Forbidden magic

chapter fourteen

Siblings. . .
The only enemies you can't live without.

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"What's the use of having rare skills when you can't even teleport us to the right place?" The crow affronted Phoenix. Her glossy back feathers camouflaged her being in the deep night while she sidled next to him.

"It takes years to master one's ability," Phoenix replied extemporaneously without sparing so much as a glimpse in her direction. Len blinked at the word he had appended much emphasis to, she continued to stare blankly at him sideways.

"I mastered shapeshifting after three months of training," she asserted conceitedly, her dark eyes gleaming with self pride. Phoenix had to fight the urge of letting his eyeballs roll to the back of his head.

"There's a fine line between changing your body shapes and making a rift between two worlds," his casual words alleviated the irked pinch threatening to surface within him.

"In other words, you are the weaker one," Len's aspersed tone bespoke clear insult. Without a hint of chagrin, Phoenix didn't bother to waste his breath on replying instead he surveyed the treetops. His searching eyes cleaving the land in search for the familiar redhead.

They had emerged from the brink of the forest, the peculiar feeling in his head bode trouble for Raven. He could have sworn he heard her heavy breathing, the type of breathing that informed him that she was running away from someone.

Or something.

Tezrah had resorted to the rushing waves of a river while Len and Phoenix took to the skies. Albeit their determination to find both Cyrus and Raven, all three had concurred that the forest was not the place to wander without being gored by some sort of beast.

Phoenix silently pondered on whether to pick up his pace and extricate himself from the presence of his forlorn companion or tolerate her direct insults and burning glares. Phoenix ultimately settled on the latter, he wasn't too adamant on having to scout for more people.

The guardian's nostrils flared as the distinct smell of blood filled them, his awareness perked as he lowered his gaze once more. From an average vantage point of sight there was nothing but the crowding green below.

But Phoenix was able to discern between the lateral giants and the bestial pair of ashen, bald and oversized heads bobbing up and down amongst the woods. The enigmatic sight cajoled him to investigate whatever was happening below him.

"Down there," he muttered to Len, before he arduously swooped down adeptly. She quietly followed him as they slid through the trees, pushing past the extruding branches that violently tugged at them.

Phoenix landed on his feet, his pulse equivocally racing at the thought of Raven's possibly gory form. He shuddered at the thought as he looked up, his eyes widened into saucers at the sight of a limping man. A scarlet color concealed his body as he staggered forward, his system seemed to give up as he hurtled towards the ground.

Before Phoenix had time to aid to the man, Len dashed past him in her human form. She didn't bother to balk a second longer as she caught the man just in time, Phoenix could have sworn that he saw tears glisten in her eyes.

"Brother," she whispered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The arrow exploded into splinters before it could even touch her, Raven felt the scorching power radiate immensely through her fingers. She obliviously exerted a vast amount of celestial energy to her hands in defense.

The man, however was in no way disheartened by this. He had seen those of her kind before and it was no question that the girl was not fully aware of the enchanting faculty within her reach.

Gen felt the bow in his hand heating up, the searing burn sizzled through his fingers as grasped the weapon tighter. He wasn't going to give up the one thing that had kept him going all these years.

"What are you?" He titled his head with false curiosity, Raven instantly noticed the sharp structure of his pointy ears. She shrugged hesitatingly at his newfound interest to strike a conversation with her, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to expunge his previous act towards her.

"I've been asking myself the same thing," her voice trembled with uncertainty, enthralled by his lack of flaw. Her flimsy tone deemed a merit for Gen, who took a further step by smirking at her.

"You shouldn't use that sort of magic here," although his words were authentic, Gen was hell bent on coaxing her guard down. "It'll attract unwanted attention."

Suddenly a shattering roar broke out through the atmosphere, reverberating amidst the forest. It speared through the woods and all fell quiet, Raven looked up cautiously.

"See what I mean," Gen scowled caustically before he plucked an arrow from the dead plant and bitterly aimed it at Raven, who at the moment still had her wary eyes glued to the night sky.

Something stabbed her arm the commencing pain arrived unnoticed, Raven espied the arrow embedded in her skin as blood oozed out. Her confounded eyes looked up at the man who merely winked at her again before fleeing into the welcoming darkness of the forest.

It took a minute before realization hit her, but by then it was far too late. A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead, the temperature seemed to have skyrocketed by the second. She mentally cursed herself, truly her weak will had proved a dire blight to her life.

Raven wiped off the perspired liquid with the back of her blanched hand, the sound of the ground shaking was closing in on her.

It was as if a large dinosaur had decided to pay a visit, Raven listened intently before she grew conscious that what she thought was the sound of massive approaching feet was actually the sound of breathing.

She instinctively looked up and found herself locking stares with two enormous golden orbs. A faint haunting voice emerged out of the blue, causing Raven to turn rigid.

"Death is upon you."