Hermes | Book 1

: 16 :

As Light began to get his strength, the Darkness prepared to say goodbye.
But Light had begun to grow too fond of the Darkness and so he glowed a little lesser each day, just to have her by his side.

Chapter 16

UNFORTUNATELY FOR  them, staying away was not an option.

With vulgar curses scattering generously throughout her speech, Asta quickly briefed Hermes on the trouble they were in.

Trying his best to forget Asta spewing unladylike words like a pro, Hermes did what he could and gathered the remnants of her hastily uttered words and threaded them together as fast as he could.

The message couldn't be clearer: they didn't have any choice but to cross paths with those men; the Eta city had already shut down a little after they left it and their only way back to Julianna and their car was to go straight.

Hermes bit back a curse; Asta may not have any problem, but chivalry still remained strong in him.

"What do we do now?"

Asta looked a little pleased at being asked to make a plan. Hermes decided that he would take care to phrase his words better the next time; that is, if there was a next time after this. If Asta was so terrified of these people, then they truly must be worth being wary about.

"We wait and watch if they are moving-" Asta frowned as she saw them moving towards them, "Well now that they are, we move forward and try to remain take cover behind the trees." There was an air of helplessness about her tone that he chose to ignore.

"Why can't we move left or right?"

Asta fixed him on his spot with a cool look. "Do you want to be eaten alive or torn to shreds by these trees?"

Hermes looked nervously at the thick brown bark of the trees around him, noticing almost unwillingly that some of them had parasitic fungi growing on them and white sticky milk leaking from it.

He tried to edge away, but Asta had caught the minuscule movement and graspedb his arm firmly. "These trees won't harm you idiot." She reprimanded quietly . "Unless you try to harm it, in which case I won't be held accountable if you'll be going back home as separated body parts."

"So full steam ahead?" Hermes asked.

"Full steam ahead," Asta muttered the words slowly to herself. Hermes said quickly, "It means-"

"That we move forward?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you get that phrase?" There was hungry curiosity in her grey eyes, that looked coffee brown in the light filtering through the canopy.

"From a book."

"Oh."

They had begun to move cautiously, taking care to hide as best as they could behind the broad tree trunks without actually having any skin contact with it. Muscles straining against his uncomfortable shirt, Hermes balanced his feet firmly on the ground and took a peek.

Asta put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"What's happening?"

"They seem to be searching for something." Hermes turned to her. "Do you know anything about it?"

The men were conversing quietly between themselves and a black stick with a glowing green end was held in one mans hands. Hermes didn't need to be told to know that it was a tracker if some sort.

Asta didn't reply for a long second. "They are not searching for something, they are searching for someone."

"Who?"

"Some poor wretched soul," Asta said with unyieldingly.

"You have to understand that this can't remain a secret between us any longer, Asta." Hermes said firmly. "The faster you tell me, the better."

They inched behind another tree, their feet make soft squishes in the soggy muddy patches.

"Not now," said Asta.

"They are coming-" Hermes stopped mid speaking when Asta nearly stumbled and fell as she rifled through her purse. With a sigh, he held her shoulders firmly and continued speaking.

"You were saying?" Asta's fingers were still desperately pushing away things but Hermes was glad to know that she had some awareness of her surroundings.

"They are heading exactly in our direction." Hermes watched them with a sense of hopelessness. There were only three of them, but all of them were big and burly and heavily armed. Throwing candied apples at them was no good, even if it was as large as a mango.

"Asta...?" Something irked Hermes.

"What?"

"Are they looking for you?"

"Me?" Asta actually paused her frantic searching to look at him as though he had gone mad. "Why do they want me?"

"How would I know?" Hermes let a little frost creep into his otherwise neutral tone.

"They don't want me." Her tone was final.

"They are nearing."

The biggest one of the group, a dark skinned man with an intimidating rifle slung across his back causally ran a finger down the tree trunk and jumped back when the tree let out a terrifying loud roar.

Hermes glanced at the tree near him.

"Hmm."

"Twenty feet."

"Okay."

"Fifteen feet."

"Nice." Asta literally bent and poked her head into the bag. "Where is it, where is it." She muttered to herself.

"Fourteen point five."

"Fourteen."

"Ten feet."

Some contents fell from the bag.

"Eight feet."

"Gods help me," he said looking at Asta. "Seven feet."

The men were prowling towards them quietly. Hermes felt the need to jump out and yell 'hello' to them.

I'm going mad.

The men were getting closer to them. It was almost as if they knew that Hermes and Asta was right behind the tree only a few feet in front of them.

He looked at Asta. Taking a deep breath he caught her shoulders and in a quick motion twisted her around and brought her close to his chest. "What," Asta breathed, trying to untangle herself from him.

"Shh." Hermes said pulling her closer and pushed himself as best as he could against the tress without actually touching it. Asta was wriggling under his hands.

"Asta,"he said through his teeth.

Just as the men reached to look at their hiding place, Herms heard something click. Hardly daring to breath, he looked on as the men advanced towards where they stood...and looked right at them.