Chapter 27
In the Middle of Nowhere
Sofya
I slowly peeled my eyes open. A fresh salty ocean scent filled my nose. The sun was peeking up from the horizon, but it was still pretty dark. I blinked my eyes, letting my vision adjust.
Someone, presumably Ash had built a fire. Lucy was still asleep and snoring softly beside me. Ezmia and Ana were curled up together with Stella, Sunny, and Opal. Nico and Maxon were asleep as well. Only Ash was awake, sitting on a rock keeping a lookout. Did he ever sleep?
I stood up, carefully, making sure not to wake anyone, and walked over to where Ash was sitting. I climbed up the rock and sat next to him. I looked over at him. His eyes were bright and vibrant, almost glowing eerily in the darkness.
"Hey," I said breaking the silence. "Do you want to go scout the area now?' I asked, it was about morning so it would be a good time.
"Sure." He replied coolly. I hopped off the rock and grabbed my pack. Ash did the same, not taking even a glance at me. I grabbed the paper and pencil I had brought. I don't know why I brought it, why in the heck did I even think I would have time to draw when we were busy saving the world. I quickly scribbled a note to leave behind so the others wouldn't wonder why we disappeared.
I placed it next to Lucy then walked over to Ash, who was waiting, facing toward the forest, examining it. We decided to leave Ezmia and Stella behind, they just looked peaceful to wake up. We walked up to the monstrous dark forest and entered.
After about five hours of finding nothing, I wondered if anything even lived in here. I hadn't spotted a single living thing other than the plants and trees. Even though it was daylight the forest was dark and shadows loomed everywhere, they were a little spooky. Ash was a few paces up ahead ignoring me like usual. He was really starting to piss me off, it was like he was fighting with his feelings. What he was supposed to do and what he wanted. The right decision and the wrong one.
I was probably the wrong one. Why couldn't he just make up his mind? I would be fine being just friends. Who was I kidding, that was such a lie.
I wanted to be way more than just friends. Just being near him lit me on fire and his touch was beyond explanation, his whole being just drew me to him. I sighed, why was everything in life so complicated? I needed to remember I had responsibilities. I had to just be friends with Ash or nothing at all. I took a few running steps and caught up to him.
I was sick of only talking to myself in my mind. I was going to go crazy. If I wasn't already, that was still up for debate. Oh, I had thought we already determined your crazy status and it was positive. My bad. If there was a way to glare at the inside of my head I'd be doing it right now.
"I wonder if we will find anything in here? I haven't even seen a single animal." I said, attempting to start some sort of conversation. Ash just shrugged. "I wish we could shift and just fly," I said trying again, I had actually never flown or shifted but I knew I had wings from Ivanna's lessons about our genealogy or something about what kind of angel/demon mix we were. I wondered what I looked like and I wondered what Ash looked like. At the island Ivanna didn't let us shift, it was so unfair.
"You know why we can't, especially you, your aura draws too much attention," Ash said, finally talking.
"My what?" I asked, I had an aura?
"Your aura, everyone has one, even humans, some are strong, some are weak, each one is different, I can see and feel them," Ash told me, looking off into the distance. My eyes widened in wonder, what did mine look like or feel like. I hoped it wasn't terrible. As if reading my thoughts, he said.
"Your's is violet like lavender, it's very bright, shimmery, and joyful. I think it's my favorite aura." Ash described eyes glazing over me. My heart swelled, his favorite? There he is, going back to caring, but soon he would pull back away.
Ash abruptly came to stop, bending down. I almost tripped right over him. He was holding something in his hands. It was a small dagger with engravings in a foreign language on the side.
"It's from Alek's armies." He said in a flat tone. My mouth popped open in shock. This was bad, very bad. Wait a minute, how did Ash know this. My eyes narrowed.
"How do you know?" I asked. Ash bit his lip, brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"I can read the underworld language." He said, he looked like he hoped that I wouldn't ask any more questions. Which made me want to ask till he told me everything. I couldn't believe he had been keeping even more secrets from me. I thought we had been done with that. Guess not.
"How?"
"I work for Alek," he said, avoiding my gaze. I froze. He what?
"What?!" I hollered at him. "You what! Are you still working for him now?" I asked. He didn't answer fast enough. I stomped away, then broke off into a sprint. I felt betrayed, no worse than betrayed. Tears streamed down my face.
