? The Path of Fire (Path of Light and Fire Book #1)(Completed) ?

Chapter 28.1: Inferno

A pair of speeding blurs whipped around Sabin. He didn't react, other than mumbling the same word, over and over again.

"He doesn't need our help," she said.

Another blinding light engulfed Sabin. When she opened her eyes, one of the soldiers lay unmoving on the ground. Sabin gripped the other by the throat. There was a sickening snap and Sabin tossed him to the dirt.

"Schewa's arse!" Sakima's left hand was wrapped around his greataxe. "What is wrong with him?"

"Kianna," Leena said. She took Turrent's hand and pulled to her feet. "Something must have happened to her."

"Where is she?" Turrent asked.

"And Alaina?" Sakima asked.

"The hell should I know!" Leena shouted.

Why are they looking to me for guidance?

Kid, get your shit together.

Sabin continued his slow march in the direction of the border town.

"What do we do?" Turrent asked.

She nodded towards Sikati. "For now, we get the hell out of the way."

She ran, wondering what to do about Sabin and what to say to the army. He didn't increase his speed and she had a few moments to consider her options.

When they came into the army's range, the spears of two hundred plus soldiers went up. Leena stopped her sprint.

They need to be warned.

"Who's in charge here?" Leena asked.

No one moved.

Sakima shouted something in Yuago. A woman strode forward, hands on her spears.

She shouted something that sounded close to 'monkey jumps over a fence'.

"She says that she is and asks the same." Sakima said.

Turrent and Sakima's eyes went to her.

Oh hell.

"Tell her I am."

Sakima turned to Leena. "I'll just translate directly from here."

"Tell me quickly why we should not slay you for your attack on the Reincarnation's parley?" The woman asked.

"We are Seriens, her to recruit one of our members. It turned out to be the Reincarnation of Yua."

Rumblings went up through the army and the spears went down. The woman raised her hand and they quieted.

"It is our duty, as it is every country's to aid the Seriens. Why would the Reincarnation of Yua not tell us this?"

The spears went back up.

"We do not have time. Someone dangerous is coming this way and you should get out of his way."

The army leader folded her arms. "We are three hundred strong. He will not make it to Sikati."

Between the pain in her arm and the shit day that it had been so far, Leena was in a foul mood and that comment pushed her over the edge.

She went wavy and tackled the woman. Spears rained down, but Sakima pushed up a ridge of rock and they bounced off.

Leena pulled out her dagger with her good hand and put it to the woman's throat before she could get to the spears on her hip.

"Listen to me," Leena said. "If I wanted to kill you, I could. I could kill you right now. And if we wanted to crush your freaking army right now, we could. Listen to me when I tell you. That man coming this way is capable of much worse."

The whites of the soldier's eyes widened and Leena realized that despite the whole translator charade, this woman understood exactly what she said.

"I am in charge now," Leena said. "Tell them now."

"You are not-," she said in Standard.

Leena opened her mouth and placed it on the woman's, drawing on her Path and spraying water down the soldier's throat. The woman gagged and choked for a few seconds before Leena relented and lifted her head.

"I do not have the time for these games. Next time I drown you and take my chance with the next person in line. Tell them I am in charge. Now!"

The woman finished coughing and shouted something which sounded like 'tea is a blue fish'. Sakima nodded his head and Leena let the woman up.

"Louder."

The woman got up and repeated the phrase. She across the field and shouted it. The spears went down again.

"What is she saying?"

Sakima stepped from behind the rock wall "She says 'the Seriens are reborn and in front of us'."

Turrent scratched the scar on his cheek. "Sounds like something out of a prophecy book. So what now?"

Leena pointed to Sabin. "We have to protect Sikati from him."