Sela looked at Lana, and considered letting her die.
It made sense. Lana had her uses, but was ultimately replaceable. And just proving to Gianna how little she cared, that could be well worth it.
But still…Lana was her friend. That was supposed to mean something.
It was simple enough to slash her bonds with Sir Violet. In seconds she was free. A dash, and the blade was pressed against the mayor’s throat.
The guards had swords out, pointed at Lana. “Drop the sword! Do it now, or the girl dies!”
“Back down, you fools!” Gianna shouted. “You’d be dead before you moved a muscle.”
The mayor smirked, and looked at Sela. “And neither of you would leave this room alive.”
Sela shrugged. She figured she’d have a chance. At the very least, she could free Lana and get the girl out the window.
Wait, her wing was injured. No flying for the younger girl. So killing the mayor would mean that one of the Heroines would have to die.
Sela pursed her lips, frustrated. So many difficult choices, she hated difficult choices. Emelia eliminated so much indecision, providing a clarity of vision that was socially acceptable even when she got to kill…
Emelia. Where was she?
“You want to use Emelia,” Sela said. “Anything specific in mind?”
“There’s a wyvern giving us too much trouble. Destroying property, driving potential customers away. Also killing civilians, at higher than expected death tolls for a city our size. Totally unacceptable.
“Your Emelia is already on her way to remove the threat. My analysts give her a small chance of victory on her own, but with allies, it would be easier.”
“So summon the guard.”
“Not cost-effective. Especially when you two are completely expendable.”
Gianna eased away from Sela and walked out of reach of Sir Violet. She reached into her desk, and picked out a small jar. She dipped her fingers in, and smiled.
“Come here, Lana.” She held her fingers out, coated with a honey like substance. “This will make sure you’re nice and whole for the battle.”
Lana looked at her for a moment. When Sela didn’t move to attack, the little girl crept forward. The mayor’s hands were soft and soothing. Her wing immediately felt better.
“There, that should help,” Gianna leaned back, and smiled. “How does that feel?”
Lana screeched. The guards and the mayor collapsed in pain, clutching at their ears. Agony, pure terror scratched at their brains, what was this? Nothing could make such a sound!
Sela laid a hand on Lana’s back. The girl stopped screeching, and flew off. “Lana is a bit shy around strangers,” Sela explained. “But once she gets to know you, she might just hate you for threatening to kill her.”
Gianna nodded. “Understandable. And I’ve dealt with worse.”
“You probably have. Most of your enemies probably just promise death, destruction, the ruin of all that you hold dear.” Sela looked at Sir Violet, and cradled the blade in her hand. “We’re a bit simpler. We try to keep our promises.
“So here’s one. Pretty soon you’re going to get stabbed. And it’s going to hurt.”
Sela left. It was time to find her fearless leader. And maybe fight a small dragon.
copyright 2018 Jack Holder