Orison | Celeste Academy Series BK #3

Chapter Three ۞ Prelurésia's Guardians (pt. 2)

Oxygen. Finally. Lovely, blissful oxygen-rich air. She took it in greedily, feeding her deprived deoxygenated blood rushing through her veins from the adrenalin.

Her vision was cloudy, spasms wracking her entire body as it tried to raise itself from the temperature it dropped into. Her hands were stiff, her skin numb and goosebumps trailing her skin beneath her clothes. Blinking up towards whoever helped her, she saw Tamara, asking her if she was alright.

"Quick! She's too cold!"

"Get out of that spot, quickly! We can't light a fire in that area!"

"Don't . . ." Her teeth chattered as she tried to spew out the words. "Don't kill . . . those demons." She gasped. "They aren't . . ."

"Hey! It's alright now, we'll warm you up. Promise." Tamara tapped her cheeks and grimaced at the coldness that bit at her own skin.

The snowy-white creature emerged from the water just then, steadily mounting the ice and pulling itself out. Tamara and Zion, who had come to her aid, were amazed from the sight as it shook its fur and gazed at them.

"By the name of the five great gods!" She gasped. "Are those golden eyes?"

With a short step forward, it opened its mouth wide and roared.

They covered their ears and leaned away from the sound. Once it died down, a huge change in the air shifted.

"Tamara." Zion said in urgency. "Give her to me, hurry."

"Oh, right."

"Listen, Valeriana." The blue-haired lad started. "I am so sorry for leaving you alone back there. I just couldn't wait for you to-"

"It's alright . . . I didn't die."

Zion's arms circled around her weak form and cradled her before hoisting her up. Within a few moments, they were already making their way to the nearest carriage. Tamara wanted to make the ice firmer, but the weird thing was that the ice itself was hardening too fast to be normal.

The other Twelve were busy 'cleaning up'. There was an entire pack of these things. It would've been nice if they were caught but fact was they were too strong to hold captive. The entire vicinity they just traveled on had been turned to a battlefield, with holes in the snow and cracks somewhere in the ice. The train of their carriages was disrupted, not to mention significant damages were inflicted.

Courtney was with Brindon, Keelan, and Aneeka. They were busy honoring the dead-one driver and a few horses. They were unfortunate enough to have been the first targets of the attack. They tried not to get the man killed, but his panic eventually caused his own demise. The rest of the living horses probably ran off into the wilderness. The other drivers who survived though, one sustained injuries and was unconscious but the others were fine. Charles, Rowe, and Corvan were all wearing worried faces in their own style.

"Tamara!" Aneeka jogged up to the approaching group. "Have you found her?"

"She needs fire." Tamara said plainly.

"Oh my gosh!" Genevieve said. "What happened?"

This cued a signal as they all gathered around Valeriana with both worry and wonder.

"Is she alright?"

"What happened? We heard a roar."

Corvan glanced their way at the declaration and saw the state the girl was in. Without further ado, he approached her, eyed Zion warily, and looked forward to examine her. The non-ranker only shrugged when their eyes met and innocently smiled.