Igniting Sparks

Chapter 18.

Edited by KitWulf on 06-06-2020

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"Do you trust me?" Nora held onto Azura's shoulders while staring into her bright blue eyes. "Do you trust me!" Azura flinched as she asked that question. Of course she did! And Nora knew it, so why ask her?

"Yes! I do! I trust you, I always have and you know it!" Azura blurted it out, frustrated at herself and Nora and this whole situation. She was not a fighter and now she was being forced to by a force nobody really understood.

"Good. We'll get through this. You and me, we have to do this and we'll get through it. We're a team and this is what we're meant to do. The reason we have this bond. I need your back on this, Azu."

Nora grabbed her even tighter and drew her in for a tight hug. The girls stood there hugging for a few minutes until Floyd came in. He glanced at the two of them and Azura quickly let go of Nora. She still felt awkward around Floyd knowing he didn't have much love for her.

Being a werewolf, Nora was better trained in fighting and battle tactics. Even though the Greenwood pack was peaceful and things like pack wars were ancient history, werewolves still had to fight at times. She was raised with it, unlike the snow leopard shifter who'd been raised as a human most of her life. Sure, Azura had been training to fight ever since, but it was not something she enjoyed.

"We have to move. The Phoenix is about to rise." Floyd spoke with his arms crossed and without much enthusiasm. Nora gave him a kiss and placed her forehead against his.

"I love you." She whispered softly to him. Nora let him go and headed to the door. Floyd followed, but not after giving Azura a cold glare. He would never accept her, she would always be a threat to him and his mate bond with Nora. Azura followed a moment later, following the pair to the rest of the pack.

Everybody was here, not just the werewolves and Professor Sloan. Other students from the college, druids, casters, and even some vampires. They were all willing to risk their lives to help them be able to fight something most of them had never even heard of. Something that had last been seen over three hundred years ago in another part of the world. But in the end, Azura knew she and Nora were the ones who would have to end it. It was in their blood, the reason they were brought together. The rest would just try to keep the Phoenix fanatics at bay. A tough fight as well, as that group had many followers and really good fighting skills.

"There has to be another way." Andreas turned to Azura as she spoke up.

"I'm afraid not. The only way to protect our land and country, perhaps even the world, is to kill it." Azura sighed and looked up at the Alpha of the Greenwood pack who gave her a reassuring squeeze to the shoulder before moving off. He climbed onto a big rock so he was overlooking everyone that was there.

"We will attack as soon as it emerges. The first few groups are already in place. Our main goal is to keep those bloody fanatics away from here. The Phoenix itself... It's probably too fast and too tough to attack. There will be a small group, including me and Floyd, trying to get the Phoenix's attention to lead it straight here to Nora and Azura who have to take it down before the Phoenix reaches any of the cities. If we fail to stop it here, I don't know what will happen." Andreas continued on speaking, giving out orders to what everyone was to do, and slowly the area became empty with all the groups heading out. It wasn't long until the earth started to rumble.

The girls looked at each other in shock and stared into the direction it came from. Nora stood next to her and grabbed her hand giving it a small squeeze. In the distance, they could see big ash clouds forming. They started to cover the sky, blocking the light. The clouds moved forward at an alarming rate, telling them this was no ordinary eruption. It did not take long for the ash to reach them. Azura gazed up as the first clouds drifted in, covering the sun and bathing them in darkness. She held up her hand and watched as black snowflakes landed on it. Nora gripped her hand even tighter showing she was scared to death. Azura shared that feeling, she felt a tightness in her chest, making it harder to breathe and making her heart work twice as fast.