Children of Chaos - Book 1

“You pulled them with you, all those innocent lives…One by one dragging them down into your personal hell…Why?”

“Because it was the only way I knew how to save Asha.”

It was quiet, up there on the hill, as you looked down over the valley. It was almost time for the sun to rise, and with its first light the group would come. Just as you had told them to. You sighed and closed your eyes, thinking about the night before. You had told Lynn and Ethan the truth about why you had left. . But you had not told them what had happened after you left or who you had become. They would find out soon enough. Too soon.

You remembered their faces, Lynn just standing there, her arms folded over her chest, her eyes never leaving your face, as if she were trying to make up her mind whether to believe you or not. Ethan had reacted very typically for him. He had tried to take your hand into his, to comfort you, to be your friend, but you had moved away. That had hurt him, you had seen it in his eyes, but you ignored it. You owed them nothing more. You didn’t want comfort, you didn’t want pity. All you needed from them was for them to be on this quest. The conversation had confirmed what you had already known. Their friend, the girl you had been three years ago, was gone. There was nothing between the three of you but memories.

The first rays of sunlight were creeping over the horizon giving the world a golden glow, and you sighed again, wishing that the stillness of the moment could stay. That was the moment the first birds began to sing and you chuckled. The world seemed to be mocking you. You had been on your own for so long that you had gotten used to the silence. Now that would be very different. People were loud, they were needy and you would have to keep them on your side. Something you were decidedly bad at. It was going to be hell.

The first figure appeared at the bottom of the hill and you wrapped the shadows around yourself, shielding yourself from sight. A part of you had to admit that you weren’t entirely comfortable with the idea of having to interact with them individually. Waiting until they were all there would definitely make things easier. It would also give you time to observe them.

When the figure came closer you realized that it was Nami, or the creepy girl as you called her in your head. She was wearing a pair of black jeans, black boots, and dark green shirt, covered by a black hoodie. Her multicoloured hair was frizzy and wild, held back by a simple hair band.

Her fingers were moving to an unseen beat, drumming against her thigh, her eyes, unfocused and far away, while her lips moved constantly. Was she talking to herself? The girl came to a halt near you, her lips still moving, and this time you could make out the words.

“Maybe, but it could be good…. No… No, we’re alone.”

She looked around nervously, her eyes suddenly sharp, and then they wandered off into the distance again.

“Patience”, she said in a slightly annoyed voice. “They’ll come.”

You felt a shudder run down your spine as you listened to the girl talking to herself. Suddenly the girl froze and stopped talking, her eyes regained focus and she looked down the hill where a figure was coming towards her.

“Hi. I guess we’re the first ones here”, Megumi said with a kind smile, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as she came up next to Nami, a spring in her step, her two long pigtails swinging back and forth. She looked just as you remembered her. With colourful sneakers, and, over a blue overall, pink hoodie with a teddy bear hood, she looked as if she had jumped straight out of one of her beloved Japanese comic books. It was adorable and disturbing all in one. Nami just looked at her, blinked a couple of times, cocked her head and then, finally nodded.

“Yes.”

After that, there was an uncomfortable silence in which Nami’s eyes wandered off into the distance again, her lips twitching ever so slightly. Megumi, realizing that the interaction was over, suddenly looked very interested in the hem of her shirt between her fingers. Occasionally she would glance over at Nami with barely contained curiosity and then quickly look back at her fingers. You held back a chuckle. Megumi was exactly as you remembered her. Childlike and innocent.

The awkward silence was luckily interrupted by Emrys and Lynn, who arrived together. Emrys was saying something to Lynn who rolled her eyes in annoyance, the smallest hint of a smile on her face. The two of them arrived at the top of the hill and greeted the two girls. Megumi looked so relieved that it was comical, and Nami, after muttering a quick hello, went back to staring into the distance, her lips pressed together in a thin line as if trying hard not to let any sound escape.

You looked over at Lynn, Emrys and Megumi, who were exchanging some small talk. Where was Ethan? Lynn and Ethan were usually glued together by hip, but there was no sign of him. Then again it was completely possible for them to have outgrown that phase, how would you know? So instead of wondering about Ethan, you decided to take a closer look at the four people in front of you.

