Chapter Fourteen: Old friends and Crossbows
Why is it suddenly snowing?! Bloom thought as she sucked harsh icy air into her lungs, her legs running as fast as she could through the forest with the darkness getting blacker and blacker by the second. It was as if the light of the moon had been blocked out, she glanced up briefly and saw that the trees actually had banded themselves together and cut off any night sky above. What the hell? It occurred to Bloom that the ground under her that was covered in light snow was slightly muddy and every step she took her foot would sink a little deeper into the ground, even when she ducked under sharp branches they would find a way to whip her across tender skin and draw blood. Okay, maybe it's the panic of being chased by a bloodthirsty wolf but is the forest seriously out to get me aswell?! Why does fairy tale land hate me?!
Bloom's lungs were on the breaking point as she ran, she reached out and collapsed near a tall rough tree, falling to her knees and dragging air into her lungs as if she had been drowning. The wolf had long since fallen silent behind her but she could still feel the piercing red eyes follow her wherever she ran; sending chills up and down her spine. As she breathed Bloom thought back to Miss F and wondered if she'd gotten out of the closet by now? Shaking her head Bloom pressed her back against the tree and searched into the darkness for any sign of an animal but was met with silence, the whole forest going quiet in anticipation for the moment when the wolf would suddenly jump out-Something crashed into the side of Bloom, she let out a startled scream that broke the silence of the night. She tried to scramble away while also wielding the axe that she'd held onto for dear life but the thing seemed to cling to her with white nails, she paused as she noticed how they weren't attached to the wolf and really gave the person a proper look.
"Stop crashing into me!" Bloom yelled as she smacked Musa in the shoulder, dry sobs escaping her being the only sign that she was relieved to see her friend.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But it's seriously creepy out here, what the hell happened to the forest?" Musa asked as she gripped onto Bloom and the two of them cowered into the side of the tree, holding each other.
"Well screw the forest! What the hell are you doing out here?!" Bloom asked, ignoring her question and being unable to stop yelling.
"It's a long story!" Musa replied as she tried to see into the darkness.
"I thought you were supposed to be at the creepy ass castle romancing the crap out of Riven! What happened?" Bloom asked again, too afraid to let it go.
Musa rolled her eyes "I did, well I didn't really 'romance' him but I tried my best, I've come to realise Riven is a very stubborn man!"
"You're just now noticing it!"
"I've known it all along; I'm only just now noticing how hot I think it is!"
"Musa!" Bloom screamed at her friend. Suddenly the wolfs growl erupted into the night and both girls let out a terrified scream, the giant animal appeared across from them, coming out of the trees slowly so it could circle the girls and prepare to lunge. The girls were frozen in fear as they tried to think through the panic, Blooms grip on the axe got impossibly tight.
"Oh my god; oh my god!" Musa chanted as her eyes followed the wolf.
Bloom held Musa by the arm even tighter than before "Oh Musa we're going to die!"
"Why would you say that to me?!" Musa yelled back at her, truly frightened now.
"Because I just remembered that in Red Riding Hood the Huntsman doesn't come save the day until after the wolf has eaten the granny and the girl!" Both girls let out another scream at the revelation; in the back of their minds they cursed the fact that they were useless without their powers!
The wolf chose that moment to spring toward them with a final roar coming from within its body, Bloom thought time would slow down when you saw death coming but she was wrong. There was no slowing down. In fact it was a fast as ever, rushing toward her with red eyes and sharp teeth that threatened to rip her apart.
Bloom didn't really remember what happened in that second but she did know that she had closed her eyes against the fear and sucked in another last breath and waited...and waited. It occurred to her that the wolf was quieter now, still close and still anger but at least it wasn't eating them. Opening her eyes in shock Bloom found herself frozen against the tree with Musa still beside her, the wolf crouched right in front of them. The black fur was brushed up against her leg and even through the heavy material of her pants she could still feel the heat it gave off. Breathing again she saw that there was a dagger stabbed right into the wolfs shoulder blade, red blood oozing through the fur to drip onto the snow and green grass on the ground. Bloom wasn't sure but she thought she may have let out a startled/relieved laugh and then screamed again she the wolf twitched and moved again.
Both girls shot out of their spot and stumbled on unsteady legs away from the wolf "Did you do that?" Bloom asked while looking around in the darkness.
"No" Musa shook her head.
