The Lonely God

16.

- HER-

"I want your Golden Hind."

Silence follows my words while she continues to look at me passively. She raises an eyebrow at me before scanning me with her piercing eyes.

"You want me to give you my Golden Hind?" She asks tilting her head.

"I want to have your Golden Hind, yes," I say nodding.

"And why shall I give it to you..." She trails off before I see her put the arrow in the bow and point it towards me, "Nefret?"

"Because I will return it to you." I manage to speak clearly with my heart racing in my chest. My head is throbbing and my mouth is dry as a desert.

She keeps the arrow pointed at me while looking down at me pensively. For a moment, I forget to breathe, waiting for her next move. She has all the power to kill me now. It will be all over if she pulls the string.

"You, Nefret..." She continues before lowering her bow, "are impressive." I let out a shaky breath in relief when I see her put down the weapon but I am taken aback by her words.

"A mortal like you killed such a powerful Basilisk. You impressed me with your courage and intelligence. I'll let you have my Golden Hind but..." As she spoke, my heart raced faster in my chest. I can't believe my ears. She continues while circling me again like a predator, "you shall return it to me or the consequences will follow." She warns stepping in front of me, her eyes glimmering with destructible power.

"I will return it." I ensure her without breaking the eye contact. She nods at me before turning around and disappearing in the trees. I stood silently and waited.

Moments passed by when finally, the creature stepped in front of me, its head held high with pride and power.

I neared it before trying my whip around its neck and leading it through the forest. I turn around several times to make sure if it's following me.

I cannot believe that I am leading such a powerful and majestic beast. It grunted a few times behind me and other than that the sound of my breaths and the crunching of snow below my feet floated in the air of the forest.

I lead the Golden Hind towards the ruins. Excitement bubbled inside me the nearer we got to the ruins. I am not far away from completing my second task. If I've managed to complete two tasks then I'd be able to complete the third task too. Maybe after that Arles will leave me alone.

We cross Arles' statue before nearing the ruins. I walk through the now familiar hallways from when Arles chased me here. They're same as before, deserted and covered with thick blankets of dust.

The Hind's foots clicked on the stone ground, echoing through the place along with my footsteps. We crossed the ballroom thence the long corridor which leads to Arles' courtroom.

The humongous doors of Arles' courtroom stood in front of me mightily. Stepping forward, I knocked on it twice before it opened on its own. Its screech echoed in the deserted palace and slowly the courtroom came in our view. As I stepped in, the torches hanging on the walls of either side of the room lit up one by one, the light from the torches drenched the room in light.

He sat on his throne with a regal and lethal air to his presence. Everything seems the same since the first time I ever strolled this deep in the ruins. I walked towards his throne while the Hind followed me.

His hooded head tilted at a side as he examined me from head to top and the Hind walking behind me.

"I've caught the Hind," I say, stepping aside to give him a clear view of the Golden Hind standing behind me. He stands up and steps down from the throne, his eyes heatedly trained on us.

He steps in front of me, his footsteps echoes. Several moments pass but he did not speak. I could feel his eyes studying me and the Hind from underneath the hood.

"Give it to me." He commands.

This is it.

With a deep breath, I pull my whip off the Hind's neck. As soon as my whip leaves the Hind's neck, it turns around and runs away faster than air to its owner.

One moment it was standing and in the other, it's gone.

My actions follow a thundering growl.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"You told me to catch the Golden Hind but you never told me to give it to you in the first place." I reason and as soon as I stop speaking, I am being thrown off across the room. My back hits the stone wall before I fall on the floor with a thud. Before I could even recover from the blow, I am being thrown around again and this time, my back hits the glass which shatters, several shards of which pierce in my skin as I fall on the ground.

I groan as I try to get up. My body is screaming with pain and my vision is blurry due to the hits to my head. My breaths are shaky and my heart is pounding in my chest.

I look up at his nearing figure and suddenly that familiarly unfamiliar force stirs inside me. I get up, limping on my left feet and look at his hooded head.

"What was this for? Hurting your ego or outsmarting you?" I ask. My words are followed by another roaring growl. Black fire is emanating from his body and the power oozing of him is suffocating me.

A sizzling ball of black fire forges in his hands before he throws it at me, with my crippled body, I somehow manage to dodge it and the fireball hits the wall behind me. A large gaping hole is blown through the wall while the stone melts into a tar-like substance. I don't even want to think about the consequences had it hit me.

He growls before throwing similar balls of fire at me and I manage to dodge them every time. Every time I miss them, his impatience and rage climb two steps higher.

Exhaustion and pain have started to take a toll on my body as I run across the room, dodging the fireballs while stepping and jumping over fallen boulders and pillars. My lungs are screaming at me to provide them sufficient air while I could hear my heart pound on my chest.

Blood is streaming down my forehead from the cuts and scratches. I try to run out of the room but the doors have been shut by him. Now, his anger is at its peak. I could feel it standing at the other end of the room from him.

His chest rumbles with a loud growl before I see him forge the biggest fireball. I try to run but I stumble and fall. I try to get up and before I could move, he has thrown it towards me.

I watch in horror as it approaches me. I am blinded by bright light before I feel it hit me but... I don't feel anything.

I open my eyes and look at my body. Prior to the previous wounds, there are no new ones. I look back at Arles who is examining his hands in confusion. He lifts his hooded head to look at me but I am already on my feet, running away through the gaping hole in the wall.

I run without ever turning back. I don't stop until and unless I reach home. I open the front door and rush in before shutting the door behind me with a loud slam.

I lean on the wall and try to catch on my breath. Black spots are appearing in my vision and I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness. I hear mom's voice calling for me followed by urgent footsteps.

"NEFRET!" I hear dad yell as my eyes flutter shut. I feel gravity pulling my body towards the floor but before I could hit the ground, I am being picked up and suddenly there's commotion all around me.

As the remaining part of my consciousness slips into darkness, I hear my mom cry, "Is she going to die now, Andrew?"