Find Your Fire - The Angulus Chronicles #1

Chapter Thirty

Orin POV
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The bonfire cracked loud enough for me to hear it all the way from the side. Amazing smells of grilled pork and spiced salmon wafted through the air and my stomach grumbled in response.

The Spice Festival was truly an unique thing, millions of little stalls were lit with fairy lights, and they were opened until deep in the night. Cheerful music pulled at my limbs, begging me to come dance, but I couldn't. Not yet. I couldn't lose my focus on the dark warrior luring in the dark bushes, shadowed by the night. Ever since Oahn told me about the fight, I had been shadowing Lorem, making sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. He hadn't noticed me following his every step, hadn't noticed I saw his stare lingering on the girl dancing around the fire, a handsome companion holding her in his arms.

He was sharpening a stick with his knife, the shiny surface reflecting the moonlight, and though he didn't seem bothered by the events rolling right before his eyes, I knew he was upset. His body was rigid and still as a predator and he held the stick so hard, I could almost see his knuckles pop.

I let my head fall back against the trunk of the tree I was sitting in. Loyal bastard. Despite their fight, despite how much he wanted to distance himself from her, he was still keeping an eye on her, making sure nothing would happen at the bonfire.

Was I any different, though? I had been sitting here too, for hours straight, making sure Lorem wasn't forming a potential threat for my best friend. I knew Oahn could protect her against any threat from the kingdom itself, but if it was Lorem, I wasn't sure both of us could take him.

Holy tits. Why couldn't they just talk? It would not change his edgy behaviour, he still had to blow off steam eventually, but after a much needed talk, he could have her by his side again, making my shadowing much more comfortable than sitting in this god damn tree as both the music and the food were calling me. He needed to talk to her. Now.

I softly jumped out of the tree, my feet barely making a sound as I touched ground, and I made my way to the dark warrior ahead of me.

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Lorem POV

She was following me. Had been for over three hours. Her determination was both admiring and annoying at the same time. She thought I hadn't seen her, but from the moment she started shadowing me, I felt her prickly gaze in my neck.

I gripped my knife harder and sliced another piece of wood off the stick. Keep it together, Lor. Attacking Orin just because she's pissing you off, doesn't change a thing. My blurred vision, what never seemed to fully grow back to normal since Catalina and I had been so distant, lightened a little, but before I could do anything about it, my eyes shifted to the crowd in front of me, completely unaware of the threat that was hiding in the bushes. Prey. They were so easy to kill, one snap of the neck and it would be over.

I shook my head and took a step back. Innocent. They were innocent. It was the one word keeping me together these past few days. As much as I wanted to hurt them, they were innocent, had nothing to do with me and my shitty life problems.

The gleam of a red dress caught my attention and Catalina did another turn around the fire, Oahn taking the lead effortlessly. The sight of her stung deep into an internal wound, but I pushed it away. Nothing, I wanted to feel nothing.

Catalina had to attend the festival as the honored guest of Miuh, but she seemed to like the hell out of it. Rage coiled in my stomach, lighting my veins on fire. How could she be enjoying this when a war was looming above us. A dangerous cocktail of rage mixed with disgust and something like disappointment fazed my mind. Stupid girl. Stupid stupid girl.

Or was I the fool, for thinking something had changed between us. For trusting her when she clearly didn't trust me, sharing secrets and dreams that I'd never shared before. Not even with Oahn. But the message was clear, Catalina didn't trust me and I would never make the mistake again of trusting her. She wouldn't have to deal with me anymore after this was all over. I was worthless anyway.

My neck pricked as somebody approached me and my instincts turned sharp. What fool was trying to find me? A whiff of annoyance and nerves wafted past.

With one easy jump, I flew in the nearest tree and laid flat on my stomach, peering to the ground.

The girl slowly crawled closer to the spot I had stood mere seconds ago, her body skilled in stealth. But not stealthy enough.

Right when she was under my branch, I let myself fall to the ground, my feet hitting the moist sand with a soft, controlled thud. I kicked her with my left feet and her body went flying through the air, hitting the bark of another tree, the wood crunching loud. Within seconds I was on top of her, my sharpened spear cutting of her respiratory. Two kind, brown eyes grew wide in fear. She was so easy to disarm, so easy to kill. I'd just have to push a little harder and her small, fragile neck would snap. I bared my teeth in a wicked smile. The girl would die.

The girl formed a word on her lips, but language was ancient to me. But the predator in me waited, my interest sparked. I was going to kill her and yet she wasn't fighting back. Why wasn't she fighting back? She was strong enough to give me one good kick at least.

"Lorem..."

My name. She knew my name?

"Orin!" I flung myself backwards in terror.

Orin, who's body was still rigid with that Angulus power, observed me. "Do you know who I am?"

The question sounded stupid for most people, of course I would know her, but for an Angulus it was different. Instincts taking over the mind, clogging the thoughts. I dropped both the spear and the knife, not trusting me with both.

Orin's eyes lingered on my black clothing, staring right at the places I had hidden more weapons, but she decided me chucking away the rest was good enough. The rest of her instincts coiled away.

"My goodness, Lorem. You scared me to death."

Her light tone was forced, forced to lack a challenge. The thought made me bare my teeth. Why was she sneaking up on me? Had the girl a death wish?

"I want you to leave."

She took a step forwards. "Not happening." I slowly growled at her approach. "Snap out of it, dude. Killing me isn't worth it." No, it wasn't. But it would be so easy. I could almost smell her blood. "Lorem?" She stared at me in slight fear. I hadn't noticed the step I had taken towards here.

"It was a very bad idea to sneak up on me. I could have killed you."

"But you didn't."

I balled my hands into fists and hissed. "Don't you get it? I have no control, Orin. None. It's like a light switch being turned on and off on a continuous loop. All I'm thinking about is killing all these weak people here." My voice had broken somewhere midsentence.

Orin took a step forward and reached her arm to comfort. I sprang back, I didn't want the comfort. She took another step forward, her voice a soft whisper. "Lorem. You have to talk to her. You cannot go on like this. It isn't you."

"But what if it is?" My voice was a low snarl, and I couldn't keep the snap out of it. "I have this power. What if I am meant to use it, to destroy? Maybe I should just listen to the beast inside."

She chewed her lower lip. "Nobody should listen to their bloodlust. Take comfort in your human side, in feeling. Don't push it away. Trying to feel nothing will only push you father over the edge."

I couldn't help myself as I slid to the muddy ground, hopeless. "Nothing will change if I talk to her. I still have the build up of need to kill." I had to listen to it eventually, to discharge, and it frightened me. I didn't want to let go of the last shreds of my mind. What if I hurt somebody innocent? What if I hurt Catalina? No. I shouldn't care. Not about her. And not about anything her best friend had to say. "I want you to leave. Now."

Orin seemed to understand the silent threat and backed away. "Please talk." Was her last whisper before she blended into the night.