The wolf moved again and got to its four feet slowly, setting its eyes on the two girls again, not wasting any time they spun around and kept running through the snow, after a short frustrated growl and wolf ran after them. Bloom knew the wolf was slower this time but not slow enough not to be able to catch them, pushing her legs faster the girls ran until they reached a tall stone wall, branches growing out of the wall. The girls tried to run to the right but it seemed they had picked the worst possible spot to hide, the sound of the wolf drawing nearer again. Bloom looked up and realised that they'd never be able to climb such a steep rock that was only one and a half stories tall.
Trapped...stuck...nowhere to go...going to die...again Bloom thought as she waited for the wolf to show itself, it's red eyes appearing in the darkness not too far away. This time the girls separated from each other and Bloom was able to get a steady grip on the axe, holding it in both hands and preparing to smash it into the wolfs face when it charged at her. This time the wolf didn't circle them again, it looked too angry to play games with them, instead it hunched back on its heels and leapt forward again with mesmerising speed toward both girls. Bloom braced herself and swung the axe with as much strength as she could muster, slicing the blade into the other shoulder of the wolf. It made a strangled noise and looked like it would swipe again until a sudden yell of a man sounded above them.
The girls watched in amazement as Riven leapt easily from the rock above them and landed gracefully on his feet just in front of them, facing the wolf with a smug grin while he twirled a long silver sword in his right hand. Bloom felt Musa go from tense to easily relaxed next to her, a small secret smile coming to her lips. Bloom wanted to groan and roll her eyes but was interrupted when Sky of all people jumped down from the rock too, landing beside Riven with a black crossbow in his arms. A fiercer look of determination was on his face as he glanced over at Riven who nodded back to him. They know each other! Bloom realised with shock as she watched the two men put some distance between them and lock eyes with the wolf. The black beast looked with enraged and frustrated eyes at each of the people there, his eye lingering on Sky for a while before finally resting with blood red hate on Riven.
Riven raised an eyebrow at the monster and spoke with radiating confidence "You really want to do this again?"
The wolf growled and set its eyes on Bloom, the hunger evident even from the distance that separated them "Don't even try it" Sky said in a haunting voice that had chills running through Bloom.
Valtor the wolf seemed to hesitate, Bloom remembered that Sky and him actually live in the same castle, Sky must know about the king being the wolf. It was evident in the way the wolf looked at him, the hesitation and indecision crossing its animal face. Finally after a long heavy moment the wolf growled once more and turned to leap back into the nightmarish darkness, instantly disappearing from sight. The group of four watched for a while, waiting to see if it would come back. After a long minute Sky turned and gave Bloom a concerned look, he walked toward her with carful movements, making sure to angle the crossbow out of her direction "Bloom, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Bloom looked down at herself, not really knowing, and found a long scratch across her neck, a scab of blood at both knees and little flicks of blood where branches had cut into her skin. She smiled and shook her head "Not badly, it could have been a lot worse"
"Yeah I saw the way you defended yourself against that thing, the part with the chair leg was pretty badass by the way" Musa said with a smile, wrapping her arms around her.
At the sound of the girls voice Riven's back tensed as he turned around abruptly and Musa got a look at the utter rage of his face "Oh crap baskets" She muttered, looking down at the ground.
Riven stalked toward her and grabbed her tightly by the shoulders, his angry face leaning down to her level "You. You stupid silly little girl!"
Musa didn't want to show it but those few words sent sorrow running through her, she nodded silently and kept her eyes on the ground. Sky looked at Riven sharply "Hey leave her alone, this isn't her fault"
Riven didn't look away from Musa "This is exactly her fault, if she'd just done what I'd asked!"
"Really, it's my fault. The wolf was after me" Bloom interjected quickly, sensing her friend's sadness at being yelled at.
"No" Sky replied quickly, looking at Bloom softly "It wasn't your fault either, maybe if I'd gotten here sooner"
"How did you get here?" Bloom asked with a frown "Both of you"
Sky looked over at Riven who looked far too angry at Musa to manage speaking right now "Riven called me a few minutes ago, telling me to get to the forest quickly. He said some girl was in trouble, I assumed he meant you but I never thought he was talking about Belle"
Musa's heard whipped around and she stared at him in astonishment "You know me?"
"You know her?" Riven asked in a more harsh tone.