What was Ash going to do, take us all to Alek then hand us over as prisoners? I can't believe I was so stupid to trust him. I should have listened. Ash had even tried to warn me himself, the day of the ball. I should have listened. Why was I so blind? I had thought he liked me but he was just playing me this whole time. I felt and heard Ash running after me.
"Sofya! Wait! I can explain!" Ash yelled. I just ran faster. What could he possibly have to say that would fix this, he was going to betray us to Alek, of all people. I should've figured it out earlier. I was so mad, no beyond mad. I kept running till I reached a clearing in the woods. I stood at the edge, where the trees met an open field. Could this get any worse? Turns out it could, tremendously. My mouth fell open. Oh no. Crap, crap, crap crap.
On the other side was an army of about 100 alien, monstrous-looking creatures. Angels and demons in their true forms. Tallgrass ran across the field, gigantic snowy mountain peaks surrounded us. An exact image of the precognition I had from months ago. This was soooo not good. No dip sherlock.
Ash appeared beside me and visibly paled. He shook off his expression and replaced it with one meant for battle. He drew his twin onyx katana blades out from their sheaths. "We will talk after this." He promised. I almost snorted. If we even are alive after this, most likely not. The odds were so not in our favor. I thought, quoting The Hunger Games. It was like a one percent chance of surviving, probably less. I reached into my boots and pulled out my daggers, so not appropriate for battle. I know, you clearly weren't thinking. I should have brought my katana, but I had left it at the camp.
A man was approaching us. I guess he was the leader of their group. He had shoulder-length black hair, pale skin, and his eyes were so dark it was like staring into big black cold oblivion, soulless. He stopped about twenty feet away.
"Hello Ash, fancy seeing you here." The man said, he had an evil twisted grin on his face.
"Leviathan," Ash said coldly. My mouth popped open for the second time. Leviathan? The Leviathan! You have got to be kidding me, we were so, so dead. Make that a big fat zero percentage of survival.
"Why haven't you killed her yet, boss won't be happy," Leviathan said grinning wickedly, it was completely directed at me. I shivered before I turned my head to Ash, a rush of anger flowing through my head.
"You were supposed to kill me!" I shouted in his face. Seriously! Was this all a game to him? I was about ten seconds from ripping all my hair out. Ash was supposed to kill me. Oh my god, how was I so stupid? Leviathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a dagger and a vile. He slowly dipped the dagger in the vile smearing a blood-red liquid over the shining blade.
"You have ten seconds to kill her before I do along with you. This poison will not make it a painless death." All the other monsters that had come and were standing behind Leviathan, looking bloodthirsty and ready to kill. I gulped and gripped my daggers tighter. "Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four!" Leviathan's psychotic voice rang out.
I stood there paralyzed in fear. I didn't want to die and even though Ash had most likely panned to betray us. I didn't want him dead because of the slight chance he maybe wasn't going to betray us.
What is wrong with you Sofya! I scolded myself, he was going to kill you, you moron. Yep, I was just naturally stupid, that was obvious. He had completely lost my trust though, he had lied to me far too many times.
Even though I shouldn't trust him at all, my heart still wanted to but not my head, my head was smart, my heart was a lovesick fool. My mother and father obviously thought I hadn't been strong enough for this world to tell me anything about it or what I was before abandoning me to die. I would prove them wrong and fight till my very last breath.
Unfortunately, Ash had other plans, and like the smart guy he was, he charged Leviathan. I smacked my forehead, how stupid was he, that was Leviathon for god sake! One of the most feared demons in all of history, he was ancient. Even I knew this and I had only recently been introduced to this crazy world.
I took a deep breath, well I was about to die. What was that saying? Die trying, right? Well, I'll try all right. I charged, my daggers raised.
I sliced open the throat of the first demon I saw blood spilled everywhere and all over my clothes. Ew. One demon grabbed my shoulder, slamming me to the ground, the long grass whipping me in the face. I slashed my daggers, cutting the demon down. I jumped back up and stuck one of my daggers deep into their gut, then ripped it out, hot blood spilled all over me.
I looked back up to see a new swarm charging me, I groaned, this was impossible. I killed one after another, but there were too many. Eventually, I got stabbed in the leg and my arm was sliced open. It was incredibly painful but I guess the thought of dying overpowered the injuries. After all, they weren't permanent, death was. Unless you get your leg chopped off, that's pretty permanent.
