My lids squeezed shut at the familiar hissing voice. I screamed even more.
"Please, stop screaming," he begged.
I paid his words no mind.
This was it. He was ready to strike. I must have been washed in bad luck for me to be his first victim. I knew he would have betrayed us. He was a ghost bandit. Those things couldn't be trusted.
My thrashing caused my attacker to wrap an arm around me, pulling me closer to his body. I stiffened at the feel of his… his…
On, my God, it was on my thigh!
My shriek was muffled by his large hand over my mouth. I struggled to move. The more I fought, the more it moved on my thigh.
Oh, my…
"Please, I beg of you, calm down," he pleaded. "I'm not going to hurt you. If you scream, Lord Sabastian will hear and he'll come out. He can't catch us naked together. I'll get in trouble. He's not someone to piss off."
I froze.
He was right. Sabastian wasn't the type to get upset. But, could I believe this bandit? He could be saying these things for me to let my guard back down. One look and I was powder. He showed no mercy to those animals. Yeah, they were beasts who would have killed us but still.
On the other hand, what if he was genuine. I would have made an unnecessary enemy. He was scared of Sabastian, so maybe this fear could be used against him. I could take him if he tried anything. My power was far greater than his. I just had to keep my eyes closed.
I seized all my sounds.
He sighed and released me. "Thank you. I was swimming when you came in."
Oh, so I walked in on him. It didn't mean anything. He could have said something beforehand.
I kept my eyes closed but listened to his every movement. "I didn't know anyone was in here."
The water was silver, clear. My words could be considered a lie. I was not even sure why he was not seen.
"It's okay," he hissed. "You don't have to keep your eyes closed. I got a new ability from absorbing the soul of that beast. Lord Sabastian helped me to activate it."
A trick to lure me out. Well, this was one soul he was not going to suck dry. I would kill him before he could do me.
"Why do you want me to open my eyes?" I questioned. "What could this new ability possibly do to help me?"
The water splashed. "If you open your eyes it would help you to see. Two, you would be able to wash yourself and not stand around showing off your breasts."
My cheeks heated and I crossed my arms over my breast.
A soft chuckle blew with the wind. "Besides, this ability helps me to block the previous purpose of my eyes. I can manipulate the use of it by will. So, you can look at me and I, you without feeding on your soul. Not unless I want to."
Cool ability.
I crouched in the water. It waved around my neck. "How can I guarantee you don't want to feed on my soul?"
A hybrid with the power to manipulate magic and essence in the air and strength with speed to take down many species. It sounded like a pretty good feast to me. All the energy he would acquire from me was more than he could hope for. It would be enough to fight his enemy and be welcomed by his bandit friends. The perfect trick.
"If you were poor and you had the option of robbing a shop or the bank, which would you choose?" he questioned.
I bit my lip at his weird question. Why would he even ask that?
Nevertheless, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. My brain went right away to process an answer. A shop would have food and little change. There was no guarantee I would get a lot of things. Not to mention, the cash register could be empty. On the other hand, the bank had more cash. It had more security but with a sustainable plan, it didn't matter. With money, I could purchase anything.
"The bank," I answered.
"Right," he agreed. "With the money obtained from the bank, poor life would be a thing of the past. It's the same with this situation. Why would I want to feed on your soul when there is a pool that can give me all I desire at the end of this trip?"
Great question. The pool could give him anything. If it was power he sought, the pool would give him all he desired. He would be more powerful than his oppressors.
I swept the water with my hands. "You are right."
"I was betrayed and killed," he admitted. "I can not tell what's happening to my pack. This is my chance to go back to fight for them. Why would I risk that by pissing off a ruthless God?"
It wouldn't ever make sense to betray the plan of a brighter future for another path. Destiny Peak was a chance at achieving so much. It was an enticing opportunity.
My shoulders slouched. "What if when you get to Destiny Peak, it's not cracked up to be what you think? What will you do?"
Silence passed over us.
"I'm not sure," he breathed out. "I will be very disappointed. But, by then I will acquire far more power than I need. It will help me in this life. I might even become a mega ghost. It will help me to visit the world of the living. I won't be able to do much, but at least, I could do something."
Ghosts had more power than they gave themselves credit for. Witches summoned more ghosts to aid them than they do any other creature. He should acquire the right powers to aid him in his quest to help his pack.
I, too, had a quest. If we were given a chance to enter Destiny Peak and get a dip into the pool of desires, I would want a second chance. A second chance to live my life. A second chance to be a great big sister. A second chance to be the best daughter. A second chance to be a better Scarlet Jones. I would relive my life the way I wanted. The second time around would be far better than the first. I have learned so much in my first life. I would apply that knowledge to my second life.
But, Destiny Peak could only be entered by Deity beings. We, smaller creatures, didn't have a chance at getting our wishes. Yet, hope settled deep inside me. I traveled this journey with the hope it would all work out. No matter how I forced myself not to be too hopeful, my efforts often failed.
"You can open your eyes," the bandit insisted. "I won't hurt you."
Deciding to give the guy a chance, I peeked through an eye. He was adjacent to me, staring at the sky.
"This place is so beautiful," he murmured. "It reminds me of my fiancee. She would have been in love with this scenery. She loved to paint beautiful rare things and places."
I glanced up at the sky.
The color scheme would indeed look phenomenal on a canvas. I wished I had brought a camera.
I stood. "Maybe we should take a picture of this place."
His gaze strayed to me. "A picture?"
I looked away but not before catching a glimpse of his yellow and black striped irises. "Yes, I can use magic."
I waddled through the water to the bank, then thought up an incantation for moving pictures. The essence in the air formed a camera. The tool moved around capturing the environment. It lasted two minutes and then the spell ended and the camera disappeared.
Beaming, I moved back to the bandit. "It's done. Tomorrow I can do the same to capture what this place looks like during the day. When we are ready, I can retrieve them."
The bandit smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
It was not for him alone. I could show these pictures to Brianna and Father. They would be ecstatic.
I smiled. "What was she like? Your fiance."
"Amazing," he answered right away. "Whiskey brown eyes, black hair with blonde highlights, a gorgeous smile. She had this loving personality. No one could be sad around her. Her joy flows to everyone. She's also mind-blowing in combat. She is just so perfect."
Sounded like he loved her. It was sweet. I could bet she was the one he was worried about more than his pack. It had to be nice to have someone travel across a dangerous world for them. It was true love.
I didn't realize I was staring at the bandit until he flashed me a smile. His skin had gained a pale color. His hair was shiny and black.
"Yeah, she does sound perfect," I agreed with him.
His smile grew wider.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
The bandit shot to his feet, revealing his top half above the water. "Lord Sabastian?"