The Last Stand (The Eleven Years War: Book One)
Chapter Fifty

Elise ran through the streets of Semataas fast as she could, praying to the gods that Bram wouldn’t catch up to her.Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn’t seem to get enough air inher lungs, but she didn’t dare stop running; she was too scared that Bram wouldcatch her. She wound her way through back alley after back alley, street afterstreet, until she stumbled onto a welcome sight: a small cathedral, one thatkind of looked like the Gisken one Olrick had pointed out to her when she firstcame to the city.

Sheran faster when she saw it. Please, gods, let them believe in offeringsanctuary to people!

Eliseraced up the stairs of the cathedral and banged her fist on the door. “Help! Please,open the door!” She listened to hear if anyone was walking to the door on theinside of the cathedral, but she didn’t hear anything; it seemed like theyeither didn’t hear her or didn’t care.

Shebanged on the door, again. Please, gods, let someone answer!

“Whatmakes you think they’re going to help you?” she turned around to see Bramstanding in the street, his arms folded over his chest.

Eliseput her back to the door and let fire lick at her fingertips. The fact that hewas here and not Finn could only mean a few things, none of them being good. “Whatdid you do to him?”

“Who,Finn?” he asked as he slowly walked towards her. “Don’t worry about him; he’son his way out of the city for his court marshal. I have no doubt that GeneralRaul will give him the treatment he deserves once this battle’s over.”

Shefelt like someone had punched her in the stomach. How many people would betaken from her because of this stupid war? She wasn’t very sure how much moreof this she could take.

“You’rea monster!” Bram simply laughed at that.

“I’mhaving some déjà vu,” he said. “Let me guess, you want me to get the hell awayfrom you? I’m sorry, but you’ll have to make me.”

Elisecould feel something snap inside her. She was so sick and tired of Bram pushingher around; if she was ever going to be free of him, she would have to be theone to do it.

Shethrew flames at him, hard.

Elisecouldn’t think of a time she’d made fire so big, not since she escaped Thaoswith Olrick. Bram simply stood there for a second, shocked at how massive andpowerful the wave of fire coming towards him was, but he soon sprang to action.He ducked just in time to keep from getting burned as badly as Blair had, butnot soon enough to avoid getting hurt. The flames scorched his coat, turning itblack, and burned the back of his neck and his hair. Elise almost threw up atthe scent of burnt flesh and hair.

Sheleaned against the wall next to the church door before she passed out. She wasfeeling dizzy and cold, just as she had that night in Thaos. Bram slowly stoodup, a hand at his burnt neck. She didn’t need to look him in the eye to knowwhat was going to happen, next.

“Youlittle shit!” He pulled his batons off of his belt. Almost the second he did,lightning began to jump up and down the batons. “You’ll pay for that!”

Helaunched lightning at her.

Elisedidn’t have the strength in her to react. The lightning hit her right in thestomach.

Fora few agonizing seconds, her muscles felt like they were being ripped apart.Her heart pounded against her chest hard enough that Elise was worried that herribs would break. She found herself screaming in pain, just as every other partof her body did.

Thenext thing she knew, she was laying on the stone steps of the cathedral, unableto move.

Elisewatched in horror as Bram walked toward her, lightning still jumping on hisbatons. Her mind screamed at her to get up, throw some fire at him, anything to keep him from getting anycloser to her, but she couldn’t. The lightning had paralyzed her, and shedidn’t think it would wear off any time soon.

Hepointed a baton at her, a menacing look on his face. “Try not to take this toopersonally. If it makes you feel any better, I wanted to keep you around.”

Feargrabbed Elise’s heart. Was it all just going to end there, just a door betweenher and salvation?

Justas Bram was going to kill her, however, someone grabbed the baton. Elise watchedin horror as a novice took all the lightning himself, something that shethought would kill him for sure.

