I Am Where You Are | Mystical Flowers#1 (Ongoing)

Chapter Twenty Six

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Hunting grounds? So, like, everyone here has a territory of their own?", I asked.
Archer looked at me and nodded.

"Well, yes. The cottage and the area surrounding it is part of my territory. If anyone trespasses it, I have the right to kill them, even if they have no ulterior motive." I stared at him.

"That sounds...cruel."

He shrugged. "It's the law."

"So...the wisps were trespassing on your land. Right?", I asked, and he nodded again.

Just then, another thought occurred to me. "Did you, um..did you kill her? The one you were fighting?" My voice wobbled when I said that, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he shook his head. He noticed my anxiousness and looked at me seriously.

"You should know that I've killed creatures before."
I stared at him and suddenly it felt like I was seeing him for the first time. I mean, of course, I shouldn't be surprised that he's killed before. But the thought somehow didn't sit well with me.

"You have? Were they creatures like the wisps?", I asked, my voice a whisper.

He lifted one shoulder and looked away. "I've never killed for power as many others have. We're usually assigned to do tasks, which decide our rank as a spirit. The more tasks you complete, the stronger you are. That's how things work around here.
To answer your question, yes, they were creatures like the wisps...well, sort of."

I nodded in understanding, but couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

"So, to get this flower, we have to trespass on Rumelda's territory. Great." I sighed and rubbed my temples in frustration. He took my hand, holding onto it.

"Hey, I'm here. I'll take care of you. The both of you, of course", he added, grinning down at Viva who shot him a mean look. He laughed and stroked her ears.

"Wow, you're really warming up to her. She seems to like you too", I said as I watched her look at him endearingly.

"You know, I never really had a problem with her. I quite liked her, actually. I just couldn't be this nice to her when I was acting all brash with you...
She saw right through me, though. Every time I started to do something I normally wouldn't do...like when I hurt you that day..she was there to protect you.
It was like she was telling me to stop just by looking at me."

I could tell that he hated thinking about that night. He suddenly looked up and started to say something. I smiled, placing a finger on his lips.

"Don't."

He raised an eyebrow, taking my finger away gently. "But you don't know what I was going to say."

"Don't apologize. I know you're sorry. I don't want to be reminded of that night either, you know." He looked at me for a second longer and smiled.

"Whatever you say, Lisa."

* * *

"So technically, if we trespass on Rumelda's territory and she kills us, there's no problem. She'll get off easy-peasy."

"Well, yeah, but technically that's not even her territory", he said, turning to me.

I looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Rumelda is not originally from our land. She came to Treelow woods in search of power, which she got by killing other creatures. As soon as she killed them, their territory was hers."

"What about the rule? What does it say about doing something like that?", I asked, bewildered.
How many creatures did you have to kill to make a whole area yours? I didn't think I wanted to know.

"The land you earn is yours to keep. That's what the law states. So, whoever you manage to kill, as long as they're in their territory, have to give up ownership of their land. Their land would then be yours."

"Wow...", I said, turning away. We were both quiet for a while.

"When do we leave?", I asked, looking at him.

Archer looked up at the sky and sighed. It was still morning. I wondered what time it would be for humans right now.  "The sooner we leave, the better. Rumelda's powers are strongest at night."

I nodded. I understood why. The night was when the forest would become silent. Her hearing abilities would be more advantageous at a time like that.

"What about Viva? She can't fly...nor can she walk. We have to find a way to keep her safe."

Archer looked at Viva's wounds with a worried look on his face. "I'll treat her wounds as best as I can, but it won't last long. The longer we wait, the worse her injuries are going to get. I'll treat her right now, but we'll need to get the magical flower to her soon."Then, he sighed, raking his hands through his hair. "We will have to take her with us. There's no other way."

I looked at Viva and placed a hand on her head. She was listening to everything we were saying.

"Hey, it's okay. You'll be okay..", I said, trying to sound firm. It sounded like I was trying to convince myself that it would all be okay. We could only hope.

Suddenly, Viva started to writhe in pain under my hand. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head until she lay still. My heart skipped a beat and I bent down to check if she was still breathing. She was. Archer moved closer to Viva, placing her giant head on his lap. She grunted a little but didn't move. "Hey, hey..shhh shhh...It's going to be alright. We're here for you. This might hurt just a bit", he said, taking his wand from the side of his belt. He inserted the tip into Viva's skin, his eyes focused.

She looked up at him in shock as if she hadn't expected it, then closed her eyes, her head rolling from side to side on his lap. He patted her on the head and gently lowered her head to the ground.

"I'll be right back. The anesthetic will keep her stable while I work on her wounds. Meanwhile, I have to go and get some medicines to treat them. There are a few Yaros and Solidagos around here. I should be able to make medicine with it."

He started to walk away, but I stopped him. "Why can't you just conjure something up and treat her with your magic?"

"It's not as easy as all that, Lisa. My magic is strong, yes. But...never mind. I'm just not ready to conjure something up like that. Okay? I'll be right back", he said, turning away.

I caught his hand and he stopped. "Be careful, Archer."

He turned back and smiled. "I will."

Then he was gone.