The Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly 1)

I swallowed and felt my adam’s apple brush against the blade of his knife. There was much shuffling as the kidnappers pulled Jury and Pim toward themselves and arranged their long blue robes to hide the children. Hidden from plain sight, they looked like any ordinary traveler visiting for the celebration. Scar Lip bound my wrists and grabbed a third robe to cover me. It wasn’t until he led me into the street that I saw the reasons behind the blue robes.

There was a dancing troupe that was late coming to the city and their caravan filled the streets. The entire troupe wore same blue robes. Scar Lip and the henchmen pulled us in line with the caravan. No one paid us any attention as we walked down the street. I was able to glance out the side of my eye to see Joss and Cooper still lounging outside of the dress shop, oblivious to what was going on around them.

Why hadn’t Syrani told them I was missing? She must have heard the commotion that was going on in the backroom. Or was she in on the kidnapping? Thoughts flew through my head as I tried to put together what was happening. Nothing made sense.

I tried to mindspeak Faraway but the distance was too great, I couldn’t reach him. What I needed was a distraction and a plan. The caravan stopped as another parade made their way down the street. It was the Queen and her guard, heading toward the castle.

The guards moved through the streets ordering everyone to move aside and let the Queen pass. I could almost see Captain Meryl at the head and the red hair of Queen Lilyana behind him.

Scar Lip looked at the Queen and whispered under his breath, “So close, we are so close. Next time Queen Lilyana, it will be different.”

All heads were turning to watch the Queen pass, this was my distraction. My muscles tensed with anticipation, knowing that this may be my only chance for help. Scar Lip felt me tense and pressed the knife deeper into my back. “Don’t even try it!” He growled into my ear and slammed my head against the stone building to prove his point. I cried out from the pain and no one noticed, or almost no one noticed. An old woman couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of Scar Lip.

“Get moving!” He hissed to his companions. “We are supposed to meet Raven’s carriage around the next bend.”

The Raven! He was here, in the city!

“What about the other one? Weren’t we supposed to bring both of them?”spoke the Septori who had Jury under his cloak.

“I’m not waiting around for that one.” Scar Lip hissed. “Besides it was this one that Raven specifically wanted back, the one that worked. He doesn’t care about cast-offs or failed experiments. He wants this one so he can duplicate her results. Now get moving before I tear you to pieces and leave you for what’s left of Raven’s demon dogs.”

The Septori looked scared, closed his mouth and shuffled faster toward the road. Scar Lip mentioned Raven’s demon dogs, or what was left of them. It was obvious then, who controlled the beasts.

The crowd started to dissipate as the Queen and her guard turned down the first street. I looked after them longingly, knowing that I would have to find another way to get Pim, Jury and myself out of this mess.

The two Septori and Scar Lip pulled us into another alley and I could see an enclosed carriage. I knew if I got into that carriage it was over. I started to struggle with Scar Lip and he grabbed the back of my hood and a handful of hair and pulled hard. Tears formed in my eyes but I didn’t stop.

“Kill the girl!” Scar lip ordered. “She’s fighting me.” The Septori looked up at Scar Lip and grabbed at the bundle under his robe. I could hear Jury start to cry.

“NO! Please no.” I screamed and instantly went limp, showing Scar Lip that I would behave. He looked at me before motioning one of them to open the door. I saw a dark carriage with velvet padded seats, something that only someone rich could afford. Scar Lip reached inside and pulled out a vial of green liquid.

“Drink this and I will let them go.” He spoke to me and his bad breath made me gag.

“You promise? Do you promise me that if I drink this, you will not harm Pim and Jury?” I looked at the kids who clung to each other, as tears ran down their faces. I raised the vial slowly to my mouth.

“Yes,” Scar Lip answered and held up his hand as if making an oath. “I promise I will not hurt them. You should be familiar with the contents of that vial; it’s what we gave your kidnappers when we first acquired you from your village.”

The vial froze on my lips. This was the first news I had heard about concerning my family. If that was true and drinking the drug would erase my memories again, then it wasn’t worth it. My hand shook as I asked, “What village was that?”

“Doesn’t matter will it? You will never remember them, an unfortunate side effect of this particular drug. I brought it just for you. Now drink!” He raised his hand and motioned toward Jury.

I felt a silent tear slide down my cheek and tasted the first bitter taste of serum as it touched my tongue.

A scream racked the alley as an old woman with wild eyes, charged into me knocking the vial from my lips. I watched as it crashed to the ground and broke.

“What the…,” Scar Lip broke off midsentence as the screaming banshee of a women turned on him and started scratching at his eyes with her nails.

I spat out as much of the serum as I could and looked up as poor old Ruzaa attacked Scar Lip. “I remember you… you evil VERMIN! You will pay for what you did to me!”

The Septori stood dumfounded and released their hold on Jury and Pim. I looked up in horror as Scar Lip took his knife and turned it on Ruzaa.

Anger overtook me; I felt my blood boil as I reached for power. Not caring who or what got hurt as long as they paid for their sins. Jury and Pim ducked under the cover of the carriage as I held out my hands and pulled not on my own energy, but the Septori’s.

I saw Ruzaa fall to the ground, her body still, my hatred pouring out of me. The ground started to shake, the wind picked up as I tried to lift the carriage and protect the children under it. I was breaking it apart, little by little and what I had swallowed of the serum was starting to dull my senses. I didn’t have much time left.

Scar Lip turned toward me, bloody knife in hand and fell backward onto the ground. He had no leverage over me now, the children were safely behind me and my enemy lay unprotected before me. The Septori tried to run but were struggling to move as I drew their energy away.

A loud scream could be heard as I ripped apart the carriage in the air and brought it down with a loud crash onto Scar Lip and the two Septori. A mass of wood, wheels and iron sat in the alley, all that was left of the noble carriage, and under it were three bodies.

I fell to my knees exhausted and crawled toward Ruzaa. I touched her warm body and rolled her over.

“Oh, please no, not Ruzaa!” Tears were falling freely as I touched the old weaver’s face. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled at me, blood trickling down her chin. “I got ‘em back. I did. I got ‘em, he won’t hurt nobody anymore.”

“You mean Scar Lip?”

Ruzaa coughed and more blood trickled out her mouth. “He was one of them that hurt me years ago. I will never forget that face, but I didn’t see the other one. He’s a tricky one that one.”

“Ruzaa, tell me what to do? I’ve never healed anyone before, please help me. Just tell me what to do?” Jury and Pim crawled over by me and were hugging each other.