The Mountains Blade

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine- Despairing Wounds

Elwyn Greywater sat in a lounge chair in her sisters room that was a deep red. There was another beside it that was a deep emerald green. Her dressers were gold, along with the bed frame and canopy. 

Elwyn twirled a small blade in her hand as Avelinas maid helped adjust her ankle. She winced and hissed as Libby propped the tender sprain on a pillow. 

"How did you know that the cub was there?" Elwyn asked as Libby left. Avelina propped a book on her one raised knee. "I felt it." She said simply. Elwyn chewed her lip, be any other time she would make a snide comment. But, Avelina was a Nephilim with powers, she could very well have the ability to heal. 

"What did mother say to you?" Avelina replied to the quiet. 

Elwyn frowned. Her sisters interruption had sent her mother into a spiral she had never seen. Hope Greywater had shut the window and sealed it shut with guards stationed on the roof and at her door. Elwyn had no time to question her mother as she locked her in her room until morning. She promised to speak with her but she had been unusually absent from her balcony where she normally took her morning coffee. 

By morning, the guards were back to two and less tense. Elwyn had felt incredibly offended that her mother thought she couldn't protect herself. No one was interested in a simple human girl. The only magic she held in her was speed and agility from her father, slightly faster than a normal human, still much slower than any other being. 

"Nothing." She said pocketing the blade with a huff. Elwyn slumped in the seat and looked up at the golden star painted sealing. The constellations were thoughtfully painted and their stark whiteness contrasted the golden ceiling nicely.  "Why do you think they want you?" Avelina asked curiously. 

Elwyns eyes snapped up at her sister with a quiet anger. "How should I know. I am nothing to anyone. I don't understand why anyone would want to come for me." 

Avelina Brushed her fingers against the spine of her book. Elwyn watched her sister repeat this and pinch her eyebrows together in concentration. "You are a good warrior." She offered. 

Elwyn rolled her eyes at her sister. "Just leave it Avelina." She sighed getting up from the lounge chair and heading to the bedroom door. "I'm sorry about your friend, Maxwell."

Elwyn turned to look at her sister. Avelina stared at the bedsheets, glancing up at her sister. 

The warrior blinked with a hollowed expression. "Thanks, Avelina." She said softly. 

Elwyn turned again to leave.

"Elle?" Avelina said drawing her sisters attention back to her. 

Elwyn turned and Avelina held her gaze. "I don't think you're just a human. You are much more than just that." 

Elwyns jaw tightened but she forced herself to smile, nodding in thanks to her older sister. 

"Get some rest." She said before taking her leave. 

~

Come dawn, Elwyn Greywater would be in the human world. So, that afternoon she practiced until all she could smell was sweat and earth. Opal and Dane took turns sparring with her and each other. 

After being fed another face full of grass, Elwyn waved in defeat. "Break." She said in between pants. 

Opal and Dane didn't argue, reaching for their canteens. 

Elwyn chugged the water enough that it spilled over her shirt. It was refreshing. After finishing its contents, Elwyn fell backwards into the grass and let her back muscles relax. 

"The shadow humans are created." Opal said, sitting beside her and taking a swig of a small flask. 

"How do you know that?" Dane said beating her to the question. Elwyn sat up, using her elbows to support her upper body.

"Your aunt investigated. She knew some practicing witches back in her day and went to speak with them." Elwyn looked at the sky in concentration, trying to imagine her aunt. It had been several years and her parents rarely spoke of her. She remembered that she had pale skin, striking blue eyes and red-blonde hair. She also recalled the fact that she was a vampire. 

"I thought witches hate vampires?" Elwyn asked. 

"These are no ordinary witches, its humans who want to be supernatural."

Elwyn blinked up at Opal. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that they used dark magic." Dane said ominously. 

Elwyn looked between the two, waiting for them to continue. 

"They aren't like the ones in our world that have magic flowing in them. They crave it so badly that they reach for the darkness. A sort of empty void in between the worlds, its where also used up magic goes. Its expired magic that is supposed to stay there and release itself into our world. Its like watering a plant, only the magic is the water and our world is the plant. 

Elwyns eyes widened at Opals words. 

"I'm assuming you've noticed the dying plants." Opal replied. 

Elwyn nodded as Opal sighed. "If we don't figure out who is doing all of this, our world is going to slowly wither away."

"Can't you use magic to keep things going."

Opal took another gulp of her flask, smacking her lips together. 

"No one is strong enough to fuel our world, even hundreds of us couldn't keep the world running."

"What happens if the world dies?" Elwyn asked quietly. 

"The human world bleeds into ours. Their pollution and corruption will begin to kill our plants and animals. And the void will start to kill everything in its path."

Elwyn felt impossibly frigid despite the sweat she dripped.

"How do you we stop it?" She breathed.

"The only way we can." Dane said meeting her gaze. "Find the person who is leading all of this, who is destroying humans and supernatural alike...and kill them." Danes voice drilled into her brain, flashes of blood dripping from broken glass. 

Her gaze quickly had become unfocused as she was pulled back into her memories. 

Opals hands clapping in her face, however; quickly brought her back to reality. 

"Hey." She hissed at Opal who glared at her. "You are going to have to deal with your problems if you want to survive, child." Opal snapped. 

Elwyn scowled at the white haired witch of a woman. "How do you suppose I do that?" She bit back. 

"Therapy like the humans do?" Dane offered half seriously. 

Elwyn squiinted in annoyance at his statement. "Or just use your sword." Opal added, standing and drawing her blade. 

Elwyn watched as she stepped back and sent it straight through the head of one of the dummies, instead of hay, sand spilled out of it.

Opal and Elwyn held each others gaze. Opals white skin glistened, her white hair flowing over her black tunic that was half buttoned. The fall air clipped against them in unwavering briskness. "You were bred a warrior for a reason." Opal said. 

Elwyn felt the weight of her words as she soaked in her words. Somehow, she knew that what Opal said had another meaning that she was yet to know, behind her words.