Chapter 4

All around the crowd black creatures erupted from the bushes, their red eyes blazing as everyone ran to take cover.

Elaina watched as so called warriors scrambled around her.

Kicking her shoes off she faced the closest beast head on. It shrieked in her face spewing sulfurous gas that made her gag momentarily.

A ripping sensation spread up her arm, but she didn’t care. Lifting her dagger she swiped the beast across the chest sending it lurching backwards.

It let out a terrible cry as two more of its friends came to join it.

Elaina squared off ready to take on the next creature that came her way.

A shriek sounded from behind her. Turning quickly she dodged the beast coming towards her.

To her left Charise had a sword ready and was heading her way. Thankful for her friend, Elaina attacked the closest beast, slicing its neck open.

It let out a yell before crumbling to the ground.

Momentarily distracted, another clawed at Elaina’s back causing her to scream in surprise.

Anger blazing, she turned quickly, sending her dagger straight into the creature's heart.

With no weapon to fight now, Elaina prepared herself to take on the creatures bare handed.

Someone yelled to her right, she turned in time to see Chase rushing towards her two swords in hand. He thrust one at her before turning and squaring off with one of the beasts.

Off guard Elaina barely had time to react to the beast that was diving towards her from above. Shrieking it sent itself and her hurtling towards the ground.

Elaina felt the air momentarily knocked out of her as the beast clawed and snapped at her face. Trying her best she was unable to keep it from snagging her neck.

Sparks of fire ran through her body as its venom entered her system. Black spots began dancing in front of her eyes as the creature kept its grip. Then with a shriek it was gone and Charise was standing above her holding out a hand.

Sputtering Elaina took it and stood on wobbly knees. She would have to get the venom out of her system before it did any major damage.

“THERE’S TOO MANY!” Charise’s father yelled retreating toward the safety of the institute.

“No, we have to fight.” Elaina yelled, unable to believe that an aged warrior would give up so easily.

“Elaina, you are going to get yourself killed.” Charise gasped.

Paying no attention to Elaina’s protests she yanked her toward the institute.

To Elaina’s utter shock Chase grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder following Charise inside.

Feeling much too dizzy, Elaina lost the will to fight.

“Are you ok?” Charise asked as Elaina slumped to the floor off of Chase’s shoulder and didn’t get up.

In way of reply Elaina showed Charise her neck. The color drained from her face as she realized what had happened.

“We need a healer now.” Charise yelled standing. “Elaina’s been bitten.”

All around her Elaina could hear people gasping and then yelling for help. The night her parents died made its way into her head unbidden, the same shouts happening as the house burned.

Slowly the dizziness came again and it took Elaina into darkness with it.

The beast erupted from the burning building. People screamed and ran for cover. The little girl tried to claw her way towards it, but strong hands held her still. She tried as hard as she could, but the hands just wouldn’t let her go.

Letting out a yell of anguish she slumped back.

Above her the beast cackled happily knowing that it had ruined the only thing the little girl cared for, knowing it had ruined her life forever taking her parents away from her.

Sobs erupted from the little girl as she clutched the arms around her. They held her tightly and stroked her hair telling her everything would be ok, that all she had to do was wake up.

Gasping, Elaina shot up in bed her heart hammering in her chest. Sweat poured from her skin making her thick hair stick to her forehead and neck.

Still gasping, Elaina looked around wildly, unable to come to terms with exactly where she was.

Someone sat beside her watching her with interest. Try as she might, Elaina couldn’t quite make herself focus on the person.

Finally her mind started processing the way that it was supposed to and she took in the face of the man beside her.

“Sleeping beauty awakens.” Chase said smiling. “We were starting to think that the burlack beast injected you with too much poison.”

Elaina tried to sit up, but dizziness overtook her. “Where am I?” She asked instead.

“You’re in the infirmary. The brothers feel that it might not be such a good idea to leave here, you know strength in numbers, that kind of thing.” Chase stretched idly in his chair.

“Where’s Charise?” Elaina pushed. “Why are you here and not her?”

“She’s at a meeting, they are deciding what their next move should be, an attack on sacred ground is kind of a huge deal Elaina.”

“Kill them all.” Elaina tried to sit up once again. This time she managed to prop herself up on her elbows. “How long have I been out?”