Emrys, or Ice Boy as you liked to call him in your head, stood out the most. He was wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and over it a pale grey vest lined with white fur, black jeans and black sturdy boots. On his hips rested two old-fashioned pistols, silver, lined with gold. You assumed they were magical. His shoulder length white hair was messy and pulled away from his face into a half ponytail, his pale blue eyes narrowed as he looked around and his lips were pulled back in a sneer-like smile.

Lynn was the only one who looked like she was dressed practically and not for a fashion show. Her auburn locks were pulled into a tight ponytail, not a strand left free. She was wearing a blue shirt that brought out her eyes, dark jeans and hiking boots. Strapped to her back was a crossbow and on her hip rested a dagger. You assumed there were other blades hidden on her. The thought made you smile. Despite the simplicity, she looked like a supermodel, tall and graceful. There was something off about her, though. Her eyes were a little red as if she had been crying. Megumi seemed to have noticed this as well because she walked up to Lynn and put her hand on her arm.

“Everything alright?”, she asked in a low voice, he eyes full of concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.” Lynn said, forcing a smile. She didn’t look like everything was fine. She looked sad and angry.

“Where’s Ethan?”, Megumi asked with concern. Lynn hesitated, but before it could become too noticeable, Ice Boy jumped in.

“I think the better question is: Where is Kyra? She’s the one who told us not to be late, yet here we are and no sight of her. ”

The arrogant undertone in his words had not gone by unnoticed, but you chose to ignore the comment and to refrain from poking him with your blades, no matter how tempting it was to see him jump out of his skin. You had more self-control than that.

“As long as she doesn’t jump out on us like that again”, Lynn said dryly.

“Running with shadows, walking with ghosts... it's a dangerous game. That’s what Kyra does.”

Nami's dreamy voice caught everyone’s attention, making them turn towards her in surprise and obvious discomfort, which she seemed blissfully unaware of. She just smiled and bent down to inspect a flower in the grass

“Yeah…right”, Emrys snarled while Lynn just shrugged, dismissing Nami’s words, but you shuddered. She wasn’t the first to call what you did ghost walking. You remembered Gamma’s words: “Don’t walk with Ghosts, Kyra! You may well become one yourself.”

“Aidan’s missing too”, Megumi pointed out a little too casually, tearing you from that particular memory. You rolled your eyes. Megumi and Aidan, same old story. You sighed, and Ice Boy looked up, his eyes suddenly fixing on the spot where you were standing. He wasn’t looking at you, not exactly, but at the ground beneath you. You raised an eyebrow as you watched him. Something was up with this guy. The suspicion you had had the other day came back to you, and you decided not to dismiss it so easily. There had to be a reason why Morgain had chosen him after all.

“Nope! I’m right here”, a happy voice from behind you announced, making you nearly jump out of your skin. You were glad that no one could see you because that would have totally ruined the whole mysterious vibe thing you had going on. Megumi smiled at him and blushed when he smiled back. You rolled your eyes, feeling a little annoyed.

“Where are Ethan and Kyra?”, Aidan asked, looking at Lynn.

“How would I know?”, she snapped, her eyes stormy.

“You and Ethan are usually glued at the hip”, he shrugged.

Lynn clenched her jaw and turned away while Ice Boy glared at Aidan as if he had just insulted his mother. Whether it was for the comment or just because Aidan was very annoying wasn’t clear to you, the second seemed a plausible option in your humble opinion. Aidan scratched his head, a confused expression on his face, and turned towards Megumi. ‘What did I do?’, he mouthed to which she shrugged, concern in her eyes.

Lynn’s reaction to such a simple comment worried you. It was true that Lynn and Ethan were usually together, you had thought so before yourself, but yesterday when you’d talked to them, something had already seemed off… What if the information had been too much for Ethan? What if he had decided to back out? That would make everything more complicated. You would have to find a replacement, you would have to talk to Ethan about keeping quiet. You didn’t think that he would tell the Elders about this, but you would have to make sure. You were already going into plan B mode, thinking of convincing Morgain, who was a daughter Eretz as well, to come along anyway, when Ethan came running up the hill. Relief washed over you and your whole body relaxed, as you let out a breath you hadn't known you'd been holding.

