Breaking the Ice (Book 1)

Chapter Thirty-Five

LUNA

The fatigue that had once been overwhelming vanished. She opened her eyes to see Not–Zodiac standing over an unconscious form. Dread filled her being as she realized it was Scorch! Ripping free of her vined prison, she sprinted over to the possessed assassin. Using his surprise to her advantage, she grabbed her sword, which had been sheathed on his back.

She pointed the speckled blade at him, trying to appear determined. I don't have a plan. She thought frantically. But I've always come through without one. She decided to buy time, if Scorch came for her, surely the others were nearby? She could almost picture Sleet entering the cave, freezing the evil tree with ease as he dragged a grumpy Flare along.

"Zodiac, you're in there somewhere, aren't you?" She wasn't sure if the assassin was a good guy or not, but she decided to give him the benefit of doubt. Luna felt her chest constrict, almost like a tug. A response.

"He was merely a pawn." Not–Zodiac replied. "He is no longer of this world."

"Liar!" Her voice shouted, she was surprised by how much that angered her. "You're a coward, hiding behind a face that doesn't belong to you! Who are you really?"

Not–Zodiac grinned. "The tree—yes—the tree." Luna could hardly stop herself from rolling her eyes, his response wasn't at all surprising. He began to creep closer, that mad expression still on his face. Luna asserted her weapon closer towards him, but she found herself backing up.

If Luna hurt him, she'd hurt Zodiac too....but then again he was the one who brought her to the creepy cave in the first place. But how do I know if he wasn't possessed before we got here?

"You're stalling, little girl. You won't hurt the assassin." Not–Zodiac lunged and grabbed Luna by her hair. She yelped as the entity glared at her with empty eyes. "Foolish."

The girl tried to wiggle away, but vines began to tangle around her legs once more. She could feel the corners of her vision going dark again. I can't black out now....

Luna fought with every muscle in her body to stay awake, but the sweet aroma of the tree made it more difficult. Taking a deep breath, the Nightling kicked Not–Zodiac between the legs. Luna winced. Hopefully Zodiac doesn't feel that for long.

The entity yiped, crumpling forward. "So you can feel it too," she murmured thoughtfully. She could use this to her advantage. Scorch remained still on the grass floor, hopefully just out cold. Her gaze landed on his tail. Maybe I can knock him out with that.

Not–Zodiac began to stand up again, so Luna quickly made her way to her unconscious friend. She lifted his scaly barbed tail and pointed it at her adversary. "Not a step closer," she warned. "I'm not a fan of violence. Evil or not, I still don't want to hurt you. But I will if I have to."

Her opponent pulled down his mask, a spiteful look on his tattooed face. She noticed his fingers trembled at his sides, his eyes began to slowly uncloud. Luna could imagine a thin thread tied around her heart and consciousness, and it coiled itself around the person in front of her.

The next thing she knew, the world blurred around her. The scent of the tree, the glowing grass, even her sword felt lighter in her palm. She was surrounded by shadows. "Where are we?" Luna demanded.

He shrugged. His eyes were now a vivid black and white like before. He pulled his mask up, as if suddenly uncomfortable showing his face. "Not the waking world." His voice was different from the entity's, it wasn't a multitude of voices or extremely raspy. It was a deepened voice, with a heavy accent that Luna was not familiar with.

"Zodiac?" She gaped. His only response was looking at her from head to toe. "Your body is being possessed right now."

"I know," his expression was indifferent. "So?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "So? You're literally trying to kill me! Seriously, the entity's voice is creepy as hell." The assassin's frown deepened. "So you're not going to help get your body back?"

Zodiac pursed his lips, "I did not say that...."