Airen

Chapter 3

After Megan fell asleep, Zac and Eclipse galloped across the desert to talk to the Holy Trio. When he got there, the Holy Trio was talking quietly about the fire in Ave Borron.

"Alucard, the entire city was destroyed, and any refugees have been killed. She did not escape, and I do not believe Shadow Locke or Winter Blade made it out either." The tall woman next to Alucard said.

"Yes, Ebony, but what if they did escape?" Alucard shot back.

"Shadow Locke did not have the mind for escape, only for his missions. That is how we trained him, Alucard. He is a shell, no mind of his own, no heart to hold any feeling." A raspy voice said from the corner.

Alucard nodded, and waved them off.

"Then let us hope he has died, and we are rid of another useless soldier."

Ebony smiled, and Zac pressed himself against the wall. He meant nothing to the Trio, he was just as much of a pawn as Megan was. Zac's face contorted in anger, and then he slipped out of the room, and did not speak until he was riding out of the city.

"I will use my dead heart against you, Alucard. You have no control over me, and I will do everything in my power to destroy you." Zac whispered, with a voice that had found new strength and power.

Zac raced across the flat land, heading for the place where he left Megan. Finally, he slowed down when he got within five miles of their camp. He dismounted Eclipse, and commanded her to hide while he tried to find a place to disappear in the few scraggly bushes. A small tree had broken through the hard ground, and Zac climbed into it's branches and vanished into the shadows of the leaves.

"Seriously, John, this isn't funny!" Megan argued. "I don't talk to animals, for one thing, and two, I'm serious about being able to tell if Chipper is scared or happy or whatever. I don't know how, I just do, okay?!"

John laughed, and shook his head.

"Maybe you have some sort of supernatural power inside you." He said sarcastically, and then his twinkling eyes widened with a smile. "Maybe you are part animal! You could be a relative of the araxi!"

Megan's eyes flashed with anger, and her jaw clenched as she readjusted the glove on her left hand. Zac's head tilted a little to the side, and he studied the glove closer. It was simple leather, and there weren't any fingers, the top stopped just below her knuckles. the ties that kept it on were located a little to the left of the hole for her thumb, and the glove went about three courters up her forearm. Zac looked back at her face, and her eyes were closed, but her jaw was still clenched.

"Come on, Megan. Lighten up." John said after a minute of silence.

Megan jerked on Chipper's reigns, and turned sharply to face John.

"Lighten up? Our home was just burned down, I just found out I may be able to feel the emotions of animals, and if you haven't noticed, we have not seen any other refugees from our town. We are the only ones left, and you want me to lighten up?" Megan snapped.

John opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it again and looked at his saddle. Chipper shook his head, obviously unhappy about being jerked around. Zac grinned, and then he slapped his hand against his forehead as Eclipse came out of her hiding place and trotted up to Megan. Megan's eyes widened and she looked around then flat lands for the rider while Zac sunk lower into the shadows.

Megan studied the araxi again after she looked around for the cloaked rider, and noticed it's saddle bore the insignia of the Holy Trio. Megan slowly slid off Chipper's back and onto the ground. John backed his araxi up when he saw the insignia.