The demon huntress (unedited)

An enemy's surrender

(And so being young and dipped in folly, I fell in love with melancholy)
_Edgar Allan Poe

I jumped in surprise, forgetting how my ears aren't that sharp without the circle power. "Lord Graham" Tam said, coming to her feet and giving him a courtesy. Sometimes I forget that Tamara is a proper-educated scholar and not just the girl who chases me out every time I fuck up. He gave her a deep bow, "I apologize for interrupting Lady Nevan, but I need to speak to lady Layla" I snorted at being called a lady. He narrowed his eyes but kept his mouth as thin as possible, it was obvious how he was struggling not to retort. Tam gave me the (please try being pleasant and don't fuck up) look, so I tried to give him a smile that I'm sure turned out into a grimace.

"If the high counselor made you come, you can go, I wouldn't tell her" I murmured between gritted teeth, and to my surprise, a faint blush came to his cheeks. "No my grandmother didn't make me come I... can we talk in private" he stuttered, looking at anywhere but my face. "Okay then, we will continue later Tam"

I said, and let him lead me outside through the marble corridors to the garden outside. It was quiet, and the sun was giving a golden sheen to the sky. For a moment we stood in the quiet and I swear I could hear his heart beat drumming. Is he going to attack me, he looked like he was about to fight a battle or something, "I want to..." he ruffled his white hair nervously looking at the green horizon behind me. "You seem like you need to go to the bathroom" I said with raised eyebrows. He grinned and, for the first time, looked at me properly "you have a sharp tongue lady Layla" he said gently this time, not in his usual sharp and menacing voice. "Do you care for a walk, I find moving my body makes me... more comfortable" he said.

I looked at him suspiciously, why was he acting nice all of a sudden. Did he overhear my conversation with Tam, is he trying to win me over, so I'm not going to track whatever dodgy stuff he is doing? It's fine, I told myself. If he wants to play, I'll play too. "That's exactly what I always say, nothing better than sweat and achy muscles"

We walked in utter quiet for a while, the only thing that broke the silence was the sound of our boots on the fresh grass. "We need to work together, either we like it or not," Keenan said hesitantly. "So I want to apologize for my behavior toward you...you saved my life twice, and I haven't thanked you" he stopped looking me straight in the eyes. The wind was ruffling his white pale hair, and he was looking as if about to vomit the words. I tried to hide my amusement, but couldn't stop the laughter erupting from my mouth. "That was the most prejudiced apology I've ever heard" I replied, trying to stop laughing at his pained face "did the high counselor threaten to spank you on the ass if you didn't apologize" that made him blush a deep color of magenta that was so obvious on his pale skin. "No, Lady Samir" he said curtly, his gaze averting from mine. "She just reminded me of whom I'm, it's something my grief made me lose contact with"

He muttered under his breath, looking anywhere but my eyes. "I...let's say my fear, grief and prejudice made me another person. And I had no right to treat you like that, if the blue fire judged you innocent them innocent you are, I just... needed to blame someone, so I won't blame myself for not being there for my little sisters" I felt the ache surging from him, wrapping him in a cloud of darkness.

"It's not your fault you know, and... it's brave of you to say this to me, I'm sorry too I guess for calling you one eyed fucker" I said, ruffling my hair. His laugh came high and strange, like someone who doesn't know quite how to actually laugh. "Well, that was a first for me, but I think I deserved it. Any way, I take bride in my injuries. It's a mark of a true knight, when I saw the scar on your face my lady, I was quite impressed, you could've asked Lady Nevan to heal it for you, but you chose to keep it, it's the same way with me" he said smiling and looking at my scar as if it was something to admire. I didn't know what to say, it was strange to be laughing with him like this. I still couldn't trust him after that night. Is he trying to gain my trust, does he know that I suspect him. And a part of me still remembered how he hissed "kin slayer" with such venom in his voice.

He broke the heavy silence," so can we start again. If we work together, I think we can do something about all the killings. I've visited the monks in the citadel they are all sensing the veil between earth and the other side being weakened, some kind of dark magic is making it weak, and those killings are linked to it, don't you want to know where all those babies ripped from their mother's womb are".

"What makes you think I'm not a killer now, you made it clear that you don't trust me" and I don't trust you too, I said in my mind, but he could see it plainly displayed on my face.

"It's because I..." but before I could know because of what I saw someone, or something moving between the tall grass on our right. "Stop" I hissed quietly, pulling my dagger from my man's pants and held it tight. Keenan rolled around, touching his back as his black tattoo itched on his left arm turned into a solid steel sword. I looked enviously, remembering that my circle power didn't return yet. "Stay here you don't have power, yet you could be harmed if it's something dangerous" he ordered, not looking at me and advancing to the pushes, a growl came high and menacing. "No, I can't leave you fight alone" I whispered, advancing as lightly as I can, my heart bounding. We were moving as one, our steps in unmistakable harmony. And as we came near the voice, we saw it.

A Cerberus with black three heads was on top of an animal corpse. I gasped not from the Cerberus, but from the animal it was perched on. It was a lioness the size of a horse and as black as night with three tails and a wing as huge as her. "What the fuck" I hissed. "You really should stop using this word" Keenan hissed back. I had half a mind to tell him to fuck himself, but at that moment, one of the Cerberus heads turned to our direction and glared. It stood up, glancing at us with blood dripping from its mouth for a second before launching "you distract it, I will attack" Keenan shouted, and I obeyed, I took a rock and threw it at the angry dog and started running, looking back I saw it took the bait ignoring Keenan completely it ran after me.

My lungs burned as I ran, listening to its bows hitting the ground, making the earth tremble. What if Keenan abandoned me, I thought in panic, what if it was all a lie, what if he was trying to kill me after all, how stupid could I be to trust and follow his orders. My head raced faster than my legs as the foul smell of the monster came closer and closer, and then all of a sudden I found myself facing a steep slope leading to the river below. I didn't have time to register as My legs gave away, and I found my self falling down, rolling on the hard rocks and mud. I felt my bones crunch and my legs being twisted as I rolled, and when I hit the ground I found the monster jumping from atop the slope and landing exactly on top of me. Its sick dark eyes looked at me with hunger as it drooled blood on my face. No one was going to come. I realized, I'm a fool.