Hello my beautiful creatures! This week I'm giving y'all a shorter update to this story which I'm sorry for, but I hope y'all enjoy it nonetheless.
That is unless I get a bit more time to write, but as it stays, while I'm writing this note, it's only 3,100 words. Not hella short, but short in comparison to the 5,000-word minimum I've been trying to stay consistent with.
Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy this update and let me know what y'all think! Much love, everyone!
I buckled in Claire as her head went off to her left side to rest her chin against her right shoulder as I gave hazard glances out of the back car window. I saw Bular's form appear from the shadows once we came to a stop at a red light. Seemingly seeing the beast as well, I saw Douxie's gauntlet glow before he apologized to the girl I was now steadying within the back seat. Before she knew it, she was placed under a quick and painless sleep that caused her to slump within the car seats before flopping over to one side. I swallowed hard as I glanced back out toward the stone skinned beast giving chase after us while Douxie sped down some of the streets of Arcadia.
"I'm sorry for this, Claire." I whispered out to her as I tried to make it so her neck wouldn't be screaming in discomfort when she awoke. My accent gave away completely as I spoke softly as if my voice would awaken her from her spell made slumber. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you." I felt a small smile appear on my face and tucked back a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "For Daylight is mine to command and I won't let the darkness harm you." A felt a determined look appear on my face as I reached up and opened the moonroof of Douxie's car before pulling myself out and steadied my feet on top of the vehicle.
"You alright up there?" I smiled at Douxie's voice as I pulled the amulet out of my jeans pocket.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command." My voice was steady as the armor appeared on my skin.
"I take that as a yes. For now at least." I looked toward Bular as I saw that the beast was gaining speed to catch up to us. Suddenly, I felt panic sink in as I seemingly just realized the gravity of the situation. I dropped down to my knees and turned so I could yell down toward Douxie.
"CAN'T THIS THING GO ANY FASTER?!" I yelled at Douxie through the moonroof as I tried to balance myself on the roof of the car.
"DON'T YOU THINK I'M TRYING!?" I glanced down into the moonroof once more to see a sleeping Claire strapped tightly into the back seat.
"TROLLHUNTER! I'll rip that armor off your skin and use your skull as a personal goblet!" I snarled toward the Gum-Gum's reaction as I eyed his dark stone skin and bright red eyes.
"If you want me, Bular, fight me in a true battlefield!" I yelled out to him with a growl under my breath. Even though I knew he couldn't hear it himself, I didn't care.
You have endangered those I cared for before, Bular. I won't let history repeat itself. Not now. Not ever.
"James, I care for you more than I would like to admit at times so this comes from the deepest place within my heart BUT GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THIS CAR RIGHT NOW BEFORE I KILL YOU MYSELF!"
"And what are we to do? Swerve around Arcadia until we lose the brute? What about Claire at that point? Her parents are expecting her, Douxie!"
"What are you suggesting then?!"
"I'll lose the Gum-Gum. You get Claire to safety." I took a steadying breath as I readied myself to jump off the right side of the speeding vehicle.
"Are you insane!? Get your ass in here!" Without a second thought, I leaped off the passenger side and tucked myself into a small ball so I could use the momentum to roll back onto my feet. "James!" I heard Douxie's voice yell out to me as he speeded off down the road still. I grabbed my sword as I started dashing into the forest that wasn't too far away from the roadside. I leaped over a fallen oak tree as I heard Bular's thundering footsteps as he gave chase after me.
"The amulet should have never chosen a fleshling! It has made this hunt too easy for me!" I smirked as I took a sharp left turn to hide within a thicker set of trees. Taking Bular's sudden loss of me to climb up within one and jump between some of the thick branches as he searched for me on the ground still. "No human is worthy of the amulet. Especially one as weak as you. Now come out and fight me like you said, Trollhunter! We're within our own battlefield now!" I leaped toward a branch that was right behind him as he still tried to search for me behind the tree trunks. I placed my sword before me with both hands and pushed myself off the branch to swipe at the large troll from behind. He barely got out of the graze of my sword as it scratched across his back to cause a small cut on the outer layer of skin. This caused him to groan loudly before turning and trying to rush at me once more. I ducked out of the way barely as I kept my sword ready for whatever swipe attacks the Gum-Gum would try next.
"I'm no." I met one of his blades he grabbed out with my own as I flipped out of the reach of his other. "Normal." I ducked under his blade as I clashed mine against his left once more. "Human!" I kicked his left hand, causing him to nearly drop the blade as I took the opportunity of him adjusting himself to dash out of the way and start making my escape.
You don't have much time, Jim. You must hurry. Your only friend at this moment is sunlight and you lack that.
I heard Bular roar after me as he thrashed about for a moment. I knew from past experiences that trolls would use their backs mainly within their movements. Even though I knew the injury wouldn't kill the troll and would heal within a day or so if not by tomorrow morning, it gave me enough time to make my way out of the forestry and start dashing down the barely lit sidewalk. I felt myself freeze as I heard a car skidding to a stop beside me.
"Get in jackass! We're going places!" I smiled toward Douxie as I slipped into the passenger side once more before Douxie slammed on the gas to start heading toward where it first came to mind. I looked out the rearview mirror as I saw Bular struggle to keep up due to the wound I caused before he stopped and went off back to the cover of the forestry. I let out a shakened breath as I felt the amulet release me from the armor confinements I was placed within. After a moment of silence, Douxie had a small blue glow around his gauntlet on his wrist before snapping his fingers. Slowly after, we could hear soft murmurs from the back seat as Claire sat up with a subtle yawn. "Have a good sleep there, Juliet? We still have no clue where we're heading."
"I fell asleep? I don't even remember it." I looked over to Claire with a wide smile even though my hands that were sitting in my lap were shaking from the adrenaline.
"It happens. Especially after all the events of today."
"I guess." She stretched her arms above her head as her hands placed themselves onto the roof of the car. "Take a left up here, by the way. We're not too far away from my house ironically." She gave me a sleepy smile as she dropped her hands to her sides.
"Perfect then. We won't have you too late then." I looked forward as I knew Claire had pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time.
"Not too late. I can always just say we had to take a detour due to Delancy being under maintenance."
"Even better!" I looked over to Douxie who had a smile on his lips but the glance he gave me let me know that he was going to put me through hell once we got home.
Well, if it won't be Bular that kills me, an angry magical wielder might be. Whether it be my mother or Douxie is a coin flip mattering if he speaks to her about my actions.
I swallowed hard as we continued to follow Claire's directions toward her home.
Please mother of Merlin let it be the later of the two spellcasters though. I rather die at the hand of a friend than die at the hand of a mother scorned.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"
"We're alive, aren't we?" Douxie eyed me as Archie flew between the two of us.
"You jumped off a moving vehicle, that was going fifty in a thirty-five mind you, to battle a Gum-Gum that has thrown you like a skipping stone to a lake, James. The fact you're alive at all is astonishing. Let alone the fact you don't have any broken bones or anything." I gave him a cheeky grin even though I knew that I bruised my side when I rolled after jumping off the roof of the car.
"I know I have had little time to decipher the events of what has happened to both of you today, but from what I can gather I understand that James did something rather reckless to your regard, Douxie?"
"Exactly! He endangered his life to Bular." I felt a weight added itself to my shoulder as I heard the small dragon put away his wings.
"But you did so for a reason, didn't you James?" I nodded my head before responding.
"We had a normal human friend with us. Douxie was able to put her to sleep before she saw anything when Bular first ran out while we were at a stoplight, but if you remember from our adventures at Camelot, those sleeping spells don't last long mattering on the person."
"That is true."
"So I decided it would be best for me to get Bular away from us as quickly as possible." I shrugged at the idea as I slipped my hands into my jacket. "It's not like I had a long-ranged weapon to call upon during it anyway. All I had was either the Sword of Daylight or my own from Morgana."
"Did you come out victorious within this small spat?"
"If I'm standing before you as I am, I wouldn't expect anything less, would you?" I gave the black-furred cat a toothy grin as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"All because you have no wounds does not mean you have won, James." My smile faded after Archie spoke.
His words are true. All because you are able to come unscathed in a battle did not mean your enemy did not gain an upper hand. I've seen enough war to understand his words more than any other.
"My arrogance graces me once more. My apologies." I could tell by a glance over to the cat that he gave a small twitch to his mouth to give the idea that he had given me a smile in reciprocation.
"Pride can be a powerful weapon, young one, but it can also be like that of Achilles' heel." I nodded to his words as I was recently told the story within my history class to understand enough by what he meant. "Now you, Douxie, must understand that he did so with reason. He wanted to make sure your secret was safe and that the mortal with you was in good hands. Though it was reckless, he had sound reasoning." Douxie sighed after a moment before placing an open hand out before me.
"I'm sorry, brother." I felt a sincere smile place itself upon my lips as I reached out and grasped his forearm like we always had when we were young.
"I'm sorry as well, brother." Our small gesture of sincerity was then made into a small hug as Archie took the opportunity to float around us. I felt Douxie pat my back once as he muttered into my shoulder.
"Don't scare me like that again, James. I can't lose you as well." I felt a saddened look take over my face as I buried my face into the wizard's jacket.
"I'll never leave you on purpose, Doux." We pulled apart from each other to show that we shared saddened smiles before Douxie placed his hands on my shoulders.
"Enough of this sadness. How was your first day of being on stage? Are you even more hopeless as before when it comes to our little friend there?" I chuckled at his words as I slapped his arms away playfully.
"It was fun though I spent a lot of it just making faces with Claire as we were waiting for our read through scenes."
"And let me guess," Douxie placed a finger on his chin as his voice held a mocking tone. "You enjoyed being backstage with her more than actually reading Shakespeare."
"Guilty as charged." I gave him a small smile as he bumped my shoulder with his right hand.
"Atta boy! Now maybe this girl can give you some common sense and we'll be golden!" I felt my cheeks burn slightly at Douxie's statement.
"You act as if we didn't just endanger her life with her just being with us." I gave him a solemn look before he spoke once more.
"You and I both know that it is not our decision on who stays and who goes within this world." I watched the look within the wizard's eyes as he continued. "Those who are destined to leave will go and those meant to stay will stay. We cannot force them away nor can we force them to be with us." The sadden look that appeared within his hazel eyes spoke enough of what specifically he was talking about. "If Claire is meant to stay within your life, she will stay may it be against your desires or not." I nodded to his words as he then gave a small smile before turning to start making his way out of our shared room. "Now come on, we got your training, remember?" I followed Douxie without a second thought as Archie took his spot on my shoulder once more.
"James, I'm rather proud of you." I heard the dragon whisper toward me as we followed Douxie down the stairs. "But please be more careful in the future. I don't know what would happen to Douxie if anything were to happen to you."
"And I to him, Arch." I felt a small smile appear on my face as I whispered out my reply. "You have nothing to worry about, my friend."
At least, if I have anything to do about it.
I smiled at my thought as I felt Archie lay himself down onto my shoulder as I followed Douxie into the garage.
I won't lose another within my life. Not if I can help it.
A large black beast. Bright red eyes. Stone for skin with no red within its veins. I can see it roar but no sound came from the creature. I watched their eyes focus on me as suddenly his features were closer to me than before. Then suddenly a voice came from the large creature.
"Fear me fleshling, as I am the slayer of Trollhunters. A butcher of trolls, a monster bathed in the blood of his own kind and yours." He growled after he spoke as all I could see now was the bright red eyes of the stone beast. "I will bring the end to your kind. I will bring my father to this land to call it his own and your little friend won't be able to save any of you."
Suddenly a bright blue light took over the darkness that the creature had created. Suddenly I saw the silhouette of a human male figure with his facial features darkened from view but his bright silver armor with a bright blue hue seeming coming from within it was completely in view.
"I promise. I'll never let anything happen to you." His voice was soft as he spoke. It was as if he didn't want to disturb who he was speaking to. "For Daylight is mine to command and I won't let the darkness harm you." There was something about the way he spoke that seemed familiar. Something was telling me that I knew it. That I knew him. But just as suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared with a flash of light.
"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."
"And it'll be the end of him while shadows will guide you."
I shot up in bed as I heard the last voice ring around within my mind. Her voice was nothing like I have ever heard before. It was foreign to me as I tried with a shaky breath to calm myself.
I was never one to have nightmares. Either I would be blessed with a pleasant dream or complete darkness. I never had dreams like these. At least not of blood-red eyes and silver armor.
I ran a hand down the clammy skin of my face as I tried to wipe the sweat off of my face. I swung my legs over the side of my bed as my body went into auto-pilot toward the bathroom. I turned on the faucet and let the water run for a moment as I took a deep breath to ease my nerves.
It was just a dream. There are no animals like those and who in the right mind would say daylight is theirs? It's fucking light. No one controls fucking light. Stop overreacting.
I cupped some of the cool water with my hands and splashed my face. I repeated this motion a couple of times before turning off the running faucet and grabbing a towel off the nearby rack.
It was only a dream.
Once I dried off my face I looked up into the mirror with a more reassuring look on my face. Hazel eyes looked back at themselves as I gave myself a small nod.
That's better. Now let's take on the rest of the day.
I felt a smile appear on my face as I shouldered the used towel to place within my dirty laundry after I changed out of the plain white t-shirt and gym sweats I wore to bed the night before.
You've got this, Nuñez.