Chapter 15 Wenna or Lowenna

Lowenna made her way quickly up the steps, although her mind was racing even faster, She found her thoughts turning back to when she had woke up on the beach suns ago. She had being hunted by five sporns of Hydra. Not only survived but she had killed them all. Those deaths hadn't bothered her at the time, even though she had watched the last one die, much as she had watched Horic die.

She couldn’t help but wonder, did that make her any different from those who had tried to kill her? Lowenna had also killed some of the raiders who had attacked the settlement, but all who she had killed had been trying to kill her. The four who she had killed, in the mansion, had all been trying to kill, or hurt her in one way or another, so why did she feel so bad? What had changed since waking up on the beach and when she had gone after the raiders?

Was it because Rique had said it was easy for her to kill? She had decided from that moment she would only kill she had no other choice or to save someone. She hadn't even killed Zarkar, although she did admit to herself she had been trying. She didn't want to kill anymore. She hadn't set out to be a killer but of the people who had died, Lowenna could of let some of them live. Maybe that was the problem, the Lowenna side of her had wanted to kill them, and the Wenna side had agreed.

Normally when she fought someone, it was like instinct, like she was watching through someone else’s eyes. When she had erupted in flames, she had given in to her anger, allowing herself to kill, knowing what was about to happen.

As she ran, Lowenna realised her crystal was still in her hand. When she went to reattach it around her neck, she realised the string was gone. She cursed to herself looking around for something she could use, but there was nothing, so she clenched it in her fist and kept running.

Lowenna turned around another corridor. She needed to find Dumar, and the girl before the Mansion burnt to the ground. The fire would not stay confined to the basement for long. Ahead of her were two guards. Lowenna didn't slow down, jumping in the air kicking them both in the head at the same time, before shouting, “fire, run!" at the two stunned guards.

Through a doorway came a choice of up or down, as she came to two flights of stairs. Lowenna decided the nicer rooms were more than likely upstairs, so that is where she ran.

There were several doors in the hallway. Lowenna could now smell smoke. The fire was obviously getting worse. She didn't have time to be subtle and burst into each room in turn. The first was empty. The second had a semi-naked young man who was tied to the wall and had little cuts and burns on his torso. Lowenna threw one of her daggers, cutting the rope, which held him in place and he fell to the floor. "Get out of here Lowenna shouted at him as she ran to the third room. She was about to burst in when she heard a bang and a male voice cursing coming from the next room over. It was Dumar’s voice!

Lowenna drew another dagger as she burst into the room. She froze for a moment as she saw the scene in front of her. The young woman was standing on a bed. She still had her collar on, and her hands were still bound together. Other than that she looked in total control. Dumar, on the other hand, had some nasty scratch marks on his face and was sitting on the floor, looking like he had just been kicked off the bed. Both of them looked at Lowenna, and a sudden look of terror appeared on Dumar's face.

Dumar got to his feet drawing his long dagger and vanished. Lowenna knew Dumar liked to attack from behind. At the moment he disappeared she had jumped spinning in the air with both of her legs out. As soon as Dumar re-appeared, he took a foot to the face, forcing him off his feet and his head hit the wall. Dumar cursed again. He had dropped his blade. He was hurt and still the Lowenna was in his way. He threw the two women an evil look each before vanishing. He had been bested, and he knew it. He threw the women a look of contempt before vanishing. Lowenna jumped again, her legs out ready to kick him, but he didn't re-appear. He had fled.

Lowenna composed herself and closed her cape, realising the young woman was staring at a semi-naked stranger. "Are you alright?" Lowenna asked the young woman as she cut the bonds that held her wrists together, but without warning, she jumped off the bed and hugged Lowenna.

"You came, you came," she said after letting go.

"Yes," Lowenna replied, she couldn't help but stare ant the young woman’s big smile and brown eyes. There was a sparkle in them, a sign of magic. "We have to get out of here. There’s a fire in the basement."

"What about the others?" The young woman asked, "We must free them!"

"There isn't time," Lowenna said, hoping to get out of the mansion before it burnt down.

"Of course, there is," the young woman stated determinedly before she headed out of the room leaving a slightly confused Lowenna alone for a moment before she followed.

Lowenna was running as fast as she could trying to keep up with the young woman who had just jumped down the flight of steps. Lowenna looked at her from the top, and the young woman threw Lowenna a smile before jumping down the next flight of steps. A smile slowly spread across Lowenna's face. She jumped down the first flight of steps and then down the second.

"What kept you?" the grinning girl queried as they ran down the corridor. Lowenna didn't answer. She could only blink in surprise. For the first time in a while, she was having fun. "Maybe I shouldn’t dwell on what I did to those men," Lowenna thought still feeling guilty.

"Don't think about it, you weren't in complete control," the young woman said as if she could read Lowenna's thoughts. Lowenna slowed, she was about to ask what the woman was talking about, when the girl added, "We haven't time for a rest. There are guards up ahead."

Three guards suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor One had a bow. Without thinking Lowenna threw a dagger at him, and it hit his hand making his bow useless, "Good throw," the woman said with approval. Lowenna grinned, throwing more daggers, hitting both of the other guards in the arm. Lowenna kept running and, as soon as she was close enough, she launched herself into the air slamming her armguard into one guard' head, while kicking the other two, leaving all three on the ground.

The young woman glanced at them as she ran past the three semi-conscious guards with a "Wow, You're incredible." Lowenna was right behind her grinning from ear to ear.

They eventually came upon a Locked metal bar door, stood in front of them. The young woman placed her hand on the collar around her neck, "If you could get this off I could open this door."

