Chapter 13
There was no escape. Every exit, every entrance was blocked by these shadow things. Magic was being cast in almost every direction taking out dozens of these "wraiths" as the assassin's called them. But more just kept coming. There was no end to them in sight!
With their backs to the wall Ike, Elincia, and the assassins fought the onslaught of wraiths coming to them. No one had been seriously hurt yet but that might change in a little bit. The assassins were still going strong but were running out of steam with all the blocks and dodging they were doing.
Ike had a few more cuts on him and for the most part Elincia was using the card pretty well. Each time she used it she at least hit one of those things.
"Why are there so many!" Rhona yelled over all the hissing after she narrowly rolled out of the way of a fatal attack.
It was so loud that Ike could barely hear himself think especially when they chanted things like "Blood" all the time. The noise looked to be affecting Anna the worse. Some moments she seemed to be in excruciating pain when she shut her eyes tightly and didn't move until the last minute to avoid an attack. He kept asking her if she was alright but she wouldn't answer him.
"I have no idea," she answered in a strained voice. "I've never knew there to be this many wraiths in one place."
At that moment she fell to her knees panting. "Anna!" Kyle shouted as he used his card to destroy a wraith that was inches from reaching her. He knelt down next to her with a hand on her shoulder. "Is it your health? Do you need your medicine?" He asked.
The laguz shook her head. "I just got dizzy, that's all. I honestly didn't think they would affect me this much."
Another group of wraiths were entering their perimeter and Elincia used her card to kill them before they hurt anyone. "We're not going to last much longer if this keeps up," Kyle said out loud looking out at the sea of wraiths. All of them were near their limits and pretty soon the card would be run dry of magic. Even Ike had to admit that he wasn't doing so well and he wasn't even killing any. He felt like a laguz waiting to shift to join the battle. Now he knew how his laguz friends must have felt like during the war when they couldn't fight. It certainly wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Don't you monarchs have secret passage ways or something?" Rhona asked. A wraith leapt out of the mass and was over her head. Rhona pointed her card at it but no magic came out. For a brief moment she panicked but got ahold of herself and pulled out a knife to redirect it's rod like hand. She prevented it from hitting any vital spots; it did however graze her thigh as it came down.
Before it had a chance for a seconded shot Rhona had already retreated to the back with Ike and Elincia. "Now might be a great time to show us if you do," she said in one breath.
"There's only one I'm aware of but it's nowhere near here," Elincia answered gravely.
Kyle helped Anna to her feet and the two of them clustered with the rest of them.
"Isn't there some other way we can get rid of these things?" Ike asked. Escape was probably the only way they were going to live but it just didn't sit right with him leaving the wraiths for someone else to take care of.
"No, as long there is just one remains they will continue to go after whatever they deem to be the cause of their existence," Anna told him. She sounded like she was reciting something from a book.
"What are they looking for?" Elincia asked.
For a moment none of the assassin's said anything and only kept their eyes on the shadows. But then it was Anna who spoke, "To understand a mindless creature is to become ones yourself."
She knew. All three of them knew why these wraiths were here. It probably was true what she said but still, why were they keeping quite? He'll worry about that after they get out of this alive. "Now what are we going to do?"
"There is one last thing we can do," Anna announced. "Though…I'm not sure how well it would work."
"Oh no! Don't even think about doing that!" Rhona declared in a scolding voice.
"You can be serious Anna. Your body can't handle doing that," Kyle warned to which Anna just narrowed her eyes at him.
Ike and Elincia looked back and forth between the assassins. What's that? Ike wondered. He knew Anna was sick but was she really going to put her health in danger or something? And how would she even do that. He really couldn't wait till this was over so he could finally get some damn answers around here.
"I won't stay that way for long," Anna told them. "You two need to stop fretting like a bunch of old ladies."
Suddenly all the wraiths movements stopped and they even fell quite. They were like statues with their red eyes looking blankly at them. The silence caused Ike to hear everyone's heart beating loudly. What were these things planning now? The anticipation was worse with them being quite then when they were attacking them.
Without warning they all began to leave. "Piecesss," they hissed as they began to walk through the small door by the throne. "W-where are they going?" Elincia asked out loud.
