36
1367 Words
Azriel
When we told the villagers we would be leaving, it hit them hard.
Despite the fact that we hadn't spent much time here, I had to admit they already felt like family.
I was going to miss old Maren's soup and Kofi's silliness.
Seraphina wouldn't stop sobbing, and it only made me feel more guilty.
We decided to leave very early the next day, but they insisted we at least stay for breakfast and warm our bellies.
I kept my eyes on Thomas and Mike throughout breakfast. Thomas seemed sincerely sad to see us go. I wasn't sure if he was a good actor or if I was the one being paranoid.
When we finally stood up to leave, bags stuffed with food and warm blankets, some of them were crying.
We'd barely made it three steps out of the village when Seraphina ran back into old Maren's embrace, tears spilling down her cheeks. The other women gathered too, forming a big circle of hugs around her. I felt heartbroken. And that wasn't an emotion I felt quite often.
"Take care," Thomas said, appearing at my elbow. His voice was rough, his eyes red-rimmed. "The road east... those terrorists tend to roam around there. Be careful."
I nodded, studying him. I still didn't trust him. "I know the way," I said. "Thank you. For everything."
He smiled, slapping my shoulder and nudging me. "You should get going. It won't be safe when it gets late."
Kofi ran to my side and threw his arms around me.
I froze.
How was I supposed to react to this?
"Thank you." His voice came out croaky.
I raised an eyebrow. I didn't understand what he was thanking me for.
"Thank you for staying with us." He wiped his tears. "You taught us a lot and restored fun and happiness here. We'll miss you." He stepped back and beat his chest. "I promise to use the skills you taught us to protect the village."
I almost laughed. He was as silly as ever.
Finally, we waved our goodbyes and left for good. We kept walking until the village was far away from us. The smudge of smoke that had brought us there was the only thing left we could see.
Then three men suddenly blocked our path. How did I not sense or hear them?
I sighed. I thought they'd changed their mind because there was nothing suspicious about them when we left. Turns out they were sleek with their actions.
Mike stood in front of them with two other men from the village. They carried axes and rope and wore expressions filled with desperation.
Thomas wasn't with them. He had proven me wrong.
"Stop," Mike snapped. "Both of you. Turn around."
Seraphina stiffened beside me. "Azriel," she whispered.
"It's alright." I squeezed her hand once, then let it go. "Stay behind me."
Mike raised the rifle, the barrel wavering between us. "I said stop!"
I stopped ten feet from them—close enough to smell the sour sweat of fear. I saw the way the other two men looked at each other with doubt already creeping into their eyes.
"Mike." I kept my voice soft and conversational. "Think about what you're doing. Does this really make any sense to you?"
"Shut up." He took a step forward, the rifle steadying slightly. "You don't get to talk. You don't get to—" he laughed, high and hysterical, "—lecture me. We know what you are. We know there's a price on your head."
"Do you?" I tilted my head, feeling the wolf rise to the surface, feeling my senses sharpen. "And what exactly do you think happens when you collect that price, Mike? Do you think they'll shake your hand and send you on your way? Do you think they'll let witnesses live?"
The two men exchanged another glance. One of them took a half step back.
"You're lying," Mike said, but his voice had lost its certainty.
"Am I?" I took a step forward, and all three of them flinched. "Do you know what's happening in Millbrook? Do you know what they're building there?"
None of them answered.
They knew. They'd joked about it.
"You know it's a secret," I said, making sure I sounded gentle and kind. "They'll kill to protect it. If they're locking up a whole city, you think they'll grant you freedom after trading us?" I jabbed his chest with a finger. "No, mike. You're handing us over and your reward will be a bullet in your head."
"You're just trying to scare us," Mike said, but his hand was shaking as he tried to c**k the rifle.
I smiled, then rushed toward the two men in milliseconds. In an instant, I had them by their throats, their backs slammed against a tree. Their feet dangled, kicking uselessly. Their faces purpled. I felt their pulses against my palms, fast and terrified.
Mike made a sound like a dying animal and collapsed to his knees out of panic. The rifle immediately fell from his hands.
I held the men up there for a few seconds before dropping them with a thud.
They scrambled backward, curling up tightly and clawing at their throats, tears flowing down their cheeks. I didn’t turn to them. I was already back beside Seraphina, my hand finding hers as I tried to soothe the beast I had awakened.
"Listen to me." My voice held every note of warning. "What they're making in Millbrook, it's far worse than what you've just seen. You'll be dead before you can even blink. Imagine going to the afterlife with no knowledge of how you got there." I smirked. "That's exactly what will happen if you don't obediently go back to the village and cut off all contact with those barbarians."
They quickly stood up and ran for their lives. Once they were finally out of sight, Seraphina turned to me and asked, "What the hell are you?" She pulled her hand away, her eyes—wide with shock—fluttering.
It hit me then that she hadn’t taken my confession seriously; she must have thought I was joking. After all, it was a lot to process all at once.
"Sera—"
"Why would you confirm their doubts by showing them?" she said, shaking her head vigorously. "It's not humanly possible to have such strength," she pointed to the spot where the incident had occurred and stepped back.
There was no time for this. I had to call her to reality.
"Seraphina!" I growled, and she looked at me, trembling all over. I moved carefully toward her, taking her hand in mine. "I wasn't joking. Everything I told you was completely serious. This is serious."
"You..." She trailed off, but I understood what she meant.
"I had to show them that they were in a game they know nothing about. If not, they wouldn't have listened any other way." I held her closer and resumed walking. "That was the best way to scare them. Besides, I didn't do it for them."
She looked up at me. "Then who?" Seraphina was still lost. Walking like a zombie.
It takes time to assimilate and understand. And time was what we didn't have.
"The village," I murmured. "Their foolishness would've led all of them to their deaths. At least now they know enough to be afraid of the right things."
She didn't say anything more. She just rested her forehead to my shoulder and let me guide her through the trees.
We walked until the sun climbed high and fell again. Seraphina's fever returned, her body trembling against mine. I carried her then, her arms looped around my neck, her breath hot against my throat, and continued our journey.
"Stay with me, little one," I kept whispering into her ear, making sure she was awake for as long as possible. Because, if I let her fall asleep, who knew what would happen.
It was evening when we finally reached the edge of the forest. From there, we could see the whole base.
My hand tightened around Seraphina's arm as I took a deep breath and descended slowly.
- Writer
