Elysian House: Edge of the World (3)

Chapter 24: Outrun the Witch

Del

When Alis had vanished into the mouth of the cave, Winter and I were left outside, waiting impatiently and worriedly. It drove me insane to think of leaving the human inside uncharted territory, within the cave. 

I had no idea what was inside and that bothered me to think of sending her off inside without knowing what may be lurking inside. 

Winter was uneasy as well, and constantly asked me if I was sure there was no way we could get inside. When I told her about the countless Vampires that have gone missing stepping inside, or vaporizing on the spot, she seemed to drop it. But I could tell she was just as uneasy as I was about the situation.

It also didn't help that Lykopis loved to taunt Winter and I about how we would be waiting a long time before Alis would come back out again. Each time she opened her big mouth to say something about it again, I would get angrier and angrier. I just wanted to shut the hag up.

All of the Amazon's seemed to snicker at Lykopis's words, except for Celaneo. I caught her gaze a few times, but each time we would make eye contact, she'd duck her head away from me. I could tell it made her uncomfortable to be around them when they were taunting me. Celaneo and I used to be good friends as children.

If only she knew what happened to Scyleia. 

I inwardly flinched at the thought and turned my eyes to Lykopis, who was having way too much fun staring into the cave as if she knew what was going to happen.

I refused to believe her, or anything she said.

"What if Alis doesn't make it out?" Winter questioned me, quietly, in hopes that the Amazon's wouldn't hear her troubled thoughts. 

"Don't say that," I whispered to her, and leaned my head closer to hers to keep our conversation as quiet as humanly possible. "Listen, she'll come out. And when she does, we are taking the crown and the boots and we are bolting out of this forest, you understand?" 

"Bolting? Why do we have to bolt?" Winter asked me, her eyes flashing with worry back at me. "Del, what's going on?"

I shook my head, glancing over to the group of huntresses who were all looking smug, into the cave. It bothered me. "Something isn't right. Lykopis wouldn't just let Alis waltz in there without an ulterior motive."

"So she set us up?" Asked Winter. 

"Maybe," I whispered.

"Not a maybe, Del! I need to know if we are going to have to fight these guys or not!" Winter hissed at me, obviously angry by my cryptic answers. 

Fight them? No. I don't think the three of us could take on a whole tribe of Amazonian's. They were fast, they were strong, and they were clearly very insistent on seeing us dead. There was no way we were fighting them, we'd just have to run. Run and as fast as we possibly could.

"You know, Ainia," Lykopis said, which caught my attention instantly. "This stranger you happen to have infatuated yourself with... are they strong?"

I thought of Skylar. I thought of our childhood together, growing up I was always the tougher one. I would protect her from the bullies at her school. I was 15 and she was only 12, and I would act as if I was an older sister to her. As she grew older, and began to realize she was going to have to take on the responsibilities that her Mother had, she grew nervous.

She had self doubt, and was very frightened of the idea of messing up. She made me promise not to tell a soul that she was going to be taking the throne after her Mother to anyone. She said she didn't want people to know because she wasn't ready. In the end, when Nova died, Skylar still felt she wasn't ready. She was heavy with grief when she took her mother's throne, but she held it together.