Dark Empathy by Archibald Bradford (inspiring books for teens TXT) 📕

cried out, tears streaming down her face as she cradled one of the dead Blomma in her arms.

“How could the Aegis let this happen?!” One of Bask’s Troglodytes demanded, her eyes locked on Adrian.

The Aegis technician was pale and heartbroken in the face of the atrocity before him. He couldn’t meet the angry warrior’s gaze.

“We tried to stop it. My team, my love... they all died trying to stop it.” He spoke helplessly.

She hissed in frustration, unable to argue against his loss.

But once again the world flipped upside down.

Darkness took the sky, emanating from Olena.

Kneeling next to the now-dead Blomma, both of her hands were drenched in the poor creature’s sap-like blood, her fingers writhed together, working the slick substance all over.

She began to mutter while the others fought to breathe in the strange atmosphere that came about as a result of her unleashed powers.

Her chant rose in cadence as green lightening speared across the blackened sky, coalescing into a blindingly brilliant ball directly above their heads, promising nothing but calamity.

The Elder Witch rose to her feet, her arms reaching out to either side with balled fists as her chant continued to rise ever higher in volume until she was all but screaming at the sky.

The ball of energy darted away with a whooshing roar, leaving behind a deafened crowd.

Just as before, the world righted itself almost instantly and the various monster girls stared with wide-eyed apprehension at the shockingly silent Witch; with her thumb she tried to wipe away a single tear from her cheek, but managed only to smear Blomma blood across her face.

“What-” Adrian began.

Alcaia cut him off.

“A death curse.” Her demeanor was fearful, an unnerving sight on the powerful Amazon; “The darkest power that the Witches possess. The ones who did this... the will never escape it. Each and every one of their ends will be violent, even should they manage to evade our wrath.”

“That way.” Olena pointed towards the trees where the light had gone; “My curse pursues them. And the man who brought about this Blomma’s death will die when it catches them. A life for a life.”

She sounded tired, as unfamiliar on her as Alcaia’s fear had been.

“Are you alright?” Adrian asked.

She didn’t respond right away, a sad look on her face.

“Some magic… we do not use so much. That may well have been the first death curse cast since the war. It is a burden to be the one to enact such a thing.”

“Then why do it? We will catch them soon…”

“Because it is what they deserve. Now come, as you said, we will catch them soon.”

__________

As they had the night before, Cordelia and her sister fed the Aegis the following day, hosting lunch in the hive for the weary but grateful task force.

Like everyone else the baker was pretty tired, though she was also worried about Rebecca, having only spoken to her once very briefly the previous day while delivering food.

During lunch she had a chance to check in with her, but found that she was doing much better than she had expected.

Miranda’s Wolfen partner was flirting with her shamelessly, and she even heard the Lapine laughing, so Cordelia opted to leave her to it and took the opportunity to catch up with Nameless and his bond-mates, it having been several months since she had last seen them.

The changes she saw in him were dramatic to say the least!

Like the other women in his life, she appreciated the uniform, but it was the surety and focus in him that really impressed her.

When last she had seen him he was wracked with grief for the death of his friend, now he seemed to be thriving under the tutelage of the Aegis, even despite the heartbreaking events of the previous day.

And he wasn’t the only one changed; Cordelia reached up and flicked the brim of Milly’s hat.

“I love your hat by the way, where’d you get it?”

The Minotaur naturally beamed at the praise as she self-consciously adjusted the hat on her horns.

But as they were finishing eating, a breathless lawkeeper was led inside by Oldeera’s Hornets, his eyes wide and demeanor urgent.

“I wonder what that is about.” Erica said as she indicated the man with her fork.

Ophelia’s brow furrowed as she watched him whispering urgently with Miranda and Benjamin.

“Oh dear, it can’t be good.”

Nameless didn’t say anything, just waited, while beside him Cordelia gnawed on her lip and Oldeera’s eyes narrowed, her antennae twitching as she communicated with her hive, having them ready themselves for whatever challenge came next.

But even her girls closer to the conversation didn’t catch what was happening, so she shrugged.

“Whatever it is, the Aegis will handle it I’m sure.”

In a minute a grim-faced Miranda turned to them all, silence having spread as people realized something was up.

She didn’t mince words.

“Get your shit and get off your asses. We’re heading out. Right now.”

The way she said it, no one challenged her, or complained that they were too tired, though Nina looked at the table against the wall that had been filled with food.

The little giant had been considering a third helping.

“So much for our day off.”

Rebecca and the others watched as Miranda and the Aegis task force left the hive, all that they were able to glean was that apparently there was some kind of emergency to the west, but for once the Lapine wasn’t in the middle of it so she trusted in Oldeera’s words that the Aegis would handle whatever it was.

With the taskforce having all but fled the hive without explaining anything, Cordelia was now making awkward small talk with Oldeera as Rebecca helped Christine clear up the remains of their luncheon.

Trying to find a sense of normality