Queen of Darkness WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Book 3]

38

"Hold still," Xix said for the tenth time.

"I'm trying," Ema hissed through gritted teeth. "It ain't my fault it hurts."

"And it isn't my fault you were shot," she countered.

Ema tried focusing on anything other than the pain. The wood of the small rundown shack they were hiding in. The dark clouds hovering outside. The sound of the rain on the metallic roof. The scent of wet ground. The small orbs of silver lighting the shack. Pain flared in her upper arm again. She cried out.

"I'm almost done," Xix said, digging bandages from her bag. "Just a little longer."

"Okay," Ema said, drawing a long breath through the pain. "Okay."

She and Xix had run for hours, most of the night going past as they chased. They managed to shake the guards after them eventually, but the constant running, jumping, and occasional brawl had done nothing to help Ema's arm. Xix had a few small cuts here and there, most of them from low-hanging branches, but insisted on patching up Ema first.

"All done."

Ema looked down at her bandaged arm. "Thanks," she said, tugging her grey hoodie back over her head. Ema took the First Aid kit from Xix and start cleaning the cuts on her face and arms. "What's our next move?"

"Move on from here, I suppose," Xix said, flinching as Ema dabbed at her cuts. "Make sure those guards have gone. We could also look over the map while we're at it."

"And if they find us?"

"We have a few more rounds left in our guns, right?"

Ema knew she meant it as a joke, but it did nothing to lighten the mood.

"I guess we need to find a town on our trip," Xix mused, tugging at her messy hair with her other hand.

"Suppose we do," Ema agreed, finishing cleaning the last of her friend's cuts. "All done."

Xix took back the kit, stuffing it into her backpack. She looked between Ema and the other bag. "Can you carry it?"

"Sure."

With some effort and a little pain, Ema was able to push her injured arm through the straps of her own backpack. Xix stepped behind her, adjusting the straps to take the strain off her shoulder. She pulled the map from the bag while she was at it, the black ink barely visible in the silver lights bobbing around them.

"We now have directions to the Apep," she said to no one in particular. "All we have to do now is make our way to the there." Xix frowned thoughtfully at the map, reading of the symbols Ema could make no sense of.

"What do they say?" the Fae asked.

"Follow the path across the eternal night to where Apep slumbers, fangs forever sinking into follower and prey alike." Xix's features broke into a grin. "Of course!"

Ema needed a moment to process before following. Her friend was scanning the stars. Ema had no idea why but assumed it had something to do with the message on the map-

"There!" Xix exclaimed, pointing to the sky. "That constellation. It's a giant snake."

Following her finger, Ema begun to see the outline. The snake was massive, covering almost the entire of the sky. Its tail was on one side, mouth slightly ajar on the other. And within its mouth was a single star. No, wait. Ema narrowed her eyes. That was no star. It was a planet!

"Is that it?" she asked.

"Yes!" Xix read the message again before looking to the sky. "The constellation is that of the Great Serpent. In its mouth, between the fangs -" she pointed those out "- is a single planet. 'Fangs forever sinking into followers and prey alike.' According to the stories my father told me, there was a revolution on Apep where they tried to overthrow their Kin which resulted in a civil war."

"I guess we've found the right place then!" Ema said excitedly. "So, how the heck do we get from here to all the way over there? That could be months away by ship!" Her eyes widened and she snatched the map from her friend. "This arch thing," she said, pointing below the strange symbols. "That's a gate, isn't it?"

"It is," Xix said.

"But look! It's on the world below the Serpent's stomach."

"And we're below the Serpent's stomach," she murmured, catching on. "There must be a gateway somewhere on this world!"

"And on this side!" Ema continued. "It's directly overhead so you wouldn't be able to see it on the other side of the planet." She looked up. "We're not directly beneath it but I'm willing to bet all my coin that there's a gateway somewhere around here. We just have to follow the stars until we are right in the middle."

Xix grinned. "Have I ever told you how much I love having you around."

Ema handed back the map as they began walking, the threat of the guards chasing them nothing but a thought at the back of her mind. "Buy me a drink at our next stop as a thank you."

"Done."