Grace pushed her body to its limit. The loss of blood felt like it was taking a slight toll on her, but there was no time to stop as she ran, houses and buildings vanishing from her sight.

Grace wasn’t certain a horse would stand a chance had it been racing her.

Blocks away, Grace saw an orange glow over part of the city that marked where the house Max had protected was.

I’m going to slaughter them all!

Fueled by rage and anger, Grace pumped her arms, forcing herself to go faster by pure will.

When she came a few blocks from her home and saw it in flames, people standing in the street, and some were trying to put out the fire with buckets of water, the strength in her legs almost vanished.

People were screaming and shouting, and the horror of the nightmare she had seen so many times felt like it had come true.

I will kill them all!

Fear for her brother’s life spurred her on.

“Where is Levi?!” Grace shouted at the people running around, trying to fight the fire.

No one stopped or answered, the noise of all the yelling drowning her out.

She yelled again, and the few who saw her shrugged before turning to help transport water in the line they had formed.

She moved along the line till she spotted one of the women who lived in the house.

“Henrietta! Where is Levi?! Where is my brother?!”

The woman’s eyes began tearing, and Grace felt her heart go cold.

“They took him! About ten minutes ago! They came in and tore the place apart, looking for you and him!”

“Which way?” Grace shouted.

The older woman’s arms shook as she pointed to the west. “That way, but dear, it was–”

Grace was gone, not caring what the older woman might say.

She ran past the burning house and was almost at the first intersection when Lilly appeared out of the shadows.

“Lilly!”

The dog barked twice and moved to join her.

“Find Levi! Find him for me, please!”

Her dog didn’t make another sound. Instead, Lilly put her nose to the ground and immediately began to run after a few sniffs.

Balethem, if he’s still alive, I’ll owe you.

Something inside her burned hotter, and Grace ignored it, following her dog, who shot off like an arrow ahead.

Minutes passed as Lilly and Grace ran at full speed, turning and weaving through different streets as they made their way northwest. It became evident that the guards had yet to take the straight path. Instead, it appeared they were making it hard for someone to follow in case they were foolish enough to try.

Another minute passed, and when they turned the corner to go north, Grace saw six guards two blocks ahead. Each wore full chain armor, and one of the men in the middle had Levi hanging limply over his shoulder. A single lantern was barely open, providing enough light for the six of them to move safely in the darkness.

Rage filled her, and if she could have breathed fire, it would have burnt the men to ash and beyond at what she felt inside.

“Help Levi!” Grace said to Lilly as they raced after them, adjusting her stride to be quiet.

I need to stop them from hurting him…

As she passed the first block between her and the men, Grace slowed down, her mind working overtime as she tried to devise a plan. She spotted a large brick a few yards off the path and moved in its direction. Without missing a beat, she grabbed it in her right hand.

The plan was horrible, but she had no other choice without a better weapon.

Racing toward the men, Grace got within fifteen yards, slowing down and moving as silently as a mouse.

[ Empower ]

She aimed low, measured the men and how they walked, the perfect row they moved in, and then unleashed her brick.

Sound should have erupted from the throw, the speed and force at which it moved almost seemed impossible to Grace, yet she didn’t stand around to watch it.

The brick flew through the air, hitting the last man in the column where the middle guard carried Levi on his shoulder.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

It tore through his left hip and armor as if it were paper, a red mist filling her vision in the darkness of night. Without losing energy, the brick did the same thing to the man holding Levi, just a foot below her brother’s hand, creating a hole in the man’s side before passing on and taking out the first one in the column that held the lantern.

As that took place and time slowed down, men began to cry out in pain, and the other three, trying to understand what had just happened, Grace attacked.

She lept, delivering a kick to the back of the guard on the left, a crack coming as his spine shattered and he was flung into the man before him.

The two men ended up sprawled on the ground. The wind knocked out of the second guard from the impact while the one she had kicked tried to scream.

By then, the three guards who had lost the left hip and a large chunk of their body from her first attack were on the ground, the one not unconscious from the pain howling because of it.

The first guard tried to turn, hand going for his sword.

A dark shape came from before him, a growl, and then a scream as Lilly jumped and bit the guard’s face.

The hand that had reached for the sword moved to try and rip the beast that was dragging into the ground, tugging and jerking as they fell.

The lantern that had been held was rolling around on the stone road, casting shadows that looked like nightmares on the buildings and street as it moved.

Grace pounced on the second guard on the left, grabbing his head and snapping his neck in a moment.

Lilly was dragging the man across the road into the shadows. Screams that would scare ghosts away came from the man for a few moments until they suddenly stopped. The only sound that came afterward was something chewing through flesh.

