The Great and Terrible: No Monsters Like Hers
The Great and Terrible: Chapter 17

Jasher and I bedded down inside a cabana with Leona and Patch sleeping nearby. He wore pants; I wore a shirt. The best and worst combination. I luxuriated in the crook of his arm, warm and safe as I dozed on and off, knowing I would forever yearn for more nights like this.

But one after another, rainbow birds arrived in flocks, covering the surrounding roofs and shattering my sense of tranquility. “Jasher,” I whispered, giving him a little shake. I hadn’t forgotten his face-eating warning.

“They won’t harm us,” he muttered, rolling us to our sides, becoming the big spoon.

Okay. All right. “I trust you.” I also liked him more than I should. Without a doubt, I would forever miss the Tinman who’d seemed to replace his heart.

When morning arrived, bringing a lovely golden glow to the oasis, Patch and Leona went swimming. I remained tucked into Jasher’s side, feeling more refreshed than I had in ages. Not even sore muscles nixed my smile as I stretched. But a thought did. To the City of Lux we must go.

I sagged into the ground, my attention dropping to the forever key. My ticket home. If it did what Iris claimed, the Guardian must desire it more than a political prisoner who had no designs on his throne. All I needed was a chance to explain matters and pay for my passage.

I slid my gaze to the irresistible Tinman, and longing shivered in my chest. He slept on his back. With his eyes closed, his usually harsh features soft with sleep, he appeared so boyish and innocent, sublimely at peace.

Soon, we would be forced to say goodbye. I’d have to say goodbye to Nugget, Patch and Leona, too. Friends I’d come to love. Depression knocked, seeking entrance. I barred the door.

Though I refused to remain in this land, I could absolutely savor the days I had left. In fact, I would prepare breakfast for once. Yes, that was exactly what I’d do. Except. Hmm. A strange red glow began to flash beneath the surface of Jasher’s skin, riding the waves inside his veins. A frown formed as I traced a crimson line with the pad of a finger. Sizzling!

He jolted upright, instantly awake, all trace of his serenity erased, and the rainbow birds finally took flight. “Someone will break a law in a village just outside the forest,” he stated, leaping to his feet. “I’m the chosen executioner.”

My guts knotted. Not this again. Leona and Patch were distracted, splashing around, and paid us no heed. “How do you know a crime is about to be committed?” What had those temporary flashes meant?

“Because I do.” He didn’t glance my way as he collected his weapons. “You and the others will stay here.”

The sight of the blood-stained axes emboldened me. “No, I’m coming with you.”

“The offender may have a substitute.”

And I would protest the death, yes. “I’m coming,” I insisted.

“I’d rather you didn’t.” He gathered his toiletries and knelt at the bank of the pool, where he brushed his teeth.

Something is wrong. The unceasing cry filled my mind. He might fear my reaction to the execution of an innocent, but I believed the problem went deeper than that. “I understand you must do what you must do. I won’t like it, but I understand.”

He spit the paste into the water, tugged a shirt over his head, and stood. “That’s right. I must do it. Once a titleholder and a sacrifice reach an agreement, a great exchange takes place. In every way that matters, the sacrifice becomes the offender, and the titleholder is rendered innocent.” He worked his jaw. “There isn’t a way around it.”

Suddenly the problem was clear. A tug of war was taking place in his mind. He didn’t want to do this. And what of the prophecy? “I’m coming,” I repeated.

“Then we leave in ten minutes.” He didn’t glance my way. “If you aren’t ready, I’ll leave you behind.” Off he marched. Where he headed and what he intended, I didn’t know.

Forget breakfast. I let the girls know, then hurried to brush my teeth, dress, and pull on my boots. I even anchored my hat in place.

“I’m coming too,” Leona said, voice hard with determination. “This is the break I’ve been hoping for. Someone might have information about Claudia.”

“Guess I’m tagging along too.” Patch pursed her lips at me. “You gonna break down on us during the execution?”

“Maybe.” Probably.

Jasher returned at the nine-minute mark, and it took only a single glance at him to know he’d used the time to prepare his mind. Before me stood the emotionless robot I’d met on day one. Except, I knew that I knew he wasn’t emotionless. He hated this.

“Move out,” he commanded, grabbing the pack and stalking off.

We traveled through the dense woods. For once, we encountered no incidences. Though, yes, more than once I felt as if we were being watched. A figment of my imagination most likely, since no one else seemed to notice and the forever key never heated.

Within two hours, we reached the village. A Candyland-esque refuge with an abundance of pink and blue I would forever consider Gum Drop Lane. From the houses built to resemble mini-palaces to the plethora of gardens with flowers in the shape of swirling ice-cream cones and tufts of cotton candy.

“I mean, it’s not as fortified as the Frontier,” Leona said, anchoring her hands on her hips, “but it’s not terrible. I’ll be a great mayor here.”

“Color me interested in moving in forever,” Patch exclaimed with awe in her eyes.

Jasher’s veins flashed a lava-like glow beneath the surface of his skin again, and he hissed. “The crime has been committed, a death required.”