Kyle and Rhona looked to Anna who lifted her nose to the air. After a few sniffs her eyes turned wide. She was about to open her mouth to say something but stopped. Her face returned to normal and it would seem she changed what she was originally going to say. "Ralik's down that way," she informed trying to mask the worry in her voice.
Rhona slapped her forehead and moaned. "That stupid dog. He had one job and he blew it like he always does. That means we'll have to save his sorry ass."
"Dog?" Ike repeated. Were there more assassins in the castle? "Is he the one these things are after?"
The assassins glanced at each other yet again. A whole conversation seemed to taking place without any words. Kyle then said, "Not him. More like…the person that should be with him."
"Who would that be?" Ike asked them. When they didn't answer and just looked at him he turned angry. "Will one of you just give us a straight answer for once!"
Again none of them said anything and they were unfazed by his sudden outburst. "Look," Elincia spoke up sounding just as equally frustrated as Ike, "we can help you if you'll just let us know what it is that is going on."
"No, you can't," Anna said sharp enough to cut paper. She then turned her back to them replied in a venomous voice that sent chills down Ike's spine. "This is our affair, not yours. We're even now beorc boy so leave this place before wraths decided to kill anyone in sight again."
Anna began to go in the same direction as the wraiths were heading with Kyle and Rhona following her. Before they even took five steps Ike realized who it was they were worried about. The only person that could cause a response from the cold hearted laguz "It's Leila, isn't?" Ike claimed.
Each assassin stopped and their whole bodies flinched at the mention of her name. It was Rhona who reclaimed herself first. She spun on her heels with her hands on her hips. "How the hell do you know about her!" She demanded.
Before Ike had a chance to explain Anna interrupted-still with her back to them, "I told you beorc boy, this is no longer your affair."
"Yes it is!" Ike claimed. "Leila is not only our friend but I also promised Natsu I'd keep her safe. You can tell me to leave all you want but I'll still follow you if she's in danger." Ike stared at Anna's back waiting for her respond.
Both Kyle and Rhona looked confused. "Natsu?" Kyle repeated. "How do you-"
"It doesn't matter," Anna snap at him. She turned around and marched toward Ike till she was just inches from his face. The top of her head only reached to his mouth and he felt his face heat up. Though she was technically looking up at him it really felt like she was looking down on him. "Listen up and listen well, beorc boy. I'll let you do what you want only because if what you say about Natsu is true then you are indeed responsible for her. But my debt to you is paid so you're responsible for your own safety here on out." She didn't wait for a response before turning her back to him and her hair hitting him in the face.
He looked to Elincia and was just about to suggest she go find her knights since he was about to do something incredibly reckless when she seemed to read his mind. She said, "I thought I told you; don't tell me to leave without you."
"I'm not. Just…be careful, alright," Ike advised not willing to argue with her and also not wanting to.
"All of you stay close me and be ready to run like hell. I'm not sure how well this will work," Anna announced as she took a few steps in front of everyone. Ike put the sword he had been using in his sheath even though the sword would be loose in it.
Kyle looked at her with sad eyes. "Don't push yourself too hard, alright Anna?"
She didn't say anything, whether it was because she couldn't hear him or she just chose not to Ike couldn't tell. Pulling out her medicine bottle she poured out about a pinch in her palm and then swallowed the dosage. Once she carefully placed it back in her pocket she hunched over as a strange glow consumed her like all laguz do when they're about to shift. Standing before them now was a white wolf with the top of her head and back grey. But Ike didn't feel too confident Anna would last very long in that form. Her fur lack luster and even though she had a thick coat her bones looked like they would snap under her own weight, not that there was much since she looked half starved. However he did have to give her some credit. Regardless of her appearance she was bearing her fangs and standing her ground as if she were an alpha wolf.
With any warning Anna dashed toward the door plowing through any wraiths in her way. She may have been slower than most beast laguz she was still effective against wraiths who probably weren't expecting an attack. Kyle and Rhona quickly sprinted down the wraith-less path staying within close proximity of Anna's tail. Both Ike and Elincia were caught off guard by the sudden take off that they had a few seconds delay before following the assassins which was fairly difficult to do since they were much swifter than Ike had ever seen.
Strangely enough the wraiths weren't paying any attention to them as they mindlessly kept marching onward. Ike kept one hand on the hilt of the sword just in case one of those things decides they don't like them following them to wherever they were heading.