“Sorry I’m late”, he gasped, looked around and added “Where’s Kyra?”

“She’s not…”

“Here.”, you interrupted Aidan, stepping out of the shadows right next to his ear, making him jump out of his skin. If you were lucky he’d just peed himself a little. The others didn’t jump as much as Aidan had, but they all looked startled. All but Emrys and Nami. Emrys looked suspicious and Nami... well you weren't entirely sure that she had noticed you yet.

“Would you stop that!”, Lynn snapped, glaring at you.

“Totally saw that one coming”, Aidan said, his voice just the slightest bit shaky.

“Sure you did”, Emrys murmured, earning a nasty look from Aidan and a barely contained grin from Lynn.

You kept your face straight, not without effort. “Sorry”, you said, not sounding sorry at all. “It’s a habit.” Lynn and Emrys both rolled their eyes while Ethan looked slightly amused.

“So what’s the plan now?”, Nami asked, her eerie eyes fixed on something above your head. You fought the urge to look up. Her eyes were unnerving. They were a strange pale lilac colour, unlike anything you had ever seen. But it was more than that. Something about those eyes made you feel as if Nami could see more than most. The thought sent a cold shiver running down your spine

“Now we leave”, you said and, with a wicked grin, you wrapped them all in shadows.

Dark walking was a funny business. It was the art of using the layers between the world of the living and the world of the dead, as a gateway. There were seven layers, and only the first could be used safely. The deeper you went the faster you could travel, but the deeper layers held other dangers. Dangers you weren’t willing to face if you didn’t have to. You had stumbled across your ability to do so by accident, but you had to admit that it was quite handy. You could travel anywhere you wanted, in a tiny amount of time. The downside was that it felt a lot like being flipped upside down repeatedly and took a lot of energy. You had gotten used to the sensation, almost enjoyed it now actually, but you knew that the others would most likely not be able to see the fun in it as you did.

Your were proven right. Upon your arrival, mere moments later, they all looked as if they had just had gone through a giant laundry machine. Everyone but Emrys landed on the ground with either their butts or faces in the dirt. Just as you were about to be impressed by Emrys’ sturdiness, he turned around and threw up in the bushes. Twice. You wrinkled your nose. That was just nasty.

“What was that?”, Aidan finally asked, his voice shaky, his face pale. You wished you had a camera, but opted to keep this locked away somewhere for a rainy day.

“That? That was Emrys throwing up in the bushes, with a very unnecessary encore.”, you commented dryly.

“Haha”, Ice Boy muttered. “Hilarious.” He didn’t get further than that before turning green again and putting a hand to his mouth and stomach. Slowly he sat down, putting his head between his knees. You actually felt a little bad for him.

“The other thing was what I call dark walking. The type of transportation that’s the most efficient, and fun I might add.”

“Fun is not the word I would use to describe that”, Lynn said. She was leaning against a tree, her eyes looking up at the sky to keep her head from spinning.

“Me neither”, Ice Boy dryly remarked, wiping his mouth. “ Anyone got water?”.

Lynn nodded, naturally, and handed him a bottle of which he took a big swig and then spat it out. He still looked a little green, but he seemed to be recovering. Nami was just staring at you and there was something akin to fear in those wide purple eyes. A fear that you thought had very little to do with you and more to do with what just happened. You turned away from her, unwilling to meet that eerie gaze longer than you needed to, and towards Ethan. He seemed to already have recovered surprisingly well, probably by using his connection to the earth to steady himself. At last your eyes turned to Megumi who was sitting the furthest away from the group on a little patch of grass. She was wearing an odd expression on her face, one that you couldn’t quite place, and just when you thought you had already scared her off, her face cracked into a wide grin.

“That. Was. Freaking. Awesome! Can we do that again?”

