Chapter 50: Chapter 50

A R Y A

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The day was soon drawing to a close and the sun was bathing the forest in a stunning golden orange as I finally swung down from the pine tree and headed home. I had thought long and hard about what Reah had said to me and wondered if I was ready to put it all behind me. Was I ready to leave Xenos?

There was only one answer to that.

“Arya, I've been looking for you for a long time. Why did you just run away?”

I turned to the voice. "Devon...?"

His mouth slowly twisted into a grin. "How dare you?" He tilted his head. "How dare you do such a thing?"

His calm voice and the slightly mad smile on his face sent icy chills down my spine. I automatically wanted to reach for my bow and arrow and then a dagger when I realized I'd left both in the tunnels. I slowly backed away. "How dare I what?"

"You! You killed her!” he shot back, his bright eyes glaring at me. "You will pay for this!"

I looked at him dumbfounded. How hard had he hit his head? "For Echinda's death?"

Before Devon could reply, a portal appeared between us. First, an immaculately polished patent leather shoe stepped out of the golden swirl, followed by a man in a classy-looking black tuxedo.

"Are you still mourning our mother?" Daemon snapped his fingers shut, then adjusted his collar. “Pathetic if you ask me, brother. Don't you have anything better to do?"

I looked back and forth between the two. "You are siblings?" Well, the blond hair might have been similar, though Daemon's blond was almost white, but equal brothers?

Devon ignored my question and snapped, "Get out, Daemon, it's none of your business."

Daemon, however, looked at me. "Let me introduce you, young Gi girl." He pointed to Devon. "My dearest brother, Chimera."

"How... But..." I stuttered, my brain rattling. "If that isn't Devon, then where is he?"

"Devon is dead." Devon or no, “Chimera” rolls his eyes. “He signed his judgment the moment I saw him by the river.”

'But if Devon is dead... Then we carried you back? Was it you all along?”

Chimera clapped her hands. "Bravo, you got it." he teased me. “How else could all your pack members disappear so unnoticed from the highly guarded packing compound? How do you think Echinda, Arya, found out about your mad break-in?” His eyes flickered, darkening by the second, while his hair was also fading. "Or why should Cecilia know exactly what went wrong with the burglary?" he asked, then fumbled in his pocket. Then he pulled out a green glass vial, but cursed and tossed it aside, realizing it was empty. "And Georgie suddenly has the brilliant idea that she could poison the guards and that only Cecilia would do it?"

My stomach turned. "That was all you?"

His teeth morphed into sharp, long fangs, and claws poked out of his fingertips. “My mother had a fantastic plan. It would have made you all stronger and more powerful, but you had to undo everything!"

"Your mother wanted to wipe us out!" I snapped.

"Enough," Daemon interjected, then breathed a wall of fire between me and Chimera as he lunged at me.

I shied away from the fire, as did Chimera.

"Na, na, na, bro, you're mine," Daemon whispered darkly, stepping through the flickering fire to his brother. "I've been waiting for this opportunity for so long." He raised his hand to lower and extinguish the wall of fire.

Chimera hissed. "That was hundreds of years ago, get over it."

"Get over it?" Daemon snapped at him, his eyes and veins flushing red. “Show your true form! Well, without your bloody potion, you can't keep Devon in shape much longer anyway!"

Through the gray smoke from the extinguished fire, I saw Chimera transform. Devon's form changed into a large beast, with eight wolf legs, a scaly body, a long tail ending in a sharp spike, and a reddish wolf's head.

"So that's why there are so many wolf tracks..." I whispered, putting two and two together.

“You took away the only good thing in my life. I'll never get over that, not while you're still alive.” Daemon shot another bolt of fire toward Chimera, but Chimera ducked early as if he saw it coming and ran toward the river. "Oh no, you're not going to just dive under and swim to those stupid caves," Daemon threatened, firing out another, more powerful beam, and this time it got to him.

Chimera screamed. Fire danced across his body as Daemon stood silently beside him, watching as his brother burst into flames.