Bloom wasn't surprised that Sky knew Musa, he'd been the one to try and kill her but he'd let her go and she'd escaped to the forest and fallen down a cliff, that's when she'd gotten her memory back. She'd forgotten all about Sky in this life but Bloom had figured that Sky had been the one to take her out here, she'd shared her theory with Musa on the night they'd met up but apparently Musa had forgotten. Bloom gave Musa a meaningful look and suddenly the girl remembered.
"Oh right" Musa said quickly, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that Belle knew Sky "You're the huntsman who tried to butcher me with an axe"
Sky looked ashamed as Riven looked astounded...then angry "What he-? He tried to butcher you?" he turned to Sky with a pissed look "What the hell Sky?"
"It was the queens doing, calm down" Musa soothed Riven with a hand to his arm, half reassuring and half trying to hold him back before he tackled Sky.
"And it was actually a dagger, not an axe" Sky mumbled looking off into the woods, wishing he was somewhere else.
Bloom sighed and spoke up "Well anyway that's in the past. But for right now, we have stuff do to and fast"
"What do you mean?" Musa asked her friend.
Bloom hesitated at speaking about the spell in front of the guys "Well 'Cinderella' has been arrested and cursed and...umm...'Aurora' has been put under a sleeping spell"
Musa took a step back and opened her mouth wide with astonishment "What? Oh my god! Bloom how could this happen?!"
Bloom put her hands in front of her in a reassuring gesture "Don't worry I'm working on it! But I have to tell you, you know about that thing that happened that made us all...relocate" Bloom have Musa another meaningful look.
Musa nodded carefully, glancing at the guys who looked confused "Yeah"
"Well turns out there is a time limit. We have until morning"
Bloom watched as Musa went white with shock, she stood still for a moment before wavering on the spot, she would have fallen if Riven hadn't placed a hand on her arm to steady her. Bloom spoke quickly "But Belle, don't worry I'm all over it. I have Prince Brandon working on getting the glass slipper and breaking Cinderellas curse and I'm pretty sure I know who can wake up the princess"
Musa looked at Bloom for a long time "I don't even know who half those people are, don't tell me anymore. I don't want to know"
"Well I do. What the hell are you two talking about?" Riven asked as he took away the hand from Musa's arm and stepped away.
Bloom sighed and tried to think of something "Just stuff that's going on back at the village, we're kinda involved"
Sky rolled his eyes "You broke into the castle today, you weren't involved, you forced your way into this situation"
Bloom gave him a sharp look with a smile "You be quiet, I'm saving lives here"
"Well then you'd better get a move on!" A female voice sounded behind the group, they all turned to see a small figure standing in the snow in a white lace shawl and a scowl.
"Granny!" Bloom yelled happily, rushing over to the woman to hug her tightly "Are you okay?"
Miss F hugged Bloom back gently "Yes Red darling I'm fine" Miss F stepped out of the embrace long enough to smack Bloom on the shoulder.
"Ow!"
"What did I say about coming into the woods at night?!" Miss F growled between her teeth "After all the warnings and all the stories you still come here and risk your life, Red how could you?"
Bloom rubbed her shoulder "I'm sorry, it was important" Now I know that the fairytales can come true! "But I'm safe now; Sky and Riven came and saved me and you for that matter"
Miss F looked behind Bloom to the two guys and Musa who were intentionally not getting anywhere near the angry grandmother. She raised an eyebrow at the two men and smiled "Mph! Tell them they're welcome to save me any day"
"Granny!" Bloom yelled, laughing at the cheeky look on Miss F's face.
Miss f turned back to Bloom "But I'm glad you're here. Remember that talk I wanted to have with you, well now we can have it. Let's go back to my cottage and talk. You can bring your friends"
Bloom looked back at the group and smiled "Wanna come?"
Sky shrugged his shoulders and smiled "Sure"
Riven scowled and turned away from the people, sheathing the sword he held "No thanks, I'm not a fan of tea and cookies. I'm going home"
Bloom looked at Musa "Coming Belle?"
Musa looked torn, she glanced from Bloom to Riven a couple of times "Nah I'm gonna go with him"
Musa didn't miss the way the tense muscles in Riven's back seemed to relax at her statement. Musa quickly walked up to Bloom and whispered "I'll try and get my happily ever after before sun up, kay? You be careful"
Bloom nodded and smiled at her friend "You too"
...
