Minus

Embre did not drop the rope or run. Malik was proud of her for that. Malik tried to keep from charging for his bow. He noticed Mollie had tensed at the man’s approach. 

“Hand over those you have in tow and maybe we can find some leniency somewhere within us.” The man’s smile was more of a sneer. 

Malik could see the malicious intent and knew the Tempre had no thought of letting Embre walk away. Malik thought about the note, but there was no way another Tempre would fall for such a scheme. If Sweet Tongue was in the city, then the man would know all about Malik and the others. 

“Start by telling me your name,” Embre said, trying to sound confident and demanding. 

The man stopped moving forward and let a real, genuine smile cross his lips. His teeth flashed behind the smile and made him look even more menacing. 

“Oh,” he said, raising his eyes, “I like the spunk of this one.”. The man eyed Embre as if she were a piece of prized meat. “I am called Minus.” 

Malik knew very few of the Tempre by name. Mostly, he only knew they had killed his family. They had torched his village without remorse, and they were cold, heartless villains. However, the few he knew by name he had heard from texts and rumors. Minus was one of those names. Rumored to be the second in command to a man named Malum. Malik did not know Minus’ real name, but the other Tempre called him Minus because he had an illusion of power, without the actuality of it. At least, that is what the rumors were. Malik doubted Minus adopted the name for this reason. Malik figured he would never find out why Minus called himself that. 

“I would ask your name, but I do not believe you will be around long enough for me to have any use for it,” Minus said. “That saddens me a bit, I am enjoying your banter.”

Embre’s lips quivered, but she tried her best to keep the mask. “I have written decree by Sweet Tongue to pass the city gates,” Embre lied. 

Minus hesitated. Malik may have heard Minus was the second in charge of the Tempre, but even he looked uncomfortable at the mention of Sweet Tongue. Malik could not blame him. 

“I highly doubt that much,” Minus said, but did not sound so sure of himself. 

Embre patted her front breast pocket. “Are you willing to risk it?” 

Minus reached up and scratched just below his eye. He concentrated hard on the pocket Embre had just pointed to. He evaluated his next step. Did Sweet Tongue really cause him that much fear? Finally, Minus let the smile creep back onto his face. 

“Sweet Tongue will not be saddened by the lack of a fetcher,” he said, trying to convince himself and Embre with the words. 

“Okay,” Embre said. 

Malik watched Embre reach for Mollie’s sword. Minus’ hand darted to his own twin daggers, with speed and competence. Embre could not truly fight. She had never learned to swing a sword or shoot a bow. This would fall onto Mollie and Malik. The sword came free from the loose tying and caught the sun’s rays. Minus did not charge, but he did not back away at the size, either. Embre threw the sword into the air toward Mollie. Mollie had slipped through the loose wrappings of the rope and caught the sword in both hands. Minus laughed aloud. 

“Oh, marvelous!” 

Hundreds of bystanders came from all around to gather and watch the show. Malik knew if Minus were to fall into trouble; every sword here would fall in to help him. Each of these men and women wanted to be Tempre Warriors and to do so they would need to impress. It fueled their fires even more that they would likely never see the inside of the city gates, and so they needed to impress Minus right here and now. 

Mollie hefted the sword in front of her chest. She knew how to use the blade and Abrie had shown her new tricks. Minus no longer watched Embre. Embre unhooked the bow from her shoulder and handed it to Malik. Malik shook now. He could not shoot this thing. His hands were not steady enough to even hold an arrow, let alone shoot it with any accuracy. He closed his eyes, but only saw the hesitance of past failures against his eyelids. 

“I will even do the courtesy of letting you swing at me first, young lady.” Minus goaded her into position. 

Malik wondered if Mollie would take him up on the offer. Her eyes blazed with the intensity of a hundred fires. Her knuckles were white from the forced grip on the sword’s hilt. Malik hoped she would loosen her fingers before she swung the sword; at least that much he remembered from Abrie’s teachings. Mollie’s sword glowed, just as Malik had witnessed several times now. 

Minus looked interested in the change of color, but he did not comment on it. He still waited to see if Mollie would charge him with reckless abandon. It did not matter if the sword glowed, if the insides of the body were on the outside. 

Mollie did not move for the bait. Minus circled her, holding both of his daggers down toward the ground. Malik could tell by his chorded forearm muscles Minus did more than talk the talk. This was a man who trained daily on his craft, which happened to be murder and death. 