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A R Y A

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The training field lay deserted in front of me. Funnily enough, while I was glad all of that with Echinda was over, it was a sad sight to find the field so deserted. It lacked the vibrancy that came with everyone pulling together. You knew exactly what you were fighting for, but now...

I stepped out of the forest into the field and looked at the vast estate owned by Xenos. I had to find him. He had to be here somewhere. Reah's words were still ringing in my head and I clenched my hands, determined to do as she said, when I saw someone else standing in the grass.

His leather vest was blowing in the wind and a few dark strands had slipped from his tied button. I let out a small choked gasp and then already ran across the field into his arms.

"Did you miss me?" asked Rowtag, laughing after he had wrapped his arms around me tightly and was now hugging me.

"“Aee”, “Purasu”." We just stood there for a while, and I savored the joy that filled me, knowing he was fine.

'Tz, that little snake bitch didn't stand a chance from the start. At some point I would have impaled her with my spear.” he stated cheerfully when we had separated and grinned his all-too-familiar, imbecile Rowtag grin.

I punched his arm. “Maybe I would have let you burn down there after all. As good as your ego is, you could use a few scratches."

But my attempted joke failed and his grin faded. "Rya, “vosheea ehsa”... Down there, in the cells..." He rubbed his face.

I pulled his hand away. "You don't have to explain anything to me, I already know everything."

"I can still remember everything clearly..."

"Remember how you got these?" I stretched out his arm and pointed to a spot on his forearm where there was a long scar. “Spear art has probably never been my profession...”

"What's that?" He pulled his arm back and waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, pfff... That's nothing."

"Good. Then you shouldn't have a problem with what happened in the cell. At least you've spared me scars to this day. And besides, I wasn't really kind to you either...' I glanced at his thigh, which had had to believe in my archery skills.

"Forgive and forget."

He flicked my nose like he always did and I glared at him like I always did.

Then he said slightly pinched. "Thanks Rya for getting me out of there." A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

The corners of my mouth turned up. I was so glad he was finally back, here with me, as he had been all my life. I held out my little finger to him. "Best friends, remember?"

He hooked his pinky finger in mine and for a moment I pictured him giving me his pinky finger for the first time and giving me a serious look. He promised the same as he had eighteen years before. "Best friends. Forever."

He slowly tilted his head, his eyes fixed firmly on my face. "Rya... I..."

"It's good to see you again, you fool who let himself be caught."

The dull moment that had lasted just a moment passed immediately.

"Well, I've always wanted to explore the north, you know," Rowtag shot back, but his serious demeanor didn't last long and the two jerks pulled themselves into a manly hug that consisted of back slaps and growls.

"Chief, we have something that might please you."

I scowled at Chatima and crossed my arms. “Chatima, how many more times. Do not call me that."

But he only smiled. “We are tribe. We are Family."

Rowtag, leaning toward me, whispered, 'I looked for you as soon as you disappeared. None of us doubted you for a second.”

Chatima picked up a wooden bowl and arched his brows teasingly. "So the tribe and I have come up with something."

I gasped as something inside me “clicked”. 'Tell me later. I have to fix something.” I had freaked out in the cave earlier, unable to see anything clearly, the pain of memories, of the past, taking over everything in me. But not anymore.

Though the desire to pry myself out of this now-disfigured burgundy dress almost overwhelmed me, the urge to find him won out. I ran through the entrance hall where Georgie gaped at me wide-eyed and then pointed in the direction of the intermediate wing. "In the conservatory," she said, and then looked after me as I stormed off with a little thank you.

The cool evening air filled my nostrils as I crossed the arcade wing and opened the heavy glass door to the dome. I brushed aside the curtain of leaves and stepped into another world. With a soft click the door closed behind me and I turned breathlessly on my own axis. “Wow”. It was overwhelming.

Butterflies, which, thank Gaia, had nothing to do with the Petalouda species, flew through the dense undergrowth, between the lianas and the bushes. Huge trees that reached to the ceiling and dense, lush green undergrowth that reminded me so much of my homeland that tears welled up in my eyes. Humid, thick air that settled heavily on me and conjured up a delicate, damp shimmer. I sucked the air deep into my lungs. Smell of jungle.

I smiled. It was wonderful.

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