Once out in the hall way Ike and Elincia finally had the chance to see what these wraiths were doing to the rest of the castle. It was worse than what they had imagined. Windows were shattered, furnishings were wrecked beyond repair, and cracks were on the walls and the floors. But worse of all were the bodies of the castle staff and a few knights scattered all over the place. Elincia was modified by these sights. She even stopped to stare at the corps of a very young servant girl who couldn't be out of her teens. For a moment Ike stopped too because at first glance the girl had looked like Mist. Ike kept telling himself, Mist will be fine. She's with Titania and the others. She'll be fine. He pulled at Elincia's arm motioning her to continue. "Come on," he said to her.
Elincia took off running without another word. The queen was fighting the grief that was no doubt in her heart but there was something else too. Anger. She very well wanted answers from the assassins more than even Ike now. For what reason could her people be dying?
As the two of them were falling behind they saw fewer wraiths in the halls but that only meant that there were that many more on their heels. They were on their own now so they couldn't ask the assassins to slow down, not that Ike could blame them. Who in their right mind would slow down in a situation like this?
Very soon the hallway spilt into two paths. Anna stopped in her tracks and began sniffing both the ground and the air. The other two assassins stood patiently for her as the wolf circled around the area. Just as soon as Ike and Elincia caught up with them Anna immediately took of down the right path. But before she traveled too far her front legs gave out and she tumbled to the floor. The moment her body hit the ground she shifted back and continued to roll until she stopped on all fours and threw up.
"Damn it Anna! We told you not to push yourself!" Rhona yelled angrily at her but there was clearly concern in her voice. Neither she nor Kyle made a move to help her.
Ike was about rush over to her when Anna wiped her mouth and stood up like nothing happened. "Just a little farther," she said. She looked horrible. Her skin was the same color her white fur had been and she seemed to be in great pain as well by the way her body was slightly shaking. He wanted to help her, especially once he got a look at what she had vomited up. It was the contents of her stomach but also mixed in with blood. But Anna was more embarrassed by this than anything and wouldn't accept assistance from anyone, he was sure of this.
She took off running on two legs still leading the way but much slower so now Ike and Elincia were able to keep up now. Ike really hoped Anna knew where she was going because he had lost track of their place in his mental maps since he was previously occupied following a wolf. Very soon the screeching from the shadows started up again. The sudden noise caused all of them to stop moving and cover their ears fearing their eardrums would explode.
"This is definitely the right way," Anna confirmed what Ike was hoping when the worst of it was over. Everyone else pulled their cards back out except for Ike and Rhona who just drew their blades out.
Kyle stayed close to the wall and peered around the corner. One glanced and he quickly turned with the woman following after him and Ike bringing up the rear. There were two large doors, one already opened slightly, right in front of them and Ike realized that it was the dining hall.
They slipped in only to find more wraiths in there. The long table was broken in the middle with chairs and a few bodies tossed all over the place. However there were two bloody staff members alive cowering in the corner, too afraid to move even though the shadows were busy doing other things. All of them were scraping at the walls hissing angrily "Ssssacred blood!" There were large claw marks in the stone as it would seem they were desperately trying to get to the other side.
Rhona took a cautionary step back, "What now?" She whispered to anyone not wanting to bring the wraiths attention to them. "They're not here and wraiths are coming in fast."
"I-I…" Anna looked bewildered. She hadn't expected this outcome. "I don't know. I thought for sure they were here."
Just then a howl that couldn't have come from the wraiths vibrated through the walls. What was that? Ike wanted to ask but didn't because the wraiths stopped moving once again and for a moment there was silence again.
Then without warning the wall farthest from Ike and the others seemed to explode! Wood and marble flew all over the place but most surprising was seeing a large black wolf in the midst of all of it. Somehow he managed to land on his feet but there was a small blood trail from him to the new hole in the wall. As the wolf emitted a deep growl from his muzzle blood began to slowly drop form his underbelly.
Ike just happened to glance over where the wolf had come from when he spotted Janaff jump through the entrance. He raised both arms in the air and Ike could hear him shout, "It's about damn time!" He leapt into the air and shifted into a giant hawk. His powerful wings flapped through the large room as he extended his talons catching many wraths at the end of them.
