Chapter 8:

"Wait a minute!" Orion spoke, "are you telling us that Ivy is half ghoul!"

"Yes, Orion," Carolina answered. "Ivy is half Ghoul," she repeated darkly.

To Ember this news was groundbreaking, "she can't be…. It's not possible." Ember whispered.

"How could that be?" Tilly questioned. "I've never heard of someone being half-ghoul, I just learned that they were actually real."

"And how did you learn that?" Carolina questioned.

"I ran into one on one of my travels, we became close friends," Tilly answered.

"Interesting," Carolina shot Tilly a knowing look. "Let me tell you the story of Ivy."

"Ivy was found as a baby in my former kingdom of Eragon. Our Queen Angelina Carson wanted to have the strongest army in the world, and she wanted a weapon of ultimate power. So she went after a legend of ghouls, bloodthirsty monsters with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Beings with weapons known as Kaguna's ability to turn the blood in their bodies into weapons. So she had the best of her kingdom find one for her, and when they did she had all its organs removed. And she had some of them placed into two different babies, one was Ivy. While the other died, Ivy survived and because of the organs inside her, she grew at a fast rate. She could walk at the age of 1 month, read at the age of 5 months, and talk at the age of 7 months. From there My Queen wanted me to train her, at first I didn't care, in fact, I wanted the child died. So I put her through hell, day in and day out I was trying to kill her. However, she still fought it, and the more pain I put her through the bigger her smile would get. I hated that smile so much, her healing factor is very slow, so I couldn't seriously hurt her or she could die. Thanks to me, Ivy learned how to fight, she master magic, and she mastered the weapon my queen gave her. Her signature scythe and all was good for a while I grew attached to her after a while and treated her like my daughter. She must have been 5 years old when Jing-Shuan a former general now turned bounty hunter showed up."

"Someone had placed a bounty on my queen and also give him the order to kill her. He killed my queen and then we have a battle, he truly was stronger than me and beat me in only 3 moves. Then from out of nowhere, the child I called my daughter attacked me from behind and almost killed me. She had turned her back on me because I wasn't strong enough to be her mommy, so she left me and now calls Jing-Shuan her father. Together they destroyed my kingdom leaving nothing there. I have been a bounty hunter for years now, looking for her and making my own money in the process. Your majesty, I have created a monster, a monster that only wants to destroy, and I am the one who needs to take her out."

Carolina reached up and wiped a tear from her eye, "please let me stay, I know she is gonna come back for something. When she does, I will kill her myself, I will send the demon I made back to hell." Carolina turned and looked at Orion. "If you don't want to hire me, then allow me to work with Orion and his protectors to bring her in."

"Orion," Roland looked towards the winged man as well. "It is your choice, I trust you and if you want Ms. Andrews to join your team and help find Ivy. Then I will allow it."

Orion looked at Carolina and offered her his hand, "Ms. Carolina I would be honored to have a warrior as skilled as yourself join me. However, we do not want Ivy died, we want to question her."

"As you wish Orion," Carolina answered. "But once we finish questioning her, we are throwing her in a cell and we are locking away the key!"

"Isn't she just a child?" Sofia spoke up. "Yes she might have made mistakes but she is still just a kid like me."

"Little princess you do not understand the evil that is Ivy. She wants to do nothing but fight and get stronger, I put that in her mind and she will kill anyone whom she deems as strong." Carolina said, "she deserves nothing more than death!"

"Maybe she is just misunderstood?" Sofia suggested. "After what you said, imagine having to train every day to become a weapon instead of just being a kid."

"You have a kind heart little one, but that girls heart is nothing but darkness. Just like the monster who became her father, Jing-Shuan the grim reaper, the angel of death. If he draws his blade towards you, death is what awaits you." Carolina stood to her feet. "I will hunt her down during the evening, and sleep during the day. Ivy will move at night, where she moves her best." Carolina turned around and walked towards the door.

"Carolina wait," Orion spoke up, "you are not going to be creeping around the castle without anyone knowing. King Roland, who is the head of your guard?"

"That would be captain Matthew," Roland answered.

"Carolina you will let Captain Matthew know what you are doing, and then you will have Trion accompany you during the night," Orion ordered.

"Whatever," Carolina answered as she walked through the doors, as she walked she passed Ivy who was gonna take in a desert for the Royals. They locked eyes for a split second, and a smile appeared on Ivy's face.

