Blood of Water and Light

𝔼𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟: 𝔸𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕤

We stopped and I asked Cyra to walk with me. Sam gave me a subtle glare as we wandered away from where Abby built a fire.

I worried for Cyra and a part of me wanted to kiss her until it hurt. She was not a fragile being she survived.

It was only a small distance before we arrived at a waterfall. I'd been here as a younger child a few times and it never ceased to make me feel better. I sat on a stone and gestured next to me. The water rushed past clear and blue. Creatures wandered around us not used to such hospitality.

"Stay still and quiet and look in the trees" I whispered.

"Why?" she asked.

"I know you'll like it" I said.

I could sense her rage and pain emitting off of her. It was almost like she was changing the temperature of the air around her. Her face was a bruised and bloodied mess which made me feel the same red hot anger.

She smiled and I turned my attention to the sky. There they were hopping and flying above, the size of mice. They were dragons like the ones that matched the ink on her forearm. She had one flying off of a dandelion. I'd noticed it and instantly thought of here where dragons could be seen. They hid from people and rarely came out. They existed in a dozen colors and places.

"How did you know?" she whispered leaning close.

"I saw your arm" I said looking into her bright eyes.

Her eyes looked alive and the rage left her body. It made me smile myself. I rarely gave myself a reason to feel this way.

I now just had to wait for the moment to tell her the plan for the next kingdom. Ganders had told my father of Cyra being my future wife. My father in turn chose to step down from the throne and allow me in it's place. Evermon now expected us to wed in their kingdom. She would chose my fate though. If she said no I would be shunned and forced to marry the princess of this wretched place we were going.

Seeing her so happy hurt with the idea of telling her what was eating at me. In a way that made me uncomfortable. I never felt bad about telling things like this.

I jerked my head up as a crunch echoed through the forest. Up ahead stood a young girl, blood dripped from her stomach and eyes. She hobbled across the water and I saw glimpses of shadow drifting off of her like snow in the wind. Cyra went still next to me. 

Up close the girl had brown hair and looked about twelve. She was dead or consumed by darkness. Cyra struck her with her purple light in a smooth stream. She collapsed and I heard Cyra let loose breath.

Not a moment later the girls body convulsed and shifted around. Cyra had turned an unnatural grey. Suddenly the girls back opened out and spindly legs poked out. Eight of them and then a body popped out. A spider shaped shadow monster crawled straight for Cyra. I lunged for her and just as the spider was about to snap her with its fangs I landed my sword into it's back. It paused and turned towards me just before it crumbled to the ground. It turned into dark shadow air before disappearing and the girls body remained lifeless.

"Shadow Spiders" Cyra said still looking ahead.

"I know they aren't the worst" I said never seeing one of them before.

"That girl" she said her eyes meeting mine.

"She was experimented on and only you can stop them because of your light" I said.

I never believed in much, but I believed in her.

* * *

At the campfire when half of us were still nibbling on our food. Abby grabbed Cyras hands and began singing an old tune. Cyra smiled again and started to dance and prance with my sister. It made me want to pull her close and never let her go. A girl from another world though. She had a dream to go back home. I would not get in the way of that.

Sam looked at my sister with these annoying soft eyes which made me glare at him. Oh no he did not. My sister needed someone less revolting then him. He was kind and rather innocent.

In the morning I woke up as the others were packing up. I walked to Cyra as she was rinsing her face in the waterfall water.

"I need to tell you something" I said.

I told her about the whole story and in return she punched me. Then she walked back to camp muttering curses under her breath. I followed and she climbed up to the bench next to Abby. Abby did not know of the deals. I only knew of them and Winston since he told me.