To his disbelief his little sister was the next person he saw along with an unconscious Reyson between them and Leila. "Mist!" He cried out and raced toward her. Mist head jerked up at the sound of her name and her face brightened at the sight of him. Her mouth was moving but Ike couldn't make out any words.
As the two small girls were making their way to the group with Reyson's arms around their necks several wraiths were surrounding them. No, he wouldn't make it in time. But he wouldn't have to. A boy, who was dressed no different than the other assassins, was following them and he used his card to take out several on one side while the others were taken care of by the wolf who flashed past Ike and made a circle around the girls. Anytime a wraith came to close the wolf showed his fangs and pounced on it.
The two groups met in the center by the broken table. Just as Mist and Leila sat Reyson by the table his sister wrapped her arms around Ike. "Oh Ike! I-I was so worried about you a-and everyone!" She whimpered into his shirt.
He returned her embraced just so happy to see she was alive. "Don't worry, I going to try and get all of you out of this alive." Although he had no idea how he was going to do that. Mist let go of him and quickly wiping and liquid from her eyes. He glanced at Leila. She was a wreck; she was desperately trying to keep it together. Ike was just about to reach out to her when he realized he had blood on his hand. He'd better not go anywhere near her. "Are you hurt, Leila?" He asked her.
She shook her head but didn't look at him or anyone in particular.
"Leila!" Anna rushed over to the child and wrapped her arms around her. It was hard for Ike to imagine the cold assassin had a soft side that she'd expose for everyone to see; it just seemed so out of character for her. But at this, tears began to form around Leila's eyes. She hugged Anna like a child would their mother when they were sad. To comfort the child Anna began stroking her hair like any mother would. Were they…kin? Ike had no idea.
The wolf stopped attacking and padded to the rest of the group. He shifted into a man with black hair and black clothes and squatted down holding his chest that was bleeding slightly. Seeing this, Rhona said, "What's with you? Don't tell me you're quieting after all your boasting."
He glared up at her looking both annoyed and tried. "Woman, I've been fighting since we split up. Excuse me for taking a breather. Besides, the little birdie probably needs to let off some steam."
Ike looked up at Janaff to see him taking out many wraiths all around them. But no matter how many he ripped through more just took their place. For whatever reason they weren't attacking the servants only those in the middle of the room. He looked to Leila and wondered why these things would want her? He had no intentions of sacrificing her to them but he did wonder how they were going to get out of this alive.
Magical blades and the cries of wraiths and laguz filled the dining hall. Everyone fought hard for their survival but things were turning bad when one card after another turned useless. Soon it ended up just being Janaff and the black wolf fending off these creatures. Those who had weapons blocked any all wraiths that came to close to anyone will the ones that could fight stayed in the center of the circle they had made. It didn't matter that it was assassins that had Ike and everyone else's back at this moment. Ike was sure no one thought about what would happen if this ever ended.
A small wraith suddenly slithered past the wolf at a snakes speed and was now in their inner circle. It raised its claw up and was ready to tear through both Leila and Mist. Ike was too far from them to save them. For a moment his heart stopped fearing the worse was about to happen. At the last moment Anna placed herself between it and the girls. The laguz raised her forearm to the upcoming attack so not to critically wound herself. However she seemed to misjudge its strength considerably because she was sent hurling right toward Ike.
He caught her but the weigh and gravity caused both of them to fall to the ground. Both of them scrambled to their feet only to see that the wraith disappeared. Ike looked all around them but both the wolf and Janaff were busy with wraiths surrounding them. He turned to Anna and noticed her right arm was dripping blood as well as the side of her head. Her gaze was also cast to the window with a sour look.
Following her gaze he spotted an older man up on a broken window sill. One hand gripped the sill for support and the other held a magic card pointed at the spot the wraith once was. When he jumped down and began making a path to them with the magical blades Anna's cold stare narrowed at the older man. "Is he a friend of yours?" Ike wondered out loud wondering if this would be an enemy after all this was over. Then again he was surrounded by assassins. Who knew who was on whose side?
She didn't reply and Ike wasn't sure what that meant. But for an old man he sure didn't move like one. He used his card only when he could take out about five or more at once and managed to maneuver though the shadows very skillfully. Once he reached them he looked to all the assassins with a scolding look even though he was clutching his side that had an ever growing red spot.
