The Woods

Part 17

The words struck something inside of Astraea like a knife.

She wasn't supposed to be there.

Wasn't supposed to hear those words. But she had. And Quintin said them so truthfully too. Was that really how he felt? Even after what she had told him. Rage boiled in her heart. She had trusted him! So, as the knight approached him, holding his sword, she didn't move. The blade began to meet his skin, and his eyes closed as he accepted what was going to happen to him. The next few seconds went by so fast, but she remembered them as if they took years to complete. The sharp blade cut through part of his neck, and Astraea burst through the colored windows. He may have said he didn't care about her, but that didn't mean she didn't care about him. As the first drop of blood dropped to the floor, her rage, mixed with her hurt, flowed out of her, and before she knew what was happening--what she had done--she blacked out.

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Darkness. Well, technically it was a really bright white light that caused him to not see anything. Then pain. Pain that coursed through his veins. Not normal pain, like the cut in his neck, but emotional pain. Rage. Sorrow.

Love.

Finally, a sweaty hand that grabbed his, dragging him, forcing him to run. His former servant, watching with wide eyes. Him frantically grabbing the boy's arm. Knights, running toward them, drawing their sword. Jumping- no -flying over their heads. Leaving the castle as the bright light followed them. Running through the streets. Bridget joining their connected hands as they ran, her wide eyes shining with worry. Flying over the defensive wall

Then they were out. They were out. A loud cry of triumph erupted beside him, and he found himself laughing, tears of relief flowing past his chin, running down his neck and meeting with his newest injury that would surely leave a scar.

"We're out! We made it!" Astraea cried, turning toward Quintin and happily grabbing his shoulder, then more quietly, her hands no longer shaking: "We did it." They slowly, subconsciously leaned toward each other, and their lips met. Quintin's first kiss.

It was over quickly, and both of their cheeks were scarlet afterwards.

Bridget ran to him, throwing her small arms around him. That was when he noticed that her eyes weren't focusing on him.

"Bridget, are you all right?" He asked, worry etching his words. She shuffled her feet.

"Yeah," she muttered.

"Are you sure?" She nodded, but Quintin was scared. More scared than he was when the knight's blade had cut through his neck or when the sleeping concoction had been pressed to his nose or when Bridget was simply sick or when she had disappeared. Something told him that this was more than any of that. Whatever had happened was permanent. And would change Bri's life forever.

Bri quickly changed the subject, sensing his unease.

"What now?" Astraea sighed, causing him to look at her, and at the bloody scratches that covered her.

"We leave. To where, I don't really know, but anywhere but here." Before they began to travel, however, he asked the question that was nagging at him. He pulled Astraea away from the rest of the group.

"What was that?" She shook her head, and he noticed the glimmer of fear that shone in her eyes. But accompanying the fear was astonishment, hiding her other emotions.

"I don't know. All I know is that..." She paused.

"What?"

"I- I just felt betrayed," she spoke in a barely audible voice. "And sad, and angry, and before I knew what I was doing, I had jumped through the window and let all my emotions flow out." Quintin took a tentative step back, away from her.

"That- That was what that was?!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, but his voice was still shaky as he said, "We should get going." As they left the castle, he tried to push the memory of the light, the pain, the emotions from his head, but all they did was return stronger than before.

Did he really want to stay with a witch that powerful?