“A week.” Chase responded. “Like I said for a while there we thought that the best thing to do was to take you off the anti-venom and let nature take its course.”

“You mean let me die?” Anger flared in Elaina’s chest. “Probably would have been for the best.”

“You kept going on about a fire and a large beast.” Chase said slowly. “Is that…I mean is that how….”

“My parents died?” Elaina finished for him. “Yes, they were killed by a beast with no name larger than a house and pretty much indestructible. Now you know all about my tainted childhood.”

“Hey.” Chase looked like she had slapped him. “Sorry, I was just wondering, you didn’t have to tell me all of that.”

Feeling much too tired, Elaina collapsed on her bed again. “Is everyone alright? If one of those foul creatures bit me I hope it was at least for good reason.”

“Yes, everyone is fine.” Chase stared at her strangely. “You were really the only person they went after.”

This caught Elaina’s attention. “What do you mean I was the only person they went after?”

“I mean.” Chase said. “That they didn’t pay anyone else any mind. All of them made their way towards you.”

“Well then.” Elaina announced trying to sit up again. “I have the perfect solution to this problem and what the next move should be.”

“What’s that?” Chase asked genuinely curious.

“I leave, if I’m not here then those creatures shouldn’t come back.” Elaina said simply throwing her legs over the side of the bed. “Think of it as my sacrifice.”

Chase was staring at her as if she had lost her mind, a look of horror on his face. “You can’t be serious.”

Elaina turned to him, “Oh, but I am. Ask Charise, I do not kid about anything. Ever.”

Standing on shaky legs, Elaina made her way towards the door. Chase jumped in front of it immediately stopping her. She glared at him and tried to shove him out of her way, but he was much stronger than her, especially since she had just spent the last week almost dead.

Sighing, Elaina looked to the window and a thought crossed her mind.

“The infirmary is on the second floor right?” She asked innocently.

Chase frowned, “Yes why?”

Using the little bit of strength she had left Elaina launched herself towards the window which Chase had thankfully left open.

For a moment she felt nothing beneath her and then she was hurtling towards the ground.

Tucking her knees up she flipped and then landed on the ground feet first. She stood giving Chase a wave before taking off down the front yard and out the gates.

She could hear him yelling after her, but she didn’t care. Chase had said that the beasts paid no attention to anyone else only her, that meant despite what anyone else said she had to get out of here in order to save innocent lives.

The yelling continued and for a moment it sounded like it was getting closer, but that couldn’t be Chase wouldn’t dare jump out that window, at least she didn’t think he would.

Too afraid to look behind her, Elaina picked up her pace and continued running using the last bit of her energy to surge forward.

Trees blurred around her as she continued running. The yelling however did not stop and Elaina immediately cursed her pursuer.

Why would he care what happened to her anyway? He didn’t know her, he didn’t have any reason to care whether she lived or died, but then there were hands on her shoulders and she was being yanked backwards.

Gasping she tried to shove out of his grip, but she was much too weak. Giving up completely she turned and faced him.

Chase’s face was bright red from the running and he had a fresh cut on his cheek, most likely where he had run into a branch.

Fury blazed in his green eyes. “Are you insane or suicidal?” He demanded shaking her a little bit.

Elaina growled and slapped his hands off of her. “How dare you touch me!” She shrieked. “Why do you care anyway?”

“As a warrior we swear to protect our own from danger and injury. I see it like this, you are a warrior just like me and you are throwing yourself right into the dark brothers hands.” Chase announced exasperated. “I’m not going to let you do something that foolish.”

“Who cares?” Elaina snapped. “It isn’t like anyone will miss me if something happens. Sure Charise will be upset, but let's face it Charise is a bit over dramatic. It isn’t like I have family that will miss me.”

Instead of responding Chase instead just kept staring at her like she had grown a second head or something.

Finally giving up she turned and started stalking back towards the temple.

Behind her Chase gave a satisfied sigh and began following.

They walked in silence, neither caring much for talking to the other, although Elaina knew why she didn’t want to talk to Chase, she had no idea why Chase wouldn’t want to talk to her.

“You know.” Chase said finally conversationally. “That was one hell of a jump back there. Most people would have at least sprained an ankle or broken something. You were like a cat easily landing on your feet, I’m impressed.”