Very slowly everyone else began to realize this new person that had join them and the assassins tensed up when they saw him, particularly the younger one since he even started shaking slightly. "Oh, uh…Nyoka. What brings you here?" Rhona asked innocently like their lives weren't in danger by freaky shadow figures.
"I'm not even going to ask why you all are here," Nyoka replied in an icy cold tone that could bet Anna's on a winter day. All of them drew back looking sheepish except the wolf laguz. The black wolf spared a moment to snarl at him while Anna kept her narrowed beast eyes glued to this Nyoka. His eyes skipped over Anna and settled over Leila who wouldn't look up him. "I should have guessed you'd be in the center of this mess. Young lady you should be back in Lynn where you belong."
Still not looking at him she said in a soft voice, "I know." Was he blaming her for all this? Who did this guy think he is?
Closing his eyes he said, "What matters now is getting out of this." He let go of his side and extended it toward Leila. That was when Ike saw that his hand was soaked red. He was going to get blood on her! Did this idiot not realize what he was doing!
"No, don't touch her!" Ike and Anna, who must have realized at the same time he did, shouted in unison.
But their protest did nothing. Nyoka's middle finger touched Leila's brand that was on the side of her head but kept his palm in front of her face so she could see the blood that was on it. Her eyes were wide and she began trembling just like she did when Ike's own blood fell on her during their fight against Natsu.
"Release," Nyoka commanded in a firm voice. Instantly Leila went still and her eyes were sucked of all emotion. There was a slight glow in her eyes and it became brighter. Nyoke pulled his hand back and put some distance between them. Even the wraiths seemed to be retreating.
Soon her whole her body began to glow when Ike felt a small breeze in his face. "Everyone get down!" Anna yelled. The assassins instantly fell to the floor and braced themselves for something. The others were a little slow but a few began taking cover. Ike wasn't sure what was going but he felt like he should be helping Leila. She was going to bend the wind like she did last time blood fell on her. Suddenly Ike felt Anna tackled him to the ground.
The air was erupted by shattering glass all around them and the wind picked violently like they were in a storm. Ike felt himself being pushed across the floor as the wind blew painfully in his ear. He couldn't hear anything. The last time this happened it lasted only for a second but this storm didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon.
Through the wind Ike could see some people rolling until the wall stopped them. Janaff wasn't able to transform in time and so the force slam him into the wall changing him back and not moving anymore. There were even glass and furniture flying all around them.
Finally the wind began to calm down enough for Ike to lift his head up. There had indeed been wind damage done to the room but most importantly all the wraiths were gone. Every single one. Then he remembered Leila. She was the same way before the wind started but as the light from her body became dimmer the wind grew weaker. When the room became still Leila's body crumpled to the floor.
He quickly got up and rushed over to her. Of course there was nothing he could do for her since she was out cold. Everyone else was starting to recover from the indoor storm although Janaff seemed to be having some trouble getting his bearings and Reyson had been unconscious the whole time. Mist wasn't too far from Ike and thankfully she seemed to be unhurt. But that wasn't the case with Elincia.
A large portion of the broken table seemed to have landed on her back. Both of them pulled the wood off her the moment they noticed it. "Are you alright Elincia?" Ike asked her.
"I'm fine, don't worry about m- ahhh," the queen let out a gasp when she tried to push herself up. Ike was just about to help her when a loud snarl drew their attention elsewhere.
It was Anna, shifted as a wolf, and she had Nyoka pinned down with her jaw clamped around his arm that he must have used to keep her from attacking his neck. She was growling angrily as it seems she was having trouble biting through the bone or something while the man under her was struggling to get her off. Finally with his free hand he brought it out and punched Anna in the side.
She yelped as she rolled off and immediately shifted back. Once back on her feet she had a furious look that told Ike that she was no longer in control of her emotions. "You damn bastard!" She shouted at Nyoka. "What gives you the right to do that to her!"
Nyoka was having much more trouble getting up. From the ground he said, "We all could have died and I didn't see you coming up with any other plan. What would you have done?" Nyoka certainly didn't think he was in the wrong.
"But releasing the seal? Her father placed that on her to keep her safe!" Anna declared.
What? What were they talking about? Ike looked over at Leila and wondered yet again what any of this had to do with a little girl. And a seal? He wasn't entirely sure what the meant but it didn't sound like something a father should do to their child.
