tw slight gore

The girl—Eclipse—stormed forward and screamed right in Adahlia's face, "Why the hell are you here?" Adahlia flinched at the words. Eclipse saw this and took a step back, face contorted in rage and a hint of hurt.

"Tell me," she hissed, eyes livid. "What's the reason you're here for?"

When Adahlia didn't answer, she growled in frustration.

Avanth watched with wide eyes as Eclipse threw her hands up in the air, nearly hitting Adahlia's face. She was pale and trembling, her eyes downcast, just letting Eclipse throw a fit. She was somehow . . . subdued.

Adahlia opened her mouth but Eclipse's gaze snapped to Daxelle. She scanned the faerie and her stare lingered on her stomach, her mouth curving into a sneer. She started for Daxelle, the fae female drawing back, her hands coming up to protect her from this blob of terror.

"Look! You even brought your friends here with you," Eclipse snarled. She eyed them all, giving Zadyn a particularly nasty glare. "Did you really think you could get away with stealing the book?"

"W-what do you mean?" Adahlia asked. A pit of dread filled Avanth's stomach. She knows. If this prospect wasn't terrifying enough, Avanth caught Daxelle trading glances with him, her eyes begging him to help her. He had no idea what to do. His level of confrontation was below zero. He hated this. Avanth offered her a grimace, trying to convey something he didn't even know how to say.

Eclipse jabbed a finger at Daxelle's stomach, "Do you not think that's obvious? Why the hell would you come here except for the book?" Avanth jumped slightly as Daxelle whispered into his mind, Shit. What do I do?  

Avanth tried to give a subtle shrug. He tried mind-shouting a half-formed plan about slipping the book behind her back and tossing it to Zadyn, essentially playing a game of monkey in the middle with Eclipse. One problem; he had no idea how this mind-talking worked and didn't know if she could hear him through his own screamed thoughts.

Frick, frick, frick, Daxelle mumbled as Eclipse slammed her hand into her stomach. Daxelle let out a huff of air and arched slightly at the force against her stomach. The thud of flesh against wood sounded and there was no denying the book in Daxelle's shirt.

"What the hell is that then?" Eclipse deadpanned to Adahlia.

"A wooden gut?" Adahlia tried.

Eclipse's glare sharpened. "Cress sent you away;"—she swiveled toward Zadyn—"sent you away with the pitiful male."

"She sent me away with Zadyn," Adahlia corrected quietly. Avanth caught a glimpse of anger in her eyes, but that was quickly replaced by sadness. "And you know that."

Eclipse's face hardened, "Of course I know that, I was there!  Did you not fricking think to say goodbye when you left?" She heaved a deep breath, clutching at her stomach, the pain in her eyes giving away her façade.

"I couldn't," Adahlia whispered.

"I. Don't. Fricking. Care." Eclipse took a step towards Adahlia. "You've never given a shit about the rules Cress set. Why start obeying them now? Especially for your best friend. I was waiting near the lobby. I was waiting for you. For you to come out and hug me like a decent person!"

"I—I left through the back," Adahlia said, her voice barely audible in the harsh winds that have started to pick up. Her fists clenched. "I didn't see you."

"Well no shit," Eclipse advanced toward her, eyes blazing. "Do you know how long I stood there?"

When Adahlia shook her head, Eclipse was directly in front of her. "Five. Hours." 

Silver lined Adahlia's eyes as she watched Eclipse. "I'm sorry."

"Oh! You're sorry now, huh? Sorry doesn't cut it, sorry. Do you remember when I was sitting on the roof with you that day? Do you remember what you promised?" Eclipse screamed, her chest falling in erratic breathing patterns.

Adahlia blinked quickly, trying to clear the tears away. She let out a shaky breath, "I would n-never leave you. Not like them."

"Exactly! And what did you do next?" Eclipse snarled, her breath hitching. 

Adahlia muttered, "That's not fair." 

Avanth's chest clenched. He didn't like confrontation at all. He glanced at Daxelle, trying to ask her to form the mental bond, and found Daxelle was subtly trying to back away. Eclipse caught that look. "Ooh-hoo! Look at what missy's doing! A coward, just like you, Asteria, right?" Daxelle froze and anger flashed across her face.

Avanth saw Iaelie shaking her head out of the corner of his eye mouthing, The fight isn't worth it.

Daxelle's expression hardened and Avanth felt the mental channel open up this time. It was like a combination of that feeling of being watched and that freedom of speaking your mind. A pit opened in the center of his consciousness, three colorful breezes darting into his dark head. The ethereal drafts danced around his shadow-filled brain and snippets of conversation laced together until the wind was singing a song of human words.

We have to stop them! Daxelle said urgently, her eyes darting to where Adahlia stood against Eclipse.

