Minx

Minx

Roots shot out, curling and roping their way around the guards’ legs, squeezing until the guard fell over, screaming. Minx left him crumpled on the ground, holding his broken legs, while she ran towards the pyre.

Rhea pulled in a wave of water from the sea, washing away half the Hands standing by the port. Minx ignored them, bobbing and splashing against the ships and kelp, and kept running.

Gathered by the pyres stood three iron carriages, each holding nearly a dozen prisoners ranging from Elf to witch. The pyre sat unlit, but she’d seen the crippled old man who had made the announcement hobbling towards it with a lit torch. She’d seen the glittering of hatred in his eyes spurred on by pure spite.

Minx reached out and found the pyre with its dry logs. She felt out the carcass of old trees piled on top of each other and poured her gift into them. Even as she ran, she could see the budding tops of trees shooting towards the sun.

The old man had nothing to burn now - the logs were too new, too wet to set aflame.

So why was he still dragging himself towards it?

She caught a glimpse of him in the churning crowd, fighting his way just as she did. No matter how she screamed or how hard she pushed, the crowd wouldn’t budge. It was partly their fault - they shouldn’t have reacted so quickly. If they hadn’t, then they could have calmly made their way to the pyre and the prisoners and this could have been all over by now.

But the old man was a creep.

He saw a young girl in the crowd, not much younger than Minx, and demanded the family give her to them as a priestess.

“She will live a life of devotion to the Goddess,” he said while two Hands dragged her from the crowd. It was meant to sound pious, but the hunger in his eyes and the way his lips worked when he looked at her was anything but.

It sent Wraza into a rage, and no one tried to stop her. But now Wraza was nowhere to be found and Minx had to deal with the old creep herself. She threw out a few roots, hoping to split the fleeing crowd.

A fire burned behind her, the smoke choking out the sunlight as it roared. Wraza took out a decent portion of the temple in her rage, and now her fire blazed in the square. Minx trusted Rhea to put it out if need be.

Her roots managed to turn the tide of the crowd just enough for her to have a clear path to the pyre-now-tree. As she neared it, she noticed the old man sneaking behind the tree, torch still in hand.

Minx sidestepped the tree and caught him holding the torch to one of the carriages. The idiot was trying to light it on fire. She flicked her wrist and a branch from the tree shot out, knocking the torch from his hand.

He cried out like he’d been shot, falling to his knees while prostrating to the sky, “Goddess above, protect me!” He cried out.

Minx stalked towards him, her heart thumping in tune with her stride. A strange sense of calm took over her as she stood before him.

Here before her was the true evil in this land - the kind of evil that hides behind the mask of holiness and piety while actively crushing those in need between their toes. They take food from the hungry and make them watch while they gorge themselves on it then have the audacity to say it’s laziness that makes them hungry.

The man before her would take and tax the very air she breathed if it meant he’d get richer.

The man before her had no idea what the Goddess wanted.

He shrank from her when she stood before him, praying fervently to the Goddess to save him.

“But she is here,” Minx said, holding out her hands.

The old man looked up and paled. “You are no Goddess.”

“I am her child. Gifted by her blood and her blessings.” Minx said, growing a small rose in her palm.

“You are a blasphemous whore tainted by the Demon kind. The Goddess would have wept if she knew what her Maidens turned into.” He spat.

Minx bent down until her nose almost touched his, keeping her face a mask of indifferent calm. He blanched and tried to pull away, but she caught him by his shirt and held him close.

“By all accounts, I should have you burned alive for your transgressions. But, by the grace of our Goddess, I will give you a chance at clemency.” She let him go and stood back up. “If you can make it to that ship, you are free to go.” She jutted her chin towards a ship in port, where all the Hands were fleeing.

Rhea made it a point to give them a chance to leave the cities. Their leader would be dead soon, anyway. Without Supreme Capricorn to lead them, the Hands would crumble into obscurity.

The old man looked from her to the ship, his bushy eyebrows knotted in confusion, but she could see how his beady eyes lit up. He was wondering how fast he had to be to make it as if she’d try to stop him.

“I will not try to stop you,” she said, and his head nearly swiveled off his shoulders with how fast he turned back to her. “I will leave it in the hands of our Goddess. If you make it to that ship, you are free to leave the Twin Cities.”

He didn’t wait for her to repeat it a third time. With surprising agility, he got to his feet and sprinted towards the port. Minx grew a root and ripped the iron carriages apart, freeing the prisoners.

A skinny witch with a bruised face climbed down from the broken carriage. “You’re just going to let him escape?” She cried. “After everything that monster did?”

The other prisoners looked at her with the same incredulous expression.

“I gave him my word. I said I wouldn’t stop him. I never said I would stop anyone else from stopping him.” The witch quirked a brow, then looked at a tall Demon behind her.

The Demon smiled, showing her elongated fangs. Minx left them to do what they felt was necessary. It wasn’t her place to be the judge, jury, and executioner, but she could help the justice system along.

A surprising number of city locals jumped in to help the prisoners once it became apparent they were kicking the Hands out. Minx ran back to the square to see if the others were ready - Sage and Kade had to have needed backup by now.

Rhea and Wraza were already climbing the stairs to the temple, with Elinar hot on their heels.

Alec appeared by her, grinning from ear to ear. “You did it.” he planted a warm kiss on her forehead and sprinted to the temple. She had to run to keep up with them. Naru met her at the top, his brows knotted with worry.

“Something is wrong,” he said gruffly. “All the guards are gone from the temple.”

“Yeah, probably to deal with us, right?” Minx asked as they entered.

He shook his head, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes. “If Supreme Capricorn was left inside, he would still have guards.”

Her heart skipped a beat as dread rolled through her limbs.

“Do you think he’s gone?” The thought worried her. Why would he leave? And would he have taken Gabriela with him?

“I don’t think so,” Naru said as they followed the others deeper into the temple.

Minx was about to ask him what he thought when she noticed the giant oak doors before them and the hole between them.

Then she heard it. Sage calling out for Kade.

Minx rushed past the others, her feet practically flying over the tile as she bolted through the hole. The room was full of a thick, oily fog, but she could see Sage on the ground, her face covered in blood and one arm stretched out towards a giant statue of the Goddess.

Beneath the statue was Kade, struggling to get up.

They were both clearly severely injured. Minx ran to Sage, falling to her knees as she took her head in her hands.

“Sage,” her voice cracked, “What happened?” Even with all the blood caked on her face, Minx could see the gashes healing quickly. She looked like someone used her face on a cheese grater.

“Kade,” Sage croaked, still reaching for him. Minx glanced over to see Alec and Naru lifting Kade up and slowly walking him to them.

They set him down carefully by her side, but she could tell something was wrong with his back. The Demon lay on his back and entwined his fingers with hers. Minx felt Sage relax in her arms the moment they touched.

“Where is Gabriela?” Naru asked, his voice on edge.

“She took her,” Sage croaked, tears leaking from her eyes, etching lines through the blood on her cheeks.

“Who?” Naru demanded. “Who took her?”

Sage looked up into Minx’s eyes and she knew.

“Vinciei,” Minx cried.