Heaviness settled on Ayden's shoulders created by the invisible weight of fear and frustration. As expected, Da'ewyn and Volos were none too pleased with the news that he and Sabina had relayed to them. Not expected was the fact that both Da'ewyn and Volos already knew most of what was going on; but bringing the truth into the open had not improved their outlook on the situation.
"Do you really think a human would be able to detect these things and not a Veela?" That was Da'ewyn's comment to him after laughing in a disturbing way. She wasn't at all convinced that Nya was any sort of protection either. Ayden and the Veela had then fought with each other, using words and fists until they were separated by the others.
Volos remained silent about the whole thing. But his scowl and tenseness were evidence of his continued unease. Pax, who should have been the one to have figured all of this out (considering he'd been the one to tell Ayden all about vampires) had turned as pale as the moon when he'd found out that Sabina was a vampire. He hadn't attempted to approach her since.
Sabina had become angry with everyone's reactions, her eyes flashing red. "I knew this was a bad idea!" she'd said before stomping away to begin gathering her things.
A sense of foreboding enveloped Ayden. His friends hated each other, and his mind kept wandering to Freya. After all the fighting, Nyxia had appeared and left word that Freya was not improving. Everything was about to fall apart and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
There was a strange feel in the air as they walked through an ever thickening forest, adding to Ayden's trepidation. Volos had warned them that the trees here would become as thick as the trees in the Forgotten Forest had been sparse. He'd felt comforted by the presence of trees before, but this forest seemed to close in on them in a suffocating way. The pack horse seemed agitated, and Nya frequently sent her bird out to scout the area around them. Ayden wasn't sure this was a good idea--that bird could be spotted quicker than giant diamond in an open field on a sunny day.
As Ayden shook off the uneasiness that tickled his neck, the pouch of marbles that he'd taken from Pax tapped against his leg from inside his pocked. He pulled them out and looked behind to where Pax was steadily leading the horse. Ayden dropped back and walked next to his friend while the path was still wide enough to allow it. "Hey. How are you doing?" he asked.
Pax glanced over at him and shrugged his shoulders. Ayden cleared his throat and held out the pouch. "Here. I owe you an apology and a troll size thanks."
Pax carefully took the marbles with a questioning look. Ayden relayed how the marbles had saved his and Sabina's lives the night before, as he'd failed to mention it earlier. "If it wouldn't have been for those marbles, one or both of us would be dead right now. So, thank you, Pax. I definitely owe you one."
Pax remained silent for a few paces. Then, he looked at Ayden and said, "Thayse m-marbles were m-my m-mum's. I-I keep th-tham for g-good luck." His eyes glistened as he turned away and made a performance out of tying the pouch to his belt. He took a deep breath and lifted his head and, staring ahead of them said, "Sh-she's b-beautiful."
"Your mom?"
"N-No. Sabina."
Ayden smiled. "Yeah, she is pretty." Then under his breath, "Pretty and deadly!" His heart felt a tug as he looked at the form of Sabina walking ahead of them.
"D-Do ya s-still love her?"
Ayden hadn't expected this question from Pax. It had been humorous when Da'ewyn had asked, but Pax questioning him on his feelings for Sabina agitated him. Truth was, he wasn't sure how he felt about her; but he wasn't sure he was ready for anyone else to have feelings for her either. He had hoped revealing her secret would sway Pax's interest in Sabina. Although, he needn't be too worried--because Pax was a sorcerer, Sabina didn't seem to want anything to do with him.
"I don't know, Pax. Why are you asking me? I thought you were terrified of her."
"I-I am." A smile crept across Pax's face. "B-But sh-she's also fascinating, and b-beautiful!"
"Yes, you said that already." Ayden was uncomfortable with the conversation. The day was tense enough without having to talk with his best friend about his feelings toward his ex-girlfriend.
Nya's bird made a grand entrance through the tops of the trees, sending out a beautiful, lilting call as it landed gracefully on its master's arm. The sound rippled over Ayden like a gentle rain. Nya stroked its chest and the bird made several more beautifully entrancing sounds, causing Ayden to relax. He half smiled to himself as he watched Nya with her pet. The girl was very plain next to her feathered friend, but there was something about her that caused Ayden's nerves to melt into a pool of calm contentment.
