Other Fan Fiction ❯ Black Roses ❯ The Loss of Our Friend ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Kuyo opened his eyes, but could not get them to focus. Everything kept moving and swerving and it was making the dragon dizzy. He thought he would fall down for a moment, before he realized he hadn’t gotten up.
Why do I feel so heavy?
Kuyo closed his eyes, letting himself fall back into darkness. He hadn’t seen the heavy chains holding his body to the ground. Or the barrier around him.
As he slept, Kuyo dreamed of roses. Black roses, tearing into a human hand with their thorns. Instead of blood coming from the wounds, tears fell. And when they hit the earth, more roses grew and gripped the hand.

~~~

A brief glow of light disrupted the still atmosphere and ruffled the dry leaves underfoot. It took a moment for Leah’s eyes adjust to the mellow light now surrounding her. But once her mind and eyes were focused, the girl pushed her way out of Evange’s grip, stumbling as she went. The boy made no attempt to restrain her and didn’t move towards Leah after she was out of his arms.
Leah stood away from Evange, trying to sort her thoughts. She had come to Hook Coast to find a means of killing Evange. Somehow, she had been sucked into the company of Reaper. She never dreamed the two could be the same.
What do I do now?
“Here,” Leah was startled out of her reverie when Evange threw something to her, “I won’t force you to stay.”
He turned away, leaning against a tree, suddenly exhausted. Leah opened her hands to see the guild seal Evange had thrown to her. He was letting her go but condemning himself. He had no hope of outrunning Gladiator without it.
Leah was torn. Should she just leave? If she stayed, would she have to kill him?
Maybe... I should stay.
Evange glanced back, smirk in place, “What? Have you grown so fond of me that you just can’t bear being without me?”
Leah frowned, clutching the guild seal, “I’m leaving.” There was a pause, “I just don’t know how to use this.”
“Think only of the place you want to go. It’ll take care of the rest.”
Evange’s voice was flat, he had turned the other way and didn’t see Leah’s nod. He heard the faint sound of the guild seal whisking her away. Perhaps she would go to Gladiator and tell him of Evange’s hiding place. Maybe she’d pretend Evange never existed.
Is that what I want her to do?
Evange slid down the tree, sitting as he reached the ground. He rested his head on his hands, unable to care that Gladiator might come here any moment to kill him. He had set the girl free and he was annoyed with his reaction to it. Evange had hoped with the girl gone he would be released from his strange behavior. However, with her dismissal, Evange couldn’t focus on anything but her.
The boy wasn’t happy and dark whispers caressed him. Thoughts of blood and pain comforting him. But thoughts and memories were not enough. Hunger had overcome Evange. He needed suffering as others needed food.
With that wench gone, I can finally have some fun.
It took a few minutes of walking before Evange heard voices and laughter. A dark smile spread over his face, his hand glowing an electric blue. He would paint a masterpiece of horror on this day, while filling his hunger.
What would she think of me if she knew me this way?

