Wren
Ch. 33
A few minutes later he had made it across, with his entire upper body sore from the effort. He could see Wren coming across in their own boat. They can’t row and use the sword at the same time. That buys me a bit of time, maybe two minutes. He took off running toward the clearing where Brandon had killed a target the other day. I’ve only got one chance at this, and I have to make it work.
By the time he got there, Wren was already there waiting for him. They had beaten him there.
“What the fuck was that? Why did you let it go?” Wren asked, rage dripping from their voice.
Rich didn’t answer.
“No answer? You must have known I’m going to kill you. I’m not going to break the sword though, it’s come in handy far too often for me to throw it away for that. I’m just going to use it.” Wren reached for the sword, but stopped when they noticed Rich start to speak.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you killing shape changers? Why did you pick me to kill them for you?”
“Because I’m the next step in our species.” Wren rested their hand on the hilt of the sword. They were willing to talk but would not let down their guard. “I can think. I am aware. If I can make the rest of our species like me, we could be an actual race, equal with humans, rather than just a venereal disease for cities. But I can’t do that while they’re out there creating more stupid ones.”
“But why me?”
“You may have thought your past was behind you, but there were still remnants. People still know about the guy with the sword that could stop time. When you’re like me you hear a lot of stories. They’re all exaggerated, but this one still proved to be greater than I had expected. And, well, once I had the sword, there was no reason to not use it to get a killer too.”
“But why use me? Why not kill them yourself?”
“Killing my own kind? I’m not a murderer! Or, at least, I do my best not to kill people. I’m going to have to break that rule tonight.” Wren tightened their grip on the hilt. Rich knew he didn’t have long.
“How is using someone else to kill any different from killing yourself? You’re just spreading the guilt around.”
“Oh, are we doing philosophy class now? Are you going to go get your friend? Fuck off with th—”
Wren was interrupted when the surrounding woods burst into flame. They ripped the sword out of the scabbard and started towards Rich, to see that where he had been standing, there was now simply an old man. A man too old to be able to support himself even, laying on the ground.
“Too bad you forgot, shape changers are immune to magic, and that includes magic fire.”
The old man did not respond.
“Aged yourself almost to death on a plan that wouldn’t work anyway. I almost feel sorry.”
Wren walked into the fire, and started without issue, but they soon came upon some that actually hurt them. Rich had staggered out the fire, so that it would spread into real fire, and with the city being as dry as it had been for so long, the entire island went up like a tinderbox. Wren was trapped. They tried channeling magic through the sword, to get through the fire faster. But fire still burns just as hot in slow time.They tried to put the fire out, but all the air they could muster, even with the sword’s help, only made the fire blaze hotter. It was closing in on them.
“Well I can’t escape, but I can still hurt you.” Wren channeled magic through the sword, and sliced off Rich’s arm in one clean chop. He didn’t react. Wren looked closer, and noticed he wasn’t breathing. He was already dead.
They decided to resign themself to their fate. There wasn’t anything else they could do. They couldn’t put out the fire, and there wasn’t even anyone alive to take revenge on. They just sat down on the ground, and cried silent tears. Within seconds, they were both engulfed in flame.
And through the night, Beau Isle burned, and Rich and Wren burned with it.