Nya stopped dead in her tracks, causing Sabina to collide into her back. The siren looked around tentatively. Ayden was about to ask what was up when the horse suddenly balked. Ayden had to help Pax as the horse reared, shaking its head and snorting, the whites of its eyes revealing terror. Pax quickly led the horse away in attempt to calm her.
The rest of the group stood and held their breath. Every ear listened intently, and every eye searched diligently for any signs of danger. A noise sounded on the path behind them. Ayden made eye contact with everyone, giving a signal. Their bodies melted silently into the trees as they drew their weapons and waited.
A silver arrow shot past Ayden's hiding spot. A yell and a thud followed and everyone leapt from the trees to surround their prey. The thin, pale creature that had attempted to steal the horse at the games was pinned against a tree by Da'ewyn's arrow. This time, however, she shot a second arrow before the thing could vanish, pinning his other shoulder to the bark.
Everyone approached cautiously, weapons raised and ready. The man wriggled, and a few tendrils of black smoke curled around his body. "Petrifia!" They all jumped as Pax appeared from nowhere, shouting the curse. The smoky figure became rigid as the black swirls vanished.
"When did you learn that one?" Ayden questioned. He turned to look at Pax for a response, but his friend's eyes were fixed on the figure with a creepy, glossy stare; a devilish grin crossed his lips.
Ayden shivered before turning back to the man. "Can you still talk?"
Even though his body remained rigid, he managed to nod.
Volos touched the tip of his sword against the man's throat and asked, "What is your business? Why are you following us?"
The man smiled as his form softened, a few tendrils of smoke curled out from his form. "Your boy is losing his grip!" he said in a nasally voice.
Ayden jerked his head toward Pax. "Don't you let him go! We need answers. Hold on!" he shouted and then turned back to the figure. "Tell us what we want to know, NOW!"
The figure merely smirked and was, once again, gone in a wisp of black smoke.
Stress induced anger filled Ayden as he turned on Pax and yelled, "You did the spell with no problem, but you couldn't hold on to him for two more minutes?"
Pax's strangely pale face turned toward Ayden. He staggered and then leaned against a tree. Ayden knew that, once again, he needed to apologize; but his temper was still hot, and saying sorry was not what he felt like doing. He turned away after watching Volos help Pax drink greedily from his water skin.
"We should've killed that thing at the games when we had a chance!" Da'ewyn said.
"He was at the games? Why didn't you tell me?" Sabina shouted. "He's been following all this time--if I had known!"
"What are you talking about? Who is he?" Ayden questioned, shocked at Sabina's reaction.
"He's one of Jared's servants. If Devel is here, Jared can't be too far away."
"Devel? What kinda??" Ayden began to ask, but Sabina interrupted him.
"Look, his name isn't important! Don't you understand? Jared is close by! I HAVE to find him!" Sabina's voice carried desperation.
"It seems to me that you are becoming a lot more trouble than you're worth, vampire," Da'ewyn said as she sauntered up to Sabina and stood four inches in fro
nt of her face. Sabina towered above the Veela, but the princess was not intimidated. "You're bringing unwanted and unneeded trouble to this expedition. Take your things and your little siren friend and go find your precious sorcerer elsewhere!"
Ayden's heart jumped unpleasantly in his chest as Sabina's eyes flashed. "I would highly suggest you back away from me, little princess! My fight isn't with you. But if you continue to tempt me, I will draw first blood-and I will enjoy it."
Da'ewyn tilted her head back and laughed heartily. "You are no match for me! I wouldn't even waste my time," she hissed and then turned away.
Sabina screamed and jumped at Da'ewyn, digging her nails into the princess' neck and shoulders. The Veela screamed in rage and grabbed Sabina's arms and flipped her over her head. The vampiress landed gracefully on her feet like a well-trained acrobat. She glared unblinkingly at the Veela.
Da'ewyn was distracted for a fraction of a second. Then, her lips curled as she carefully strung an arrow. "Don't worry. This will only hurt for a second--or maybe longer. I've never shot a silver arrow through the heart of a vampire before; it'll be interesting to see how you react to it. This should earn me a nice size crystal."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Fog Guide