"Oh yes and it was working just find when I arrived!" Nyoka argued finally getting up but was hunched over as he held his side. "Besides she won't remember it. She never does."
"And you think that justifies-" Anna started but stopped. She regained her usual composer. Very soon Ike heard footsteps running toward them. Ike was more than thrilled to hear what sounded like knights but it probably wasn't the best since there were six wanted assassins in the room.
Through the doors came Geoffrey and Titania along with a few knights behind them. Again, both Ike and Elincia were happy to see they were alive but they did worry what the assassins would do. They noticed the queen first and then saw that she was injured. Geoffrey and the others turned their attention to the assassins and held their weapons out to fight.
With the mood of the room changing drastically Anna and the others drew their weapons if someone was going to make a wrong move.
Elincia pushed Ike's and Mist's hands away from and pushed herself to her feet regardless of the pain she may have been in. In a firm tone she spoke up, "There shall be no more bloodshed. Away with your weapons, all of you!"
"But you highness," Geoffrey protested, "these assassins have-"
The queen interrupted him, "They will answer for the deaths they've caused and they'll do so by giving us the answers we seek. But I shall not do it by force." She was looking at Anna when she said all this but the laguz showed no signs of wavering.
"Lady, I don't know what made you think we'd cooperate with you but we'll do no such thing for you," the black wolf laguz replied bitterly. "We'll just be taking Leila now and be on our way." He made a move toward her but both Ike and Mist blocked him. He certainly wasn't pleased by their action.
"No one is taking her anywhere while she's in this state," Ike declared making the laguz look more annoyed. "A laguz by the name of Natsu entrusted her safety to me and so I'm not going to just hand her over to a bunch of assassins!"
"Natsu?" The laguz looked astonished to hear that name. "Why would he…"
After a brief moment Nyoka limped up to Ike and said, "Looks like we both have questions that need answers. Fine, we'll play by your rules until we no longer have questions for you."
"Are you sure that's wise Nyoka?" Kyle asked as he slowly lowered his bow. "What about our laws?"
"These people are already deep in our affairs. It'll probably be safer just to let them know now instead of them thinking we're a threat later," he explained.
"Whatever," Anna grumbled. She walked toward Ike and stopped when she was in front of Elincia. "But our lips stay closed until Leila wakes up." She wasn't asking or making a suggestion, it was a demand.
Elincia thought very carefully about this decision. "Fine," she agreed. "But forfeit all your weapons and I won't have any of you bound."
Most of the assassins weren't too pleased with that but it would seem they would whether be weaponless than shackled. Geoffrey and a few other knights stepped forward to collect their gear and a few of the assassins were muttering "I'll want that back" to the knights as the handed them weapons. Ike looked to Anna who was holding out her dagger to him. He took it and placed it in his belt then picked Leila up and carried her to where all the wounded would be taken.
/~/~/
Whatever Ghost had been feeling all day suddenly stopped. As he flew in the skies he kept turning his head back toward the capital. He wondered if Anna had been rescued yet or if anyone was seriously hurt. He hated not knowing what was going on but he had his job to do. He'd just have to fly back to the capital as fast as his wings could flap. Although he was nearing his limits. Because of his detour in the city he was a running late to meet Kifar. It'd taken him half the daylight hours to reach the hideout and that was putting his wings in overdrive.
Finally, a small clearing in the large forest came into view. There stood in the middle a small two story cabin with a small garden and some livestock around it. When you live in isolation you have to support yourself and handle living in near or total isolation. The only people an informant would be in contact with are fellow assassins needing a safe house or the occasional trader that came through. But Kifar was one of the few people who liked this job. He wasn't much of a people person. He'd choose plants over people any day.
For whatever reason, Ghost decided to land behind the trees instead of in the clearing. Probably to catch his breath and not to sound too winded when he reported to Kifar. Ghost shifted back to normal in midair and fell through the tops of the trees with ease. He avoided the larger branches by moving his wings in the slightest as he was freefalling. Just before he reached the ground he snapped his wings all the way out and landed softly on his feet. He allowed himself a moment to stand still in order to catch his breath and then proceeded to the cabin.
Once he was in the clearing the heron didn't notice anything odd just yet but he did feel on edge. It wasn't until he was halfway there that he became aware of how quite it was. Where was Kifar's livestock? Last time Ghost was here there were chickens and cows all over the place. Now there was nothing but a horse in front of the cabin.
