All the Whispers

Chapter 9

Teras and I moved fluently and perfectly together. Well, more like I did something and she matched it perfectly, using her observation skills. When I looked around, I saw Daun and Genora, not moving so flawlessly, but fighting well together. My eyes scanned the creature’s back for Ronan and found him- fighting beside Kana. They moved together like perfect dancers- except for those few times Ronan halted for barely half a second, unsure of Kana’s moves. She matched him perfectly.

            Tearing my eyes away from their almost-perfection, I stabbed into the creature, ripping open its slimy skin. Teras took a vial from a pouch hanging at her waist and sprinkled a mixture of salt and powdered poison into the wound, causing the creature to wail. Truthfully, it was a bit sad. We repeated this action many times, until nearly its entire back was covered in bubbling gashes. Daun and Genora had moved to the ground, attacking it from the bottom. Ronan and Kana were attacking its mouth, slicing at its teeth, and throwing powder onto its tongue.

            The wails increased, and the thing started trembling violently. Teras grabbed me around the waist, swooping us down to the ground, landing lightly. We walked over to Daun and Genora, who looked exhausted, and Ronan and Kana, who looked barely winded. I glanced at Ronan and noticed his jaw was clenched, a muscle working on his cheek. A nasty gash ran down his right bicep, red and oozing.

            A hideous wail pulled my attention back to the creature, which thrashed around before exploding. Daun, who was beside me, grabbed me around the waist, wrapping his wings around us to deflect the blow. Just before the wings blocked my vision I saw the other Netherlings do the same. Cold wind blew forcefully against us, wanting to push us over.

            Even after it subsided, Daun kept his wings tightly wrapped around us, before slowly putting them down once he checked that everything was clear. I blinked at the sudden brightness around us. The moon was blazing brightly in the sky, and all the smoke had vanished, almost as if it had never been there in the first place.

            It was only after realizing all this that I noticed Daun’s arms were still around my waist, and I quickly shimmied away from him. I looked over at Ronan again, and was dismayed to see his arm covered in blood now, his face pale. I was about to head over, when Kana took his arm in her hands, and rub something into the cut. He watched her with fiery intensity as she wrapped his arm in a cloth that was made of- cloth. Not anything natural, surprisingly. When Kana finished, Ronan said something to her and she burst out laughing before cutting off abruptly, as if remembering who she was talking to. I wondered if she knew how lucky she was to have someone like Ronan care about her.

            “Adrianne!” I blinked in surprise as Teras put her hand on my shoulder. “Come, training and battle must’ve knocked you out.”

            “No, no I’m okay.” But I was thinking. For my sake, unite with your boy happily. Unite with your boy happily. Why would she say that? He obviously cared more for Kana, so there was absolutely no point! Mentally cursing at Umbrarum, I shoved my sword roughly into my belt and stalked off to our tree house, leaving Teras to stare after me in confusion.

I was sitting on the couch, scowling, by the time a wing tip rose into the room, followed by Teras. Her bright green hair was loose down her back; it was the first time I had seen her like that. She glanced at me briefly before floating down one hallway, where she commenced to start clinking around. I groaned quietly at the thought of that disgusting tea. My stomach cramped just thinking about it.

            “What’s got you moaning and groaning?” Ronan flopped in the couch beside me, gingerly rubbing his bandaged arm.

            “Tea. And don’t poke at it.” I looked at him through slit eyes.