Rye rubbed her sore shoulders as she secretly wished she could have avoided running and slamming her back into the base of a tree. Grey was less than impressed with her actions before. He accurately blamed her for running off and getting him stuck with those shadow demoils. All the while as he motored on about his annoyance with her, Rye mocked him with moving her hand open and close as the recurrent word of “bla blah bla” fell through her mind. ‘What a sore stiff.’ Rye glared in his general direction. ‘Damn him. Damn him to the Under-lord.’ Rye sniffed arrogantly as she had wanted to just peg him off with a rock.
Rye narrowed an eye to the towering doofus in front of her as she mouthed slowly to him. ‘You are a pain in the ass and I blame you for my sore back and shoulders!’
“You are slowly edging your way to a swift kick in the rear Rye.” Grey was peering back to her through the corner of his eye. Usually she would have been cocky about his little notion but Rye reared back a some. Grey had turned his eyes forward again, but she was certain she had just seen that. Jumping quickly in front of him, Grey stopped quickly as he peered down to her. “What is your problem?” Grey demanded.
Rye ignored his questioned as she peered closely at his pupils, examining them closely, Rye jumped backwards as she finally focused her sights to the full annoyed face of Grey. “What the hell are you examining me for!” Grey snapped.
“Sheesh grumpy I was just looking to see if I was having my mind play tricks on me, but I wasn’t. I’ve never noticed that you have slits for pupils.”
Grey fleetly lost his annoyed look over as he pulled a teasing smile out of somewhere. “Wow you are so observant, Rye!” As quick as he held that smile, it was gone as a slow hint of blood red jumped to the sides of his pupil. “Now you know so, move your ass already!” Grey pressed past her.
Reaching her hand up to her shoulder, Rye knitted her eyebrows together. “Jeez what crawled up your butt and died? Literately!” Rye snapped. “Be snappy at me, I’ll be it right back to you!” Rye warned.
The mild howls of passing wolves, created the atmosphere that nightfall was setting across the land. Meaning they had better find a suitable camp site. Grey peered about some as his foul mood finally seemed to be lifting off his shoulders. Rye strode up behind him as she hadn’t stopped fussing with her shoulders ever since she slammed herself up against a tree, bruising the muscle below the visible skin.
‘I think we made up for the time we lost early this morning…’ Grey craned his sights about the partially covered area. ‘We’ll be in Drago by late tomorrow.’
Rye rose up as she held her pressing fingers over a tense shoulder, as she didn’t even dare take a look to him. Instead she threw off the pack she carried and promptly reach in and threw at him, the fish from last night.
“Cook it your damn self.” Rye barked as she seemed to capture his foul mood now. Rye booted the pack to the side as tracing steps fell over the knotted wood. For once pulling the tense hand away from her backside, Rye twined her fingers across the wood to press herself up into the low hung branch. Brushing out some loose tikin leaves, Rye slumped her body into the hollow crest.
“Do you need…” Grey started as Rye sent an murderous glare over her shoulder towards him.
“Shut up and leave me alone Demoil.” Grey narrowed his sights back to her as he hadn’t been referred to as ‘demoil’ since he was a child. But back then he had David to chase away the damn children who dared call either one of them demoils.
“Fine be a crank.’ Grey muttered low. Perking his ears up, Grey ducked from the on coming of branches at him, as Rye was boast up right, eyes bright and wild with sheer and utter rage. A single hand was curled around a thick branch as she was ready to knock him clear back to Vena. “What is your problem?”
Rye whirled fully around as she clenched her weapon in her hand. More or less she was less than impressed with him right now and she was going to make it loud and clear. “Listen here you faceless little hevanick!” Anger shot clear through him at the name as he edged forward to Rye’s perch.
“Hevanick!” Grey growled back at Rye. Rye seemed proud to hit a cord within him as she slid down from her perch.
“You heard me.” Rye crossed her arms under her breasts. “You are nothing more than another hevanick, plaguing Flycoren with dirty scum such as your self.” Rye turned cold as she evidently was ready to rip him apart. Piece by piece if need be. “It’s your kind that has created an inequality among the righteous. It is your disgusting kind that has made each region less and less safe for the hevanoics like me.” Rye whipped the branch at him, nearly clipping the side of his face.
“You had better watch that tongue of yours Rye.” Grey growled low. Rye took it as a challenge.
“Here let me put it in simple terms for you to understand Grey.” Rye sneered demonically. “You are nothing more than another, stupid, self absorbed, greedily, backstabbing, son of a bitch HALF BREED!” Rye barked as she yanked free her deadly weapon. The spaded blade jammed down his clavicle to slice open the shoulder, to cut the bone and bleed the muscle. Jerking back from her weapon, Grey knew she wasn’t about to back down from this challenge. “No one could possibly miss such a pitiful half breed such as yourself. Just let me get the stab at the pulsing black heart of yours and it will be all over.” Rye pounced forward.
Grey barely ducked past her brutal assault, as he ran his own fingers through the staining dark silver blood sleeping through the deadly cut.
Rye peered back towards Grey as she nearly wish she could jump out of her own body and beat the crap of who ever was possessing her body. Straining with all her thoughts, and feelings, she tried to stop the assault on Grey, but found instead a tormenting eruption of quaking laughter.
“Ah Guardian. Do you not like what can become of your body?” the voice casually hissed through her blood. “Just watching yourself as you can’t do a mere thing to protect you or the poor half breed?” the enchanting voice continued.
“Bastard!” Rye growled deep and low. “How dare you possess me and have my body do your bidding!” Rye challenged. “Can you not do this yourself or must you take over a woman’s body to do this damage?”
The voice rang out in arrogant laughter. “My soil my hands, when I can soil your name, your title and your life with your own two hands?” he questioned.
