Éternel – Chapter 13

"Cade!" Ézrie cried and she kneeled beside him. She turned him over and tears welled up in her eyes. "You're going to be alright..." She sniffed taking his hand.

"Behind You.." Cade winced. Ézrie looked up and saw Nicole about to bring down another stake into her back. She gasped and held up her arms in defence and Nicole suddenly stopped as if she was unable to move.

"What did you do..." She spat.

"I actually don't know" Ézrie replied standing up, pushing her arms back Nicole was sent flying backwards into a tree. She hit the tree with a loud grunt.

"Good Girl" Cade smiled "You've improved a lot" He chuckled but stopped halfway through when he groaned in pain. "Go help Latimer..." Cade asked her looking over at Latimer who had now come round. Ézrie nodded and ran over to help Latimer up.

"Ézrie, you're alright..." Latimer smiled placing his hand on her cheek.

"I am, but Cade isn't..." She said her eyes dropping to the floor.

"Can you hold her off ?" Latimer asked looking at Nicole who held a hand to her forehead in pain. Ézrie nodded. "Alright then" he said standing up properly "I'll see to Cade, you take care of her..." He said hugging her quickly and running over to Cade. Ézrie stepped in front of the two defensively and she curled her hands into two fists. Nicole growled and cartwheeled over to her.

"So...you're going to do this the hard way then..." Nicole scowled.

"I could say the same to you..." Ézrie snapped back. Nicole hissed at her sarcasm.

"Well then little girl, let's get this over with..." She said circling her once more.

"Indeed" Ézrie replied following her movements. "I don't like you..." She mocked.

"And why is that..." Nicole hissed tilting her head.

"Well, you kinda, stabbed my boyfriend..." She smirked.

"Oh, well, his fault for jumping in the way..." Nicole replied. "Enough talk little one, I want to get home before dawn..." She smiled walking towards her.

"Agreed" Ézrie said matching her distance. Nicole swung her fist, but Ézrie grabbed it and ducked tripping her up, Ézire broke into a run leading Nicole away from the group.
Ézrie stopped to catched her breath after 5 minutes of running. She was sure this was where she left Adrien, but he wasn't anywhere around. She groaned in frustation and turned around to face Nicole smiling at her.

"You can keep running but I'll get you in the end."Nicole warned coming closer to her.

"I can at least try..." Ézrie panted pushing herself, she sprinted off deeper into the forest with Nicole following closely behind.

...

Latimer looked at Cade with concern "You're lucky..." He said chucking the blooded steak into the forest. "She didn't puncture your heart, but the wounds pretty deep..." He admitted.

"I'm fine." Cade said standing up and resting up against a tree. "We have to look for Ézrie and Nicole..." He breathed.

"She's fine Cade" Latimer replied "But I have to thank you for saving her, that was very brave of you..." He told him smiling at him.

"It's fine" He repeated walking off quickly, trying to track Ézrie and Nicole.

"Cade, come on, she's fine..." Latimer said, but Cade shook his head.

"She's not, I can sense she needs help..." He said walking along holding a hand to his wounded chest. Latimer sighed and walked along side him.

"Alright then."

Ézrie had ran all they way to the deeper forest and was secluded by a load of trees. She panted and decided to hide in a nearby willow tree which dropped over a large iced-over pond. She pulled herself up branch by branch until she could move no more. She got herself comfortable and remain deadly quiet as Nicole walked along the forest's winter floor.

"I know you're here Ézrie" Nicole said lookind around. "Enough playing games, come out of your hiding place and face me. Make sure your boyfriend didn't die in vain..." She smirked.

Ézrie's breathing quicked and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. "He's not dead" She whispered to herself. Nicole's head turned to face the tree she was huddled up in.

"Oh but he is, I never miss..." She snarled.

"I don't believe you" Ézrie said aloud.

"Then you'll just be living a lie" Nicole said leaning against the trunk of the tree. Ézrie growled and Nicole laughed. "I bet you're upset, poor little one, I'm sure that wherever he is, he's watching over you, blah, blah, blah" Nicole smirked smacking the trunk of the tree hard. Ézrie lost her balance and fell out of the tree, but she managed to land on her feet shakily.

"Well done, you'll soon learn to do that perfectly, too bad you'll be dead..." She smirked walking towards her. Ézrie backed up and slipped up on the icy shores of the pond. She made a little cry of fear and began crawling along the ice that covered the deep pond below. Nicole stepped on the ice and balanced perfectly. She smikred at Ézire who was now in the middle of the pond hugging her knees trying to keep warm.

"End of the line" Nicole smirked walking forwards towards her and the ice began to crack. She looked up and grinned, "I wonder what would happen if I jumped" Nicole said standing on her toes. Ézrie gasped as Nicole punched through the ice and left it to crack. Nicole jumped off the ice with ease and a large jagged crack formed around where Ézrie was sitting. She looked around panicking, whimpering to herself and the ice began to fall away and the water got closer and closer to her.

Latimer and Cade managed to come into view and Cade looked at Ézrie who stooped up smiling at him. "You're okay!" She smiled, but she was cut off by a large cracking sounds and the ice below her fell away and she plunged into the icy water.