The Immortal Gardens - Emergent (book 1) (Wattys 2013)

Chapter 13- Aarif's Angels

"We should be close to the castle, It's just beyond that Hill." Diana pointed out. She looked as if she were itching for a fight.

"Your excited arent you?" I asked her sarcastically, while beaming at Ryder's arm slung over my shoulder. 

"Im not the excited one.." She chuckled as she pointed behind us at Elijha who was scratching his back with his hands in a painful looking clawing motion.

"Um elijha are you okay?" I giggled. He nodded in annoyance and kept on scratching.

"Maybe the mortal ate something." Diana shrugged then coninued walking.

"Maybe your boyfriend is trying to kill me.."  He snarled, almost to imself, and began scratching harder. 

Ryder opened his mouth to say something but I insisted it was fine and that he should continue without me. With an unsure look he proceeded and looked back at us 2 times.  When he was about a few feet away i slapped Elijha's arm and stood infront of him, arms folded. He gasped in pain.

"Do not start this up again.."

"Start what up? it's probably true.." He groaned as he scratched his back once more, this time pinching it.

"Are you suggesting he magically poisoned you?" I asked him, rather impatiently.

"I dunno. maybe, All I knwo is since he came around I've been pretty itchy."

"Thats a lie, you just started."

"I have been all along. You just can't stop going gaga over his eyes. It's either that or your sucking each other's faces off." He slapped his back and began picking at it, shifting uncomfortably.

"So thats what that's all about. You saw us kiss and your jealous." I laughed and raised an eye brow cockily waiting on his responce.

"Yes I saw you guys kiss and nope. I don't get jealous. I just dont like him cause he is BAD NEWS! The guy is pracically a devil!" He started shifting and pullign something out of his back.

"I see how you look at me-"

"With pity that you can't see that he is playing you..Weeds and flowers dont mix Bella.- damn it!" He slapped his back and tugged something out of his back again, this tiem bringing it up and out of his shirt. 

"W-what is that?"

"A feather? hm.. maybe he spat in my food and now he's turning me into a hippopotomus." He stared at it as a droplet of blood ran down his hand and a small piece of skin fell off it.

"It's a Hippogriff and ew, dont let that touch me." I shreiked then ran ahead to catch up with the others. 

"So what happened to the mortal?" Diana asked as she shoved a palm leaf out of her path and continued down a steep hill.

"He thinks he's tunring into a Hippogriff." I replied while knocking the branch that Diana released, away from me.  "he's itchy and he pulled a feather out of his clothes." 

"A feather?" She asked as she balanced herself while tredding down the hill.

"yeah, a feather."

"What colour was it?" 

"uh, I dont know. I didnt get a good look at it."

"Where is he?"

"I'm not sure. I left him behind when the first feather came."

She and Ryder exchanged worried looks then broke past me and hurried back up the hill. I followed behind them until they made a sudden stop. Elijha was standing there, still picking feathers out of his back. The back of his shirt was blood stained and his face had written a thousand words of pain.