"I see boobies has got here safe and sound, part 1 of my plan is done. Hopeful she will take care of part 2…..". Ivy thought. "Also hopefully she will bring me a body tonight… it's been a while since the last time I ate."

"Ember…. Ember…. EMBER!" Ember's eyes opened up and she jumped a bit.

"What is going on?" Ember looked around and her eyes focused on Sofia. The duo were having a bath together after the training they had done all day.

"You blanked out there for a second," Sofia answered. "Are you ok?"

Ember shook her head, " I'm sorry it's just…. I had no idea that the girl who tried to kill me was half ghoul." Ember explained as she gripped her chest, the spot where her heart was. "It's strange I never knew or even meet another ghoul. Knowing that she is half ghoul is just weird."

"I bet it is," Sofia slowly sunk into the warm water and let out a sigh. "This water feels great after a long day of training… Ember how does your healing work?"

"My body heals automatically to any injury I get, from what I read ghouls are the ultimate fighting machines. As long as we don't take to much damage from an attack and bleed out, we can keep on fighting. But we aren't immortal to diseases or sickness." Ember explained.

"Is that why Chrysta and my aunt were able to go harder on you than with me?" Sofia asked.

"Well unlike you, my body will heal so Chrysta could cut me and not worry about me getting hurt, but I don't think they were going that hard on me since I still feel the pain," Ember answered. "My mom hits really hard."

"Tell me about it," Sofia said as she rubbed her cheek. "I had no idea my aunt could hit that hard, she even disarmed me when we were sword fighting. Her training was hard, and my magic training with Orion was amazing. Why don't you learn magic?"

Ember put her hand on her chin, "I would love to learn magic but I would rather relay on my Kaguna."

"What is a kaguna?" Ember summoned one of her tails.

"It's the name of the tails I have, every ghoul has a personal weapon that they make from their own blood. Mine our my 4 tails," Ember explained. "I want to train to get my body more used to them so they stay out longer."

"Is that why you wanted to train today?" Ember nodded her head.

"Using my Kaguna takes a lot of energy and since it is my only form of true attack and defense if I get tired during a battle and it deactivates. Then I could be in serious trouble," Ember explained.

"What do you think of this Carolina person?" Sofia asked.

"Well she is very pretty, and I kind of feel bad for her in a way. She was doing what her queen wanted and in the end, she trained a monster who came to accept as her daughter. Then Ivy turned on her because she wasn't strong enough," Ember said.

"I just don't think that this Ivy girl should have to die," Sofia declared.

"Sofia you would understand if you meet her she is a true monster. She told me during our fight before I lost control of my emotions, that she wants to kill every ghoul she could. She takes the fingers from these ghouls and adds them to a necklace she has." Ember sighed a bit. "She is truly a blood-thirsty monster who wants nothing more than to fight the strongest people she can find. She wants a rematch against me, that is what I am scared of."

"Why would she want a rematch against you?" Sofia asked.

Ember looked into the water and could see Fury staring back at her. "Sofia if I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course," Ember smiled a bit at that.

"A long time ago when I was tortured by someone… I created something by accident, you saw my hair snow white. When I get like that, something takes over, something that wants to destroy and protect me. I named her Fury, and she and Ivy had a fight and Fury almost killed her, then her father attacked us from behind and we had to run away." Ember looked up at Sofia and took a breath. "It works better if I show you."

"What do you mean…..", Sofia began, as Ember's hair slowly turned snow white. Fury cracked her neck a bit and let out a sigh.

"Honestly, I don't know why she let me out?" Fury turned towards Sofia and smirked at her exposing sharp teeth. "So your Princess Sofia, nice to meet you, you may call me Fury."

"Um… hi there…", Sofia said politely. "How do you and Ember share a body?"

"Really that is your first question," Fury laughed at that. "Let me put it like this, I am the embodiment of Ember's negative feelings. Almost like another personality inside of her, when she is truly scared, or in danger I will jump in and fight for her. We both reside inside of her mind."

"What is Ivy like?" Fury let out a growl.

"That brat is pure evil, she hates ghouls! So she wants to kill them all, her scythe is special it is the only things that weaken my healing factor. She carries a necklace of fingers with her. I had no idea that she was a part ghoul, and I don't care I will end her when I see her." Fury lowered her head and slowly her hair turned back black. "I don't want to talk to you!"

Ember let out a gasp as she fell forward into the water, "dang it, Fury! Stop letting me fall when we switch back, I never do that to you!"

Sofia had to giggle a bit at that, "well it seems you two have a good relationship."

