The Heart of Shadow and Gold

chapter 17

Ashley's POV

You know that feeling when you're forced to eat a food that you really don't like but you eat it anyways? That feeling that every second you look at it, taste it, makes you want to turn your insides into your outsides and scrub every essence of it off of you? Ok, little bit much description, but that's what i felt like in this moment.

One moment, i was crouching behind boxes, hiding from guards.

The next moment? I'm in gods know where, surrounded by buildings, still looks like were in Etheria but where, was the question. I looked around on the street we were on.

It looks like the place that i saw in that newspaper one time, what was it called? I scratched my head, trying to pry out the answer.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when i heard a groan, i looked over my shoulder to see Ajax, right there. At first my instinct was to jump up and to find the nearest sharp object, but i compressed said instinct and instead calmed my nerves down forcefully, I bought about the situation rationally.

I want him to be right. I want him to be telling the truth, that i had a home before the orphanage, that my parents didn't just throw me on the curb. My original idea was to turn him in, now I need to get his plans from him, let him trust me and then turn him in the second he lets his guard down.

What's my motive here? Gather information. Thats easy.

I looked at Ajax, calm and in control.

So when Ajax woke up, i said nothing. He looked around, sighed and got up." We still have a ways to go before we reach the borders." I replied with "you know where we are?"

"No." He said.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, not technically, i know how far we are from our destination, but i dont memorize these streets, theyre changing all the time." "And where is this destination exactly?" I asked. He looked at me, i looked back. "Why are you so crabby?"

"Im not, except for the fact that you failed to mention the fact that you were going to kidnap me" I spat back at him.

"Woah there, hang on, i was saving you! Saving! Not kidnapping!"

"Yeah, you were saving me from my family!"

"You have no family here!" he argued

"And what do you know about that huh?"

"Well no family that you deserve!"

"And what do you know about me?!"

"Obviously more than you." he sasses

"Im pretty sure i know myself pretty well thank you your highness"

"Oh stop that! Listen to me and understand!"

"I am listening! But dont you get that its so hard knowing that you may have family that actually wants you? Blood family I mean, I have family but my birth family just abandoned me. And now an elf of all people comes up to me and says that they know me, that this war is because of me, an innocent civilian who has no power or control over anyone here. That Im the cause of all this war? You cant expect me to just go along with it so easily after years of training here, living here, with all of these people that I will die to protect them. "

"Ashley, i know youre feeling conflicted right now. And im sorry for putting you in this situation. I really am" he apologized.

"Are you?" I asked

"Yes, i swear on the skies above that i dont intend on hurting you, i only want to see you right where you belong. You had a mission of vengeance when you kidnapped me, now i have a mission of righting a wrong that was done so long ago." He held out his hand to me, his eyes showing truthfulness.

"Please, i just want to go home. And who knows? We could have some fun along the way?" He smiled.

"Fun? I dont understand what fun we could possibly have on a trip through the city."

"Oh, youd be suprised at how much stuff youre able to do if you have some imagination."

"im not a child, unlike you." I question, taking his offered hand.

"I feel as though i should take offence to that." He frowned as he started waking in a direction thats unknown to me.

I looked aroud trying to figure out where i saw this place. "You should, trust me, you definitely should."

We walked around for a while, no one talked, in fact, it as completely silent.

We continued our walk until i stopped, making Ajax look back. "Whats up?"

I looked at the building, the very, very familiar building.

"if you want to reach the border and value your life, I suggest we leave." I whispered, staring at the building.

"What? Why?" He asked. Just then, alarms blared from all around us. I grabbed his arm and ran, "go go go! And dont stop running!" I risked a glance behind us seeing people in uniforms running with various guns in a formation that i knew all too well.

"Turn here!" I yelled at Ajax, he almost fell due to the lack of grip under his feet, and torn up shoes and being pulled by me.

"Ashley slow down!"

"Do you want to die?" I yelled

"Well anymore of this and i might consider it.-"

"Ajax!"

"Sorry! Sorry." He panted.

"I thought you had stamina!" I turned a tight corner into an alleyway.

"I dont usually run this fast for too long without using my powers!"

Suddenly the alley ended and i stopped, making Ajax Slam into me from behind and fall down. "well dont you train?" "no!"

I turned around hearing footsteps, i grabbed Ajax and threw him over the brick wall which was only about a door tall. He yelled as he fell over to the other side and i jumped off the right buildings window ledge, leapt over the wall, and landing in a crouch. I grabbed Ajax, who was groaning on the floor and dragged him behind a fake tree to sit.

The guards eventually got over the walls after some time and looked around. Area cleared. Suspects got away. One said with a gruff voice. They took one more look and then left the area, using a machine to get over the wall.

We stayed quiet for a few moments until I layed my back against the fake tree and slid down. "What was that? Who were they?" Ajax asked.

"You know where i grew up? Yeah, thats just one of the many buildings like that. This is a school for more the skilled people on this side of etheria, the east side."

"So i got us to the right side, good to know that my instincts are confirmed."

"We should probably start moving, the longer we stay here, the more we risk us being spotted by another squad." I said.

"Okay, then lets leave." Ajax said.

A/N 1170 words