However,that wasn’t what happened. As the novice took in the lightning, he pointed hishand to the sky. More lightning shot from the novice’s hand and into the sky ina massive bolt, followed by a loud, thunderous boom. Bram simply stood there inhorror as the novice pointed his hand at him. He launched across the road andlanded in a heap in front of an alley, groaning in pain.

Thelightning stopped flowing from the novice’s hand and he gently picked up Elise,who still couldn’t move. After seeing what he was capable of, Elise wassurprised to replace that he was younger than even Milo had been; fourteen, maybefifteen years old.

“Becareful with that power of yours,” he said quietly. “There’s a lot more peoplelike you than you think there are.” With that, the novice carried Elise intothe church, with a monk shutting the door behind them.

Thesecond the door was shut, the monk who’d shut the door took Elise, allowing thenovice to collapse in front of the door. It seemed that using his lightning hadexhausted him, just as using fire exhausted her.

“Whatin the world were you thinking?” the monk asked the novice. “By the gods, youcould’ve gotten yourself killed!” the novice rubbed the back of his neck andslowly stood up, leaning against the door.

“Sh-sheneeds a doctor,” he stuttered. “That oraniomancer got her pretty bad.” The monklooked down at Elise, then began to carry her into a second room, one that hada few couches, chairs, and a fireplace with a few dying embers left in it. Heset her down on the couch closest to the fireplace. He turned and saidsomething to the novice in Gisken, who nodded and ran off into a differentroom.

“You’llbe safe, here,” the monk promised. “He’s gone to get the abbot. He’ll be ableto heal you up, and you can go back home.”

Home. With the way things were going,Elise wouldn’t even have one once thesun rose.

Marionshut the door of her room behind her, terrified beyond anything she could haveever imagined was possible. Her hands were shaking so badly, she could barelyhold her sword, and only one thought occupied her mind: hide. That was exactlywhat she did the second she got into her room: she ran sprinted for herwardrobe, yanked the door open, and shut the door on herself, just before Blairkicked her door open.

Sheput a hand on her mouth to keep herself silent as Blair’s heavy footfalls rangout in her room. Gods, please let him just go away!

“Whereare you, you little whore?!” Blair asked as he walked around her room. ToMarion’s horror, he began to come closer and closer to where she was hiding.“Come on out; I know you’re in here!”

Marionclosed her eyes as Blair stopped right in front of the wardrobe. Did he alreadyknow where she was? Gods, please don’t let that be true-

Asword went through the wardrobe right above her head.

Asmuch as she wish she could, Marion couldn’t hold it in: she screamed, prayingto the gods that someone would hear it and come help before it was too late.

Thesword came out of the wardrobe and the door was yanked open. The second she sawBlair, she swung her sword at him.

Blairbarely batted an eye when he saw the last-ditch attempt to come out on top. Heparried the blow and sliced her hand open, making her drop her sword.

BeforeMarion could recover, Blair put his sword against her throat. The blood soakedmetal chilled her skin. “If you scream again, I swear on all that’s holy I’llkill you; got it?”

Marionnodded as her stomach began to twist itself into knots. The fact that he wantedher alive made her feel sick

Blairgrabbed her by the front of her breastplate and yanked her out of the wardrobeand onto her feet. If it hadn’t been for his strong grip, she probably would’vefallen to the ground, again.

Heshoved her away and held his sword at her throat. “I would like nothing morethan to go ahead and run you through like a dog; after all, that’s all youdeserve. It’s a shame that, as the general of the Gisken army, I have to gothrough protocols, first.” He motioned at her bed with the sword. “Go sit down.If you try to run, I’ll cut you open.” Once she was sitting, he walked over toher desk, pulled out a piece of paper, and began writing.

Thesecond she saw that Blair was occupied, Marion jumped up, ran out the door-

Andright into a group of Gisken soldiers.

Theydidn’t give her time to react. The main soldier wrapped his arms around her,pinning her arms to her sides. She kicked and squirmed in the man’s grip as hedragged her back into her bedroom, but he didn’t relent.

