The Mountains Blade

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty- Taunting Shadows

Elwyn took in the training area for the wolf kingdom. It was a massive glass dome in the middle of the woods. It was extraordinary, deep beyond the planes landing pad, down the winding mile long path, carved out by familiar feet. Dane walked ahead of her, the sound of the leaves crunching beneath their boots.

Elwyn had requested training gear from a servant who in turn told Hania. The dark fallen had shown up with a fresh pair of training clothes. Elwyn's shirt billowed around her, a lack of food causing her to lose weight. She wore black pants and a matching shirt, boots laced up to her ankles. She swung the blade that she had stolen from the armory in her hands.

It was beautiful, black as death and cold as the wind that clipped her cheeks.

Hania had given her the clothing in exchange that she could tag along with her. The warrior had thought to deny her but decided that she would rather have company than be alone with Dane.

Although she had forgiven him, she felt that there was something that he wasn't saying.

Elwyn braced herself as she slammed into the back of Dane and a resounding snort sounded from Hania.

She had ran into Dane who now stood in front of the training dome. Elwyn mumbled an apology and wiped her shirt, her cheeks reddening as she frowned at Hania.

Dane opened the heavy doors and they whined loudly as if they were hardly opened. The floor was covered in padded black mats and the woods could be seen from every direction.

Evander seemed to like seeing the stars.

Elwyn chucked her heavy bottle of water to the ground and flung herself to the floor. She stared up at the ceiling, trees hanging over the dome and condensation dripping from its side. A small path of fog had hung low to the ground as they arrived and soon grey clouds pulled together.

Elwyn sighed, grateful that this time the weather was not her doing.

"So are we going to see what the royal warrior of Goldmoon can do today?" Asked Hania.

Elwyn lifted her head and cocked a brow at the dark fallen looming over her.

Dane looked out of the window, seemingly disinterested as Hania stared intently into her ocean colored eyes.

Elwyn flexed her fingers behind her head and pulled herself to her feet. Her body still ached from all of the power that she had exerted. Her bones were tired and her legs screamed in protest but the warrior nodded.

"Lets see what you can do, dark fallen."

~

It took ten minutes for Elwyn to surrender to the fallen warrior. She held up her hands in defeat, blood dripping from her nose.

Hania snickered, dark hair un-drenched in sweat, her body relaxing into a casual stance as Elwyn pulled herself up from the mat.

Dane had long since gone, wordlessly leaving Elwyn to be pummeled.

Hania offered her a helping hand and she waved it off with a frown. "I didn't expect you to last this long. You did well."

Elwyn gaped at the woman before her. "Excuse me?"

Elwyn pushed back her sweaty strands of hair.

"I barely got in one hit." She argued.

Hania chuckled lightly. "You were given defensive training. You were never really taught how to fight for anyone but your sister."

Elwyn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the woman continued.

"You were trained to protect your sister through deflecting the attack and exposing yourself. Whoever taught you must not have much experience in fighting."

Elwyn narrowed her eyes at the woman before her, wiping blood on her shirt and crossing her arms.

"Sir Arthur taught me everything I know. He was the best in my fathers army."

Hania snorted at Elwyn shaking her head. She turned and opened the door, waiting for Elwyn to go before her.

Elwyn continued to glare at the woman, grabbing her water and chugging the contents before walking out.

"Sir Arthur was one of the worst trained fallen."

Elwyn turned to look at Hania in surprise. "You knew him?"

"Yes, the dark and light were not always separate. When we all fell, that was what we were, the fallen. "

Elwyn hummed in acknowledgement to what she had said. Her father had told her how they all fell for different reasons and some hated humans, while others wanted to protect them.

"So, you don't like people then?" Elwyn asked, glancing back at Hania. The woman met her eyes with a calculated stare.

"No. When I first fell, humans were not worth protecting. As we have evolved and lived on Earth, mindsets have changed."

"So, you saw something worth protecting?" Elwyn asked.

Hanias hands clenched tightly and Elwyn stopped walking down the path. "Sorry-." She began but Hania had already walked past her before the word left her mouth.

~

Avelina Greywater felt like she was drowning. She could barely see, her vision was spotted with black that burned. She screamed and felt the car skid to halt. She couldn't breathe as it pooled out of her nose and the corners of her mouth.

"Avelina." Makarios cried. The heir reached out a hand in terror, trying to grasp onto something familiar.

She felt Makarios's wrist as she latched her hand around it.

She cried out as darkness pulled her away. Suddenly, she was alone.

Avelina reached her arms out, and ran into the blackness, screaming for someone, anyone to hear her.

The hairs on her neck stood up and an eerie silence pierced through the black.

"You are not her. Where is she?"

Avelina swirled around trying to find the source of the voice.

It was everywhere and nowhere.

She sobbed as the feeling crept into terror and then a despair so horrible, it swallowed her whole.

A heavy hand dug into her shoulder, nails as sharp as ten blades, scratching across her flesh.

Her wings spasmed in response and again she swung around, dancing with the creature who continued to tear into her flesh.

"What do you want?" She wailed, swiping her hands at the air. She hit nothing yet still the claws found her.

Avelina sobbed in agony as it embedded its claws in her shoulders, holding her in place, the feeling of the nails scratching through layers of flesh and soon bone.

"Where is she? Do you know her? Where is the golden heir? It must be you or your sister."

Avelina stiffened beneath the darkness's hold. Elwyn.

These shadows were looking for Elwyn but they didn't know for sure it wasn't Avelina they were looking for.

Avelina would not let them have her.

The heir latched her hand onto the claws of the shadowy monster that held her and roared. Her magic crept out of her, draining the life force from the shadow. Avelina tried to imagine the shadow was like a rose, its petals wilting, the leaves falling and then it would die.

The creature screeched. Avelina's ears rang and she held tighter as it tried to pull away from her.

Finally, it lurched itself free, Avelina fell down into the blackness and felt the tangy taste of blood in her mouth. She smiled to the darkness. For once, she was protecting her sister.