And What I Found There - Book Two

40. Took Your Matches Before Fire Could Catch

The enraged wolf flies forward, crashing into the polar bear at the speed of a runaway train and abruptly wrenches the other beast off its paws by the neck. The wolf hurls the bear into the charging horse and sends both animals crumbling to the ground.

I hurry over to Vyndren who is snarling curses as he attempts to Heal himself. I kneel in front of him and take one look at his bloody, ragged shoulder and the skin raked up on his collarbone, exposing the bone, before I back up. "Vyn-Vyndren, are you okay?"

"Do I klupping look okay?!" He snarls and presses his glowing red hand into his raw shoulder. The flesh ripples and crawls back together over the bone after the blood retracts and now his leather shirt seals itself up again flawlessly. "I'm fine." He growls after a pause.

"What should we do?" I glance over at the deathmatch between the three animal soul spirits.

Suddenly, two figures emerge from the shadows of the woods. Cornelius and Quill! I feel a smile of relief and amazement spread over my face though it faulters at the sight of their brandishing swords.

"Adara!" Quill calls and his animal soul spirit suddenly buckles underneath the wolf, as if it's distracted or something.

For some reason, this seems to infuriate the wolf who snarls viciously with rage and attacks the horse with more energy. "Oh, cease of this foolishness!" Cornelius snaps at Vyndren.

"Make me," he retorts.

"Vyndren," I shove his arm. "Call off the wolf!" I urge.

He shoots me a glare. "They attacked me," he snarls.

I glance desperately at the White Knights. "Call off your animals! He will too!"

Quill quickly does as I wish and summons the animal spirit back in a flourish of emerald green light. Cornelius and Vyndren continue to stare intently at each other as their animals battle even more vicious. But now the White Knight's polar bear reluctantly backs off, though Cornelius doesn't summon it back down. Instead, the bear eyes the Blood Prince misgivingly, as if its ready to spring again at a second's notice.

Vyndren's huge wolf backs off too and returns to the Dark Rider's side. It snarls at the White Knights, its hackles up with agitation.

Cornelius shoots both the Rider and his wolf a glare, but now quickly calls to me, "My Alice, come over here away from that creature at once!" He holds his hand out to me and I instinctively take a step forward. Vyndren's wolf suddenly shoots me a betrayed look -its ears flattened and its head low- and I instantly feel guilty. And torn.

I just awkwardly stand here in the middle of the clearing as I keep looking between the Knights and the Dark Rider.

Quill hurries over to me and quickly hugs me. "Adara! Are you alright? You had us bloody insane with worry!"

"Sorry!" I shakily laugh as I hug him back. "I really missed you guys, and I was crazy with worry too! Trust me," I pull away to glance at Cornelius. "I really was trying to find you guys. I'm sorry I disappeared from the group back when, but look!" I excitedly gesture like a Price Is Right model at Vyndren. "I found my Dark Rider!"

Vyndren scoffs and shakes his head, crossing his arms.

The White Knight gives him another glare. "Yes. Yes, I see that."

"So what happened?" Quill quickly asks, holding onto my arms as he looks me over with concern. "Are you okay? I mean, Ghost Hills isn't exactly a friendly place."

Vyndren suddenly materializes by my side. "She doesn't need a newsflash. She knows what a klupped up place this is," he snaps. "After you two Mome Raths were overpowered by a handful of Myx, she had to use her own wits to keep herself alive because you two couldn't do your damn job right." His eyes flash.