{} Cursed Crow {}

Chapter Seven

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" The Shepherdess, Flasena II gasped, shaking Alikus.

"What?" Alikus blinked.

"You just froze!" Flasena replied, murdering a demon with the torch as it lunged at them. "Come on, we're done here. Get on my back."

Alikus climbed on her back as Flasena took flight.

She soared swiftly across the sky.

They didn't speak a word, but then Flasena spoke up.

"You know, we're quite similar." She murmured.

"We are?" Alikus scoffed. She was still repulsed by the Shepherdess and what she had done.

"I was believed to be cursed, too." She answered. "My home is far away across the sea. It's a castle. It was built by Nightseekers before Ecneitnes began. And the day before I was taken to an orphanage after being found abandoned, rumor had it that a demon in the form of a bird's egg had escaped."

"And they thought it was you?" Alikus guessed.

"Yes. I was known as the cursed one. The day I found the crook, I'd tried to save them from the real demons. That's not how they saw it, though." She answered. "What they saw was the Shepherdess of Shadows taking over their home. And they all perished."

"Mhm." Alikus sighed, staring ahead.

A while after, Flasena pulled into a dive, landing in front of the cave.

"We're back. We dealt with the demons." Flasena called as Alikus slid off of her back.

"Speaking of demons, we had some attack us earlier." Qulow reported. "We fought them off."

"Is everyone okay?" Alikus asked.

"Yes." They answered.

They stepped inside.

"You're back! Finally. We're going to move, and Qulow knows a good place." Ginkgo greeted.

Alikus nodded. "I'm ready to go."

Evereldette hummed, putting Serendipity in a little pouch around his neck.

They stepped outside. Qulow took flight first and the rest followed.

They flew a while.

"Look at the land. Barely any trees." Alikus observed. "It's awful. Can't tell where anything used to be."

"I'm glad we're all together. This has been quite a crazy few months." Evereldette replied.

The rest nodded in agreement, then they focused on flying.

Qulow dived down and the rest followed.

It felt so good to dive like this with the wind against Alikus's feathers. But she wished she could be back with her family.

But now that she thought about it... How come they didn't help her when she first got seperated? If they'd saved her, her life wouldn't have been ruined like this. Ginkgo, Evereldette and Qulow would never do something like that.

Qulow was so kind. They were the reason Ginkgo and Evereldette got out of jail. They'd given her the cloak.

They all walked to an abandoned home.

"Alright, you all go in. I'll make sure no one's following." Qulow told them.

They walked in.

Alikus glanced out as she followed them- what was that shape in the sky? Someone flying over?

"Qulow, there's someon-"

The door shut with a slam.

Qulow on the outside. All of them on the inside.

"Qulow! Qulow, we're stuck!" Ginkgo called, running to the door.

"I'm sorry, you all. I don't want to lose my place in the Kingdom, you know." Qulow replied.

"You- you traitor!" Ginkgo screeched, kicking the door.

A window opened, and there was the sound of darts flying.