Wara woke up startled. She was certain she had felt someone looming over her seconds ago.
She glanced at the ceiling of the tent and shut her eyes once more.
'Where am I?' she thought to herself. She tried to trace back what she had done and how she had gotten there. She remembered running into a small camp and asking for Nak.
Wara groaned internally. She felt sore and numb all over. "Ecate"
As soon as those words had been uttered, her blisters and wounds healed themselves.
Wara lulled herself to sleep once more and had the feeling of someone trying to touch her hair. She frowned as the person immediately left.
Her eyes flew open when she heard the unmistakable shriek of the ptiya.
"Zola!" Then came the dreaded thought. Was he safe? She shot up from where she lay with an exhale.
Anger clouded her eyes from deep within her. She had no clue what was going on. Someone was after her and wanted Zola's life and ptiyas could suddenly leave their habitat and swam the forest. Ptiyas could only multiply themselves twice before they died and never attacked unless stirred. They never even bothered themselves with other creatures which meant someone had set them up against her.
Those facts drove Wara mad with rage. Someone was deliberately trying to end her and Zola. Mostly Zola since the bird had been circling him.
She stormed right into the center of the ptiyas, not taking note of her surroundings and with a deep exhale, she gave a powerful shout.
"STOP!" the ptiyas paused and turned to her. She knew they would follow her if she ran and was proved right when the ptiyas shot after her as she ran faster than humanly possible.
She ran deep into the forest and muttered intelligibly as she ran, her eyes darkening as she did so. She stopped at a place where the space in between the trees was large and pulled her arms apart abruptly. The suddenly movement and burst of energy caused the air around her arms to pulsate and swirl.
Then she waited. She did not wait for long before the ptiyas began to circle her. A dark smile graced her lips and she pushed her palms together, rubbing them until the force was too strong to do so and then she raised a hand up as a vortex appeared and devoured the ptiyas.
The vortex remained in her hand and then, with a little twitch of her pinky, the vortex lit up in flames.
Wara stared into the forest, the gleam of vengeance in her eyes. She had discovered who was after her and swore to bring chaos to their very doorstep. If only she could figure out how.
But first, she needed to take care of the imp that thought he was quiet enough to sneak up on her.
The person startled Wara by turning the opposite way and running for dear life.
Wara's eyes narrowed to slits. She thought he was running to warn whoever he was running back to and then she gave chase.
She ran swiftly and with a hand on her skirt and another stretched out in front of her, Wara slowed down the pace of the runner.
She ran to his front and raised a hand in front of her, the cruel smile still on her lips. "Stop him" she whispered into the air and vines shot up from the ground and lined themselves up right where Sica would have placed his foot next, causing him to misplace his steps and fall.
Roots crawled onto his leg as he frantically groped around his waist for his pouch belt. His face paled when he realized he had left it in Yhra's tent.
He looked up to find Wara standing in front of him, her arm stretched out. The vines gathered themselves and caught Sica's arms, pulling him up so he was on eye level with her.
"You have seen too much." As Wara spoke, the vines crawled up to Sica's mouth and eyes. They covered his body and then began to squeeze.
A twig snapped and Wara turned back to find Fjammi frozen in place where he had stepped on a twig.
"We meet again." Wara gave him a sweet smile and tilted her head to the left. "You are not covered in flames this time."
Fjammi sighed and pointed at the figure covered in vines that was being squeezed to death.
"Please release him. I am sure he meant no harm." Worried about Sica, Fjammi had no time to ponder on why he had heard Wara speak in a language he did not recognize yet he had understood her clearly.
Wara smiled again and the vines disappeared, leaving a gasping red Sica staring at her in horror.
Wara's expression suddenly mirrored his as she made a mad dash for the camp.
Fjammi watched her run in confusion and went forward to help Sica up. "She is strange." He noted dully.
Sica grunted in pain and clutched his side. Bringing his hand up to steady himself on a tree, he exhaled through his mouth. "You have no idea."
They both avoided the roots that still seemed to be alive and animated and jumped when one reached for their legs. They had a huge feeling that this dies lucis was going to change their lives forever.