Chapter 10

"Where is she?" Afrit asked me boldly. It was morning, and the bright sun on my eyes was way too bright. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I pasted him, and looked behind a tree. She wasn't there. We started looking everywhere, but we couldn't find her. I started to panic, if I had lost the last pixie, there would be a price on my head. We wandered into the forest, looking for hours, but she was no where to be seen.

"I found her!" I heard Vixen shout off in the distance. I jogged towards him. He was standing above a girl passed out on the cold, forest floor. "Is this her?"

I looked at her, sleeping peacefully. Her long, chestnut hair tangled around her shoulders, and she smiled in her sleep. "Yes that's her." I said. "Let's bring her down to Abigor. We have to finish this once and for all."

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I sat down on the leather chairs in Abigor's office. Looking around, I realized I had never gotten a closer look. The walls were a dark wood, and pictures decorated the walls from floor to ceiling. Their not the kinds of pictures you would find in a normal office of course, they were pictures of war, blood spatter and dismemberment. In the middle was a large, mahogany desk, scattered with papers on rituals, pixies and most of all, the shape shifters.

I was startled when Abigor pushed open the door roughly. I stood in respect, because he was the oldest member of the Talavyr. He had been their when they first made the pact with the shape shifters, before all this war had began.

"It is done." He said simply. "She is dead."

I nodded briskly, smiling. Finally, we would stop this pointless war, and put an end to the shape shifters reign of terror.

"We're leaving now." He said, opening a desk drawer and pulling out what looked to be a map.

"What? Whoa now? We're just going there?" I exclaimed, stepping towards him,

"Yes. Demon hole. Come with me." He said, turning and walking quickly out of the room. I followed him, struggling to keep up with his pace. He opened a door with an old looking key, and without hesitation, or words, stepped in the room. Already, Jansen had opened a Demon hole, and it was swirling in a corner of the room. In the middle of the room was Iris. She was tied to the chair, her head lying limply to the side, dead. Blood poured from her wounds, making a deep crimson puddle on the floor around her. I smiled; proud I had done a good deed in bringing her here, and helping bring an end to the war.

"Alright let's go." Vixen said, ever so cheery, and jumped into the hole. Afrit, Jansen, Abigor and I followed him, and suddenly, we were up against the wall of a castle.

"Okay here's the plan." Abigor started. "There are only 3 Shape Shifters we need to take out in there. If we kill them, everyone else will just flee. Jansen, Vixen and Afrit- you go after James. I'll get Bartol and Lucas," he looked at me. I nodded. "You have to get Aloura." I grimaced and nodded, knowing my duty, and convincing myself not to let personal 'feelings' get in the way. We all nodded and went our separate ways. I ran around to the back of the castle, and looking through the windows. I saw the reflection of a female in one of them, and assumed it was Aloura.

"Visurus magam magni solis filiam!" I shouted, and was immediately whisked off my feet and was flying in the air, eyes set on the window. I crashed through the window, doing a quick roll and standing up. Aloura spinned around startled, and soon smiled. "Lucas. What a pleasure. What brings you here?"

"You know why I'm here Aloura." I sneered.

"Yes." She said, frowning playfully. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?" She walked towards me slowly, taunting. "I hear you killed the pixie girl. The last one was it? What was her name again… Oh yes, Iris." She said, smiling, walking even closer. I knew I should have walked back but I didn't. "Cute little thing. I bet it was torture for you whenever they killed her. Listening to the screams." She grinned widely, her teeth poking out like fangs.

My face remained blank. "I had no attachment to her."

"Oh, well then I'm sure it will be no problem killing me then." She smiled, finally stopped walking towards me, and shrugged. "Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot."

I walked towards her slowly, and she didn't back off. She just watched amused. I swung my hand back, to punch her in the face, and just inches away from her jaw, she caught it. She starred at me in the eye, glaring hatefully, for a few very long seconds. Quickly, I reached for her face and pulled her closer, my lips pressing against hers. She kissed me back, harder. We continued kissing, until I felt something cool against my neck. I pulled back slowly, as Aloura smiled up at me, her cold steel blade against my skin.

"Are you ready to die Lucas VanStellar?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

I fell to my knees, and reached my neck back even further. "Just do it," I said quietly, preparing myself for the burst of pain, seconds to come. I felt my skin ripe apart, and the blood spew out as I gasped and widened my eyes.

My eyes flew open, and I sat upright, my hands digging into the cold grass beneath me. I was sweating, and sore from spending the night on the ground. "It was just a dream," I reassured myself, like a mother to a crying infant. Suddenly I remembered. "Iris?" I screamed spinning around quickly, not finding her anywhere in sight. "Iris! Iris!" I screamed her name over and over, running around in a panic. I finally sunk to my knees, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I touched the ground, feeling the paw print that was moulded there. A print from a Bengal tiger.

"Iris no…"