Musa walked beside Riven in silence, both of them looking out into the dark forest with carful eyes, the ground no longer sinking under their feet. Musa felt a small lump in her throat so she chanced a look at Riven and found him looking deeply troubled.
"Are you mad at me?" She asked quietly, hoping he wouldn't yell at her.
Instead of yelling Riven sighed and replied in a tired voice "Very mad but I'm guessing that it's not going to bother you for too long, you'll find some way to convince me that you didn't do anything wrong"
Musa smiled a half smile and looked ahead again "Yeah probably. I'm one of those people that can't really be guilt tripped into anything. But I was wondering...how do you know Sky?"
"I said we'll talk about it later" Riven abruptly answered, walking a little faster.
Musa shook her head and hurried to keep up "No no no, we'll talk about it now. You can't just show up all heroic and save the day and not explain how you did it. You've got some secrets buried in that head of yours Riven and I won't stop bothering you until you tell me what they are"
Riven glanced into the sky and saw the tower of the castle in sight, he wondered briefly if he could just make a run for it and lock himself in his room and ignore her. Probably not, she would just bang on my door all night. Groaning he hung his head and tried to think of a way to explain it to her "Fine"
Musa almost tripped "You'll tell me?" She asked, astounded that she'd actually be getting an answer.
"Yes, now be quiet so I don't have to repeat myself" Musa clasped her lips shut and waited. Riven hesitated for a long moment before speaking "I used to live in the village, I worked at the castle as a knight. I was in charge, respected and I had the loyalty of my men. I guess I was happy"
Musa nodded and smiled a little "I could see that. So what happened?"
"I discovered the king was the wolf" Riven said with a certain amount of pride in his voice, he had shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at the night sky "It wasn't really hard to figure out. He'd disappear at night and come back at sunrise, sometimes he'd have dirt and blood all over him and no one ever questioned him about it. He'd go the whole day without eating anything and sometimes when he was mad I could swear he growled at people. He also didn't seem to care that people were going missing, the act was good enough to reassure the villagers but I could see the mockery in his warm smile" His tone had taken on a bitterness that had Musa wishing that she was by a fire so she could chase away the chills that ran through her.
"What did you do?" She asked timidly, twinning her fingers together.
"I told the prince and his squire. They were my friends and I knew they'd believe me. It took them a while but they watched the king like I always did and they knew I was right, we tried to tell Queen Icy but she didn't care either and we couldn't tell the princess because we'd be putting her in danger. So one night I alone confronted him, I was angry that he'd kill innocent people and I guess my pride got the better of me. I thought I could handle him alone and I was too stubborn to ask for help. I told him that if he didn't confess I'd tell the royal guard, I'd tell the citizens of the real, I'd tell everyone that their precious king was a murderer"
He was silent for a while after that and Musa was sad to know that this tale didn't end well "Did you fight him?"
"No. But he did have me arrested and banished for my 'treachery' and told everyone that I'd gone insane" They'd reached the castle gates, Riven pulled one open and waited for her to pass through before closing it behind them, they began walking slowly back to the castle "It took me a while but I'm glad I was banished, I could never work for a tyrant king like him"
Musa paused and turned to give him a questioning look "But what about Brandon and Sky? Didn't they try to help you? Why did they leave you out here to defend yourself against the wolf every night?"
Riven smiled a small smile down at her "What you think I couldn't handle it? No, they came to me before I was kicked out of the kingdom and made a deal with me; they'd stay on the inside and make sure that the king didn't get out of the castle too much, luckily I didn't tell him they knew so it was okay. Brandon said I was still a knight of the realm no matter what the king said and he'd given me a special mission, to roam the forests at night and make sure the killings were stopped. He gave me the keys to this castle, supplied me with everything I'd ever need for the rest of my life and really it was better than living in the wild"
Musa and Riven had reached the castle door, they entered and walked straight through to the library where the only fire was blazing bright, they didn't bother to light any other candles. Riven sat down in an armchair next to the fire while Musa leaned against a nearby table, too keyed up to sit still "So you've been living out here ever since? Fighting bears and getting tough like a real wild forest man? I bet you think your life was pretty sweet until a certain girl came banging on your door in the middle of the night"
Riven rolled his eyes at her "Yeah I really regret letting that little midget in here, she's completely ruined my whole routine, I have to watch her wherever she goes to make sure she doesn't accidently kill herself. Should have just left her out in the rain"
Musa laughed a mocking laugh "Aw, you really are such a gentlemen" Musa turned and examined the contents of the table she was leaning on, just to give herself something to do while she waited for the red blush to leave her face. God, when did I become such a girl? She chided herself as she examined the pile of old books and small basket of fruit on the shiny table. Her thoughts went briefly back over the events of the night and she couldn't help it when her mind drifted back to what Bloom said about 'Romancing' Musa wanted to crouch into a ball and shake her head, completely mortified at the thought of anything romantic happening between her and Riven. But she also remembered that time was running out, she literally had until morning when the spell would become permanent and they'd all be stuck here, although that didn't sound too bad when Musa thought of spending some more time with Riven alone in the middle of the woods with no one around to interrupt them. No, stop thinking like that! We need to get home. Now step up your game and start flirting! Musa could actually hear Bloom's voice in her head.
