Iridescent

8 | I Said I Can't Ride

We ran.

We ran like we had no tomorrow.

We felt like we had no tomorrow.

My instincts took my mind reins, and all I could hear was my thumping heartbeat. We ran in a random direction, hoping it was the correct one. Sometimes, Kristen would lead. Sometimes, I would lead. Either way, we headed nowhere safe.

How unlucky this week had been for me: I lost a duel to Lambert, I made an enemy (Tracy), I almost died at the Mirror Palace, I revealed my secret to Marty (hopefully not Jaxton), and now... I was chased by wild forest beasts.

A growl thundered behind me and I didn't dare to turn my head.

"What are you guys doing there!" Kristen still had her phone in her hands, and I could hear Marty shouting. "You're out of the boundary!"

"HOW CAN YOU GET OUT OF THE BOUNDARIES SO EASILY?!" Kristen cried. 

Kristen and I swung my body over a fallen trunk, our bodies parallel to the floor. A thunderous stomp threw us off balance and we took a rough landing.

I deeply regretted laughing at Kristen.

I shot up from the ground, eyes darting from side to side in search of our chasers. 

"Where... where is it?" Kristen breathed. 

"We're facing more than one," I exhaled quietly through my mouth.

Kristen understood what I meant. We both unsheathed our weapons at the same time. Reflecta gave a shimmer in the dim light, Kristen's whip emitted a green glow as it slithered. 

"Kristen? Cassandra?" Marty's tiny voice could be heard from the distance. Kristen must've dropped her phone when she fell. We both didn't make a move to fetch it, our eyes locked on what was approaching us from the shadows. 

"Kristen," I said quietly.

"I'm ready when you are."

I felt steadier. All I needed to hear were those words. My battle stance widened, I held my sword in front of me, the sharp edge reflecting the light.

One of the adventurous ones from the pack ventured out from the dark. They were Zenxs, black beasts that wandered the boundaries. They drooled in blood, their expressions were dull and impassive; it was merely a ruse to lull people into a sense of security, that these beasts weren't hungry for blood. 

I inhaled a quick breath and charged into action. The Zenx widened its mouth but I went low, and glided my way into the air. I waved my sword, but Light Divergence doesn't work too well in the shadows. 

The long arms of the beast swung my way. I adjusted my weight and landed on its thick fur. I took a good stab at it's arm. 

Fuming, the Zenx used a bigger force to swing me away. I was thrown across the air, but I curled my body and flipped, landing on the floor firmly.

Kristen's whip snapped in the air, its sound echoing with strength. The green hue seemed to growl against the Zenxs. More Zenxs tumbled out from the shadows, Kristen arched her arm and SNAP! a Zenx collapsed moaning.

Kristen and I charged again. I zoomed and glided around their giant legs, leaping over their long arms as they attempting to trip me over. They were huge, to their advantage, but slow, to their disadvantage. I took my chances with my sneaky strikes here and there, but sometimes they would be quicker.

Distracted, two Zenxs paired up and threw me toward a tree. I floated like a snowflake and sped down along the trunk. I spun kicked off, twirling in the air before I pierced my blade under a Zenx's arm. The Zenx growled, stumbled to the side but recovered shortly.