Mollie’s eyes watched every move Minus made, but her body did not react. Abrie had taught her that to move before you were ready was often a fatal mistake. If she allowed even a slight advantage to Minus, she would die in an instant. Malik was not so sure they would not all die in an instant anyhow; no matter what the outcome of Mollie’s first movement. 

“You know we could make this a lot easier on you.” Minus twirled the blade in his right hand, trying to distract Mollie. Abrie had taught her better, Malik knew it would not work. “We could easily just put you back in those ropes and walk you to Sweet Tongue.” Minus twirled both blades. 

Mollie lunged forward but did not attack Minus. She outstretched her sword like a lance and then slid low on the ground while keeping the point of her sword steady. Minus moved, but that had not been the point. The point of it was the kick she had given Malik’s chin before she did so. Malik should have shot Minus when he let his guard down. Malik’s hands had other ideas; he fumbled the arrow and watched as it slowly toppled from his fingertips toward the dirt at his feet. The plan Mollie had been so quick to come up with, fell apart just as quickly. Mollie tried not to show her displeasure. Minus looked from Mollie, and then to Malik, who he now noticed had a bow. 

“Oh clever,” he said, looking oddly impressed with the plan. “I was for sure a goner. Too bad your friend is so clumsy.” Minus jumped toward Malik, who turned his bow out just to create distance. Minus ducked under and came up in Malik’s guard. Both daggers pressed into his throat and Malik could feel the searing pain of ripping flesh. It would only be a matter of moments, and he would be dead. 

Malik did not breathe for fear of doing the job for Minus. He could see Minus’ teeth clenching and the spittle forming across his lips. Minus was not happy. Why could Malik not do anything? It should have been simple. Minus was not even expecting it. He could have ended this charade with a single arrow. Sure, the others would have charged them, but at least Malik would have killed one Tempre on his way out. Now he would die a coward. 

“How about you fight the one with a sword, coward,” Mollie said. 

She took her turn at goading. Minus was right in Malik’s face and he could hear the slow, ragged breathing coming from his mouth. Minus loosened the blade. He could still easily kill Malik with a simple thrust, but Malik no longer felt the hot pain in his throat. Now he only felt the warm blood trickling down from where the blades had cut into him. 

“I will kill you in a moment,” Minus said. “For now, I want you to watch the show.” He turned toward Mollie. 

He showed no fear in turning his back toward Malik. He did not even ask him to drop the bow. Malik had proved himself a coward and now Minus did not care about him at all. 

Mollie did a good job of not letting her nerves bleed through. She held her sword up without shaking; Malik wished he could have done the same. She started the same circling Minus had done before. Malik knew that to stand still in a fight was death. Provide a moving target; he could hear Abrie’s words. 

That was why they were here. They were here to save Abrie. If he was even still alive. They had to get into those gates to do that, but Minus made sure that would be impossible. Malik lifted his hand to his face. It was still shook uncontrollably. 

He heard Mollie grunt and looked through his fingers. Mollie swung with all her might, but Minus ducked and slashed at her shoulder. Malik knew how the searing pain must have been running through her. He looked back toward his hand. It would not obey his mind. He could tell it to stop moving a thousand times and it would not listen to him. 

Malik clenched his hand into a fist. He could still hear Mollie and Minus fighting. He could not focus on it though. When Mollie died, it would be his fault. He could have saved her. Could have stopped this fight from ever happening. Instead, he had clammed up and dropped the arrow. Malik felt a hand on his shoulder. He half expected it to be Minus’ fingers ready to pull the life from him, but it was not Minus. 

“You have to save her,” Khris said into Malik’s ear. 

Malik glanced quickly toward Mollie. 

“I can’t,” Malik said. 

Khris squeezed his fingers around Malik’s muscle. “If you don’t you will never forgive yourself.” 

Malik knew that was the truth, but it changed nothing. He blamed himself for Abrie, but that did not mean he could change it. He would watch Minus take Mollie, just like he had watched Sweet Tongue take Abrie. Malik was a coward and there was nothing he could do about it. 

“At least try,” Khris pleaded. 

Malik looked at his hand again. It was a leaf on the wind, but Khris was right. He had to at least try. Malik reached back, holding his hand out to Embre for another arrow. She gave him one without a word. Malik looked at it for what felt like a lifetime. He willed it to fly true. He willed it to fly at all. Malik put the arrow on the string. 

“Hey Minus!” 