Something was wrong here he just knew. It wasn't until he was within arm's length of the door that he saw it was open slightly.
His paranoia was now at maximum level. Though he still wasn't sure what was wrong he would have to act like this was a worst case scenario. He folded his wings as tightly as he could across his back and slipped in through the slightly open door without causing a sound. Ghost didn't want to risk opening it in case the hinges would protest against it.
The hallway looked normal but Ghost stayed close to the walls and was careful where he stepped. He heard movement coming from the main room and even something being thrown to the ground. It very well could have just been Kifar. But there was just something about the sound that told Ghost that this wasn't Kifar. This person was looking for something. As he came near to the end of the hall this unknown person either hit or slammed something shut in frustration and stomped to the center of the room. What was strange was that it sounded like this person was walking through a puddle. But the heron looked down and saw fresh blood running down the hallway
"I'm going to ask one last time," an irritated voice announced. "Where is the research you stole!" Ghost took in a sharp breath when he realized whose voice that was. He edged his head around the corner to confirm his suspicions. Though he only saw his back the heron knew exactly who it was. Zephyr.
What the hell is he doing here? Ghost wondered. He was not about to ask him since there was no way in knowing if the madness had taken over him. He also saw a mutilated body lying before Zephyr. Though any exposed skin seemed to have been peeled off by a knife and a few fingers dissembled Ghost knew that was Kifar and that he was dead.
Growing more impatient Zephyr stomped on Kifar's chest causing Ghost to whip his head back around because it cause a horrible snapping noise. More than one rib had to have been broken and it brought back memories from his years as a slave. Then it must have dawned on Zephyr, "Damn, you must be dead."
Of course he's dead you idiot! Why else would the whole floor be soaked with his blood! Ghost had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to get out while he still had the chance but the other part of him wanted to find out if Zephyr really only did this because he lost control or if it was something more. Without thinking he bent down and dipped his fingers in the blood. Very quickly he began to write a message in cause something did happen to him.
It was only a one worded message that hopefully if the right person read it they would understand its meaning. He was half-way through it when he heard Zephyr boots slosh through the blood right toward him. Ghost didn't dare finishing the message and even held his breath as he stood frozen in place. His pounding heart might give him away to this feral being. He wasn't sure how long he could last against someone with madness.
As the steps drew closer his heart beat grew louder. He took some comfort in thinking that it was him and not Sky that was in this situation. Goddess, he didn't want to think about what Zephyr would do to her.
Suddenly Zephyr stopped moving and silence filled the room. What is he doing? Ghost wondered. It was killing him that he wasn't able to see what Zephyr was up too.
Seconds felt like hours to Ghost as he waited to hear what his predator's next move was. In an instant a hand seized Ghost's arm and threw him to the ground. He had landed on his wing awkwardly and thankfully it wasn't broken but it felt the same as a jammed finger. No doubt it'd take some time to fly normal. But that was the least of his problems. Staring down at him with a crazed and delirious look was Zephyr. "Oh good, a little white bird to color red," he said to himself. Zephyr held his dagger with the blade pointed at Ghost stomach.
Zephyr was high on madness and there would be no talking him out of this. As the dagger came down on him Ghost's long life as both slave and spy flashed before his eyes.
What the heck! This is like the show Lost! I have more questions than answers each chapter. This author seriously needs to start giving some dang answers around here! Oh wait…that's me.
Random Z-skit Fire Emblem style!
Anna: That was offensive.
Ike: W-what are you talking about?
Anna imitation Ike's voice: "I'm not going to just hand her over to a bunch of assassins!" You make it sound like all assassins are just a bunch of bad guys.
Ike: Well I mean…you kill people.
Anne: And you haven't? What exactly was your body count in the war?
Ike: That's totally different!
Anna: What about the bandits you fought before and after the war, hmm?
Ike: …
Anna: Have you ever even met another assassin other than us?
Ike: Well yeah there's Volke. He wasn't too bad even though he was a little greedy and didn't want to socialize for free. But why are you taking offense of this? It's not like I called you something horrible like a sub-human or anything like that.
Anna: Oh, so now I'm a sub-human.
Ike: Wait I didn't! I just…Oh never mind. I give up.
Don't ask why I added this.