Not for this cause. Daxelle, don't you dare do what you were thinking, Iaelie cautioned, her warning tone clear in Avanth's head. 

Daxelle watched the two old friends screaming across from them, pain clear in her voice. We can't just stand here. Iaelie, how would you feel if your fa—best friend was yelling at you? Please, I-I can't . . . I can't. 

Iaelie's eyes softened, This isn't your fight, Daxelle. Adahlia has this. 

Daxelle nodded, her focus returning to Adahlia and Eclipse. Avanth felt the link between the four of them dissipate, the soft breezes whisked back to their respective headspaces. Without the three colorful presences, Avanth's mind felt a bit empty. Zadyn met his eyes. He had been a silent observer in that conversation along with Avanth. 

Zadyn's eyes were wide, a warning shining on his face. He didn't need telepathy to understand the words in his eyes though.

The book, when Eclipse pointed . . . Daxelle doesn't have it.

Avanth's eyes widened. If Daxelle didn't have it . . . then what the hell was she holding onto? His mind was racing, half of his thoughts rushing to answer the question of how Zadyn figured it out and the other half, trying to find a way out of this situation.

No wonder it had been so easy. The book was never real. The Night Slayer's top weapon wouldn't be sitting out on a podium for all to see.

No one was that stupid.

"I thought you were my friend, Asteria! Guess not, you're just a backstabbing, traitorous, faerie," Eclipse spat, bringing Avanth out of his thoughts.

Adahlia's tears were flowing down her face now, "I d-didn't—I wasn't—I am your friend!"

Eclipse scoffed, "You have some funny way of showing it. Just look at you! All perfect with her perfect friends in her perfect little world—someone who doesn't need her old friend!"

"I do need you! You were my first friend! Doesn't that count for something? Why are you so pissed anyway? I left for two weeks and somehow I'm the villain now?" Adahlia cried, finally giving in to the anger clear on her face. Her shout startled Eclipse into silence for a few moments, but her anger returned with a vengeance, spit flying as she screamed at Adahlia.

"I thought you were a good person. I thought you were decent! But, you're just like all the other people in this world!" Eclipse's eyes were glassy, her furious expression swapped with one of hurt. There was a slight tremor in her voice, her words uneven with the heaving of her chest. She slipped her trembling hand into her jacket pocket.

"Guess what, Adahlia Lorei? I. Hate. You," Eclipse yelled, her voice breaking off in a sob. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you . . ." Crying out, she threw out her hand from her pocket and a silver book went flying toward Adahlia.

Eclipse trailed off of her string of hate as she started crying in earnest. She dropped to her knees and curled into herself.

Adahlia looked like someone had just stabbed her, visibly jerking backward. She let the book hit her shoulder, not daring to take her eyes off Eclipse, even to pick up the book on the ground. "I don't care, Esarae, I'm your friend no matter what."

Eclipse lifted her head, her glare searing everyone in the vicinity. She let out a wordless scream and hurdled another object into the air, aiming at nothing, yet the flying item somehow hitting Avanth in the leg.

Eclipse dropped her arm and collapsed onto the ground and cried, her arms coming up to hug herself. Like she had no one else in the world who would.

Avanth felt no pain. He knew there was a dagger stuck in his thigh, yet there was no feeling attached to that fact. When the moment slowed down from his momentary high, a bright spark of pain erupted from his leg.

He cried out and his legs gave away, letting him crash onto the floor. Spirals of pain radiated from his right leg, the blade buried hilt deep. Shit.

Wait, is it embedded in bone? Like do I look like what would happen if you shot an arrow at the skeleton thing in Minecraft?

Avanth let out a hysterical laugh, the sound breaking off in a choked sob.

Adahlia ran over, stumbling to her knees, "I'm s-so sorry!" She swiped her sleeve across her damp cheeks and tried checking the depth of the dagger. "I'm sorry—"

When she touched the hilt, every nerve in his leg just then decided to explode. He screamed, a scream escaping his throat. Adahlia immediately retracted her hand and stared at the bloody mess that was his leg.

Daxelle reached for the slightly slanted knife, but Adahlia shook her head. "The blade is staunching the flow of blood. If we take it out now, he might bleed to death."

"Can you move?" Iaelie asked him.

Avanth didn't think he could open his mouth without crying out in pain so he just shook his head.

"I'm so sorry—" Adahlia cried.

"This isn't your fault. You didn't throw the blade," Daxelle said reassuringly.

Zadyn stepped up, bending down to kneel beside Avanth. He quietly examined the dagger and reached for the skin around the blade. When his cold fingers met with his pants, Avanth flinched and Zadyn pulled back.

