The Last Narkoy: Gathow: Book 2 by Elizabeth Price (find a book to read txt) 📕

feet, Sedom ran to the edge of the city. Pandemonium had already begun as the citizens of Crowarl took to the street, fleeing from the Marisheio invasion. The screams of the city's people and explosions of Marisheio weapons filled Sedom's ears. The smoke of burning buildings filled her eyes and nose. She grabbed a shirt from a clothesline, ripping off a piece large enough to cover her nose and mouth.

From all around her, she could just make out the images of the city’s citizens running, or was it a Marisheio? It was hard to tell from the smoke. She grabbed one woman, forcing her to face her. Thankfully, she was Crehail.

“Go to the forest and head to the river,” she ordered the woman. “Go, and take anyone you can find with you.”

She released the woman with a hard push. The scream of another woman turned her attention to a small dwelling to her left. She rushed inside to find a Marisheio male holding down a woman and was about to force himself upon her. There was no way she could shoot him without possibly injuring the woman. She crept inside further, searching for anything she could use as a blade. She found a small paring knife sitting on the table next to some vegetables the woman had been slicing. She grabbed the knife and tiptoed over to the two.

“Um,” Sedom cleared her throat, causing the Marisheio to turn to her. As he did, she slit the man's throat from left to right. He released the woman, taking hold of his throat to hold back his blood.

Sedom kicked him aside, offering her hand to the woman. The woman looked at her, her eyes wide with panic and filled with tears. “Come on. You’re not safe here. I need you to run to the river,” she said, helping the woman to stand. The woman crawled to her feet, hurrying out the door.

“Run to the river, near the rock mounds in the forest. Take anyone you can find with you and don’t look back,” she instructed as she pointed to the doorway. As she spoke, she watched out the open door as two more men carried another man down the street. The man’s leg was half severed from a pistol wound. She called her demand again as she pointed to the forest. The men agreed without question.

With no time to waste, Sedom jumped from house to house, hurrying the occupants into the forest, killing any Marisheio that stood in her way. When she reached the last house, nearly forty Marisheio had perished by her small paring knife.

She glanced down at the knife, seeing it covered in Marisheio blood. “How many people did the Marisheio kill?” she asked herself as she stared down at a Marisheio man whose neck she had just sliced from shoulder to shoulder. The man fell to his knees, then flat onto his face on the ground. From his belt, she removed a much larger hunting knife. She tossed her own knife aside and took his. His blade was nearly the length of her forearm and far easier to use.

Just ahead on the road, her eyes instantly grew heavy as she watched three children lying in a mound of bodies. A young woman’s body lay beside them, her left arm severed and lying across the children. Sedom hurried over to the children, realizing no one was moving. She moved the bodies aside, finding the youngest of the children, a small boy, gasping for air.

“Sortec!” Zion called, running over to her.

She gathered the boy in her arms, handing him to Zion. “Take him back to Gathow!” she demanded.

Zion took the child, glaring at Sedom. “We will talk about this later.”

“Fine. Save his life first,” she demanded, pointing back to the forest. He hurried off, disappearing into the smoke.

In the distance, she could see a large group of people being loaded into a Marisheio ship as another ship flew off. Only ten Marisheio stood guard over them. No one realized what happened to their comrades.

Sedom snatched one of her kill’s weapons, aiming it at the shadows around her. The streets were eerily silent as she grew closer to the ships.

“No talking!” yelled a Marisheio man near the ship.

Sedom circled the ship to gain a better view. She counted twenty, all young women, were being forced on board. She could only guess why they chose them to take. She cautiously stepped in line with the women, keeping her head down. As she approached the first Marisheio guard, she raised her weapon. The shot shattered through his body and through his comrade who stood behind him.

“Get down!” she yelled to the women.

The remaining eight Marisheio opened fire on her. Sedom ducked behind the north side of the ship as pistol shots rung out against its’ hall. She looked around the corner, seeing all the women on the ground, face down.

One woman looked up at her, fearful tears clouding her eyes. Sedom held up three fingers to the woman, who understood immediately what she wanted. She tapped one woman beside her, pointing to Sedom. That woman tapped three more and so on. Soon, all of the women watched Sedom.

One by one, Sedom lowered her fingers, ready to hold off the Marisheio’s fire. When her last finger dropped, the women made a dash for the forest. Sedom jumped out, drawing the Marisheio’s fire. One woman flew to the ground, a pistol wound scorching her lower back. She screamed out in terror, causing two of the women to turn back. The two women grabbed her by the arms, dragging her along with them into the forest.

Sedom jumped inside the ship, killing the two who were hiding inside. Three managed to return fire, but all ended up dead by Sedom's stolen rifle. The last two ran for the cockpit. The ship’s engines rumbled