Bound by Hellfire

Chapter 19

The fur coat that had kept me warm up until now struggled under the shade of the trees. My socks were soaked, caked with freshly fallen snow as I traversed the cluttered trail ahead. I didn't know how far the path went, nor where it led, but still, I walked, continuously upping my pace as the shadows of the forest grew darker with the falling light.

I was growing anxious now. The thought of being out in the forest after dark only made the chill of the wind colder as I huffed more steam into the air ahead.

'Why would Mikael walk out this far? He knew that it was getting dark and that it would be dangerous to come here at night. Was Marcus playing a trick on me? No--- Marcus wouldn't do that. He's an asshole, but he'd never---'

I stopped my train of thought as well as my feet, planting them in a particularly deep mound of snow. My toes curled in my shoes and the sudden stop from walking caused them to ache even more than they had been.

'This is stupid. No way Mikael is out here. I've been pranked! I bet that jerk and those kids are laughing at my stupidity right now!'

I grumbled under my breath, ready to turn back down the path I had just trekked when a faint trickle of water caught my ears. It was hardly noticeable, especially under the crunch of my tennis shoes as I turned back in the direction I had been walking, but clear enough to discern as I stilled.

The noise had broken away the thoughts of Marcus's assumed prank and I pressed on through the woods, following the growing sound of running water until finally I reached where the path ended. It opened into a small clearing, with trees still sprouting here and there, but much less than the thickness behind me. My eyes locked onto the stream of water I had heard, splitting its way down the middle of the clearing and stretching far into the trees beyond, and right in front of it, perched on a large stone was Mikael.

He sat at the top of the rock, eyes down, looking into the stream that flowed in front of him, until the sound of my crunching approach caused him to spin in my direction, eyes wide with surprise before slimming down into his usual blank stare.

"You startled me," He huffed in relief, sliding down from the stone.

"Sorry, Marcus said that you came down this way. I just didn't expect you to have gone so far."

"Yeah --- I just needed to get away for a bit."

His hand lifted to his head of pale green hair, shifting away the snow that had fallen on it. The dwindling light above beamed down to where he stood, turning the melted snow on his head into a glistening rainfall as he raked through his scalp.

I gripped my bow tighter as I stared back into his abyssal eyes. His stare locked onto mine for only a moment before looking down at the woven branch in my hand.

"Nice stick. I didn't pin you for the hunting type."

I lifted the bow to my chest, coiling it in my wrist.

"Neither did I," I smirked in response.

"Where'd you get it?"

"An old man who lives on the outskirts of the village. He gave me this, along with information on how we might be able to kill Pride. That's why I went looking for you. That--- and it's almost dark out."

Mikael looked into the sky. His deep black eyes blinked as the trickling snow caught on his lashes.

"It really does get dark quick here," He muttered.

His face seemed pained as he lowered his gaze, eyes now back on the rock he rested upon. The wind picked up again sending his bangs of hair blowing to his side. He rested his hand on the stone, staring back into the trickling crystal stream.