She looked up at you with wide excited eyes, like a little child and you stared at her in disbelief. She looked so cute, sitting there on the ground, with those wide eyes and that wide grin that you couldn’t help yourself. You started laughing. The others, who moments before had been staring at Megumi in disbelief, now turned towards you, confusion on their faces. Then, slowly, they started to smile as well, shaking their heads at her childlike joy. As you looked at her glowing expression you felt a flicker of affection towards that girl that surprised you. You had always liked Megumi and her sweet innocence, and now you began to remember why. She had the ability to make people happy, just by being who she was.

“Definitely”, you said with a soft smile, ignoring the groans of the others. You looked up and caught Ethan smiling at you as if he understood exactly what you were feeling, and you felt your face go rigid again. This was just a quest. These people were not your friends.

“Where are we?”, Aidan finally asked as he looked around. The others turned to you at the question and started looking around as well. You were standing at the edge of a large meadow, surrounded by high grass.

“I’ll answer that question in a second. Can we first move to the other side of the meadow? It smells like vomit here”, you said with a pointed look at Ice Boy.

“Yeah, I think Emrys did not enjoy that ride at all”, Lynn smirked as she looked at the person in question. Ice boy, still a little green, just glared at her.

“Very funny… I happen to prefer conventional methods of transportation.”

The others chuckled at that while you got up and moved as far away from the vomit as you could.

“Now that I can breathe again, I’ll answer Aidan’s question,”, you said, spinning around to face them. “We are in Switzerland, which happens to be completely devoid of magic, and therefore ways for the elders to spy on us. It’s also free from monsters; they don’t seem to like the climate here, which makes it a practical place to discuss our plans in peace. This is a small forest I chose for several reasons.You see that cave over there?”, You pointed at a cave just beyond the clearing, barely visible behind a couple of bushes, “I’ve hidden supplies, such as food and flashlights, tents and weapons there. I suggest we set up camp and then discuss our plans.”

They all gave you a strange look, and you had to remember that some of them had never even left the Reservoir. They knew the modern, non-magical world outside of the Reservoir, in theory, but some had never experienced it. Well, they would just have to get used to it.

You went towards the cave and started pulling out three tents, two big ones and one small one, seven sleeping bags and a small plastic camping table. You turned around, hoping to see them all busy at work, but they just stood there, staring at you.

“Come on guys! Let’s set up, and then we’ll discuss the plan.”

Slowly they went to work. It took over three hours to set up all the tents, mainly because you had to do most of it yourself. These people, who had trained all their lives how to fight monsters that never really attacked, were completely useless when it came to survival skills. The irony of it all did not pass you by. Of course, the Elders only had them fight because it was “traditional”, not because they actually expected them to defend themselves.

Once set up you all gathered around the blue camping table, where you had a map spread out. You had already marked the seven targets on it, in the order you wished to approach them.

“So you all know what we’re after right?”, you asked, looking around the circle. Everyone nodded.

“Well does anyone know the story behind it?”, you asked again.

“Yeah yeah yeah,”, Aidan said in a bored voice. “We’ve all heard the story about a million times. There was this big war of the Gods, Shinehah, sided with Ereb, wanting to cast the world into chaos and darkness. The Six managed to defeat Ereb and Shinehah, casting them and their followers out, but Shinehah and Ereb managed to hide away the City of the Gods, the source of their power, and thus the gods were forced to leave the earth. Blah blah blah… You now claim to know where it is and how to get it back. Did I get that right?”, he asked and looked at you mockingly. You gave him a cold smile.

“Almost Aidan. “, you said in a calm voice. “Yes, Shinehah and Ereb did join forces, but they didn’t cast the city away in a final attempt to spite the Six. They ceased it with the intention of using it against the Six. Shinehah sealed it, so only she could use it, as only she or her descendants could unlock the seal. The Six knew that with the City of Gods, Shinehah and Ereb would actually be able to succeed eventually, so they themselves cast it away. In order to keep the city from Shinehah, each of the Six gave the city their own seal, and they cast it into the shadow world. That’s the world we travelled through to get here. There are different layers to it, the top ones can be used to travel faster, as everything is connected, but the deeper ones are a lot harder to get to. That’s where the city is now.

In order to destroy Shinehah’s power, they had to destroy their own. Shinehah and Ereb were cast out with the Gods' final power, and to this day they haven’t been able to regain it because the source is sealed away. Only their descendants can unlock the seals.”

