Monsters Beyond the Gate

Chapter Twenty: Destiny

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Adeline," Wynter muttered from behind the punching bag she was holding for me.

I took a swing at it hard enough to make her rock backwards.

"Do you have any better ones? Because if you do I'm all ears. I'm running out of time, Wynter. Punching this bag or going another lap around the track isn't going to help me get Fisher back. I need to go to the Mountains and find the witches. I need to figure out how to defeat Erebus and Evangeline without costing pack lives."

Wynter grunted under the weight of another blow. I watched her grit her teeth.

"I'm just saying that I don't think it's smart for you to leave until Levi gets back, hopefully with princess Tessa. That way you three can settle things and then you will have someone to go with you to the mountains. It's going to be a dangerous journey you know."

I sighed and hit the bag again with all of my might.

"We've been through this! I'm not bringing you OR Levi with me. It's a trip that I need to make alone."

"How do you know that? Did you recently become an expert in spooky magical lure?"

I rolled my eyes. I never thought that Wynter would be the kind of person to argue with me about going off on a reckless adventure and facing down danger flying solo. Taking a deep breath, I turned and sat down on a nearby bench, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a white hand towel.

"I just know, ok? Something inside of me...I can't explain it. I'm going alone and that's final."

Wynter crossed her arms, but moved to sit next to me on the bench. She grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig.

"What are you going to tell the Alphena?"

I cringed at the mention of my mother. I'd been trying hard to avoid thinking about her in all of this. I already felt guilty enough for abandoning my Dad. But I'd made my decision. I was going to leave without a word. I had a feeling that my mother would try to stop me from leaving so soon. She would probably agree with Wynter in the aspect that I needed to stay and train longer, but I knew that all of the training in the world would not prepare me for what was to come next.

"About that...I'm going to need you to cover for me. Maybe tell her that you want to do some nature training and that we are going out in the woods."

I didn't know if the story would work. The Alphena had been hovering nonstop since my return. I guess something changed when she realized I'd been so close to death.

Wynter looked at me uneasily. "I could get into trouble, Adeline. And what am I going to say when they realize you are gone? The trip takes more than a day you know."

"Tell them you didn't know and that I just ran off."

Wynter laughed sardonically. "Are you kidding me? These people can read minds!"

I stood up, knocking the water bottle on to the floor. I wasn't going to argue anymore my mind was made up.

"I won't go, Wynter. From now on you don't have to worry about it."

I tossed my towel onto the floor next to the water bottle and trudged off towards my room. I was sore from the long day of working out. My muscles throbbed right along with my head. I would get up with the sun the next morning and I would leave. I wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop me from reaching the priestesses on that mountain and finding a way to save Fisher and stop an evil from destroying the civilized world.