~~~

Leah sank to the ground, relieved that the guild seal had worked. Snow gently fell around her, merging with its brethren that had come before it. All around was a blank white cover of ice and snow.
The thought of telling Gladiator where Evange was, hadn’t crossed her mind. She had come back to Hook Coast for only reason. To reunite with Kuyo.
I hope he’s not annoyed. He doesn’t like it when he has to sit and wait for nothing.
Leah scanned the area around her, seeing the town stretching below her. She could remember parting with Kuyo after they had landed by the town. But where had he gone after that? The dragon would usually stay close by, so Leah assumed he would be somewhere around.
“...Kuyo? It’s time to go. Are you here?”
The girl kept her voice low, not wanting to attract attention to herself. If she were found and recognized by the Hook Coast people, they would want to question her about Evange. And she would have no answers for them.
“Ku-!”
Leah let out a sharp gasp as the ground under her foot gave way and she almost fell into a large hole. The girl squinted into the hole, something inside catching the light. Leah carefully slid into the hole, groaning as she saw there had been a normal entrance.
Looks like this was dug recently...
The girl went to searching for whatever had caught the light before, her face close to the ground. A small cry of joy escaped her as she saw what she had been looking for. It was a large purple scale, one of Kuyo’s, no doubt.
He’s close, then!
Leah picked the scale up, admiring the color as she made her way out of the burrow. She looked up to the sky, trying to see if Kuyo was flying, when something gave a loud crack under her boots. Leah stepped back, observing what she had stepped on.
It was another of Kuyo’s scales. It had already been broken before Leah had stepped on it. When the girl looked around, many scales had been scattered around. And among those was snow stained red.
Shudders shook Leah, her legs giving way without her noticing. She slumped forward, staring with vacant eyes at what she wished was a cruel nightmare. Kuyo’s blood and scales. Upturned snow, broken fragments of weapons flung around.
Tears ran down Leah’s face, and sobs finally shook away her shock. She hid her face in her arms, trying to block out the evidence. Hoping Kuyo would sail down and show that he was alright. A light wind picked up, snow swirling around the girl.
The sweet smell of rotten food escaped Leah’s notice. Elisa’s basket left where she had dropped it.
No one but the snow listened to the broken sobs in the air. And it could only offer the cold comfort of death.

~~~

People bustled in and out of the crowded tavern, drunkards pushed aimlessly through the crowd. People shouted over each other to talk and their laughter echoed around the room, there was a group of people singing in drunken voices. The barkeep laughed as he spoke with a customer, setting down another beer, his eyes wrinkling in the corners.
A girl stepped into the tavern, her face shadowed by a hood and cloak. Her steps were heavy and she stumbled as several people bumped against her, running into a table. But she kept going, her eyes trained on the barkeep.
“Excuse me, sir...”
The barkeep looked over, getting another beer ready.
“Excuse me but... Where can I find mercenaries for hire?”
The barkeep smiled in understanding, his plump face pulling back over his teeth. He pointed to a group of people silently sitting at a table, they were all sober despite the beers that sat near them. The girl nodded her thanks to the barkeep and made her way over.
She quickly made the arrangements, walking out of the tavern with four new companions. Three men and a woman, all self trained fighters and avoiding several places where they had committed crimes.
They’re more decent than my last companion.
Leah looked at Albion with determination. Nothing would keep her from getting to Kuyo. But her thoughts always wandered to Evange and the girl didn’t know why.
He’s gone. He has his own life to live just like I have mine.
Still, Leah couldn’t shake the feeling that Evange was the one she was supposed to be traveling with, now. Not these mercenaries. Would they care if she died?
Leah doubted they would.

~~~

“I just don’t understand... Seven massacres in two weeks? It doesn’t seem possible.” The guard waved his arms around, trying to illustrate how strange this was.
“Yeah, haven’t seen this kind of stuff since before Gladiator. Real strange stuff, it is.”
The two guards walked in silence, making sure all the traders were nestled in their tents.
Over the past few weeks, numerous people had been cut down while traveling between towns. At first, Gladiator had come to inspect the murders himself, but had grown frustrated when all wounds found were evidently made by a blade. There had been no word or assistance from him since then.
Lady Grey had posted guards out to help protect travelers. She knew Bowerstone needed the trade to survive. The people were joyed that their mayor cared so much that she would send such skilled guards to protect them.
The eternal darkness that hung over Darkwood seemed to hide malicious secrets tonight. The traders slept comfortably under the watchful eyes of their protectors. The guards kept weapons in hand and their eyes didn’t stop moving.
Since guards had been posted, no new murders. At least, not any that were found. Some people whispered about the lone travelers who had been forced to walking through Darkwood by themselves or suffering bankruptcy in Bowerstone. Those traders hadn’t been seen again.
Lady Grey attacked these rumors head on with her reasoning that no one actually had any record of these mysterious travelers. Thus, they didn’t exist.
It should’ve been a hard thing to tell a dying man no one thought he existed. It should’ve been... But for Evange, it never was.
All the boy would do was toy with them a bit. He didn’t consciously kill them... It wasn’t his fault.
They wanted to die.
Dead bodies littered Evange’s safe haven, his clothes and hair matted down with thick, dried blood. Only his teeth remained a gleaming white, flashing blue when his lightening illuminated the air. And that smile haunted the people long after they died, something so disturbingly cruel in it.
Evange had forgotten himself. He’d forgotten control. And he had forgotten to stop.
But something still lingered in his blood bathed mind. A thought that couldn’t be erased or washed away. It crawled beneath his skin and threatened to return him to the living. Evange both dreaded and wished for the day the thought would overcome him.
Does she think of me?...

~~~

So we notice that perhaps Evange isn’t as ‘evil’ as some think he is... At least not when it comes to Leah. :D
Personally, this chapter seems short and meaningless. But if you liked it, then I suppose that’s good, too.
...Evange is wishing he had a better part in this chapter!