The Fairy Self

Chapter 8

The Descender reached the lowest floor and stopped abruptly, and we all stumbled, bumping against the walls. The doors slid open, and we all stepped out, following the map. Suddenly a group of witches ran towards us. Azalea and Starson both leapt into action while I stood there feebly, dodging. Soon, the witches were dead. 

"How did they all know where we were?" Starson panted, sheathing his sword.

"They've sounded the alarm," Azalea responded, glancing around. "There's nowhere safe now. They can see us, no matter where we are in the fortress. We have to go faster, do it as soon as we can." Azalea cursed, then began running forward, following the map. Another witch appeared and Starson killed him instantly. 

"Not so concerned about your altruistic values now, are you, now?" Azalea growled. "It's either them or us. I should have thought you'd have understood it, with your years of rescuing people." Starson scowled, and resumed his arguing even as we ran. "That's not the same. We've attacked them because they've attacked us, as self defence. The child did nothing wrong, he just came round the edge."

"He was about to alert a guard! Azalea growled. 

"How do you know that? You didn't even wait for him to make any reaction before you promptly murdered him. For all we know, he could have just wanted to say something!"

"And what would a witch have to say to us?" Azalea rolled her eyes. 

"Okay, the possibility of that isn't likely, but that doesn't deny that it is a possibility, and what about the infinite amount of other possibilities that may have had happened, if you hadn't immediately murdered him in cold blood?"

"None of them are likely. The most likely would be that the poor kid, as you call him, was scared, and was about to immediately alert a guard!" Azalea growled.

"Um, maybe you two could stop arguing for a minute, since I don't know if you've noticed but we're being attacked by another group of witches?"

The two turned, immediately continuing with their onslaught. In seconds, the path was clear.

"They've started to send in the higher ups now," Azalea panted. "The more powerful witches are starting to come up."

"How far are we?"

"Not very far," Azalea huffed. "C'mon, we're nearly there. Let's do the deed and get out of here as fast as we can."

Voices from behind us, shouts and zaps.

"They've caught up," Azalea gave a horrified cry. Colourful lights began shooting towards us, past us, sudden bursts of magic that narrowly missed us purley because we constantly shuffled around.

Jade grabbed me and began running again, even as I gaped at the scorched ground. The grass had just withered away and turned black from root to tip, before dissolving into ash.

"We've got to go, Ammolite! Otherwise..." The sudden, horrible flashback to when the Faeries were chasing my sister shot past my mind, an unrelenting bother, a pestering fear. I unconsciously paused.

"Ammolite, what are you doing! We need to get going!" Starson shrieked angrily, grabbing my hand and forcing me forwards. "C'mon, Ammolite! We don't have time for this!" 

"We're here! You fight the witch. I'll deal with them!" Azalea shouted and shoved us into the room. Me and Starson stumbled into the room, then backed up against a wall. A single witch floated, legs crossed in a meditative pose in the middle of the room, his eyes closed. Smoke drifted from his back, rising upwards in dark black tendrils. With our entry, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled.