Chapter XIII
"How the hell did we end up here?" Jalil asked. "Did we get all turned around?" Afni walked closer, crossing the small land bridge towards the city. I ran up, grabbing her arm.
"Afni, what are you doing?" She looked at me.
"There's something here…that I have to get…" she said softly. I looked at her, confused. Her eyes were empty, and her face was pale, but I let her go. The others ran up.
"Where is she going?"
"I don't know…" I said. Ciniya walked up.
"She's going up to the temple…" She looked at me, and took off running. I ran after her.
"Ciniya, what are you doing?" I called. The others followed me, I could hear their feet hitting the ground behind me. We all skidded to a stop at the base of the temple, looking up at the blood-soaked steps. Afni was high above us, near the door. Ciniya took a breath, and began hopping up the crusty red steps, following her sister. The rest of us only watched.
Afni disappeared into the dark doorway of the temple, and soon after, so did Ciniya. I heard Afni's voice scream at Ciniya, "Get out of here!" Ciniya came sliding down the steps, and spun to see the temple.
"What was that about?"
"I don't know…" We heard the rumbling above us, and stepped back, wide-eyed. After a moment, we watched something come rolling out of the temple doorway. It hit the ground in front of us, and we looked down…and April screamed. Huitzilopoctli stared back up at us, wide-eyed, mouth twisted in a horrible scream. Afni came back out, blood on her hands, soaking into her clothes. She held something against her chest, walking carefully down the steps.
"What is that?" Christopher asked. I glanced at Ciniya, but she was smiling up at Afni. As she stepped off the bottom of the temple, onto the ground, she held out a disc.
"That's the disc that he used against us and the Vikings…" Jalil said softly.
"What did you do?" April asked. She dropped the disc at my feet, and turned away.
"For killing as many people as he did…he deserved to die as well…"
"But how can you kill a God?" Jalil asked.
"It's a technicality. It takes a few hundred years for him to be reborn…But currently…this God is out of commission," she said, smirking. Christopher clapped his hand, laughing.
"Woohoo!" he cheered. Afni laughed, lowering her head. He ran up to her, grabbing her around the waist, and spun her around. The rest of us stepped back, and, though Ciniya and Janet and I laughed, April and Jalil looked at each other. Afni cried out, still laughing, but slammed her blood-soaked hands into Christopher's shoulders.
"Lemme down!" she exclaimed. He put her feet back on the ground, and she stepped back, smiling proudly and triumphantly.
"Guys, I think we should get going now…" Jalil said. They nodded, and headed out, Afni in the lead. I moved up beside her again, and looked down.
"Af? You never told me why you think I'd still be mad about all the stuff that's happened."
"You seem so different, David. And I know Everworld changes people, but…it's not just that. It's seems to be because of something other than Everworld." I shrugged, unsure.
"It's all this, happening so quickly. We meet up with you, you turn out to be a few things you hated back home, you tell us you can get us home…" I lowered my voice, so the others wouldn't hear me. "…You find out that you have to stay here for us to get home…" Afni sighed, looking at the ground, and then back up at me. I put my arm around her shoulder, as we walked, and gave her a squeeze.
"David…"
"Hm?"
"What did Kiara look like?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You said we left because a woman named Kiara said we weren't going to leave Everworld alive. What did she look like?" He shrugged.
"We only saw the back of her head, but she was kind of tall, I'd say…with straight, jet-black hair…"
"Was her voice hard, and rough, like that of a fighter?" she asked, looking up at me. I thought for a second, and nodded.
"Yeah, it was…why?"
"Oh, no…" I stopped, and placed both my hands on her shoulders.
"Afni, what is it? What's wrong?" She bit her lip, and looked up at him. Her eyes were filling with tears. "Afni?"
"She is a fighter. She is the warrior guard of Loki. A new warrior guard. She is human, yes, but she is evil…"
"She knew Cossette…"
"But Cossette doesn't realize that Kiara is no longer a good member of the family. Kiara has no heart. She only follows orders given to her by Loki. And if Loki ordered her to kill us before we left Everworld…then he must think…"
"That we…" I continued.
"Have Senna…" Jalil said. Afni nodded, her eyes closed.
"Either that, or we know of a magic that can open a gateway between this world and our world…" she said. Her voice was shaky, and I pulled her close, into a hug.
"Shhh…It'll be fine…" She had begun to cry. April scoffed, and rolled her eyes. Christopher moved up in the line, and put his hand on Afni's back. I let her go, and she looked up at him.
"Don't you see what this means?" she asked, her eyes wide, and red, and tears still streaming down her cheeks. "This means that…since I know a way home, since I have the knowledge it takes to get thru that gateway, he won't stop until I tell him. And if I don't tell him…He will kill me. But if I tell him…He'll kill everyone back home…" Her voice was still shaky, but she was trying to strengthen it up.
"Oh, stop being such a baby…" April mumbled, shaking her head.
"April, stop it," Christopher snapped, looking over.
"Stop what? Telling the truth?" Afni closed her eyes, taking a breath. She moved over to April, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. If you do not, I am going to rip your heart out and jam it down your throat, do you understand?" April nodded, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah…"
"Fine. Kiara is an evil, black-hearted, soulless, murderous being. She will stop at nothing to carry out orders. She will kill anything and everything if she must. Which means You. Do you get it? I'm not afraid for my life. I'm afraid for your guys'. Because you are with me, she will kill you all if it means getting me to tell Loki what he wants. She will kill you, even if she finds me first, because you are with me. All she knows is murder. It's all she's been taught to do. That and guard, but guarding it pretty much murder to her. If she were my guard, I wouldn't have even had to say anything, and you'd be dead already, for the way you acted when we first met. Do you understand that?" April's eyes were wide, and she nodded. "Now, I don't care how much you hate me, how big of a baby you think I am. But I do not cry because I'm afraid for myself. I cry because I'm afraid for you guys. I'm afraid that she will kill you, and I won't be able to stop her…even with the powers I have." Afni took a breath, and I watched her fall to her knees, head in her hands. I dropped beside her, and lifted her head.
"You wanna rest a little before going on?" She nodded, burying her head in my shoulder. The others moved around her, and sat against the trees, including Christopher. I moved Afni around, and held her. She pressed her face into my shirt, taking a deep breath, and wrapped her arms around me.
"David?"
"Hm?" She lifted her head, and looked up at him.
"I'm sorry…"
"For what?" I asked, lowering my eyes. Her voice was soft, barely audible, and I lowered my head.
"Letting my father yell at you like he did…I could've stopped him…but I didn't…"
"Afni, it is okay." She sighed, and lowered her eyes, and I heard her giggle. "What?"
"I remember…one day…I talked with Jason."
"Yeah…"
"He said he knew more about what girls wanted then what guys wanted…But he found out what guys wanted because of me…I told him that I only knew what you wanted…"
"Mmmhmm…"
"And…He said, 'yeah, but that's because you'd give yourself to him if he asked you…'" I chuckled.
"And?"
"I found it funny. He thought he was right, but…"
"What?" I looked down, and she looked up at me with such seriousness, I was kind of surprised.
"He was right…I never let on that…I would've…" I lowered my eyes, and nodded.
"Really?"
"Yeah…" I held her closer, and closed my eyes. She sniffled, and put her hands on my back, hugging me.
We traveled thru the rest of the afternoon, finally settling down near a small pond in the middle of the forest. Afni created a tent for everyone, but didn't go in. The others were in there and asleep quickly. She walked out and sat with me, curled up, head against my chest.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking down.
"If I started…dating Christopher, would you be alright with it?" she asked. I smiled.
"I want you to be happy…So, yes, I would be alright with it." She smiled, and hugged me.
"Thank you, David." She sat up, and kissed my cheek quickly before running to the tent. I sighed, smiling, and leaned back against the tree. I began to think…
I crossed the living room, and smiled, seeing her curled up against the arm, sleeping. Kneeling in front of her, I dropped my hands against her knees, shaking her awake.
"Mmm…what?" she mumbled, yawning.
"C'mon, Af. It's past eleven. Lemme take you upstairs to get some sleep." She nodded, eyes closed, and, smiling to myself, I scooped her up and carried her up the steps, laying her on her bed, just down the hall from my room. Pulling the covers up to her shoulders, I turned to leave.
"David?" Her voice was faint, but it rang in my ears, and I turned.
"Yeah?"
"Stay with me?" I sighed, and walked over, laying beside her.
"Sure…" She moved herself over, resting her head on my chest.
"I just don't want to be alone…I'm afraid…that…I may lose you…" I shook my head.
"Af…You won't lose me…" She was asleep.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