"Not really," Ember gagged a bit, "I got water in my nose!"

"Ember," Ember turned towards Sofia, "are you sure that Ivy is pure evil?"

"Sofia look at me," Sofia did what Ember said, "there is a difference between evil and pure evil. Fury is evil, she hates most of human life, she loves death, but she still has a bit of a kind heart. However, Ivy is pure evil. She laughs in the face of battle, she laughs when blood is spilled, she has a freaking neckless of ghoul's fingers. She is pure evil!"

"But she sounds like you," Sofia pointed out. "You were raised in hate weren't you, and she was turned into a warrior!"

"Did you not hear what Ms. Carolina said, the first chance she had she turned on her because she wasn't strong enough!" Ember countered. "She wasn't turned into a warrior, she was a warrior that was turned into a true monster, a pure evil little girl."

"No one is pure evil Ember," said Sofia. "People make bad choices, people make mistakes, and some people are lost to darkness. However, everyone has good in them and in order to be pure evil you must have absolutely no good in them."

"Ivy has no good in her, if she did she wouldn't kill so many just for the love of battle, she wouldn't do those things if there was some good in her." Ember countered.

"Ember," Sofia began. "You don't know her whole story, don't you even think a little bit that she was turned into a monster. After all, Ms. Carolina did say that she put her through that hard training to try and kill her. Maybe that had an effect on her, maybe that gave her the mindset that the weak die and the strong survive?"

"The only thing I know is that she has killed over 100 ghouls, she carries a scythe, she is half-ghoul, she has tried to kill me. She laughed during our battle, the only thing that I know is that she is pure evil!" Ember snapped, "I get that you are nice and forgiving Sofia, but some people have no light in them and Ivy is one of them!"

"She is a kid Ember,"

"So what."

"Then she has good in her, her past is what is blocking her good," Ember sighed at that.

"I don't get you at all Sofia," Ember concluded.

The duo sat in silence for a while neither knowing what to say, "sorry if I seem negative," Ember said after a while. "Sofia she is dangerous, maybe not pure evil but she is dangerous."

"I don't know her," Sofia turned towards Ember, "I've only heard what you and Carolina said about her. Maybe she is dangerous, but I just don't like when people say that someone is pure evil."

"I understand that, and I'm glad you think that way. If you didn't… then I might not be here." Ember reached out and took Sofia's hand. "You walked right over to me after I killed those men, you gave me comfort for a better day. If it wasn't for you, then I wouldn't be here right now, eating good food, having a warm bath and a new mom. Thank you, Sofia."

Sofia gave her new friend and family a smile, "I didn't do much, I just wanted to help you… even if you looked really scary."

Night came quickly, the palace was quiet and the palace was calm. Ivy was sitting on her bed reading a book, she turned towards the door as it slowly creaked open. A thud hit the ground as a body was thrown on the ground. "Thank's boobies," Ivy climbed off her bed and rubbed her hands together.

Carolina walked into the room and closed the door behind her, "I told you to stop calling me that. They know what you are, I told them. Hope that isn't a problem."

"Did you tell them what you are?" Ivy questioned as she tore an arm off of the body. "Did you drain the blood from this body?" She asked with a pout.

"It was that or the floor was gonna be stained with blood," Carolina answered as she took a seat. "And no I did not tell them," Carolina tore the other arm off of the body. "If they knew that I was also a ghoul that would cause more problems in the long run."

"Who said that you could have some," Carolina shot the child a look before digging her teeth into the body.

"Alright, I have my orders give you a body every night. That should speed up your healing, in a week's time, you should be fully healed. Once you are, I will teach you how to use your Kaguna at night, as well as give you as much information as I can." Carolina bit her thumb and held it towards Ivy, "as for my payment you owe me 234 thousand gold coins if you agree to those terms. Seal it with your blood," Ivy bite her thumb and pressed it against Carolina's. "The pact is made," Carolina concluded as she took an arm of the body. "I will be taking this, you can have the rest. When you finish, destroy the bones."

"Thanks, boobies," Ivy said with a wave.

Carolina left the room and made her way down the hall, "she hates to lose, and only wants to fight the strong… a child that is truly a girl of death. The girl I raised and still care for as my own, the girl who killed the former queen of Eragon. The girl who is the next grim reaper. Ivy the vicious crow, my raven of death." Carolina lifted the arm to her mouth and took a bite. "Things are gonna get very fun in a months time, let's hope those protectors are strong enough to deal with the hell that is coming their way."

Thanks for reading.