The Weaponsmaster

Chapter 13

 It was the middle of the night. Drea tried to sleep, but couldn’t; her neck was burning. She jumped out of her dreams and sat up in bed, grasping the chain around her neck. It was burning in her hand as she panted under the disgustingly sweaty covers. She didn’t remember having a bad dream.

Drea looked around. She’d started wearing the shuriken charm when she slept ever since she figured out it could detect the dark aura. She thought it might help.

Suddenly the feeling of the dark aura hit her like a ton of bricks. It invaded her mind, begging her to find it. She wanted to, but she forgot her knife when she left. Without a weapon, she couldn’t fight. I’ll have to let Danny get it. She lay back down, finding it difficult to get back to sleep.

The dark aura wasn’t disappearing though; it seemed to be getting stronger. It didn’t alarm her until a new aura invaded her mind. It felt like the aura of just a normal human; there was nothing special about it. It began to approach the dark aura.

Drea sat up in fear. Where are you Danny? She extended herself out far, but could feel his presence nowhere. For a moment, she panicked. What if something happened to him? The feel of the Lori snapped her back to reality. That person was in danger, but a small part of her was still reluctant to go. Something didn’t seem quite right.

She couldn’t waste time thinking about that though with the possibility that someone was in trouble. Drea threw off her covers and quickly changed her clothing to her Kaienshi outfit. She donned her horse mask as well. As she opened her window, she thought, I hope you’re safe Danny, and jumped out.

The wind flew through her hair as she sped through the dark city. The faint glow of the streetlights illuminated patches of earth, leaving darkness in between. None of the houses she passed over were lit up. The beautiful moon shone in the sky, it was a full moon that night.

She moved quickly, hoping she would get there in time. She may have not had a weapon, but she didn’t have to fight, she just had to get that person out of there. Maybe it was cowardly, but it was efficient, at least until she found Danny.

Drea touched down in a rural area with a few empty buildings and a few trees spread around. One streetlight shone as the moon hung over it, spreading its eerie light. She advanced slowly, looking around for the aura she was sensing. Her necklace was still burning in response to the aura, yet she saw no Lori nearby.

Finally, she saw a little girl running towards her hurriedly from the shadows. It didn’t feel right to her; after all, what little girl would be out by herself like this? She wasn’t sure what to do. When she was little, her friend had turned into a wolf, so this girl could too. Maybe she was a Lori… Drea was torn. She wanted to help, but wasn’t sure if it was a great idea at the moment.

Against every fiber of her being, Drea stood her ground and waited for the little girl to come to her. She heard voices of dissonance clamor in her head, protesting her decision. She agreed it was a bad idea, but if this wasn’t a trick, she’d never forgive herself.

The little girl rushed up to Drea and stopped. Fear shone in those big brown eyes as she looked down into them. “Please, help,” said the little girl. She truly looked frightened. Maybe this isn’t a trick.  

“Where?” Drea looked around, but still could see nothing.

“Here,” said the little girl in a menacing, skin-crawling voice. Drea felt her heart beat in panic for a moment before she understood what had happened. She felt a stabbing pain penetrate her thigh. Warm liquid dripped down her leg, staining even the back fabric of the pants. Her heart beat about a million miles per hour as she looked down to see a dagger in the hand of the little girl, sticking out of her thigh.