Ch22: The watcher in the night
Sarros had never left the party, he watched in the shadows the whole time. Fear of getting caught or fear of what Phayefine planned, kept him right in place. He saw Magdaline as his sister, she was smart and beautiful. Once she came out of her shell, she was positively enchanting. He was not going to let the older girl do something that was going to get Magdaline kicked out, or worse put in the brigg.
He watched as she danced with the older boys. Some part of him was jealous of them. He watched as the boy kissed her at the end. He had never thought of her like this until now. She was a girl and he was a boy.
Phayefine was older than Magdaline by two years. She was blossoming to a gorgeous woman. She was very free. Her family was rich and powerful. He felt she could do anything she wanted. She could have any boy there and twist him around her finger. She was the type of girl that could break a man just by her walk. Which confused him even more when she only danced with the girls. She even kissed Magdaline, right at the very end. He felt very confused at what Phayefine wanted in all of this.
Once the party began to die down and the seniors started back to their barracks, he watched as the two girls took off in a completely different direction. He followed them from street to street, trying to keep in the shadows where he knew the lights would keep him a secret.
He lost them around a corner. They were gone. They ran towards the main gate. He moved in that direction in hopes of finding them.
The seniors were now far away from them. The comotion of the party had died down and those he could hear were very faint. He took stock of what was in this area. Unlike Magdaline, he was given a tour of the area when he first came in as a recruit. It was a big deal about the brigg. It was near the main gate, and that’s where they took you if you did something horrible. It’s also where they said Tylenyphe was put.
His mind raced. ‘No, if she was inside the brigg, how would they get Magdaline in?’ He moved quickly and quietly as close as he could to the brigg’s main gate. He remembered all of the stone and the entryway was imposing.
When he came to where he could see the massive wooden door, he also could see two figures standing, the faint torch light gave another figure that was lying on the ground. Phayefine’s face shone brightly in the light. The other had to be Tylenyphe. So the person on the ground had to be Magdaline.
He searched quickly to find a long stick that was hefty enough to use as a weapon.
He saw them kick and taunt the girl, one reached down and scratched her arm with something.
He ran up with a battle yell that would shake the mightiest oak tree, he slung his makeshift staff against the back of Tylenyphe’s head. She dropped to the ground in an instant. This gave Phayefine enough time to prepare herself.
She drew out her knife to one side. Her posture dared the boy to come at her. Her face was contorted by hate.
The boy swung as hard as he could for her head, but she deftly moved out of the way. He swung again in a diagonal strike, but she shifted to the other side. A third strike down the middle. She quickly side stepped it again.
Sarros started to feel the weight of this weapon. It was makeshift, he knew that, but it worked nothing like a staff. The girl charged him and with a palm to his chin bowled him back. The piece of timber flew off making hollow banging on the ground.
He regained his composure quickly and clenched his fists. He got into his combat stand that they had trained for. The girl was taller than him and her reach was longer. He had to even his odds.
He came in close so that her reach would not allow her an advantage. She swung at his face, and with a duck and a quick jab struck her in the middle of her stomach. The girl flung backwards, but was not down.
He prepared for another attack, again coming in close so she could not just pummel him at a distance. She shifted to the side and landed a blow to his face. He fell back staggering.
He was going to save Magdaline. Phayefine had to go down, he was the only hope.
He prepared for another strike and went in for a blow to her head. She swiftly countered him and with a quick spin move he saw her hand pass straight under his chin.
He felt a sharp pain at his neck. He staggered back and felt something warm running down his shirt. He looked down, but the darkness hid what he was looking for. He put his hands up to his neck to see what was the matter with it and felt a long gash across it.
Sarros had never seen the knife.
When he brought his hands up they were covered in blood and he could feel the lights going dim around him. He fell forward onto the street, blood spurted from his body as he gurgled.