Chapter 8. All would be Well
The moon shone bright over our heads, showering the whole land with light, casting the shadows aside, as if showing us the way. My heart filled with hope. We were almost back...but my hope shattered into millions of pieces as soon as I heard that voice.
Nerewin stood not far from me, a furious expression on her face, her skin pale as a banshee's. She held a dagger in her right hand. "WHAT are you doing here ?!?!" She yelled at us. I barely recognized the sound of her voice.
"You were wrong, Nerewin. Silvanus survived." I spoke calmly.
"No ! That's not possible !" She said, her face stricken in horror.
"But it is." I said as I slowly let the elf slid on the ground, behind me.
She stared at him, her mouth gaping as if she had seen a ghost.
Only now had I realized that my axes were gone. Where had she hidden them ?
"You lost Nerewin."
"Lost ?" She repeated, as though it was the most unbelievable thing. "Hah ! You are the one who lost, Tuarwen ! It will not take long before the demon blood kills you too." She said, a victorious expression on her face.
"I will not die. No more elves will die. Now that I know, I will ask for warlocks to come. They will take the blood out, or find a cure for it. Anyway, what YOU started, I will end."
She chuckled, playing with her dagger. "But to do that, you have to get past me first." She said in a high toned voice.
She ran to me, lunging at me with her dagger. She was so fast I could barely evade her. And the poison certainly wasn't doing me good. The world around me swirled, and my body was heavy, making me slower. It was a wonder I could even keep up with her. I didn't even have a weapon. By the type of clothes she wore, I never would have thought her as a weapon-user, but as I had learned the past few hours, looks could be deceiving.
By the swiftness of her movements, and the rapidity of her steps, I knew she was an assassin. She never made a sound as she walked. I can't believe I never noticed that.
In a moment of dizziness, dots covered my view, and I fell backwards, falling on the ground. When I could see again, Nerewin was right in front of me, holding her dagger above me, ready to strike. I would've died. But before she could stab me, she cried out in pain, before falling unconscious to the ground. I looked at her limp body, dumbfounded.
Somebody stopped right before me. I looked up, seeing someone I recognized instantly. Someone who I admired, and who was my friend and partner. Aysa. She gave me her hand, and without any hesitation, I took it. "Well done, my friend." She said smiling.
I smiled back. "I really hope this is not a hallucination...I'll be damned...if it is..."
Everything was suddenly black, and I could hear Aysa anxiously calling my name again and again, and saying something...I was so exhausted. I could no longer fight. But I had done what I needed to do. I had brought Silvanus to safety. Now, all would be well...
To be continued...