Shattered From Stars

Chapter 18

Hi it's been 3 months I'm so sorry

"You lied to me, Demon! You said you could save him!" The apprentice priest screeched.

"We're just trying to help!" Shadow explained. I inwardly cringed. We weren't trying to help him. We - well, I - were going to kill him. Shadow didn't understand that. There was no getting Shzeltis back.

"Who are you?" Kureba's face suddenly dawned a look of dread, "And why are you with that demon? Are you one too?"

"Who are you?" Shadow echoed, fluffing up, "And that's a little aggressive of an accusation, don't you think?"

Kureba frowned, "Well, I'd get away from him if I were you... you never know when he could turn on you. He is a cold-hearted, power hungry murderer."

I snorted, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're not a fan of my work."

Offended, Kureba whipped his tail. "How could I be?!" He turned, rustling through his bag. "I can't fight two of you, nor do I want to. I'll need help," he muttered seemingly to himself. Shadow huffed, her reaction putting a humored smile on my muzzle.

"Three of us," I'd almost forgotten the monster across the room. He tried to rise from the floor but I kept my focus on leaving him pinned.

Kureba's tail dropped and he looked up with wide eyes. He seemed to be a flood of different emotions, "Wh- Shzeltis, what do you mean?"

I felt a stab of unaccepted empathy for Kureba. He thought that was Shzeltis speaking. He didn't know what this monster did to his brother. His family. To my best friend.

A low giggle bubbled within the creature in question. Smiling sickly he flicked his tail, "You'll have to fight three of us. Your... sibling... is no longer with us." He attempted once again to get to his melting paws but I held firm. "I'm all there is."

"No..." Kureba's gaze seemed uncertain as it shifted from me to the mangled form on the floor.

Shadow managed a few soft steps toward Kureba. "That's what we're trying to tell you. Alkaid didn't do this." I bit my lip.

Shadow was halfway to Kureba now. She reached out a fluffy, blood-stained paw and comfortingly smiled. The tom looked indecisive. Too many things were playing out at once.

"We can save him together," she said so quietly I almost didn't hear it. The reassuring warmth that radiated off of her... it almost convinced me we could save Shzeltis. Kureba twitched, eyes wet. I looked at the floor.

"You can't save him. They know it. What you don't know is that they were going to kill me."

In a heartbeat, the mood switched. I growled, eyes blazing. A tear slipped from Kureba's cheek, as if every shred of hope he had was shattered. Shadow swallowed, heart dropping, as she came to terms with the truth.

Without missing a beat, Kureba pulled a necklace from his satchel. A necklace that had a very familiar, yellow charm attached to the end of it. He began chanting slowly but steadily, while the glow of the charm became ever brighter.

"Shadow," I took my eyes off the monster for a second to get her attention. Her back was towards me, head lowered, and shaking slightly. "Shadow, we have to finish this now! Something's coming, and I have a feeling it won't be pretty."

She turned to me, expression stern. "This is the only way we can help Shzeltis?"

Her shining blue-green eyes bore into my pitch black ones. I only nodded. Any and all words stuck in my throat.