Ashes of Vile

26

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Simplest Impossible Made Possible

Cassidy had managed to ripple through Chase's unwell temper and objections. She stood defiantly facing Chase with her arms crossed. "You've grown quite an attitude," Chase grit through his teeth. Cassidy sighed and picked up the bow, squinting her right eye to better aim her shot. She let go and the arrow penetrated the tree but missing the target greatly. Cassidy looked at Chase with a protesting look. He only shook his head disappointingly and placed the arrow on the bow for her. "I'm not a child you know." Cassidy said, a risk move on her part knowing Chase was in an even more sour mood than the usual.

"You're acting like one. You didn't want to practice drawing out the source, so you're gonna have to at least learn something useful." Chase said, with a continuation of silent mumbles about Cassidy being lucky and not recognizing it. "Again," He demanded.

Cassidy blew away the irritating hair blocking her sight and pulled on the bow with more pressure. Chase noticed right away and said, "Being angry doesn't make you shoot better. And straighten your back." It certainly helped August, Cassidy thought. Cassidy let go and the arrow even went further away from the target, going backwards on the matter of progress. She looked at Chase who looked just as irritated. "I'm not teaching you this to shoot us all dead. Again!" Chase said as he took the bow out of her hand and placed the arrow. "Can't I try that?" Cassidy said with envy.

But Chase hadn't answered and the moment Cassidy noticed there was no one on her side making critical remarks, she looked up the hill past the forests where he was running up to catch up with Maeve about to enter the manor. Although Cassidy very much still was not anywhere close to the level of their strange 'friendship' she had felt lesser of being treated like a captive. They often left her to do her own thing, even Chase who had left her in the forest with a bow. Or he could've easily been careless, its one thing or the other. But they had heavily relied on Cassidy knowing better and the fact that Ashgrim was under lockdown, she had nowhere to go but in the hands of watchmen who were no better than a group of bandits and elite heirs.

Maeve, quickly on her guard, turned around with her gun up at Chase. She put the gun down as soon as she noticed he was the one who sneaked behind. "Listen, can we talk about that night?" Chase said in a tremulous manner. "There's nothing to talk about," Maeve clarified.

"You know damn well there is," Chase said, apprehensive. Maeve tucked in the gun in the back pocket of her jeans and looked at Chase tiredly. "It was a moment of weakness, Chase. It's not happening again. Ever."

Chase chuckled wickedly, giving her threatening eyes. "I knew you'd say that," He said. Maeve nodded as though agreeing to his assumption, ignoring the way his mood stung even with just a look and hear. "It's Christmas, Chase. Loosen up."

"You can't be serious. Loosen up? You should loosen up, Maeve. You were there too. You felt it as well. So why don't you loosen up? Why don't you tell me what the hell was that?" But Maeve gave him an unserious smile, finding amusement to his solemnity in a topic other than power and viciousness. He almost seemed normal. "And I did tell you what it was. It was nothing."

Maeve looked behind Chase to see Cassidy with a grumpy look slowly walking up the hill, the heavy fully filled quiver on her back, bow on her right hand, and a fist formed on her left. "Your little belua is coming." Maeve pointed out. Chase turned around just in time when Cassidy dropped the stuff down by his feet and panted tiredly, "Carrying this all the way is not so fun." She complained, catching her breath. Chase scoffed in disgust and disapproval, but picked up the quiver and bow and calling her to follow inside. As they entered, Maeve heard their voices drown out. "You're so easy to piss off," Chase said, and Cassidy's quieter voice got the last word in, "It makes your life easier. I'll get the source out quicker. Win win." She said with such wit that Chase responded with a mix of a scoff and laugh.