Blairput down the quill he’d been writing with and walked towards her, his sword inhand.

“Letme go!” Marion begged as Blair walked towards her. “Please, I-“

“Shutup!” Blair sent the blade of his sword across her side. The blow was hardenough that it went right through her breastplate and cut her, deep.

Marionfolded over in pain. If it hadn’t been for the soldier holding her up, she knewthat she would’ve fallen to her knees.

“You’reover estimating my charity, Princess Marion,” Blair growled. “Your life ishanging from a very thin thread; I would try not to antagonize me any more, ifI were you.” He looked up at one of the Giskens and gave him orders. Thesoldier nodded and ran off as Blair began writing, again.

Marionlooked down at the cut in her side. Crimson blood was slowly dripping out of itand onto the floor. It scared her to see it; she knew that if she didn’t getsome help, she was going to bleed out and die in her own bedroom.

Aftera few minutes, Blair said something else in Gisken. The soldier that washolding her dragged her over to the desk and sat her down in front of it.

Blairoffered her the quill. “Sign it.”

Marionlooked over the document in front of her. She tried to read it, but it was inGisken, reminding her of one of the history lessons Polain taught her soonafter Eza had arrived in Caitha: at the surrender of Kurzh, General Mitrius ofKurzh had been forced to sign a surrender with the terms written in Gisken,just like this one. He ended up signing over he and his men to the Gisken armyand confessing to war crimes he never committed because he couldn’t speakGisken and nobody would tell him what it said. “What is it?”

“It’sthe terms of surrender,” Blair said. “When you sign this, all the pain andsuffering going on outside will end.”

Fora few seconds, Marion simply stared at the document, trying to decide if sheshould do it or not. She desperately didn’t want to surrender what was left ofthe Caithian army over to the Giskens; if she were the reason that thousands ofmen – including many of her friends - were sent to Kurzh to die, she didn’tthink she would be able to live with herself.

Thenagain, as she sat there, she knew that the Giskens were out there, murderingcivilians. If there was one thing Polain had successfully taught her, it wasthat the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.

BeforeMarion could decide, there was a commotion in the hallway. A few seconds later,Olrick barged into the room, his bloody sword in hand. The Gisken soldiers inthe room raised their own weapons, ready to kill him.

Blairput his sword across her throat and pressed, forcing her closer to him. WhenOlrick saw them, his face seemed to fall for a few seconds. Then, he got anenraged look on his face. “Let her go!”

“Iwould chose your next actions very carefully, Watchman,” Blair said. “If youmake one more aggressive move, I swear on all that’s holy, you won’t be theonly casualty.”

Fora few seconds, Olrick stood still, looking back and forth between Marion andBlair and the soldiers that were ready to kill him. Finally, he sighed andcursed under his breath.

Hedropped his sword and put his hands above his head in surrender.

Blairtook the sword away from Marion’s throat and smiled. He barked some orders inGisken to his men, who forced Olrick to lie down on his stomach.

“Inever got your answer, before,” he said as he walked over to where Olrick waslying. He dragged the tip across his back for a few seconds, then stabbed himthrough the shoulder. Olrick cursed, then clenched his fists before he could doanything else that might scare Marion into submission. “Are you going to signthe surrender, or are you going to let him – and every other soldier left inthis city – die?”

“Marion,don’t do it,” Olrick said. “They’ll kill us all, anyway-“

“Shutup!” Blair twisted the blade of his sword in Olrick’s shoulder. Olrick tensedup, but he managed to avoid screaming.

“Stopit!” Marion begged. Blair looked back at her.

“I’mnot the one who can stop this,” he said. “You signing that paper is the onlything that’s going to stop this.”

Fora few seconds, Marion stared at the paper. She knew that Olrick didn’t want herto do it, but she couldn’t just sit there, procrastinating an end that she knewwas coming while people died for it.

I’m sorry, Olrick. Marion picked up thequill and signed the surrender with a shaky hand.