I snuck a look over at Ash, he was busy fighting Leviathan. Blood was smeared across him just as it was all over me. As I took him in I gasped, he was shifted, pearly white scales ran over most of his arms, his nails had turned into white sharply tipped claws, angelic wings with snowy white feathers, a long white tail ending in a tuft of midnight blue fur, and white elegant horns on top of his head.
An unexpected wave of terror washed over me, distracting me from a demon. Who had huge black feathered wings and pale white, almost glowing hair that was stalking towards me with a dagger in one hand and a scythe in the other. I turned to face it. It was an apollyon, known for being notorious killers. Yeah, most angels and demons are, fool. I stood frozen, I couldn't move. I had forgotten, apollyon's had paralysis power. I can't believe how stupid you are Ëmbérias. My inner voice hissed.
"Hello girl, ready to die?" She laughed wickedly. I was so dead. Why had Ash worked for Alek? He was so wicked. I didn't understand, I thought I had known who Ash really was. How could he have been such a great actor? I might as well ask. Nothing to lose now.
"Why did Ash work for Alek, was he paid a ton or something?" The demon smirked sardonically.
"You stupid, stupid girl. Ash doesn't get paid, he's Alek's slave. He does what he's told so he gets tortured less and so he's not killed." My mouth fell open, Ash was a prisoner. Guilt flooded through me.
I was so stupid. I was so quick to think the worst of him. If I had thought rationally I would have remembered that Ash told me Alek killed his parents and held his brother captive. What was wrong with me? Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't run, if I would have just listened to him, this was all my fault. How could I have thought he would betray us, me.
He saved my life for god's sake. What was wrong with me? Tears of regret slipped down my face as the apollyon drew closer. I was going to die and I deserved to. The apollyon drew her arm back, prepared to throw the sharp steel dagger she was holding. I closed my eyes, preparing for inevitable death.
After what felt like hours but it was only seconds, I cracked my eyes open. The dagger was flying through the air, the apollyon had let the paralysis spell go because she knew the dagger would hit me. But out of nowhere, Ash darted into the trajectory of the dagger, jumping right in front of me and knocking me to the ground.
It all happened in slow motion. The dagger piercing his chest, me falling over, the mob rushing at us. Suddenly, reality hit me. This was not supposed to happen. He could not die, I could not die. I couldn't accept it. No one wrote my destiny but me.
Anger flooded through me, my blood boiling. I let out a blood-curdling scream, something on my neck burned and power surged through my veins. The whole world flashed and went white. I put up a shield over Ash and me as a giant boom echoed through my ears. Not caring about anything else, he was the only thing that mattered right now.
I knelt over him, tears streaming down my face. Even after everything that had happened between us, he was protecting me, saving me, stupid, stupid, Wishy-Washy Wacko. I sobbed, tears falling down my face.
"Ash?" I pleaded. "This is all my fault." I sobbed, my voice cracking. He couldn't be dead, he couldn't. No, no, no. Blood was oozing from the wound the dagger buried deep in his chest, drenching his shirt in blood. He was still shifted, terror flitted through me. I struggled to keep calm, it must be his aura. I didn't know what to do. Lucy was the healer, not me.
"Sofya, It's not your fault." Ash sputtered, coughing up blood. That was the biggest lie ever told, all of this was my fault. If he died I would never forgive myself.
"Shh," I said releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding, he was still alive, for now, but not for long if I didn't do something.
"I'm sorry," Ash whispered. Then his eyes fluttered shut. How could he be sorry? This was completely my fault. He did nothing but protect me since the day we met. He would not die. I needed him, he could not leave me.
Something burned on my wrist, stupid wounds. Crap, crap, crap. I panicked, I shifted without thinking, it was just instinct. I spread my wings, a black feather falling to the ground peacefully as if my world wasn't falling apart at the seams.
With my extra strength, I picked Ash up, but not without struggle. I took off, flying as fast as possible, clutching Ash to my chest with all the strength I possessed. He had shifted back to human form, so I wasn't terrified anymore. I buried my face in his hair, he still smelled like pine, wood smoke, and tea tree oil. My heart sputtered. Why had I been scared? How could I? I felt so guilty. Tears continuously streamed down my face. He had to live. He had to. I needed him, perhaps more than I had needed anything.