"I think I can help," Zadyn whispered. "I-I figured something out. I don't know if it'll work, but I want to try."

Avanth didn't say anything as Zadyn gripped the shaft of the knife and pulled—against Adahlia's own words—so quickly that he barely felt it. The blood came freely as the blade was released and Zadyn quickly placed a hand over it, his eyes falling shut.

Avanth shifted, slightly uncomfortable.

To distract him from whatever Zadyn was doing, he glanced toward where Eclipse lay. Her hair was strewn around her head as she face-planted onto the cemented, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.

His heart hurt for Eclipse, even if her thoughts were currently stuck on hating Adahlia, he understood how she was feeling.

When he glanced at Daxelle, she was staring at the hand Zadyn placed on the wound. Her brows were pinched in worry and her mouth was pursed. He felt a heavy look fall upon him and twisted slightly to see Iaelie staring at him.

She offered him a tight smile and he tried to do anything besides grimace. He may just have looked constipated. His eyes darted past Zadyn's head and saw Adahlia watching Eclipse with a troubled expression. She reached out to comfort her, but Eclipse somehow heard her move and sat up, glaring at Adahlia.

"Don't you dare," she spat. She stood up, patting off her pants and giving Adahlia one last nasty look. "Keep your filthy ass self away from me." And with that, Eclipse ran back into the Night Slayer's headquarters.

Adahlia dropped her gaze and when she felt Avanth's eyes on her back, she swiveled around and gave him a wobbly smile, it falling quickly when he glanced back at his leg.

"Do you feel anything?" Zadyn asked, removing his blood-stained hand from Avanth's leg. He examined the wound. The blood had dried enough so that you could see the angry red gash that slashed across his lower thigh, the jagged edges gruesome and kinda made Avanth want to throw out his whole leg.

Zadyn held his hands over the bloody mess and his fingers spasmed.

The skin on opposite sides of the dagger-wound twitched toward each other, the gash slowly knitting together and forming a scar. The gash sealed itself, the hum of magic at work tinging the air. When Zadyn's hand dropped to his own lap, the skin you could see through the rip in Avanth's pants was slightly raised and pink-tinged.

Avanth's jaw dropped, the pain only an echo of what it once was. Like a month-old wound, he mused.

"How—" he asked, tentatively reaching out to touch the delicate skin.

Zadyn shrugged, "I tried this when I reopened a scar on my calf from training."

"But, don't you have physical manipulation powers?" Iaelie asked, genuinely curious as she bent down to examine Zadyn's work.

"Isn't the body physical?" he replied simply.

"Holy shit, I can't even tell Avanth just got stabbed a few minutes ago," Daxelle breathed as she peeked at his leg from over Iaelie's shoulder.

"I don't know if I only healed the surface of the skin or if all the nerves are still damaged though," Zadyn murmured, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, I don't care. I'm alive, right? Thanks," Avanth smiled slightly, sitting up and poking his leg. Only a slight bit of pain flared up. That's certainly an improvement from the excruciating pain from a few moments ago.

He glanced at Adahlia who was watching the sidewalk quietly.

She met his eyes and her gaze dropped to his thigh. She grinned rather forcefully, "Wow, your leg is healed!"

"Are you good—" Daxelle started but Adahlia cut her off.

"Let's go somewhere safer and far away from here," she suggested, reaching over to pick up the silver book Eclipse had thrown at her. She turned it over in her hands and stood up. "We have the Demon Spell, right?"

Zadyn's face fell, "Actually, the one Daxelle has is a fake."

Adahlia's face visibly filled with loss—though not completely because of the book. She absentmindedly flipped the cover of the book open and shook her head, eyes widening. "No, we have the book, actually." She turned the first page of the book towards them and in an elaborate cursive, the words Demon Spell were scrawled across the center of the page. "We have it right here."

+ + +

"Are you sure you're not in excruciating pain?" Daxelle asked, helping Avanth up to his feet. He tested his weight on his injured leg and when only a sharp jolt of pain spiked his leg, he shook his head.

Daxelle eyed him, "Alright . . ."

She had him put an arm over her shoulders and lean all his weight on her, assuring him that she could hold him. Taking a few limping steps, Avanth was practically hopping on his good leg, the stabbed one swinging in the air. Truth be told, every step was hell. His thigh burned anytime even a bit of weight was distributed on it, but he felt like enough of a liability already.

"Where are we going?" Iaelie asked, noticing a particularly nasty limping step and swooping down to hook Avanth's other arm around her neck. "I mean, I don't think we should stay out in the open."

"We could find a hideout spot . . ." Daxelle suggested.

"I have a place," Zadyn whispered. "A house."

Adahlia whirled around, her eyes wide. "Are you sure?" 