“That’s why you need us.”, Ice boy said in a cold voice. ”Each one of us represents a different God. We’re all gifted, we all hold their power. You think we will be able to break the seal.”

“Exactly”, you said, looking at him, your face completely blank.

“But what about Shinehah’s seal? All her descendants were killed or cast out.” Megumi started, sounding confused. Then her eyes widened as she looked at you. “ You…”, she whispered, taking an involuntary step back.

You pulled back your sleeve and took off the black fingerless glove you wore at all times, revealing the seven-rayed sun on the inside of your wrist. You half expected a collective gasp.

Nami’s and Megumi’s eyes widened while Emrys’ narrowed. Ethan and Lynn had already known, of course, you had told them yesterday, but Aidan did not look surprised either. You gave him a quick look and then turned back to the others. There was a deadly silence, until Ice boy laughed out loud, making Megumi jump, and look at him accusingly.

“That’s rich! A child of the traitor wants to lead us on a quest to the Lost City. What? So you can kill us and cease all that power for yourself? What makes you think we should trust you?”

You suppressed the flash of anger that his words ignited in you, forcing yourself to remain calm. This, of course, was the trickiest part of the plan. You didn’t need them to trust you exactly, but you couldn’t have them completely mistrusting you either.

“Of course we can trust her...”, Ethan started, but you held up your hand, interrupting him.

“I get it. It’s a natural reaction. We’ve been told all our lives that Shinehah’s children are vile and evil. I believed that too until I found out I was one of them. How strange? I didn’t feel vile. I didn’t feel evil. I just felt afraid, because I knew that this would mean my death. That’s why I want to find the Lost City.

It can give us power, yes, but it will also give us the respect we deserve. It will right many of the wrongs that have been thrust upon us by tradition and foolish old men. Many of us have been cast out, for being different. The Elders tried to kill me, just because I have the blood of a traitor who doesn’t even exist anymore. I have no love for Shinehah, I am not proud of my heritage, and I do not plan on casting the world into chaos either. So why should I suffer for someone else’s mistakes?

None of us can pick who our ancestors are. I’m planning on proving them wrong. They can no longer hunt down people, cast them out, just because they’re different. I want to create a safe place. A place where we don’t care about how useful a power is for the community, or how conventional it is. A place where we are all equal.

This quest will be my redemption. ”

You had spoken with conviction, looking each of them in the eyes, clenching your fists, as if what you were saying was really what you believed. As if you really wanted to be redeemed.

Morgain had said that she had picked these people for a reason. As you looked around the circle now, you thought you might know what the reason was. They all looked as if they understood what you were talking about, as if they too, had experienced what it was like to be unaccepted by the Elders and their standards. The Elders wanted things to be traditional, according to the old ways, but more and more of the younger people were beginning to show new powers, stranger powers. More and more of them wished to escape.

Like Megumi. She was a child of Shemayim, goddess of the air, but her power wasn’t to fly or to change the weather, like most gifted Shemayim. Her ability was that she could create vacuums, or she could solidify the air. She had powers that couldn’t be used to support the community and, therefore, were considered useless.

Or Aidan, a son of Esh the fire God. Esh had been born out of the Sun, he was Shinehah’s son, and therefore not to be trusted. Esh may have helped ban Shinehah, but amongst the clans, Esh’s children were still considered the lowest of rank, the dangerous, impulsive ones. They were constantly watched, constantly criticised. Even though the Elders consisted of representatives of each clan, that of Esh was a weak voice, unheard above those of the others.

Nami, well it wasn’t hard to figure out how she wouldn’t fit in. She seemed powerful, but strange, a misfit, someone to be weary off. It would do well to remember that.

And Emrys? You had a pretty good guess as to why he wasn’t very popular with the Elders. They feared power, and Emrys was most definitely powerful.

Only Lynn and Ethan didn’t fit the criteria. They had both developed their powers fairly early and excelled in them. Their powers were traditional, helpful for the community. Lynn could control any kind of water, and Ethan was an incredibly gifted gardener. The plants he sowed never died and brought more fruit than anyone else’s. He was the real gift to the community. Still, both of them were here, and neither of them looked as if they were going anywhere.

