The Healer ✔

Chapter Five

They had been lucky not to be spotted, unbelievably lucky. They were sitting out in the open, not a single tree in sight anymore. It was the middle of the night, the only light coming from the stars above. Out of fear they decided not to light a fire, despite how cold it had become, it was just too dangerous. They were sure to be spotted if they did.

For the first two hours after night had fallen Elora had covered them in darkness, but she had grown tired watching her companions eat and fall asleep. Soon enough she hadn't been able to keep the magic going. She had sighed, remembering a time where she could have covered them for the entire night and not feel tired at all.

She kept her eyes and ears open, grateful for the ability to see in the dark. Without it, she wasn't sure where she would be, dead most likely. Shivering, she pulled her cloak tighter around her body, staring up at the stars as she did. Thin wisps of clouds flew overhead, shielding the stars from view for a few short seconds. She caught sight of the constellations, tracing the ones of the gods and her father with her eyes.

A noise sounded nearby, and she shot to her feet, alert and ready to fight. It sounded again, and again, a deep rumble. Mikhail's snores. She wanted to laugh at herself, at her paranoia. Some nights he wouldn't start up until he was deep in sleep, or unless he turned into a certain position. It only made sense that she would jump when it did.

It was their first night out in the open like this, the trees far behind them. If she was being really honest, she would have preferred to stay in the trees. She found the shelter they provided a lot safer than sitting among the blades of tall grass praying to a god that hated her that they would stay safe.

They had reached the edge of the forest that morning, finding the sudden amount of light blinding. Their eyes had adjusted to the small amount of light that made it through the thick leaves and branches. It had taken them a while to actually leave the safety of the trees. Elora had scooped out the nearby area for at least an hour, wanting to make sure that nothing would see them, but also wanting to be quick enough that nothing would spot them in the forest.

Like the dragon for example, which they had lost sight of the night before. A constant barrage or water, ice, and Elora's swarming darkness wore it out until it was panting more than it was roaring at them. They had weakened the fire breathing monster so much that when they went through a particularly dense part of the forest, it didn't even have the energy to break them down and keep going.

Seeing the dragon standing there, breathing like a rabid beast, all Elora wanted to do was end it. Not because it was suffering, no, because it deserved it, because that was what she was made for. It was her duty to the realm to destroy as many Zlohiel as possible.

She had gotten ready to do it too. She had made her way forward, gathered as much magic as she could handle, all the while her mind was reliving the memories of the fight with the hybrid. When it had seen her coming it had roared flames like lava in her direction and tried to push through the trees.

She had been about to do it, throw the darkness into its mouth, rip it apart from the inside when a hand landed on her shoulder. Nyal, she had almost forgotten he was there in her anger and determination.

"We need to go," he told her, trying to pull her backwards. "There is no way you're going to kill that thing quickly. If we run now it won't be able to find us."

She didn't want to listen to him or follow him, but a part of her knew he was right. The dragon needed to die, to stop someone else dying under its flames and talons. She was barely strong enough, she knew. But if she hadn't been stupid and turned her back on her enemy she would have killed the hybrid.

She had sighed then and pushed the thoughts from her head. She listened to the dragon roar once more, watching it struggle and try to push through the trees towards her. She turned away, feeling Nyal's hand drop from her shoulder, and followed him away from the monster.