Passion (Book 1 of "The Fantasy of Life" Series)

Chapter 42

York

I crept out of the tent, looking around cautiously. I saw Ashanaya climb out of her tent, she looked numb and half of her was slacked as if she had just had a seizure or she was just adjusting to movement. I decided to wait to ask until we figured out what was going on.

I quietly stalked around to the back of the tents to see a few shaking bushes. I began to walk closer to them, but a few Ashen crept out, not noticing me at first. My eyes widened as I noticed one of them had a saw. I started shaking violently, as I remembered seeing one fo them holding Marhara's head by his hair.

I tried to steady myself before they noticed me, I couldn't let them see me like that. I stepped out into their view and put my hand on my hip.

"Going somewhere?" I asked.

They all jumped and a smaller one toward the back yelped.

"A-"

"Let me answer for you." I narrowed my eyes at them and winds picked up, howling loudly, knocking them off their feet, but I stood confident and tall. "You won't be leaving this spot, ever."

Suddenly Valen ran forward and pushed me behind him.

"Valen, what are you-"

"You heard what the emperor said, you need to avoid fighting. Just make it rain a bit and I'll handle this." He glared at the Ashen in front of him.

"I thought you were asleep." I looked at him confused.

"I woke up once you left the tent, you weren't exactly quiet." He smirked.

"Lavash." I swore. "Talathan." I summoned the rain, and it began pouring down, instantly soaking the three of us that were out.

"Valen!" Ashanaya called, the void open in front of her. He looked over at her and she threw his sword and his shortsword to him, handle first so it wouldn't hurt him.

He caught them. He looked back at the Ashen with an evil grin. He drug the short sword along his arm, he didn't make a deep cut but it was enough to draw blood, that quickly mixed with the rain.

Kel crawled out of her tent. "What in-" She saw the Ashen, then looked to Ashanaya who was about to close the void, Ashanaya nodded and threw Kel a pouch of throwing knives.

Kel ran up to me and pulled me back even more. "No fighting, yeah? We can handle this."

Ashanaya pulled out her bow and just as she began to close the void again, more Ashen fell around the camp, smiling.

Ashanaya looked around surprised then quickly grabbed one and threw it in the void, it immediately began screaming and writhing in pain. She quickly slammed the void shut and started to nock an arrow into her bow. "Avanashe, lamaan insukaan." A large circular rune appeared at the front of her arrow and she let it fly. It dug into a twisted elf and exploded.

"On second thought, maybe wake Marhara and Cullen, but no fighting for you." She ran toward Ashanaya.

Valen leaped into the air, did a flip and let his weapons free, they floated at his sides and duplicated into hundreds of copies. They all fell toward the Ashen in front of me, ten at a time stabbing into an Ashen. The first ten weapons that stabbed into one each time would leave him alive but mortally wounded, then 10 more would fall and finish them off.

I ran into Marhara's tent first. He was confused as to why I was waking him, but once he heard the carnage he ran out of the tent. I ran out after him but I turned once I was out of the tent and I went to wake Cullen. He was already up, trying to make his way out, he looked at me as I crawled into the tent.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked.

"Kel said I should wake you and Marhara so you could help." I answered.

"Right, okay. Well you stay here, you're not supposed to fight remember?" He said. I nodded and he smiled then crawled out of the tent as quickly as he could. I could hear Ashanaya hurriedly opening the void so she could get Cullen and Marhara their weapons, though I was nervous for both of them. Neither had the abilities Ashanaya, Valen, and Kel had.

I heard crows began to flock over the area, one crow hopped into the tent and looked at me questioningly.

"Jeb?" I asked. He squawked in approval and cocked his head to the side.

I quickly snatched him up and held him close as the fighting continued.