Zadyn stared at her for a few seconds, catching the darkness creeping back into her eyes. "Yeah." He tucked his hands into his pant pockets. "This way."

They followed him corner after corner, his shoulders hunching more with each step. His quick, brisk pace was slowly decreasing and becoming more of a stiff stroll. Zadyn led the group into a neighborhood of spaced-out houses, Avanth, Daxelle, and Iaelie following close behind and Adahlia trailing further back.

The quaint little cottagecore houses each had their own massive rundown backyard. In a city this big and modern, you wouldn't expect a whole collection of houses to be so . . . cozy and warm. Eyra tended to drift towards the practical and useful when it came to architecture and design, but this preserved space in the middle of town was full of rock paths and little garden gnomes.

Zadyn started the climb uphill, the road leading to a higher section of houses. As the path came up to a slanted angle, Avanth started to drop behind, bringing Daxelle and Iaelie with him.

"I . . . think . . . I'm gonna . . . die," Avanth wheezed, his legs in enough pain to sate the living form of Depression. 

"Do you want to take a break?" Daxelle asked, brows furrowed in concern. "We're not really in a hurry."

Avanth sucked in a breath, "I'm good. The sun is way too hot to rest here and we're almost there anyway. I'll be fine."

"You sure?" Iaelie asked. Avanth nodded. He took a sudden step, the jarring movement making Iaelie and Daxelle's arms wrapped around his middle bump into each other. 

"Sorry," Daxelle mumbled, looking away from Avanth and Iaelie. She straightened her back and with the help of Iaelie, practically dragged Avanth up the hill. Every once in a while, Zadyn would glance back and fall back a few steps before continuing his sluggish pace. When most of the expanse of the hill had been climbed, Zadyn paused before a small house.

It was significantly smaller than the houses surrounding it, the crampedness of the home as if someone had added this small cottage to the neighborhood as a last-minute decision.

A stone-lined path led to the mahogany front door of the house, moss growing in between each carefully placed rock. Black shutters were drawn shut from the interior of the house, the whole thing looking shut down. The contrast of this home in general to the other houses lining the block was laughable; here they were, covered in blood, sweat, and tears, walking into the darkest cottage amongst a group of light, fairy dusted homes.

They stayed outside for a few moments, letting Zadyn take in the sight of his old home.

He took a shuddering breath and took tentative steps toward the door. He again paused after opening the door with a key hidden under a mushroom monument at the front steps. With the door open, there was a clear view of a bloodstain on the welcome mat inside. Zadyn stared at it, his eyes falling shut, and muttered a few words of prayer.

"Are you ok?" Avanth asked gently. Zadyn nodded without opening his eyes and walked around the mat, giving it a large berth.

They followed him deeper into the house, his eyes never opening. He seemed comfortable enough in this environment, his footsteps never wavering as if he knew this house better than he understood himself.

He sat down on a couch near the door to the backyard and tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. 

Avanth, Daxelle, and Iaelie took a seat on the couch opposite him, leaving Adahlia to the armchair near the hearth when she finally made it into the room.

"Can I see the book?" Iaelie asked Adahlia. She silently tossed the book towards Iaelie's hands, her shoulders slumping without the weight of the immortal treasure in her hands. Iaelie studied the cover of the book, golden engravings embellishing the brown leather that seemed to radiate with shadows.

She flipped the cover open and used her finger to trace the title of the book scrawled on the first page. She turned the page, again and again, words springing into life at her touch. Ink appeared on the page, slowly at first, but gaining momentum as Iaelie flipped faster until the words were blurring from the intensity of the pages flying.

Towards the middle of the book, the words halted abruptly, the ink seeming to run out.

Iaelie squinted at the page, "I can't read this."

Avanth's heart dropped. Had they gone through all this trouble just to have an indecipherable book? There had been so many risk factors, and the one benefit being the Demon Spell. And now, even after all of that, the book was useless. 

Flashes of a knife protruding from his leg bombarded his mind.

This would have never happened. Adahlia wouldn't be crying right now, Zadyn wouldn't have had to come back to the house he obviously wasn't comfortable in, and . . . 

What were they going to do now? When they were stuck in this position of defeat.

His mind spiraled, his thoughts falling deeper and deeper into a self-made hole. All for nothing, no good idiot . . .

"Wait, let me see the book?" Daxelle asked, taking the book out of Iaelie's hands over Avanth's lap. She scanned the first page, eyebrows furrowing in concentration. "Wait, what do you mean you can't read this?"

"It's in some archaic tongue or something," Iaelie responded.

Daxelle glanced back at the page. "What do you mean? I can read it perfectly fine."

april 29 2022
𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖊, 𝐁𝐚𝐢
© azalyme ₂₀₂₂