You looked around the circle again and were met with determined expressions.

“I don’t care which clan you belong to Kyra. You’re my friend and I trust you. I’m in.”, Ethan said, giving you a determined smile. You gave him a grateful nod , appreciating the trust he was giving you, and feeling undeserving of it at the same time.

“I’ll second that.”, Lynn said, looking straight at you for the first time, her eyes looking for something in yours. You weren’t sure if she found it or not.

“Hell, I definitely wouldn’t mind getting some more respect, plus I’m always up for an adventure.”, Aidan smirked, as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

Megumi nodded. “They’ve been on me for a long time, for being different, for being who I am. I don’t want that anymore. I want to find a place where I can be who I am”, she said, a determined look on her face. You nodded at her.

“Risk my life just so I can piss off the Elders? I guess I’m in”, Emrys said and gave you a crooked smile.

You all turned to Nami, who was playing with the grass next to her feet. Her brows were furrowed, her eyes closed, her lips moving ever so slightly, and you realized just how young she was. She was maybe sixteen! Suddenly she looked up and straight into your eyes.

“I want to be free,”, she said, her voice calm but determined. Her eyes held yours and you once again felt as if those pale eyes could see beyond the surface. Then her eyes abruptly left yours and she returned her attention to the grass surrounding her, whistling a small tune.

“Alright then”, you said, a grim smile on your face.

It was getting dark and you started straying from the provisional camp you had set up, moving into the woods, sitting down on a toppled over tree, your eyes staring at the bark in front of you. First stop: Siberia, or better the Altai Mountains, where the key to Esh’s gate lay hidden. The seven of you had spent the better part of the day discussing the plan you had presented to them. They had asked a lot of questions, and you had had to lie, repeatedly. It was exhausting, all that lying, and you could feel the guilt weighing heavily on your chest.

You had spent over a year researching the events connected to the Lost City. You had travelled all over the world, and you had found pieces of the puzzle, pieces that told you a very different story than the one you had been told at the Reservoir. It was a story of betrayal, loss and pain.The story you had told them wasn’t a lie, exactly, but it wasn’t the truth either. It was true that the Six had sealed the Lost City away, but they hadn’t done it to keep it away from Shinehah. They’d done it to keep Shinehah away.And to make sure that she stayed there they had hunted and killed all those who could perhaps, somehow, free her. Her descendants.

Over the years, the stories of what had happened had been altered and lost. The Elders today, probably didn’t even know the real story anymore, and that was why this was the perfect time to do what you were planning on doing. You were going to unleash Shinehah. The Elders were going to pay for all the pain and suffering they’d caused you and every other descendant of the Sun goddess. They were going to suffer as you had, and then, finally, Asha would be safe.

You heard gentle footsteps approaching you, tearing you from your thoughts. You touched the bracelets around your wrists. It was probably someone from your group, but experience had taught you to be weary.

“What are you thinking?”

You didn't turn around to look at Lynn, but instead kept staring at the tree you had been looking at for the last ten minutes.

“Everything.”

It sounded tired. Even to you, but she chuckled. That had been a private joke between the two of you. She had always told you that you thought too much, that you were always trying to think about everything at once. How could you have forgotten?

“You always are”, she sighed and sat down next to you. “At least that hasn’t changed. This may be too straight forward, but I guess that’s just how I am. What happened to your face?”

It was very straight forward, but Lynn had always been that way. Never beating around the bush. Your hand wandered to the pale, thin scar running over the left side of your face. It tingled when you touched it, bringing a bitter smile to your face.

“I got in a fight.”

“Did you win?”

There was silence after that. Did you win? It didn’t feel like a victory, that’s why the scar was still there, and at the same time, you had won. You’d defeated the other person. Wasn’t that the definition of victory?

“No,”, you finally said, your hand still lightly touching the scar, your eyes far away.

“Ethan broke up with me.”, she said, her voice even and neutral, but her hands were fiddling with her knife, giving away her uneasiness.