Heaving a shuddering sigh Musa turned back to Riven who was busy watching the fire, he looked at her quietly and his brows furrowed together "Are you alright?"
Damn, is my nervous attitude really that obvious? "What do you mean?" Musa asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"You look like you've just hurtled yourself off a cliff, there's sticks in your hair and you've got dirt on your cheek" Musa didn't miss the humour in his voice.
Blushing furiously Musa patted down her hair and pulled out random little twigs from the dark locks "Well you didn't look so great this morning when you were all bloody and dirty after the run in with the wolf, so suck it up" Musa tried to scrub the dirt from her face but she guessed she was missing it because Riven rolled his eyes again and stood up, walking toward her with ease "God, you're missing it completely"
He stood in front of her with a carefree look and with his thumb brushed the side of her face where she evidently hadn't gotten too, her face lit up like a tomato as she stared up at him, her hands limp at her sides. Okay blushing, he's really close to me and thank god this room is dark so he doesn't see how red I am! Look at him; it's like he doesn't even notice how...intimate...this little thing is! Musa looked up at him and in one of those rare moments she got to see Riven's face without it having a scowl on it or anything. His eyes looked so clear and steady, they seemed to mesmerise her. Okay...I...am...such...a...girl.
Riven seemed to get the dirt whipped away and finally looked down into her eyes where he froze for a moment, seeming to finally realise how close he was to her and not really knowing how to fix it. He thought he could move away and get some distance but his whole body was frozen to the spot. Musa watched this little predicament cross his face and if she wasn't so tightly wound she'd laugh but instead she stopped looking into his eyes and found herself looking straight ahead at his chest that was about a hands length from her face, her gaze rested on the bit of skin that was exposed from under his dark red shirt, the scar he'd just gotten from his fight with the wolf a day ago was looking better than the last time she'd seen it, the redness had gone down and the skin had started to heal itself "How's the chest wound doing?" She asked absentmindedly.
Riven looked down at his collarbone and shrugged "Healing, really I've had worse. I wouldn't let a little scratch like that get me down"
"Was it okay for you to go running off into the woods after me when you have a giant rip running across your chest, seriously though, that must have hurt" Musa reached up a brushed a small finer across the little bit of scar exposed. Wow, I actually did that. Totally didn't mean to do it but I did it anyway, huh, I wonder if Stella would label THIS as flirting. I haven't really had much experience with it. Musa found as she lowered her hand back to her side that she felt a small buzz in her index finger where she'd made contact with his skin, she looked up to see his reaction. Riven looked down at her with a strange expression, something between surprise, confusion and a very rare softness.
