Soul Master

18. Asha

I hadn't been out for too long, but by the time I returned home, not only had Zayne and Penteluck decided to go for a drive, it seemed Amii was having a sleeping contest with the dead. I made my way up the stair and tapped lightly on her door, if she was awake she would normally have music playing as she lay on her bed reading books, or playing on her phone. When I got no answer I pushed open the door slightly and peeked through.

'Amii?' I spoke her name softly, so that I might wake her if she were still sleeping.

'Nope.'

I pushed the door wide seeing Blitzen casually lying on her bed, in his hand was a book I had never seen before, on the pillow where I had last seen Amii rest her head, was her sketchpad, open to the page that I had filled in. My eyes lingered on it for a moment too long, Blitzen noticed and glared wickedly.

'It seems you got here a bit late, Mutt.' He chuckled to himself then, 'did you know you occupy almost all of this book?' He waved the book at me and closed it, seeing my confused expression he answered. 'Diary.'

'Where is she?' I demanded marching toward him, 'what have you done with her?'

He moved in the way that only spirits could, that had him one second lying on the bed, and next standing by the window that had been left wide open with the curtains lightly blowing in the chill of the air.

'Oh,' Blitzen smiled, 'I had her learn from me.' His eyes narrowed in a way that suggested he had harmed her. 'Seems you haven't yet used my gift.'

I reached for the snow globe gift he had gotten her, ignoring his comment and launched it towards him. It began to slow as it got closer to him until it finally dropped in his hand. If only it hit his fat fucking head!

'That was rather silly,' He commented. 'This is a special gift, it would be a shame to see it break, it would surely upset Amèlie.' He took his attention off me and shook the globe, watching it with a strange smile. 'But I think you're like me in that sense....' He shot me a look of contempt. 'We both like to hurt her, in our own little ways.'

'Where is she?' I asked once more, ignoring that he was trying to goad me into a pointless attempt to attack him. Hating that he even spoke her name.

'You know,' Blitzen said thoughtfully, 'from what I read in her diary, it almost seems as though she is in love with you.'

I blinked in surprise at his words.

'I mean, I didn't read all of it, just a bit from each part of the book. It would seem she has liked you for a very long time. It's almost embarrassing.' He looked into the globe, even from where I stood I could see the small human-like features on what looked to be gaunt ghoulish faces that floated their way back to the bottom of the globe among the black snowflakes. 'And then you look at that artwork of hers,' he nodded to the sketchpad, drawing my attention from his gift. 'So incredibly talented to draw things from her mind. In one book she writes of unattained love and memories of friendship lost, in the other she draws out his response to advances, and of how she feels almost alone in her life...almost.' Blitzen laughed once. 'How the wolf is always attacking her, hurting her, imprisoning her, until finally...' His voice trailed off.

She chooses him.

My mind whispered his unspoken words, remembering the shadow always behind her. It was Blitzen all along, she was almost alone, but not quite.

I glared at him, silently seething within my skin.

'Well you know the rest.' Blitzen shrugged dismissively. 'Anyway, if you would like to try play the role of a hero, or warden, then she is headed to the city as we speak.' He cocked his head to the side. 'She will arrive in... oh...' He sneered. 'She seems to have drove faster than I anticipated, she is already entering the Malte city mall car park, level 4.'

'She took the car?' I exclaimed, 'she doesn't even know how to drive. Why did you not stop her?'

'I am not her warden. In fact, I would go so far as to say I am more of her liberator.' Blitzen smiled in amusement, then as though his very presence was blown by the strong breeze that came through the window, he disappeared. His voice echoed around me for a brief moment. 'I'll race you there.'

I ran for the window, jumped out mid shift and landed on the ground with a painful thud, in wolf form I could remain in the forest for most of the way to the city, I had to go to her, it wasn't that I wanted to get there before Blitzen, I wasn't foolish enough to race an entity that could materialise wherever he so chose, but I wanted to protect her. It was my duty.