The Magic Within: Shadows of Two Worlds

Chapter 77 ~ Jamie

     I was starting to get tired of it all only a couple days after the meeting. While things seemed to be going well, I hated hiding from the rest of the world. I hated having to be protected by the dragons. I felt like a coward. The invisibility dragons hadn't come back from checking on Thomas, Chris, and all the others, along with the group that went to spy. I hoped everyone was alright, but I hated, I hated waiting for news. I hated sitting back and watching others take care of the problem for me... so, at around eleven, when everyone else was heading to bed, I snuck out. Ryoko was backing me up, just in case. She agreed with me and sympathized with me. I sighed as I stepped into the open air. It was the first time I had felt fresh air in a long time. I let the wind whip my hair around my face, breathing it all in. Then I took off into the sky. I flew over the mountains, looking down at the sights. The magical world was beautiful. I missed it even though I barely remembered it. But seeing it now, I felt as if I had lived there forever. Past the mountains was a forest. And past that- I stopped. There were ruins of a town. I flew down and hit the ground, frowning. It looked as if it had been set on fire. The gravel beneath my feet crunched as I stepped forward. The houses looked as if they had been nice, long ago. My heart sank even more with every step. I wondered how many people died. It was most likely the work of the Hybrid Hunters. I walked towards the ruins of a house, stepping over rubble as I went through where the door must have been. My eyes caught a small stuffed animal in the middle of the room. It looked like a dragon. I stepped forward and reached out. Just before I could touch it, I heard footsteps. I lurched backwards, spinning around to come face to face with Jake. He had his hand on the door frame. "You're a fool for coming out of wherever you were hiding, Jamie. Did you really think we wouldn't notice?" He said coolly. I wanted to snap back, but I knew I couldn't hesitate. So instead I drew my sword. I set it on fire, like I had done before, and raced at him, leaping up and swinging at his head. Jake reacted quicker. He stepped back, causing my sword to get embedded in the broken wood floor. Fire shot up as soon as I tore it out. I cursed under my breath. Then I ran straight through it and aimed for his heart. He pulled out a dagger and blocked it, then with his free hand pulled out a gun. With my free hand, I grabbed the gun and ripped it out of his hands, throwing it as far as I could. He pushed me back, closer to the fire. Using my weight, I leaned back, then pushed forward, spinning him around so he was inches from the fire. He turned, kicking my legs out from under me. I gasped, but managed to reach back and use my hands to propel myself back to my feet. Unfortunately, this caused me to drop my sword. I stumbled. The move wasn't perfected quite yet, after all. I lit my fist on fire and punched him in the face. "I can't believe you would try to kill your best friend!" I shouted as he stumbled backwards, barely catching himself. I swung my fist at him again, and he barely dodged. Gritting my teeth, I leaped forward and tackled him to the ground. "You're a terrible person. How selfish can you get!? Do you hate hybrids that much?" Jake's eyes burned with anger. "Selfish!?" He gasped. "Do you know how much I hate this? I have no choice!" I laughed coldly. "No choice, huh? That's what they all say." He scoffed, but his eyes were suddenly filled with pain. "You know how my family is," he whispered. "My grandmother is going to die and they refuse to help pay to save her. They tell me I need to kill you and Ella, because I'd be siding with the evil ones if I don't. Even my own grandmother told me to kill you. 'Kill those disgusting hybrids for me, sweetheart' she said." I felt as if I had been slapped in the face. The fire went out from my raised fist. No, I thought. Not her. I felt tears in my eyes, but I refused to show my sadness. I gritted my teeth, setting my fist on fire again, and attempted to hit him. He shoved me off of him just in time, stumbling and drawing his dagger. I grabbed my sword, and then metal hit metal. I felt like I was on autopilot. I swung my sword as fast as I possibly could, but he blocked me every time. And then his dagger hit me across the face. I cried out, stumbling back. My hand flew up to the wound. In an instant, Jake had found the gun, and was pointing it right at my heart. "It's over," he said. I chuckled harshly. "So much for having no choice," I mocked. He grimaced, but stood his ground. I was backed up against the wall. No escape. Panicked, I whistled. Ryoko. Jake stepped back, confused. I took that moment to take off running, towards the entrance to the house. He didn't waste a second. I heard a loud bang and I jerked forward, horrible pain flashing through me. Everything went white as I collapsed. For a second I thought he had done it. But then the pain died down slightly, and my vision cleared. He had hit my wing. I gasped for breath as I heard his footsteps approaching me. Then there was a roar, and a crash as Ryoko hit the ground in front of me. She roared again, and these ones were just cries of anger, not words. I managed to pull myself up so I could see Jake. He stumbled back, falling to the ground. Ryoko stepped forward, but then simply growled and turned to me. She helped me to my feet and onto her back, then we took off into the sky. I heard one final shot go off and Jake's voice calling out, "The Rastreador!"