Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 34 ~ Part 2||

Her heart seemed to abruptly stall.

The boy's body was cracking. Lines crossed his white skin like shattered glass. From each crack, sand seeped out, spilling onto the table and floor in a silent stream.

Momo threw the pot to the ground and lunged forward. She pressed her hands to the boy's body, trying to keep him from crumbling, attempting to put him back together. But no matter how she fought, it was futile. The boy's body kept disintegrating between her fingers like ash and dirt until all that was left was a pile of sand on the table.

"No!" Momo choked over the rock in her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she stumbled backwards, heart and head pounding in terror and confusion. "No. No. No!"

This was wrong.

All wrong.

She hadn't been able to save the boy. What had she missed?

Momo's legs shook, threatening to give out beneath her. There was the sensation of a knife being drawn down her spine. She stared at the sand that had replaced the boy in abject horror and tried to think.

Was this the empusa's magic? But monsters — even their magic — weren't supposed to have the ability to cross into a space protected by an evil eye. Only humans could -

'Todoroki!'

Momo's heart felt as though it had plummeted into her stomach. She staggered away from the table. The blood that had been smeared across the floorboards was now mud that clung to the soles of her sandals. Momo ignored it as she turned and bolted out of the house. Her throat felt so tight she could barely breathe as realization swept over her.

"Fuyumi!"

Snow condensed, and the shape of a woman formed. "Momo! What –"

"Where's Todoroki?!" Momo demanded, cutting Fuyumi off.

"What?" Fuyumi's eyebrows raised in alarm.

"We were tricked. The boy was fake!" Momo gasped. Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together her thoughts. "He was a golem created by the magi."

Fuyumi's eyes widened. Her breath caught. "By the gods!"

"I need to find Todoroki! He's in trouble."

"'I'll – I'll get him." Fuyumi stuttered. "St-stay."

The snow collapsed. Momo's body trembled. Her hands and fingers felt as though they were being pricked with needles.

It had all been a lie. The merchant. The boy. Even the empusa's attack. They had been fooled.

'I curse you.'

Momo breathed sharply through her teeth as she tried to steady herself. She needed to prepare to confront whatever was targeting them.

She turned and rushed back into the cabin. Pausing in the middle of the room, Momo's gaze swept over furniture to land on the pile of sand covering the table. Her chest constricted, and she felt sick.

They wouldn't be able to come back. If the magi hadn't known about the cabin, he would now. They wouldn't be safe here anymore.

Her body quivered with terror. Momo turned and began gathering anything that she could see: pieces of the shredded bed sheet, the remaining horsetail, and a rusted kitchen knife. Momo stashed what she could into her chiton before grabbing her spear and returning outside.

Fuyumi wasn't back.

Momo's body shook as she waited for Fuyumi to return. Her fingers and toes felt stiff as if ice filled her veins instead of blood. She couldn't stand still. Her mind raced. There must be something else she could do.

Momo looked around the forest, trying to identify anything else to take with her. Her gaze landed on the evil eye. It was useless now that the magi knew about the cabin.

Momo moved closer and ran her fingers over the indents in the wood, wondering if she should take it. She didn't know if the mark would retain its magic if she removed it from the tree, but at least it gave her something to concentrate on while she was forced to wait.

She leaned her spear against a tree and withdrew the rusted kitchen knife from her chiton. She had grabbed it on impulse, but it wouldn't be of any use in a fight. Momo's fingers tightened around the hilt before slamming the knife into the wood, cutting the evil eye out.

The piece of wood was light enough to be lifted by the wind and small enough to fit into the palm of her hand. Momo shoved it into her chiton as the snow began to shift, signaling Fuyumi's return.

"Did you find him?" Momo asked, her voice tight with tension.

Fuyumi looked up, and Momo's heart felt as though it dropped into the pit of her stomach at Fuyumi's frightened expression.

"I can't see him."

Momo's legs shook. "What-what do you mean?"

"I can locate his general location, but – I don't know what type of magic it is – something is obstructing my view. I can't see him directly."

Momo swallowed thickly, then steeled herself. "Show me," she grit out.

"It's far and the safest way will take -"

"It doesn't matter. Show me the quickest way."

Fuyumi nodded before dissolving into wisps of snow that swirled into the forest. Momo grabbed her spear and flung herself after Fuyumi into the trees.

The path was unfamiliar. Momo followed Fuyumi through the uneven forest terrain. She was vaguely aware that they were making their way to the opposite side of the mountain.

"We're almost there." Fuyumi's voice came from beside her. "Just a little farther –"

It happened in an instant. There was a sudden prickling along her skin. Momo twisted away as jagged claws swept at the air where she had stood.

"Momo!" Fuyumi called out in alarm.

Momo didn't have time to answer. She spun her spear around and lunged forward. The attacker disappeared into the shadows.

Her heart raced as Momo scanned the trees but couldn't see anything.

"Are you okay?" Fuyumi asked in a hushed voice; her gaze darted back and forth.

"Yeah..." Momo said. Her mouth was dry. If she'd reacted even a second later the claws would have torn through her back.

The pine tree branches behind her shook. Momo spun around as a feminine voice rang out from the shadows.

"I'm so happy!" The feminine voice squealed in a girlish delight. And Momo's breath caught as a beautiful woman materialized before her. She had blonde hair curled into buns, lion paws for hands, and one foot was that of a donkey — the empusa.