Dead King's Sword (Old Draft)

31. An Ancient Grudge

Zeren

***

To avoid werewolf territory, Erin and I left the school through the west gate. It was a beautiful day with a clear sky; moss decorated the trunks of old trees. Birds chirped overhead; some flew from bough to bough, encouraged by the warm breeze.

Erin went ahead of me but stumbled crossing the uneven terrain, so I held her arm, steadying her. She paused and looked over her shoulder at me. A light sheen of perspiration covered her face. Then, without a word, I released her hand. An uncomfortable sensation tightened my chest, and I felt that something about us was different. Some enchanting glow surrounded her that only went away after I blinked to clear my eyes.

How strange.

We were about twenty minutes from the closest town. Forty-seven minutes from the nearest city. Strolling aside her, I inquired, "So, why are we avoiding Alman Forest?"

"The werewolves would attack us the moment they smelled me. You see, vampires and werewolves have this ancient grudge that started over a rock toss shortly after we were first created. They accused us of cheating and stole our trophy. If you learn anything in life, it should be to never steal from a vampire. They will torture you long after whatever was stolen is returned. Anyhow, whenever vampires and werewolves meet, it's tradition for us to either hurl insults or try to attack each other. It's stupid, really, but some people follow it religiously. And right now, I have no intention to get into an argument about being a cheating bloodsucker, you know?"

"People fight over the dumbest things."

"It's not necessarily dumb. We wouldn't have to argue if the werewolves accepted the fact that we won and returned the trophy Shovek gave us, but they won't."

"It was so long ago... during the beginning of humankind and all that, I mean, who really knows what happened back then?"

"We won. If you don't believe me, you can ask the oldest living vampire, Joshua."

"Alright, you won." Sometimes, it was better to let Erin have her way to avoid a tedious, unnecessary argument. Besides, where would I find this ancient Joshua? And even if I did find him, why should I trust him?

My thighs burned, fighting the steep incline. Our detour would cost us an extra ten minutes, but since Principal Bast had only let us leave campus if we promised to stick together and returned within four hours, I would be a vampire's reluctant ally for an hour or so.

The hill flattened as we trudged through the tall grass that tickled our shins. Pixies fluttered about; one bit my cheek, and I swatted it. My wounded flesh throbbed painfully as the pixie flew in front of me with a high-pitched shriek. Its metallic wings glittered as it circled my head; its upper body was that of a shark, while its bottom half separated into two grey human-like legs. I raised my fist, daring it to bite me again. It stuck out its tongue and flew towards a cluster of spruce to hide.

"Bastard."

"You're bleeding," Erin said, touching my cheek. She stared at the blood staining her thumb, took a deep breath, reached into the pocket of her robe, and removed her First-Aid kit, murmuring, "We should have worn pixie-repellant. Here." She wiped my cheek with an antiseptic towelette then put on a bandage.

"Thanks," I muttered as heat warmed my face. "Do you always carry that around?"

"Only when I'm with you. One of us is bound to get hurt whenever we meet."

Our journey would have been much faster if we had magic, then we could have rented brooms or airboards from the school's supply store. But since our magic was still locked, we settled for walking.

After a few minutes, we reached a clear river. Beneath its surface, smooth pebbles waited. I stooped, cupped my hand to capture the water, then used it to wash my face; get rid of some of the heat that plagued my body. Water clung to my lashes and dripped down my jaw. Erin was reading the map, trying to gather our bearings, but she glanced at me with a peculiar, slack-jawed expression every now and then.

"How much further?" I asked.

"Twenty minutes, mostly downhill." She rolled the map neatly, closed it with a sticker, and returned it to her pocket.

We would have used our phones, but Principal Bast had confiscated them as if he thought that after being good for a little more than a week, the two of us would try to run away. I was only going to the town to buy flowers for my date with Princess Anne later tonight. I could almost picture her smile. Erin's hand brushed my hair, calling my attention back to her. "Are you hungry?"

I nodded, and my stomach whined in agreement.

She said, "We can stop by a restaurant once we get there. Have something other than buffet food."

"With whose money?"

"I'll pay for us," she offered.

"Are you dying?"

She rolled her eyes. "Starve then." Erin lifted her robe above her boots then started across the shallow water.

Smiling, I ran after her and gave her a hug. "Thank you. You're the best."

"Shut it."

***