Amethyst | ✄

VI

VEIRA'S POV

I did not understand what any of this meant, but I knew it had to be important. Moira never cried, not even when she had witnessed one of her friends burned alive during Ilyara, not when they had taken her only cow as taxes even after she had given them every Quera she had. I could not bare it. The sight of her, her red face, her tiny body wracked with powerful sobs. I hugged her until she had quieted her sobs into hiccups and a bit longer after that. I had called her Mum she and I both had been shocked by it, but had chose to ignore it. This was not the time to relish in that moment.

Althose was still pacing, his steps thumping back and forth at a pace that no human could match. His shoulders were tense, the tips of his ears almost resting on top of them.

"What's the game plan?" I ask, tired of the everlasting silence. I didn't like when it was quiet, it chocked me. Althose stopped and turned to face me.

"We need to take you to the Elders," He says, deadpan, "That was the prophecy." It made sense, someone like Althose to want to stick to the rules.

"There has to be a reason why Moira didn't take me herself five years ago," I say, not convinced he was making the right choice. I look to Moira silently pleading with her to speak up.

"Althose, we can not take her to them." His face scrunches up with rage as Moira talks, her voice light and calm, she was trying her best not to upset him.

"And why not?!" He roars, it was too late, he was already angry

"I heard Miglatha.." She says, Althose's hands drop to his sides all hint of anger disappearing from his now pale face.

"That's impossible," He whispers, "Nobody has heard from her in centuries, not after-"

"I know, trust me I know," Moira responds, her face too devoid of colour, it looked like they were going to be sick. "It was her, not witch has been able to get into my mind like that." I sat quietly watching as they stared at one another. It seemed like that was all we were going to do all day.

"We must take her to the Seers then." He suggested, Moira thought it over before finally nodding her head.

"Sorry to bother you guys," I started, "But I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing." I shook my head frustratedly.

"We're leaving." He said, "You need to go back and get your stuff." He headed towards the door. "We'll meet Moira back here in an hour and set off tonight."

The air outside was chilly and it caused my stomach to churn. The night wind blew through my shirt, the hairs on my arms raised and alert. I pulled Althose to a stop. Something wasn't right.

"What is it?" He asked, his eyes scanning the perimeter.

"Someone is following us." I whispered, my hands flexing by my side, the numbness I had felt earlier stinging my finger tips. My eyes widened, we were going to be attacked. Just like I had envisioned earlier. I closed my eyes trying to see where the noise was coming from like I had earlier with Althose in the woods this morning. I turned towards a shack that had a long time ago held horses, now abandoned and wild with weeds. "There," I whispered, pointing in the direction "He doesn't know that we've seen him yet."

"And we haven't," Althose whispered, "There's nobody there let's go." He raised his brows and nodded for us to start walking. The person following us moving forward as we did. Suddenly footsteps appeared behind us. Turning around Althose and I threw out our hands, throwing the attacker off guard and into the wooden panels leaning against the shack a distance away.

The stranger quickly ran forward, not fast enough for Althose' skill. Easily he knocked him over and pinned him down with his foot to his throat. The tips of his boot lodged in between his windpipe.

"Who sent you?" He asked, pressing deeper on the man's throat. I peered passed Althose' arm, and down at the man. His wild black hair a mess against his long face. The stranger continued to claw at his throat until Althose released him slightly, just enough for him to respond

"Malacus!" He croaked out, gulping in as much air as he could before Althose put his foot back down on his neck. "He wants the girl" He says pointing to me. His eyes, I noticed, were red, almost like pools of blood were in his eyes. Althose pulled his sword from the sheath across his back and passed it through the stranger's neck, a low gurgle sounded from the stranger as blood trickled from the left side of his mouth and onto the cobblestone ground. Althose closed his eyes and whispered before lifting the man up and placing him inside the shack he had been watching us from.

"His death would have been slower if he came back without you." He said as he passed me, not a hint of guilt upon his face. He'd killed before. I pulled my lips tightly together and nodded, there was no time to worry about his killing experience. I was being hunted.

"What was he?" I asked as he pushed the branches out of our way on the way back to my campsite.

"A daemon." He said with a shrug, as if he'd encountered them every day of his life. Well he probably had, being a warrior and all. I nodded, I knew he wasn't going to explain further.

When we arrived back at my tent, Althose stood in front of the opening watching the dark forest as I gathered my stuff. I din't have much, I noticed as I was deciding what to take. Just the knives I had collected and the bow and arrows Moira had helped me make on my eighteenth birthday. I would take those I decided. I was about to leave when I saw the bracelet hanging on the cut of the wood holding up the tent. Taking it, I shoved it into the right pocket of my pants. I couldn't believe I had almost left it behind.

"I'm ready." I said, pushing open the flaps of the tent as I stepped out. "Lets go."

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[Not Edited]

Who's Malacus and Miglatha? I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out. I know, I know, sneaky! Until next time, xoxoxo