Thunder rattled the land and concerned villagers spilled from the buildings. A learned response to the first signs of storm, I supposed. Everyone aimed for the town square, where a dais and blood-stained chopping block waited, a perfect replica of the market in the bazaar. Murmurs arose, the people speculating about the perpetrator. I searched the sea of men in suits and women in ruffled dresses for any sign of the crimen.

When lightning flashed, fear skittered over my nape. I’d never seen a monstra in person. Drawn them, yes. Countless times. Spied the Wests’ trophies, also yes. I’d even beheld the creatures in my mother’s paintings as I’d dressed this morning. But none of those sightings had come with a side of danger and death. To see a winged beast meant a life had been spared but others would suffer. I didn’t envy Jasher his dilemma.

“I sense her.” Jasher scanned the gravel streets, tensing when a young woman with tangled white hair emerged from a home.

I pressed a hand over my stomach, those knots now leaking bile. Bruises marred her golden skin and rips littered her yellow gown. When others noticed the telltale sign of guilt hovering over her head, they pointed fingers of accusation. Her eyes glazed with shock and acceptance.

“What did you do?” someone demanded.

“Kill her!” another commanded.

More thunder and lightning. Collective anxiety cranked to unbearable heights.

Chin high, the woman strolled to the dais. She climbed the steps, clearly accepting her lot.

Jasher handed the pack to Leona and followed the woman up at a steady pace. As the crowd gathered round about, he positioned himself behind the offender, who couldn’t hide her tremors.

Tears streaked down her cheeks. “When my husband died, he left me drowning in debt. The tax collector came to take my baby in payment. To make her a sacrifice for Governor North. I…the stories I’ve heard. The horrors. My dear one is only three years old. I couldn’t let him take her. He wouldn’t let her go so I…I made him. Please, don’t kill me for it.”

“Where is your daughter now?” Jasher asked. The emotionless of his tone froze me to the bone.

“My aunt has her. They are long gone, so don’t bother searching for them,” the mother replied, her tremors infiltrating her voice.

Jasher’s grim gaze cut to me before he withdrew an ax. Everything inside me screamed in protest. He wouldn’t, couldn’t do this. I toyed with the ring. No burn. No flood of strength or evidence of power. No solution.

A cry of despair left the mother when thunder and lightning intensified, coming faster.

“Kill her now!” a woman shrieked.

Jasher white-knuckled the weapon’s shaft. “A sacred law has been broken, and a price must be paid.” Ice cold raindrops pattered over the crowd. Several splashed on my overheating brow. “Will anyone show mercy and take this woman’s place?”

I heard a faint note of hope in his voice, and the cracks he’d forged in me last night widened, welcoming light. An idea came to me. Something I shouldn’t consider. Too dangerous. A risk like no other. But I did consider it. Jasher needed my help. He’d saved me from myself countless times. Now, I had a chance to return the favor.

“Anyone?” he echoed, the hope gone.

Not giving myself an opportunity to ponder the end results, I called, “I will. I’ll do it.”

All eyes swung my way. Patch and Leona gaped, even shook their heads in negation, but the executioner glared. Would he kill me?

We would replace out. Because I couldn’t let him kill an innocent. And this young mother who’d only sought to protect her child was innocent. I removed my hat, thrust it at Patch, and raised my chin. “I will,” I repeated.

The mother collapsed to her knees, sobbing. When the crimen above her head faded, I knew it took residence over mine; an awful, eerie energy pulsed against my skin.

For Jasher. For Tandi. For me.

The crowd parted, creating a path for me as I made my way forward. Up the steps and onto the stage. “Go,” I told the mother. “Find your aunt and child and never come back here. Stay hidden.”

She sprinted off as fast as her feet would carry her. Good.

The rain increased. Every droplet stung like a needle prick. Jasher held my stare as I willingly approached the chopping block.

“What of your father?” he snapped. “How will you transport serpens-rosa to him when you are dead?”

When, not if. “Why are you talking? The storm comes. Kill me.” Brave talk. I knelt down and rested my cheek on the wood. Tremors plagued me, but I didn’t cry. Not even when I caught sight of Leona and Patch. Both looked ready to vomit.

“You don’t think I will?” Fury laced Jasher’s question. “You’ve tied my hands, Moriah. Ensured I must end someone else I care for. How could you do this to me?” he hissed.

The confession rocked me in ways I couldn’t have guessed. “I care for you, too, Jasher.” Very much. The sky darkened until being electrified by forks of lightning. “You’re running out of time,” I reminded him, merciless. I had to be.

“You have none left,” he snapped.

From the corner of my eye, I watched him raise the ax. I bit my tongue, tasting blood. If he did it, he did it. I died. End of story. At least I’d made a difference in someone’s life, stood up for what I believed, fought against the wrongness I despised, and taken a chance on a man worthy of the risk.

“You have ruined me, princess.”

His guttural admission wrecked me. “I take that as a compliment, tinman.”

