there."

"And if you don't she will slaughter everyone."

"And how am I supposed to prevent that?!"

"I do not know! I just—"

"What is your decision?" Five interjected.

"Would you shut up?" I asked in disgust.

"My apologies Mother," Five answered.

Janilla stepped in. "Do not insult him. He saved your life."

"His plan also failed. I got hit with my own arrow Janilla, my own arrow. Besides, who is Corona after, me." I patted my chest. "She will follow if I leave. I am not going up there."

Janilla twirled and walked off. "I am done with you."

"Fine, I do not need you. You cannot fight anyways! Useless, you always shaking like a bloodcloth leaf!"

Janilla turned back around and barked, "You are a horrible person!" She walked only two feet before the Jester came into our corridor.

Jester passed Janilla and stepped into the space with Five, me and the bemused soldiers. Jester spoke, "Carmine, yes?"

I blinked. Jester flung her arm and the curious soldier grasped around his neck, which was now spewing blood swirling around the knife dug into it.

The Jester killed the next soldier with a thrown knife. Five rushed in front of me, the Jester appeared at his side immediately crushed his arm, and threw him over.

I stepped back, but the Jester gripped me by the collar of my robe and drew me close. Her masked breathing made me shiver

Five let his hand out and his wrist bled badly. She had stabbed his tattoo. The Jester turned her head towards me and the mask looked terrifying now.

"You will come with me," she said.

"Wa—"

This intense tug and wrenching surged from my toes to my head top as I slammed hard into something. A gasp escaped me. I opened my eyes, but everything was a blur. Also, what was that noise?

I raised and everything felt heavy like something pulled down on me. My vision spun with my bad disoriention.

I stood with difficulty, yet my legs wobbled with weakness. The windows were colored and gave us a view of the large land that led out to the orchid.

"Carmine, you came," Corona's voice sapped all the energy out of me as my eyes closed in distress.

Escape was never possible with this woman.

I turned and faced the Jester, further across the room were Corona and the knight.

My fist squeezed hard, for my fingernails sliced bitterly into my palm.

Corona's left sandal pressed on the side of Canus's face. The knight had the sword over his head and it glowed a dirty yellow. A cloth clutched and twisted tightly across Canus’s open mouth.

I already realized we were in an outer hall on the eastern side of the keep. Sounds were distant, but it was clear there was shouting.

I breathed out. "Corona, let him go."

"When you come over here. I will do that," Corona answered.

I stepped forward and the Jester stepped in front of me. The Jester motioned towards Canus. "Release him first."

Corona sighed. Her leg dropped off his face. Corona then unceremoniously kicked him in the back, rolling him up onto the Jester's feet.

I barely looked at them before a hot sting reverberated in my shoulder. My torso was pulled and I got dragged on the ground.

I bawled as my shoulder burned from the black arrow lodged inside. My shaking hands hesitated to touch it. A throb thundered through my chest, so I tensed. I squirmed and retracted my fingers.

Corona gripped one of my hands and pulled the arrow, which turned out to be a dirk. It was narrow and it flashed a sporadic sheen of colors.

The knight grabbed me and held my back close to his chest. His gauntlet nicked at my skin.

The Jester was holding Canus tenderly. She already pulled off the cloth and looking at him as if looking for injuries.

"Sandream—" Canus whispered. She froze and fixated on him. Oh, that was her name. Canus's eyes were dreary.

My eyes welled up. I fought back the tears. Corona turned to leave, while spinning her finger.

"Carmine," Canus said, turning his head in vain. "Where is she, we must s-save her." Sandream relaxed and leaned back.

Corona stopped. Turned and with a flick of her hand, she threw something that hits Canus's shoulder. An explosion of fire and smoke ruptured out throwing Sandream back and sending Canus into a tailspin of pain.

He screamed out.

Corona laughed. The knight said, "Was that necessary? He is a King, you forget."

Corona shrugged and turned. The knight turned with her. Corona said, "Be calm, I have fun now and again, it will not kill him. Anyways, l—"

The door was flung open and two robed men stepped into the room, one wore an orange robe, the other wore a dark blue robe, their faces obscured by the shadows of the hood. That door closed on their own.

The knight growled. "Benedict's men."

"Boys would be more accurate," Corona sneered.

"Cooooorroooona!" was that Sandream?

Corona turned briefly. Sandream’s foot was thrown at Corona's face, but Corona’s palm caught it. On the tip of Sandream’s sandal was a sharp narrow dagger.

Corona stared at Sandream inquisitively. The mask was partially destroyed and it revealed the thin swirls of her grizzly hair, her blue eyes, sand-colored face. She was like me, of impure blood, but even lighter than my dark shade.

Corona spoke, "You know you are very good." The tattoo appeared slowly off Corona's neck. She smiled. "But you are no match for me dear."

Sandream growled low. I looked back and saw the two men approaching.

A blast erupted as a flash of yellow and red saw Five and Janilla rolling to one side of the room.

I cried out in joy. "Guys!"

Janilla curled up. Five stood slowly in between the robed men and the knight.

"I thought you killed him!?" Corona said.

"You never asked, I only cracked the wall of his glyph," Sandream said.

Five leaned up straight, breathed in. His eyes narrowed. Dust started swirling around his bleeding arm. "You cannot crack me."

The robed men stepped back, one shouted, "Fool!"

Five spun his arm and whirled his body releasing a massive gust of wind that slammed into Corona and sent her flying through the window.

Sandream rolled backward, while Five's arm blasted apart and splashed out into a blob of blood. Scattered blood drops flung wildly.

Nobody moved, we were all shocked, but more importantly, Five did not move. The blood flowing large, unabated, and covering the small space between us.

My lips quivered in dread. "Five, Five—, oh God—Fiiiiiiiive!"