Minus rolled from Mollie’s upward thrust and looked at Malik. He only let a small smile part his lips. He had no belief Malik would be able to shoot. He had no worries at all about the scared little arrow boy. Minus did not even bother to reply. He looked directly at the bow and the notched arrow and then turned away. He was not afraid. He was not even slightly concerned. He knew, like Malik, that Malik was a coward and would never shoot the arrow. 

“Now or never,” Khris said. “Don’t be the coward.” 

Malik never got the chance to shoot the arrow. Egg, who had been oddly quiet, flew, landing on Minus’ back. Mollie had dropped to a knee out of exhaustion, but Egg was fresh. Minus let out a concerned grunt and then a scream. Egg tore into Minus’ flesh with his razor-sharp fangs. Malik almost felt sorry for Minus. 

“Do not kill him,” Mollie reminded Egg from the ground. She huffed and puffed from exertion. 

Egg ripped away a chunk of flesh. It would not kill Minus, but he probably wished he were dead after the pain. 

“What in the world is that thing.” Minus freed himself from Egg long enough to get a look at the creature. Recognition lit Minus’ eyes when he saw the unmistakable claws and white stripes on black skin. “You are one of the guardians,” he stammered, but Minus bled so badly this body wobbled from disorientation. 

Mollie walked up behind him, slapping the twin blades from his hands. Those in the growing crowd, who had wanted to help Minus, were too shocked to move. Mollie grabbed Minus around the throat from behind, pressing her forearm into his neck. 

“We are looking for a man named Abrie,” Mollie said. 

Minus faded fast, but he still managed a mangled laugh. 

“What do you want to be associated with that old fool for?” 

Mollie put pressure into her grip, although Malik almost wondered if Minus could even feel it over the pain of his other wound. 

“I just want to know where he is,” Mollie said. 

Minus reached his hands up to Mollie’s arm, but did not have the strength to fight back. “Sweet Tongue brought him to a special place. Just as a reminder of what he left,” Minus answered with labored breath. 

“A reminder of what?” Mollie pressed. 

Minus laughed again, although there was hardly anything behind it. “You don’t leave the Tempre Warriors. Not if you want to live a long life.” Minus’ eyes faded. 

“Leave the Tempre? What do you mean leave the Tempre?” Mollie asked the question to an unconscious, limp body. Minus was not dead, but without the proper care, he soon would be. 

Malik let his bow drop. He had barely noticed he still held it at all. What was Minus talking about? Were his words the delusions of a dying man? Or had they meant something else? 

“We have to get out of here.” Khris was still beside him, hand still gripping his shoulder. Malik shrugged away. 

“How do you suppose we do that?” Malik asked. 

Khris stuttered a few syllables, but nothing that made any sense. The surrounding mercenaries came out of their shocked daze. Soon they would surround Malik and the others and then there would be no escape. 

“We have to get out of here.” Khris finally got some words to escape his mouth. 

Malik rounded on him. “We know that genius, but how do you suppose we do it?” 

Mollie moved over to Egg and lifted him off the ground. His mouth was dripping with the thick, maroon blood of Minus. He was the only thing deterring the other mercenaries from being the first to charge in. After the first grew brave enough, it would be a numbers game. Even Egg could not fend off a thousand mercenaries. 

The first man came, and Egg jumped at him, ripping into his flesh with sharp claws. The second man fared no better, but the next few came in a group and even though Egg killed a few, even more surrounded Mollie. Mollie had her sword back up and fought with experience and bravery, but she was not used to fighting multiple opponents. Soon, both Egg and Mollie were surrounded. The mercenaries had gathered a rope net from somewhere and tossed it over Egg, who fought with claws and teeth to escape. Four men came at Mollie and she had no chance to win. Six more men and women popped out of the crowd and attacked Embre, Khris, and Malik. None of them bothered to fight. It was pointless to contend with the masses. There was no way to win. 

Malik watched as the men relieved Mollie of her sword and a woman took the bow right from Malik’s fingertips. They tied Egg up in the ropes and slung the creature on their backs. 

“We can’t kill them, Sweet Tongue will reward us all well for this.”

“What do we do with him?” asked another, pointing toward Minus. 

The man with Egg on his shoulder shrugged. “We should probably bring him too.” 

Malik did not put up any fight when the butt of a spear pressed into his back, marching him forward. He came up right next to Khris and Mollie. 

“Guess we will get in those gates after all,” Malik said.