Sequel: The White Doe ›
Status: 1 of 7 volumes. Complete.
A Good Run
Seven
She is nineteen and full of herself and is fighting a mob of vampires called the Horde, who have taken up residence at Delphi. She attacks with flaming oil and her bone bow, then with her labrys, then with her stakes and she kills dozens and still there are more, because they are, after all, a horde.
One gets behind her and puts her hn a headlock, yanking her off her feet and she can feel his breath burning her neck. His breath smells like rotten meat. Another is charging at her from the front, either not caring that she is already pinned or hoping to capitalize on the moment and he has a sword in his hand.
Thessily tries to go up, to flip herself out of the headlock and out of the way, so that the one vampire will stab the other. But as she tries to move, she feels the fangs tear at hep neck and then the sword punching through her side and it is the sword that saves her, because after it goes through her, it goes into the vampire behind her and his teeth leave before he can take her blood.
She screams with rage and as the vampire with the sword pulls it free, she reaches blindly for his head and snaps his neck, taking the sword from his hands as he dies. She spins with the blade and takes the head of the one who had bitten her, shouting hatred at him as he dissolves.
Thessily staggers out of the caverns beneath the temple, one hand across her belly, trying to keep her insides inside. Dawn is breaking and she hears the sea and smells the salt and then the sound of the waves grows louder and louder and instead of the world growing lighter it grows darker and she collapses on the road.
She nearly dies. She survives only because someone brings her to the Oracle and the Oracle knows of the Slayer. The Oracle sends for Thoas and tends to Thessily and for three days Thessily is unconscious, until finally she awakens and her Watcher is there and he looks concerned.
"I'm fine." Thessily says.
Thoas shakes his head.
"Truly, Thoas, I'm fine."
Thoas rubs the crow's feet at his left eye, the way he does when he is trying to find the right words.
Thessily smells the camphor and lime on the bandages around her middle and fights the urge to scratch the wound. In three days it will be healed and there will not even be a scar. She hears voices singing praises through halls far away.
"You should have died." Thoas says.
Thessily looks at him and blinks, then laughs. It hurts her middle, but she laughs all the same. "When did you learn to joke?"
"It is no joke." Thoas says. "The Oracle tells me that the Horde was to kill you. It has been foretold."
Thessily thinks about this for several seconds. The singing continues, a praise to Apollo. "Perhaps the Oracle is wrong."
"Perhaps." Thoas says.
"I want to go home." Thessily says.
Thoas nods. "I'll get your things."
One gets behind her and puts her hn a headlock, yanking her off her feet and she can feel his breath burning her neck. His breath smells like rotten meat. Another is charging at her from the front, either not caring that she is already pinned or hoping to capitalize on the moment and he has a sword in his hand.
Thessily tries to go up, to flip herself out of the headlock and out of the way, so that the one vampire will stab the other. But as she tries to move, she feels the fangs tear at hep neck and then the sword punching through her side and it is the sword that saves her, because after it goes through her, it goes into the vampire behind her and his teeth leave before he can take her blood.
She screams with rage and as the vampire with the sword pulls it free, she reaches blindly for his head and snaps his neck, taking the sword from his hands as he dies. She spins with the blade and takes the head of the one who had bitten her, shouting hatred at him as he dissolves.
Thessily staggers out of the caverns beneath the temple, one hand across her belly, trying to keep her insides inside. Dawn is breaking and she hears the sea and smells the salt and then the sound of the waves grows louder and louder and instead of the world growing lighter it grows darker and she collapses on the road.
She nearly dies. She survives only because someone brings her to the Oracle and the Oracle knows of the Slayer. The Oracle sends for Thoas and tends to Thessily and for three days Thessily is unconscious, until finally she awakens and her Watcher is there and he looks concerned.
"I'm fine." Thessily says.
Thoas shakes his head.
"Truly, Thoas, I'm fine."
Thoas rubs the crow's feet at his left eye, the way he does when he is trying to find the right words.
Thessily smells the camphor and lime on the bandages around her middle and fights the urge to scratch the wound. In three days it will be healed and there will not even be a scar. She hears voices singing praises through halls far away.
"You should have died." Thoas says.
Thessily looks at him and blinks, then laughs. It hurts her middle, but she laughs all the same. "When did you learn to joke?"
"It is no joke." Thoas says. "The Oracle tells me that the Horde was to kill you. It has been foretold."
Thessily thinks about this for several seconds. The singing continues, a praise to Apollo. "Perhaps the Oracle is wrong."
"Perhaps." Thoas says.
"I want to go home." Thessily says.
Thoas nods. "I'll get your things."