Lowenna examined the collar, but couldn't see how to remove it, "I don't know how," she said, "Leave the door to me." She then pushed her two fingers against her crystal, which was still in her hand, to summon the spark. She pointed at the bars, and a pinkish grey beam of light hit the first one. She slowly moved her hand cutting each bar in turn, before clenching her fist to cancel the spell.

"Wow," the young woman repeated, this time, Lowenna didn't smile.

"I’m low on magic," Lowenna admitted.

"We will be fine, properly only need a little more to get out of here," she replied with confidence before heading through the door. “I'm called Rune.” She said as Lowenna wondered who this woman was. “Try to keep up,” Rune shouted as she stormed ahead again, not giving Lowenna time to reply.

The corridors past the metal gate had changed, more like a tunnel than a hallway. It was just black stone with wooden torches as the only source of light. The young girl turned a corner and entered a room. Lowenna was wondering how Rune had known it was empty but followed her in. Inside they found a small desk, with a box on top, it also had some shelves with several personal items. Behind on the wall were mounted weapons and a large bunch of keys. "We will need the keys," the young woman stated as she went over to the box.

Rune examined it, but the box was locked. Lowenna joined her once she had grabbed the keys "Dagger please," she asked, and Lowenna passed her one. Rune forced it through a gap between the lid and the lock, forcing the box open.

Inside was a very unusual curved and twisted baton with a large red crystal on the top, a blue coin bag, with a sun printed on it, a simple headband and two bracelets both with gemstones mounted in them. "The source of your magic?" Lowenna asked.

"Some of it," Rune replied. Lowenna was about to ask what she meant, but Rune just smiled at her while attaching the bracelets and headband, she then passed the purse to Lowenna "Look after this, it's got fire shards in it. Lowenna took the purse and placed it in one of her capes pockets. She was about to ask what fire shards were, when Rune said, "We got to go, we have to free the others." Lowenna nodded, and both of them left the room heading down the long passage.

Lowenna was once again bringing up the rear, when around the next bend there was a solid wooden door, "Keys," Rune stated, and Lowenna passed them to her. The first key she tried opened the door. Lowenna thought was a little too lucky. She was about to ask how when the door swung open to show Lowenna the room the slaves were kept in.

Lowenna let out a gasp of surprise, before covering her mouth and nose trying to block the putrid smell of rotting flesh and human feces. Several dead bodies lay in a heap in one corner. She blinked as she looked around. There were men, women and children chained to the walls, all with collars and little else on. Lowenna felt sick, partly because of the smell and partly because she couldn't believe anyone could do this to another person.

An orc, which Lowenna had failed to notice, suddenly got up from his chair and picked up a giant axe, he roared at Lowenna, starting to charge. He held the axe above his head and was heading straight at Lowenna as she drew her swords. He swung it downwards trying to chop her in half. At the last moment, Lowenna side-stepped, the axe hitting the ground harmlessly as Lowenna thrust one of her swords into the orc’s neck.

The massive brute gagged as he dropped his axe, swinging his arms as he tried to grab at the much smaller woman. Lowenna quickly jumped backwards releasing the sword, but the orc wasn’t finished yet. He eyed her menacingly as she backed away until she was nearly against a wall. The Orc grimly smiled as he charged. As he drew near Lowenna went under as he clumsily tried to grab her. She cut his leg as she passed, forcing him off balance. The orc couldn't stop and walloped the wall, sliding down the wall leaving a trail of blood.

Lowenna breathed deeply. Something still felt wrong. Her heart was racing faster than ever, her hand was shaking, was she scared? She slowly edged towards the orc. She needed to retrieve her sword. As she drew near, the orc swung an arm out grabbing her cape. He roared in triumph as he turned his head to look at her. She had dropped her other sword. He was going to kill her. In desperation, she rammed her armguard again and again into the orcs face, but it wasn't stopping him. Blood was running from his mouth and nose, but he was grinning triumphantly. He grabbed her arm with his free hand. Lowenna grabbed the sword which was sticking out of his neck pulling it out before ramming it desperately, up through his chin, the point cracking through his skull.

The orc suddenly went limp looking at the girl who had just killed him. She showed no joy or relief on her face, just a solemn resolve and as she pulled her sword free. The dead orc fell to the floor with a thud.

Lowenna stood over him for a moment, not moving. She was trying to get her breathing under control. She felt a little numb, and she knew why. The orc had underestimated her, and she had killed him. Again this moon Lowenna had killed, but this time, it had not been Lowenna the soldier, the killer who had killed the orc. The moves had been Lowenna, but the confidence and instinct hadn’t come to the surface and taken over. It was Wenna. Wenna the young woman, who only wanted to find out about herself and help people, that part of her had been forced to kill the orc.

Of the two side of her that Lowenna thought was inside her, she never thought that side of her could kill but after seeing the slaves, how they have been treated and the fact Saxton had tried to rape her, she now knew that wasn't true.

Part of her wanted to go back to believing Lowenna was the warrior and the killer, and Wenna was not but the two sides of her had blurred into one. It was this place and the evil from the men who run it. Lowenna hadn't wanted to come here. Wenna had chosen to come here to save the young girl. Lowenna had done what she had set out to do and in the process had killed those men who had tried to hurt and rape her, but Lowenna had not killed the orc. That side of her had not taken over as usual. Lowenna had left Wenna on her own, forcing her to kill to survive. Now there was no innocent side to her. No young woman who was just trying to find out about her past. She had killed, not that she had much choice. She was a soldier now, a warrior, a Lowenna.