Before dawn, the students were roused by the toiling of a large bell that Genevieve carried up and down the hallway, making sure that everyone was awake and packing up before she returned to the kitchen. She left each student a pack of rations. How did a whole castle’s worth of rations fit in a basket that could be carried in two hands? Magic. Lilith handed the rations out, under Freya’s supervision. Genevieve hoped to clean once everyone was away from here. Orphans didn’t have many belongings so most of the children (and adults) only had one or two bags each. Children who had families to go back to travelled light because no one wanted to carry unnecessary clutter between villages in the Other World. Especially if you travelled alone. Travelling alone was suicidal. Buying a Nightmare or a centaur was expensive and a HUGE responsibility. Genevieve had hoped to have the students leave on full bellies, but time had run out.138Please respect copyright.PENANADH3SdlGTZU
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“Don’t forget to stick to Sheehan’s buddy system, especially once we’re a safe distance from this castle!” Shirley, who preferred to sleep in, instructed the evacuees as they passed her and followed Oxley out of the castle through a secret passage. The passage was created when Arthur saved Eden from being eternally sealed beneath the foundations of the castle. The passage served as Eden’s safe space. If she wasn’t saving her mana in case a fight broke out against the Fomorians, Shirley would have magically bonded the pairs. Not that there were any records of who was paired. She helped burn those last night. She saw cracks of sunlight through the blackened windows. The swamp would slow down the Fomorians. The students were almost safe. As long as there are no surprises-138Please respect copyright.PENANA1YoLS91vkV
Shirley’s glimmer of hope was blown away by a loud crash and the hallway shaking.138Please respect copyright.PENANAKEWMOfRwnJ
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“What in Leo’s name was that?!” Shirley shouted. She stumbled and caught herself.138Please respect copyright.PENANAggzSJRqXvF
Leo was the divine patron of Elementora like Shirley, Lilith and Oxley.138Please respect copyright.PENANAoEYkaoY2gl
“Is everyone okay?” Lilith asked, picking herself up. She was not as lucky as her lanky-legged sister. Lilith was thrown to the floor by the tremors. “What’s happening?”138Please respect copyright.PENANACp2ocuqZNh
“Move it kiddos! We’re out of time.” Shirley shoved the kids at the back of the line. She then grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled Lilith down into the passage with her. Lilith helplessly tried to stand up.138Please respect copyright.PENANAZt2mx0eLWF
“We have to catch up with Oxley and get the FUCK out of here. Freya! Shut that door.”
The Short Snout glared at Shirley, squinting her already small, beady eyes before she pulled the door shut. Slamming the deadbolts into the locked position before racing after the sisters on her stumpy legs. The echoes of her cloven hooves had the students ahead of her in the darkness breaking into sprints and panicking until Freya was close enough for them to identify her. Oxley and Shirley counted the students.138Please respect copyright.PENANAQBe2knz451
“How many did you get?” She paused and looked at his face. He didn’t need to say a word. She already knew the answer. Even from his non-expression. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! There are still kids in there. Oxley. Take Lilith and Freya with you. Stick to the plan. I’m going back in. Don’t wait for me! Gen and I will bring the rest of them to you.”138Please respect copyright.PENANA95NjNueGIl
He nodded glumly.138Please respect copyright.PENANAyZnNcoG7oP
“Follow me!” He ordered the group, raising his voice to quell their confused chatter.
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Shirley ran back into the castle, praying that she could get to Genevieve before the Fomorians. She slowed down whenever tremors spread through the castle. She couldn’t help anyone if she fell over and broke something. Shirley stopped to lock the door behind her. Couldn’t have anyone catching up with her brother, her sister and the children without going through her first. It would have been hell to walk an army through the swamp let alone bring a siege weapon with them, so why was the castle shaking?
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Shirley’s confusion was laid to rest when she reached the kitchen where children and adults were sheltered underneath tables and chairs that were covered by piles of debris while the eleven-year-old stood with her Magi drawn. Towering over Genevieve and the dust from the broken wall was…a Minos! Shirley was speechless. She never thought she would see a Minos in her lifetime. The black, furry mass, slowly lumbering forwards until Genevieve was pressed against the wall after trying to back away from the beast. The creature pivoted and raised its arms. It slammed its fists down on the nearest table, shattering it and crushing the fairies huddled beneath it before anyone could stop him. Her vision was obscured by all of the dust and piles of rubble, but it didn’t take sharp goat-like ears like Shirley’s to know there was no charm that could bring back the dead.
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The force of the impact sent the Halfling falling off the table, dropping her Magi. Her Magi clattered along the tiles. The child landed on the floor next to what was left of the table and the bodies underneath. It was hard to tell from where Shirley stood, if Genevieve was crying from the painful landing or having witnessed death. The Minos didn’t stop his assault, clearing a path for the Fomorians. Shirley was desensitized to violence thanks to her father’s disregard for anyone who didn’t obey him, but Genevieve reminded her of someone she knew. Shirley broke into a sprint towards Genevieve and helped the eleven-year-old to stand on her feet. Genevieve wiped her tears on the back of her arm, buried her dust smeared face into Shirley’s wool cardigan and cried quietly.
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Shirley bit her lip and frowned. She was not the empathetic type. Especially towards children and even more so, as she realized now, for a child who could cry this softly. Shirley didn’t have time to dwell on this feeling.138Please respect copyright.PENANAcIIr8qRKMF
“Take the survivors…run! I’ll follow behind to make sure no one-” Genevieve sniffled as she straightened herself and picked up her Magi that had somehow not been snapped.138Please respect copyright.PENANAce2XKsVqQ1
Shirley nodded and waved to get the students attention. Seeing her put a stop to the screaming. It was fortunate that no one else had become the consistency of jam. Yet.
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Shirley and Genevieve organised the students that crawled out from beneath the furniture to clamour around the Halfling and Elementora. Shirley led the fairies out of the kitchen back to the passage. Shirley glanced over her shoulder to make sure Genevieve had not fallen behind or been captured by the Fomorians. That kid was stronger than most fairies. If Shirley was an eleven-year-old in Genevieve’s situation, she would have given up. Shirley was no push over, but she wasn’t always this powerful and confident. Shirley shook her head, flapping her ears as she listened for any sounds of trouble.
Focus Shirley. She told herself as her hooves clacked down the stone corridor. Focus!
It was easy to slip back into the past with this familiar sense of dread and helplessness.
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Once outside, Shirley turned back and realized that Genevieve was nowhere to be seen. She could not leave this group unattended. She grit her teeth and shooed the group of children and adults into the tall reeds and towards their salvation. The castle was surrounded. She heard the clanking of armour as Fomorian Knights approached.138Please respect copyright.PENANAxDU73vA3VS
Stick to the plan, Shirley. Going back there will kill you. They’re depending on you.
The ‘they’ in question were Lilith, Oxley and Genevieve. She brought countless living ‘sacrifices’ to her father before she moved to Widow’s Peak where he could not control her. Shirley could surprise a few, larger and professionally trained, Knights by wrapping their heads between her thighs, crushing their windpipes and neck bones, but she was one slender female with a low pool of mana to reply upon when Ebony Knights fought back.
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