The Colour Of Blood

After the dragon trip.

Cloudy

We arrive at Germany late at night, and the moment we landed Arik collapses, turning into a griffin.

''Okay... I guess we're camping here.'' I say. Arik immediately shuts his eyes and goes to sleep.

''Sleep on the streets?'' Coco asks disdainfully.

''We have no choice.'' I shrug.

''Yes we do.'' Amethyst says. ''We could go and see my sister.''

''I'm liking this girl more and more.'' Coco announces.

''Shut up.''

''Guys, it's late and Arik is exhausted. He just carried all of us all the way from France to Germany.'' I plead. ''He needs to rest.''

''No.'' Amethyst says sternly. ''We need to get going. We can rest at The Underworld.''

''The what?!!'' I exclaim.

''Relax.'' Amethyst waves her hand dismissively. ''It's just a nickname for the underground city where the group of yellow bloods live.''

''You have an entire underground city?'' Coco marvels.

''You don't?'' Amethyst asks innocently, but there's a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. She is enjoying knowing that they were more powerful than us.

Coco growls. ''Listen here you impertinent-''

''Don't start a fight you can't win.'' Amethyst interrupts her. Coco grips the hilt of her dagger, ready to fight.

''Guys, calm down.'' I say, desperate to get out of here with everyone in one piece.

''Fine.'' Coco mutters.

''Come on then.'' Amethyst nudged Arik with her foot. ''Get up.''

''Leave him alone!'' I say, crouching next to Arik. I rest my hand on his head. ''Arik'' I say quietly, ''We need to get going.''

Arik doesn't reply.

''Arik... Wake up.'' I tell him as nicely as possible. His eyes flicker open, and he looks up at me sleepily. I smile gently as he turns back into a human, and then help him to his feet. He sways slightly and ends up leaning on me, but I don't mind.

Ignoring Coco's disapproving looks, I help him walk, but we barely make it down the street before he falls over again, pulling me down with him. Luckily, he turns into a griffin as he falls, so I land on his soft body and don't hurt myself.

''Look, we're never going to get anywhere if he's like this.'' I toll Coco and Amethyst.

''Fine!'' Coco sighed, sitting down beside us. She pulls her dagger out of its sheathe and starts to clean her nails with it, which looks dangerous.

Amethyst sighs, but also sits down, leaning her back against the wall.

''I'll take first watch.'' Coco and Amethyst say simultaneously. They glare at each other, having a silent standoff, and eventually Amethyst looks away.

''Fine.'' She says, lying down. ''Enjoy exhausting yourself.''

''I will.'' Coco growls, aggressively cleaning her nail and accidentally nicking her finger. Swearing, she glares at her finger as it bleeds.

''Coco, you can't solve all your problems by glaring at them.'' I sigh, taking her hand. I've never tried healing someone else, but I close my eyes and image her wound closing over, new skin covering the injury. When I move my hands away, he cut has vanished.

''Wow.'' Coco smiles proudly. ''You're so powerful.''

'Thanks.'' I blush, laying down next to Arik. His wing stretches out and covers me, but Coco doesn't say or do anything over than glace at us with a hint of warning in her eyes.

Smiling, I close my eyes and fall into dreams. Unfortunately, they're not very pleasant. At all.

I see Fawn sat alone on a plane she isn't moving so I assume she has been tied up. There is a beep from inside the plane, a man walks out into my field of vision while exclaiming, "We arrive in Germany in one hour, and let us hope that you were right about your sisters being there ... For your sake." I begin to scream until I feel someone shaking me.

I wake up to Arik standing over me, "Are you ok..."

"Yeah, why you ask?" I say yet in my head I know why.

"You started screaming." He sounds concerned. I look in his eyes and begin to tell him about my dream as I take over watch; I tell him he should have woke me earlier as by looking at the sky I see dawn is only a few hours away.

I sit watch till dawn then the others wake up; Amethyst is first with Arik looking startled me by waking up as a horned bunny rabbit.

"Let's be off then." says Amethyst, then she leads us through the streets of Germany until we reach a wall covered in graffiti reading der Teufel erwartet witch Amethyst says means the Devil awaits or the Devil expected. We find a small hole where Amethyst says what I can only assume is the password: "I do not fear death." Now my mind spirals into worry they take death seriously here. What must it be like? The graffiti once covering the wall now begins recede ... My heart fills with anticipation as a narrow pathway is revealed.

Cautiously, Coco, Arik and I edge towards the twisted staircase. We walk down in single file, then walk through a doorway and catch our first glimpse of the underworld.