Wind whipped up, blowing locks of my hair around my face. An animalistic roar sounded not too many miles away, sending the crowd into a frenzied panic.

Shouts rang out. “The monstra!” “Kill her!” “Kill her before we’re destroyed!”

One roll of thunder bled into another. Still Jasher hesitated. Other roars came louder and louder. My ring heated at last.

With a roar of his own, Jasher finally did it. He swung.

The blade sliced into the floor of the dais directly beside the chopping block, avoiding me entirely. “Run,” he commanded the crowd. “The monstra come.”

The people dispersed, screaming and dashing for cover in the woods. Only Leona and Patch remained. The mayor dropped the pack and floundered, as if torn. Patch let the hat fly away and held up her fists, ready to fight.

Shock reverberated in my bones. Jasher hadn’t beheaded me. Had let me live. Had risked utter destruction. Now, the girls were hanging back, putting their lives on the line to help us.

Gripping the neckline of my shirt, Jasher hauled me to my feet and shoved a dagger hilt in my hand. “Lead as many as you can to the oasis,” he instructed, each word dripping with fury.

I’d saved him from himself, but he might not forgive me for it.

“I won’t leave you to battle the enemy on your own.” I wasn’t a skilled soldier, and yet otherworldly confidence accompanied the ring’s heat. A strength I’d experienced only once before, only in greater measure. Suddenly the dagger felt natural in my grip, as if it had become an extension of my arm.

“Lead as many as you can to the oasis,” he repeated, tossing a crossbow to Patch, who caught the weapon with ease. He lobbed a mini-whip at Leona, but she dropped it.

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Patch announced over the thunder.

“M-me either,” Leona squeaked on a raspy plume of air.

All but spewing fire from his nostrils, Jasher jerked his ax free of the wood and withdrew the other from its sheath. “If any of you die, it’s your fault. I’ll accept no blame.”

The ring’s heat amplified to blistering, and I heard myself say, “No one is dying today.” The words spilled from deep inside my being, from a well I hadn’t known I possessed.

As rain beat upon us, the chorus of roars increased in volume. With the next flash of lightning, I spied them. The monstra. By a miracle I didn’t yet understand, fear remained at bay. Three creatures streaked through the sky, as grotesque as advertised. A twisted amalgamation of a dragon, bull, and wolf whose incarnations hailed from nightmares rather than nature. They were even bigger than the stuffed mounts in West’s office with gnarled black horns spiked from their heads. Their crimson eyes were whirlpools of hatred. Smoke wafted from their nostrils.

Leona whimpered. Patch banged a fist into her temple, as if trying to beat out the terror.

“If you fail to survive this battle after I’ve risked everything to save you,” Jasher snarled at me, stepping up to my side, “I will be displeased.”

“Same, Tinman. Same.”

Closer and closer the monsters came. I breathed deep, bracing for impact, now understanding why he’d intended to save the serpens-rosa. We weren’t coming out of this without injury.

“Keep your eyes on your opponent every second,” Jasher commanded us all. “When a monstra makes eye contact, they can’t look away until you do. It will be mesmerized, unable to harm you or think past getting free of your gaze.”

Twitters of excitement replaced their roars as the beasts spotted us. They swooped low, coasting through the air, gliding closer… The one on the left seemed to smile before unhinging its jaw. The scales covering its throat flared and brightened, as if fire brewed beneath.

I can do this. “Patch,” I screamed. To my relief, she comprehended my order and unleashed a surge of arrows as the monstra sprayed its flames over the dais.

Those missiles hit the underside of the creature’s chin, disrupting his aim, allowing Jasher and me to dive to the ground and roll to safety. I flowed to my feet as if guided by invisible hands. The fire raged, unaffected by the rain.

A glittering golden light pulsed from my ring, and the creature looked my way, as if it couldn’t help itself. Our gazes locked, a surprise to us both. Determination met hatred, and the beast jerked. It passed over us, so close I could’ve reached up to touch it. No more flames escaped it. There was no swipe of its claws. It even spun mid-air to maintain our visual contact.

Jasher handled the beast in the middle, moving with a speed I couldn’t track in my periphery. Leona brandished the whip, successfully winding the end around the neck of the third until it sprayed yellow-green flames across the gravel streets. To avoid frying, she released the weapon and dove for cover.

On my creature’s second pass overhead, I jumped and swung the dagger. Metal sliced into a hoof tipped with claws. Thick, dark green blood spurted from the wound as the beast squawked with pain.

Patch used the last of her arrows, but none met their mark as the monstra thrashed in the sky. I was tempted to focus on the surrounding inferno but releasing my captive meant certain destruction. Then it happened through no fault of my own. Smoke billowed between us, breaking our connection.

Another roar sounded, this one familiar. I tensed as Nugget leaped through the gloom, slamming into Leona’s opponent before it could unleash a second stream. Rabdog and monstra rolled across the dirt, biting and clawing at each other.

The one I’d injured cleared the smoke, spitting fire. Flames consumed me.