Who knew Nate was such a romantic?
“That reminds me,” Malakai interrupted, stopping in his tracks. “You’ve got something of mine.”
I turned to him, frowning because he cut their cute moment short. “What?” That came out way too sharp…
“The carved cat.”
Oh, I had forgotten about it. My hand slipped into my jacket’s pocket and sure enough, it was still there. “This?”
He snagged it from my fingers without hesitation, before placing it in the chest pocket of his own jacket.
“You sure like cats,” I muttered.
“Show a puppy some love, and it will love you unconditionally, even if you betray it.” He began walking, his voice flat. “Show a kitten a little love, and it will rejectyou, time and time again, until you give it a home; only then, will it truly trust you.”
“I’m pretty sure cats love anyone who pet them,” Nate murmured confused.
“Yeah, until you rub their belly, then they bite.” Ashley shivered at the thought.
“So, why did you get that wooden carving?” I asked, looking up at Malakai.
“It reminded me of you, kitten,” he smirked.
“I’m not impossible like that!” I hissed. “I trusted my squad from the start.”
“No you didn’t,” Nate and Ashley echoed in harmony. I glared at them.
A gun shot rang out close by, and we all froze in place, laughter dying, murmurs in the background silencing. Was there a battle? Were we being ambushed again?
“There’s a field up ahead, maybe three-hundred feet,” Michlael warned with a leveled voice, enough for the ones around to hear, but kept down from potential threats. “There will be no cover, full exposure and it sounds like we’re not the first to arrive.”
“Keep your eyes sharp and stay close, kitten,” Malakai added, but as he took a step, a gun fired from our right.
Ashen Corps?
Malakai swung his hand out and grabbed me, spinning us around to cover me. Nate fumbled with his gun, before returning fire, protecting Ashley as she rummaged through her bag for the right bomb.
“Mey, get closer!” Nate shouted.
Soldiers emerged from the forest, wearing clothing we knew all too well, as they lifted their weapons to take aim. Water surged over them, like a tide riding in, swallowing everything in its path. One of the Ashen Corps threw abomb at it, the explosion sundering the tension which kept the wave together, creating a wide opening for the rest of them to avoid the wall of water.
A flame spurted in my palm and I tried shaping it into a ball, hurling it at them. It landed on the ground, the grass catching fire.
“Your aim needs work,” Malakai snorted beside me, snapping his fingers as red threads spread across the ground, climbing up a soldier and slicing his weapon into dust.
People who witnessed it froze in place.
“What was that?” a mage called out, fear lacing his voice.
The blood had splashed from the impact with the weapon, now covering the soldier’s face. The man began shaking as his hand wiped it off and once his eyes registered the thick liquid, heran.
“Was that… blood?” Nate asked, confused, looking at the red stain painting the leftovers of the soldier’s gun.
“There’s no such thing as blood magic!” another mage shouted out and their panic began spreading.
Malakai simply smirked, realizing his own slip and seemed to revel in their reactions.
Or perhaps he had grown tired of hiding?