“Charise and I used to jump off her roof for the fun of it, it wasn’t that big of a deal to be honest.” Elaina said simply with a shrug. “Now, if I had tried to maybe jump off the fourth or fifth floor of something then it might have been different.”

“Do you ever stop to think about what you are doing, or do you just simply react without a minute's hesitation?” Chase continued obviously wanting to avoid the quiet again.

Elaina thought about it for a moment, “I don’t really know, never really gave it much thought. I just do what my body tells me to do.”

“So you have really good reflexes?”

Apparently he just simply wasn’t going to avoid the subject.

Drawing in a breath of annoyance Elaina picked up her speed wanting nothing more than to get to the temple and get away from this man.

Back in her room at the temple, the very same one she slept in as a child, Elaina flung herself on the bed, white sheets puffing up around her. She thought of when she was a child and imagined that the sheets were clouds floating up around her as she drifted in and out of sleep.

The monks had painted her ceiling blue so that she could stare at it and picture that it was the sky. The walls still sported the fake flowers that she had drawn herself on them.

She had also wanted to have green shag carpet so that it felt like she had grass underneath her, but the monks had drawn a line at that. Instead the floor was just a simple hard wood with a white area rug in the middle.

The room held many remnants of her childhood, books lay neatly on a book shelf and pictures that she had colored stuck messily on the walls. Toys sat in a chest to the corner, and some of her first weapons still littered the floor.

Sighing, Elaina closed her eyes and tried to let herself drift now. Flashes of her nightmares appeared making her heart speed up and sweat break out on her face. Try as she might, she simply couldn’t make the images go to the back of her head.

Giving up she got up and picked up two of her throwing daggers. Looking around the room she found her old practice dummy, hiding in the closet dust settled thickly over it. With a heave she managed to get it from under the piles of junk that covered it and pulled it to the middle of the room.

Stepping back she positioned the daggers in her hands and took a deep breath.

With a quick flip of the wrist she sent the dagger flying towards the dummy, it planted smoothly into its chest. Doing the same with the second dagger she landed it in the same spot once more.

Not satisfied, Elaina grabbed her daggers again and started slicing at the dummy, determined to rip it to pieces.

Frustration welled and soon angry tears began filling her eyes.

With a scream she slashed at the dummy before her, picturing it as the beast in her head that took her parents.

Heaving she fell to the ground and began to cry. For a long time Elaina stayed there crying, letting all the frustration she felt slip slowly out of her. The frustration of why she had to battle day in and day out, why she was chosen for this life, most of all why she couldn’t be normal. All the thoughts that she kept deep within slowly, but surely trickled out.

When she finally calmed down she looked around her. White fluff sat like snow piles all around her. At one point she had beheaded the dummy, and the head sat in a corner, dagger still in the temple.

With shock she realized the other dagger was still in her hand, blade towards her palm. Blood was freely oozing around it.

Sighing she dropped it and looked at the long gash she had inflicted.

Not wanting to worry anyone she rummaged around under her bed for the first aid kit she kept secretly hidden. Pulling it out she quickly wrapped her hurt hand, sanitizing it twice to make sure no infection lingered.

Cleaning the mess up took a lot longer than she had expected, the sunlight that had been shining brightly all around the room now slanted across the floor, showing that the sun was beginning to set.

Finished with the task at hand Elaina made her way to the window easily throwing up the curtains to let even more light in.

For a long time she sat there staring out at the sky as the sun slowly drifted below the horizon, leaving behind it a clear autumn night.

It was hard to think that only a week ago the temple had been attacked and things had changed so completely.

Elaina still felt that leaving would be the best thing to do in order to save her fellow warriors and her childhood home, but Chase had made it completely clear that that just was not an option.

Her mind wandered on Chase thinking over and over why he hadn’t let her leave. Their first meeting had been a complete disaster, him making it clear he didn’t think too highly of women. Still he had fought alongside her the night the burlack beasts attacked, and he had been there when she finally woke from her venom filled dreams.

Why had he done that? He didn’t even know her and she hadn’t been the slightest bit nice to him, but she had to admit that she appreciated the gesture and for some reason that she couldn’t explain she was thankful that he had made her come back to the temple, demanding that they all stick together.