“Fine. Be the petty little demoil you are!” Rye barked. “I’ll do your work and prove that you are weak and petty. You have to get a girl to do your work!” Rye laughed as she seen Grey was blankly staring at her. Distracting her tormentor meant all systems stopped.
“Petty!” the voice snapped angrily. “I do not need some meagre woman to kill for me!” Rye chuckled to herself as she grew wearily against this battle. “You have won this Guardian, but soon you and I will come to face, and I’ll slice those pretty little lips off.” Rye slinked down across the ground as she, placed her throbbing head into her hands, as she wanted the pounding sound of blood to stop rushing through and through.
“Curses!” Rye whispered low as she blinked rapidly to rid herself of fuzzy vision.
“What is this? Tired of attacking me?” Grey came loud and angry as he stood over her. Casting her eyes upwards, Rye teetered off to the left as she was amazed she held her balance this long. “Rye…” Choosing to ignore him, the onset of pure darkness ceased her pain as it was a welcomed greeting.
Watching her flop over in some strange tired manner, Grey recalled the fight with Rye… but there was something different… just like he saw when he had to fight the humans when they attacked a couple months ago. The blank stare, was there as dark pupils shrunk back to little ink drops on yellowed paper. Lowering himself down to the fallen figure of Rye, Grey should have seen the difference from the start. Rye wasn’t trying to attack him, but she was possessed by that same unknown force. Nestling her crumpled figure into his lap, Grey peered down to her flushed cheeks as Rye’s skin was cold under his touch.
The bleeding of his shoulder ceased slowly as he was thankful for that reason that he was a hevanick; it gave him some advantages over a normal hevanoic. Peering over her frail body in his lap, Grey guessed she wasn’t all out to be a warrior. She still had the natural beauty of an elegant maiden, as her bangs fell into her eyes. Brushing them back to join the crown of vast hair; Grey felt a small smile crook onto his charms as he figured he could enjoy Rye’s beauty from afar… and right now as she slept. “Sorry Rye.” Grey brandished a gentle kiss across her lips. “I shouldn’t have thought you were trying to attack me out of anger.” Grey pulled away as she laid asleep, which made him more than glad in many ways. This was the only way he could lavish in her and not have her threaten or retreat in fear or anger. If only he could freeze this moment and keep her in his lap. Grey rubbed the side of her cheek as he brought forth his fanged grin.
“Sleep well Rye.” Grey spoke softly as Rye nuzzled gently into him.
Squinting through the continuous blinking light, Rye slowly cursed herself and all around her. It just felt as if she had fallen into a slumber; she just wasn’t ready to get out of bed just so soon. Focusing her poor sight upon many strange objects Rye ducked her head down as a passing fruit fell over her head, just slowly floating. Pressing her feet to the ground, Rye peered down as she stood where a light coloured cloth that folded around her body, showing off patches of bare skin and her toes. Her ears jingled with the ring of earrings as Rye felt a metal headband resting against her forehead. ‘I am not asking.’
Blood still pumped madly through her temples, to cause the worse headache she had ever witnessed.
“I feel as if I’ve been used as a beechi ball.” Rye mouthed carefully, trying to dodge past some other random floating things. Her tongue felt thick and leathery in her mouth, just aching to have the sweet glide of any tender fluid flow pass her lips, over her tongue
into her parched throat.
That damn, blinking light call seeming out to her, wanting her to come closer. Tracing her bare feet over the soft feel of woven fur, gentle caressing fingers fell across the soft feel of the cold marble walls. Ones that supported her temple home they even had the same white glare from them.
Ears began to twitch slowly to echoing foot steps of chanting beings, as the jingles became louder as a bursting crowd of dancing women flooding before her very eyes. ‘What the hell kind of world am I in?’ Rye enquired blindly.
“Mistress, come.” A very soft and gingerly voice cooed to her, grasping a younger hand into hers. Sounds of erupting laughter broke through the unbearable silence. Quaking sounds of joyous clapping rose out of the rows of tables, coaxing the dancers to forever keep.
Her body was pulled by the gingerly voice still but her eyes laid among others... others she knew deeply well and some she barely knew at all. ‘Cajon? Jakarta? Erinna... what is this?’ Rye ran the words through her mind carefully, trying to convince herself that this was a cruel joke that was being played before her eyes.
“My Mistress, please sit down with your beloved.” The girl that held that gingerly voice peered up to her with such wide light yellow eyes.
Rye stopped suddenly as she knitted her raptor gaze. “Beloved?” a laugh broke deep from her belly. “Kid you have got this all wrong. I am just a guardian... I can’t have a beloved!” the word tasted foul on her tongue.
A hand slipped about her waist nearly sending Rye whipping around and knocking the daring person into another world for even laying a hand on her. “Darling, sit and enjoy the feast.” The voice came smooth yet coarse at the same time, making her more than nervous to peak at the one who called her darling.
‘This has to be a horrible dream...’ Rye closed her eyes, slowly turning to seat with the man. ‘Come on Rye... wake up! Wake up now?’
Delicate fingers traced under her chin as this touch felt as if it was so familiar, yet it was so distant. Prying open a side glance, Rye yelped quickly as she knew she was dreaming now. Her stomach lurch forward as her heart fluttered for a brief moment.
‘This is one hell of a sick joke!’ Rye stared wide eyes, slacked jaw at Grey’s towering figure. Remotely her hands shot for her trusted White Cobra, but found nothing at her side. She just wanted to run around screaming at who ever was causing this screwed up dream, then slice her blade through the thin neck. Rye felt the gnawing hunger of a blood lust scratching at her belly, telling her to find her weapon and bathe in the river of blood she could cause.