"You disappeared. I didn't know where to find you and you could have died" Riven spoke as he gave her a serious look "Don't do that again"
Musa smiled and nodded "Promise" Musa's mind went back to the unlikely possibility that she would ever make it back home to her own world, they'd be stuck here and if things continued this way she'd be with Riven a lot longer than she'd first intended. This thought brought on a very sad wave of emotion that ran through her, made her lose all energy from her body and to her surprise she felt a stinging in her eyes like tears. Musa felt her bottom lip shake as she thought of all the people she'd lose...but at least she'd have Riven. She looked down at the floor before he could see the wetness in her dark eyes, the tiredness from before had her leaning her head against his chest. She felt Riven inhale quietly as she wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed the other one over his racing heart. Closing her eyes Musa tried to sound like her old self but failed miserably "You don't have to worry Riven; I'll probably never leave this place again"
Riven felt an unfamiliar stab of helplessness as the small girl squeezed her arms around his midsection, her face was angled down at the floor but he could still hear the sadness in her voice, the heartbreak. Riven had next to no experience dealing with emotional girls but he did know that when they were sad you were supposed to comfort them, he tried to think of something to say to her but came up with nothing. So lost for ideas he slowly and carefully wrapped his arms around her little frame, enveloping the girl until she was cocooned in his arms. Musa felt a small thrill of excitement at being held by Riven that chased away some of the sadness, she smiled a little and enjoyed the feeling. They stayed like that for a while until Riven grew uncomfortable again and Musa knew she'd pushed it enough, stepping out of his embrace she backed away until she was leaning against the table once more.
Riven cleared his throat and turned away to walk back over to the fire place and start to light some candles to illuminate the dark room, Musa watched him in silence, not really knowing what to say. It struck her that she was very tired, after staying up almost all night she'd exhausted all of her energy into staying alive. I need sleep but I can't, not until I get my happily ever after with Riven. What should I do? Musa wanted to sink onto the couch and take a nap but instead she turned back to the table and leafed through the bowl of fruit on the table.
"You hungry? I don't know much about cooking but I do know how to make a killer apple pie. My mom used to make them, what do you say?" She turned back to him with a smile, an apple in either hand.
Riven looked up quickly, brought out of his thoughts, he stood up straight from the chair he'd sat in and gave her a mocking lopsided smile "Just promise me that you won't burn anything or give me food poisoning, Belle"
Musa chuckled and stepped forward and gave him a mean look "You beast, you'll love my apple pie. Trust me, you're gonna be totally blown away" She took a deep bite out of the apple she was holding, widening her eyes dramatically at the man who had started to walk towards the door of the room. Musa started to walk after him until she felt an abrupt pain in her throat, pausing on the spot Musa placed her free hand to her throat and made a sort of gagging noise, trying to dislodge the piece of apple that had gotten caught in her throat. Her surprise turned to panic when she found she couldn't breathe around the thing in her throat that was increasing in pain, sending waves of ice through her body. Dropping the apple to the wooden floor Musa stumbled until she hit the wall, trying to call out to Riven but the only sound escaping her was a strangled cry.
Riven had just taken a step out of the room when he heard the girls pained cry, shock ran through him as he whirled back around and sped back into the room. A cold fear ran through him as he spotted the girl gripping the wall by the door, one hand at her throat and the other wrapped around her torso, her beautiful face contracting in pain.
"Belle? Belle!" Helplessness settled in again but this time it was mixed with fear and panic. He stalked toward her and gripped her upper arms as the knees gave out from under her, the two of them sinking to the cold wooden floor. Musa felt like her whole world was blurring and slowing down as a sudden tiredness settled over her, she felt like she was falling asleep but into a sleep that was too deep, too scary that she'd never wake up from. Musa grasped the front of Riven's shirt in panic, What do I do?! I'm chocking, I'm falling asleep and I'm dying! How do I fix this?
Riven shook the small girl as she turned a startling shade of white, the violet in her eyes going bright as her eyes widened as she tried to speak out over the intrusion in her throat. Riven found the area around her neck had darkened into a blackish spot, Magic! It has to be! I can't possibly get the piece of apple out of her throat, it doesn't work like that! He strong self loathing came over him as he realised he couldn't do anything to save the girl in his arms.
"I don't know what to do. Belle! Just stay, you have to stay Belle!" He shook her again, his voice angry and commanding.
The girl had stopped moving and was imply staring up at him now, her expression sad as she placed a hand over his cheek. Musa tried to speak one last thing before the blackness overtook her. I could tell him about the spell, about my friends, I could tell him that if he told me he loved me and I loved him then maybe everything could be okay. I could say I love you. Musa had intended to say the words but at the last second she found that it was incredibly important for him to know at least one true thing about her.
With what little oxygen Musa had left she forced the words out of her throat "My name...is Musa"
Riven looked down at her with wide eyes, slight confusion entering their depths "Musa?"
He watched as the girl fell limp in his arms, her whole body going cold as he held her and as if he couldn't feel any more alone the girl's body was enveloped in black smoke until Riven was left alone on the floor of the library, staring down at his empty hands.