Bending down, she grabbed her brother, finding a bruise on his cheek, but thankfully, the man had fallen to his left side, not landing on her brother.

Levi’s chest rose and fell slowly.

“You’re alive,” she whispered. “Thank Balethem, you’re alive!”

She hugged him, wishing she could heal him and he would be able to talk, but that was no longer an option. Touching the place in her armor where the arrow had pierced her chest, Grace frowned.

Behind her, a guard was groaning, trying to move, but his arms barely worked as he lay on the ground, tangled with his ally. The man who had carried the lantern moaned, somehow fighting the pain that must have wanted him to fall unconscious.

“Lilly!” Grace shouted.

From an alley, her dog came, its head covered in blood, a gleam in its eye.

“Good girl, Lilly,” Grace said as she set Levi down for a moment and undid the sword belt from the guard behind her. “Kill the others.”

Her dog went for the one who had owned the lantern, a single cry escaping his mouth for a moment before the sound of a throat being torn out filled Grace’s ears.

She ignored it. They deserved this for what they had done. As she fastened the sword around her waist, noticing how the blade was only about nine inches from the ground, Lilly began to drag the guard with the broken neck toward an alley.

Grace turned and looked as the guard cried out in pain and in horror.

“No! Please! Mercy!”

Lilly stopped, looking at Grace, somehow knowing that she was watching.

“Enjoy that one,” Grace told Lilly and grabbed her brother in her arms, ignoring the cries from the guard as her dog pulled him into the shadows.

Make them suffer…

Max was doing what he could to help stop the fire from spreading to other buildings, but their home was gone. The fire still ravaged inside the frame, and they could only prevent it from spreading.

People wept as they watched their home go up in flames. Some were on their knees, holding someone they loved tightly, while others stood there silently, unable to process what they saw.

As Grace came into view slowly, carrying her brother, who was still unconscious, a few shouts came from the people, and Max turned, seeing her and Levi.

He broke into a run and skidded to a halt, sweaty and covered in soot, reeking of smoke.

“You rescued him!” Max said, surprised. “How… how many?”

“Six,” Grace replied, her voice like steel. It was so steady and unemotional that Max winced as she spoke. “You need to take him and hide. I need to end this. Tonight, they will suffer.”

“Wait!” Max hissed, moving to stand before her, holding out his hand. “You need to let your cooldowns recover, and you are not alone!”

“Yes, I am!” Grace shouted, squeezing her brother close. “I am alone! My parents are gone! My brother is hurt! Everyone I try to help seems to suffer because of me! Tell me how I am not alone?!”

Bodies began to appear near them, and suddenly, Grace recognized people she knew. Those from her house, others from the garden, and more she didn’t know personally.

“I’m here,” a woman said, holding her two children tight against her side.

“I’m with you,” an older man who limped when he walked declared as well.

More voices said the same, over and over, until at least fifty men, women, and children all affirmed one thing.

“You’re not alone, Grace,” Max said softly, putting his massive hand on her shoulder. “Don’t think for a second this fight is just yours anymore. It’s all of ours.”

Grace felt tears running down her face as she saw people, a fire behind them, but each stood together, proclaiming a truth she hadn’t realized yet.

Marcus moved up close next to Max. The man had a short sword strapped to his hip, and his face was set like stone. “It’s time to fight. We won’t hide any longer, and we will fight with you. Cedric would expect nothing less from me.”

One of the other gang leaders, Falana, came up on the other side of Max. Her scarred face looked devilish as she frowned. “We were fools for thinking they would let us rebuild and live safely. You, Grace, have shown us the truth of who they are. Me and my people will follow you and Max.”

Other leaders who had been there came, each repeating the words in some form or fashion. Within moments, the crowd before her was now over a hundred.

“We will fight with you, Grace, if you will let us,” Max said. “Remember what I have taught you.”

Grace’s mind raced, and she remembered what he had said. A smart emissary used people to help reach their goals. She had been foolish trying to do this alone. Grace was done making that mistake.

*****

Four quests pending

—

Lead an army: Lead an army of fifty people to fight your battles.

Reward: Ability Gained

Failure: Death

*****

The red window that popped up made Grace grin.

She saw Max staring at her momentarily, puzzled by the devilish look on her face.

Failure… death… I won’t have to worry about that.

“Very well!” Grace shouted. “In one day, we will attack that keep and free ourselves from those who desire for us to die under their boot! Who is with me?!”

A loud roar came from everyone before her, a fire burning brightly behind them and in their hearts.