Inner Demons

Chapter Eight: Who are you?

The ride was surprisingly smoother than expected, the way the dragon flew seemed to cushion the rocking motion caused by it's wings. Quinn felt her hands gripping the dragon's talon beginning to tire. Concern covering her face, Vanth was limp in the dragon's other hand, his blood strikingly red against the white of the dragon's scales. She was about to try and figure out a way to get over to him and do...something to help when the dragon's wings flared and Quinn's stomach lurched as it's hind legs hit the ground, a shock wave jarring her as it carefully placed the three demons on a hill. 

Quinn rose to her feet faster than Jamie did and she sprinted across the cold grass, Vanth was a motionless lump on the ground, he was still as the dead as Quinn knelt by him, shaking his shoulder gently. 

"Vanth! Hey! Wake up!" she yelled, he didn't stir. 

Jamie walked over and put a hand on Quinn's shoulder. 

"...I think he's gone..." he muttered quietly, Quinn felt her eyes watering dangerously. 

"N-No...he's stronger than that...he wouldn't...he can't..." she bit her lip as she fought back tears. Blood staining the shirt he wore crimson. 

All of a sudden. A pair of black combat boots came into her peripheral vision. Quinn's head shot up, a girl stood there, seemingly human. Her hair a strange stark white and tied up in a high ponytail, she knelt down by Vanth's motionless body and stuck a finger against his neck. 

"...Has a pulse. He's fine," she remarked, her voice was fairly monotonous and was rather deep. 

She turned her head and looked back. 

"You two follow me, you pull your hood up, both of you tuck your tails in and walk as straight as you can," the girl said, her one visible gray eye was cold and piercing.

Quinn felt a surge of relief when she said that Vanth had a pulse, but now her heart seemed to cower before this girl, probably younger than her based on her height. 

She backed off and started to pull her tail up into her purple sweater while Jamie donned the hood of his black jacket to cover his horns. 

The girl quickly pulled back Vanth's ripped trench coat, she pulled up the burgundy t-shirt he wore underneath, exposing a long, angry slash across his sternum. It poured blood like a river, she reached into a bag over her shoulder and pulled out a roll of bandages and began to tightly wrap up the wound, pressing more padding right up against the cut to help staunch the bleeding. 

Quinn was watching with a numb horror as she worked, unfazed by the blood. As much as she tried to look away, she couldn't help it, her eyes quickly found the black markings to the right of Vanth's chest, a tattoo perhaps? The blood staining it made it hard to make out. 

The girl pulled his jacket shut and gently tapped his cheek, trying to rouse him, it didn't seem to work until she tried to shift him upright. He woke with a start at the pain in his chest. 

"V-Vanth! Are you okay?" Quinn asked, his face was pale but his mouth formed a grim smirk. 

"I'll live..." he grunted, the girl shifted him higher on her shoulder, now that they were all on their feet, Quinn noticed how short she was. She barely came up to her shoulder, and she had been the shortest up until then. 

She turned and began helping Vanth towards a trail, it wasn't till then that Quinn realized they were in a park of some sort, the path up ahead seemed to be part of a walking track, it was deserted at this time of night, thankfully. Jamie brushed past her, oddly quiet. Quinn was tense and wary of the girl ahead. 

'I hope this isn't a bad idea...' she thought as she followed her into the darkness.