“Why?” You looked at her for the first time, your expression kind and attentive. You really wanted to know. They had always seemed so… perfect. And last night, they had been holding hands, hugging each other...All had seemed normal. She was silent for a long time, and when she finally spoke you could tell that she was holding something back.

“We want different things I guess. We grew apart. I think he just saw it before I did.” She sighed and looked at you. “As did we, didn’t we?”

Her words and her intense blue eyes made you feel uncomfortable.

“Lynn”, you started, but she interrupted you

“I’m here for you Kyra. You were gone for three years. I’m not going to pretend that you’re still the same person I knew, hell I’m definitely not the person I was, but I’d like to believe that we’re still friends.” She gave you a small smile.

You looked down at your hands, they were playing with a small piece of wood. You hadn’t even noticed that you’d picked it up. Suddenly you felt tired, tired of this conversation, tired of the past that seemed to insist on bombarding you from every side.

“Thank you, Lynn. Maybe, we’ll find our way back." But the words sounded hollow to you and guilt washed over you once again . Maybe you would find a way back, but it would not be for a long time. You had no room for it at the moment.

After that, there was silence. She stayed there for a little longer, maybe waiting for you to say something else, and when you didn’t she got up and left. You closed your eyes and sighed, leaning your head back. Why were people so complicated? You had no room for anything but this mission, this mission and Asha. Your hand wandered to the locket, hidden under your black shirt.

“Almost there”, you muttered, “almost there.”

“Who are you talking to?”, a voice asked from behind you, and you sighed again, loudly. You couldn't believe that he had managed to sneak up on you. You really needed to get your act together.

“What do you want Aidan?”, you asked, unable to keep the annoyance out of your voice. Couldn’t these people take a hint? People walked away into the woods to be alone! Not to be followed.

“I wanted to talk to you. We never got a chance to finish our conversation from the other night.”

“I recall differently. I distinctly recall telling you that it was none of your business.”

You regarded him coolly, your eyes meeting his.

“Why are you really doing this Kyra?”, he asked leaning against a tree not far from you.

“I told you”, you said in a cold voice. “I believe it’s not that hard to understand, or have your brain cells reduced since we last spoke?” You put as much arrogance as you could into those words, hoping that he’d get the hint.

He chuckled at that. “As charming as ever.”

“I asked you, what you want?” Your voice was now borderline hostile, and he raised his eyebrow at you, a cocky smile on his face.

“Did you develop anger issues in these last three years, or is it especially for me?”

“Leave me alone Aidan. I don’t have the nerves to deal with you,”, you said in a tired voice, not even looking at him.

He looked at you in surprise, his cockiness gone for the first time on this entire trip. He actually looked hurt by what you said.

“What happened to you? Last I remembered we were friends … I don’t get it Kyra. Before you just up and vanished, we were good and now you come back and suddenly you don’t have the nerves to deal with me.”

You looked up at him in surprise.

“We were good? In what world? You used me, just like you’re using Megi now. You weren’t interested in her back then, and you’re not interested in her now, still you keep her around. Just because you need the attention. You’re pathetic.”

The words had sounded harsh and cold, even to you. It would have been wiser to keep your mouth shut, to say that you were tired, to hold it in, but you’d always had a hard time with wisdom when it came to Aidan. You hadn’t meant to say them, but now they were out and there was no taking them back. What if he decided to give up the quest before it had even begun? Your rash actions endangered everything. How was it that he could still affect you in this way? It frustrated you, but it seemed that your words had had an even bigger effect on him. The anger vanished out of his eyes immediately only to be replaced with hurt and guilt, his shoulders slumped.

“Kyra… It wasn’t like that. I…”, he started, but you waved him off. This was not something you wanted to talk about.

“I don’t care Aidan. Go away, please. I came out here to be alone, not to be pestered.”

You sat down and closed your eyes, leaning back against the tree. He stood there for a while, most likely thinking of something to say, and then he stomped away. You clenched your hands to keep them from shaking. With what, you weren’t exactly sure. Anger? Fear? Exhaustion?

It truly was quite impressive, you thought wryly. It was only the first day and already you’d had two confrontations. You really hoped that it would decrease from here on out.