The Forbidden Compass Trilogy: Book One- Caged
Chapter 16

Mahna

“Fenn!”

The cry fills the arena, and it takes a few seconds for Mahna to realize it had come from her. She runs forward, holding her skirt up to go faster, her injuries forgotten. She barely notices the bruises covering her body as she tries to push the scorpic’s body off of him. The heavy thing is crushing his legs. His golden hair is matted to his skull with sweat, his eyes closed. He looks almost...peaceful. The monster is cold against her hands, Tears blur her vision, but she continues to push with all her strength. She senses Krade and Irelle on either side of her, pushing as well.

They finally succeed in rolling the monster off, and Fenn groans, his eyes still closed. Irelle moves far away, muttering, “Gross, gross,” and shaking her hands as if she’s trying to shake the feeling of insect off of herself. Mahna pushes his bangs gently out of his eyes. He is covered in green blood, but still looks like himself, still elfish. She shakes herself out of her trance and shakes him gently awake. He moans and opens his eyes. She’s so close, she can see the golden flecks framed by the green of his eyes. He grins, holding her hand gently, healing her bumps and bruises, and for some reason, she doesn’t pull away.

“Good to see you too, sea urchin.” He calls to Irelle, who has come back but is still muttering under her breath about the horribleness of insects. He struggles to sit, and Krade braces him. He shakes him off, saying, “I’m fine, just wanted to to have a pretty girl crying over me, and it worked.” He smirks. “Right, jewel?” She pulls her hand away, disgust rolling through her. His face shows his hurt and confusion, but he covers it up quickly.

“Hey, sea urchin, do you think you could get this off of me?” He shakes his arms, showering the ground with green blood. Irelle relents, cursing and mumbling inaudibly under her breath between singing.

Mahna looks down at her hands, surprised to replace the one that had been held by Fenn covered in red blood. She searches herself for the wound as Irelle exclaims, “Fenn, you’re hurt! Serves you right for calling me sea urchin.”

“Oh, right, the knife cut me. Can you fix it?” He holds his hand out to her, and she starts singing the same thing she sang for Krade.

“How sweet; creatures from the Four Corners are friends. Good job defeating the scorpic, truly a great show, but it’s time to return to your cages!” The voice booms from it’s pedestal, interrupting their reunion.

“Hang on there one second!” Irelle shouts up to the tower, chin raised defiantly. “We just defeated your disgusting monster! I am not going back in another cage!”

“Who says you have a choice, little mer?” The voice calls back, mockingly.

“I do!” She retorts, her voice building with anger. “I will not let you turn me into a monster! I am not leaving! What are you going to do if you can’t put on your stupid fights?”

“Guards!” The voice shouts.

“Cowards!” Irelle shouts back. “I could defeat all of your guards with my voice! Why do you think I have legs?” She points at Krade, who has Fenn’s arm draped over his shoulder. “He’s not a normal dragon! His father was a human! My mother was a human!” She points at Fenn, who’s trying to tell her something, probably telling her to shut up. “He can heal any wound in an instant! She,” Irelle wheels to Mahna. “She’s from Korom, Lord Madrid’s city!”

Mahna can see the people recognizing her as Irelle spits other insults that make Mahna shrink. The guards appear from a compartment like the one they arrived in. Irelle turns to them, singing words Mahna has never heard before. A waterspout appears out of nowhere, knocking the guards aside like dolls, barreling towards the arena wall, growing as it spins. Irelle’s braid had come loose in the fight, and her hair whips around her face as she raises her arms. The wind whips Mahna’s own hair and skirts around her.

Watching Irelle create a storm with nothing but her voice gives Mahna determination and strength she has never felt before. Somehow, she knows just what to do. She raises her arms, calling the earth to her. Giant spires of rock rise out of the arena floor, tearing the dome to pieces. She claps her hands together, and the ground rolls away from her, waves of stone and earth growing until they hit the arena walls, destroying them in one blow.

Mahna stares at her bloody hands as the dust clears. The earth had torn the wall into a thousand pieces, the dome nothing but a few pieces of limp chain littering the ground. She had done this; she is dangerous, and she can finally see the sky without a cage closing her off.

I am finally free.