"Okay... I'll help you," I whispered carefully. "Just stop crying." It pained my heart to see him like this, beaten and neglected with a face wet with built up tears I was sure he had been holding in for some time now. He still wasn't himself, or so it seemed from how he was acting. But I was willing to make a commitment, probably because I was such a forgiving and gullible person.
This would all be over when I returned home, anyway.
Kade once again tightened his arms around my waist and moved his face to the crook of my neck, hugging me as if it would save his life. I reluctantly slipped my arms around his neck and hugged him back. He wasn't warm anymore, at least not like he was before. But I found comfort in his arms anyway.
"Are you sure you're not an angel?" he whispered almost too quietly for me to hear. I was grateful for his voice returning to normal and managed to crack a smile.
"I think we're safe," I answered. He pulled away and studied my eyes with so much curiosity and gentleness that I had to look away before becoming too flushed.
"Are you okay? I know how Salazar can get when it comes to-" he began to say.
"No! N-no... I'm fine," I stammered, not wanting to bring up that subject again. "I think I'm done getting perversely seduced by men who think I'm open for their touches and kisses anytime they want." I shivered at the thought of Salazar and Trent and what they did to me. I wanted to throw up just thinking about it.
"I hope that's over with too. I don't think I'd be able to handle any more guys touching you," Kade suddenly said with his eyes widening slightly as he studied me. His tone was distant, almost as if he didn't mean to say that out loud. But he didn't seem at all worried by my reaction as I stared surprised and blushing.
"K-Kade?" I stuttered. He blinked and for a split second his eyes went black. But they were gone when he blinked again, back to his usual crystal blue. "Are you okay? You look awful," I quickly added, trying to ignore it as I looked down at the gashes and cuts on his chest. His face, bruised and almost to the point of being swollen, wasn't nearly as bad.
He looked down as if noticing his injuries for the first time and merely shrugged. "I tend to heal faster than an average human. I should be alright, with your help of course," he said smiling. I realized he still had his arms around me, which was probably helping him remain standing.
"My help," I repeated quietly to myself for some reason.
"Yeah, I meant as moral support," Kade replied and suddenly slipped an arm under my knees, lifting me up bridal style with an almost effortless attempt. Startled by the sudden action, I clanged to him and stared down at the bloodied floor, wondering why he was carrying me. "Turn your body inwards so if we run into anybody, they won't see you like this," he explained and help me shift so my front side was turned more towards his chest. It was a smart idea, but it meant I was stuck closer to him. He seemed to noticed this also and looked down, wide eyed again. He blinked, eyes turning black, then a couple of more blinks and they were back to normal. I wish he'd stop doing that, even if he couldn't control it.
He opened his mouth to say something but the words never came out; he just stood there staring down at me for the longest time and I staring back at him caused the situation to grow awkwardly silent. "Let's go find Odis and Maeve," I eventually said and smiled gently. He smiled back, a very childish smile I must say, and effortlessly walked towards the door. When he somehow managed to open it, the outside had changed.
It was pitch black, so black that I wouldn't be able to see my own hand in front of my face. The squeak of the door opening sent a louder and longer echo than before, and the door seemed to open to the opposite side from where it was originally. Kade noticed this and stopped abruptly.
"He changed the door's location... who knows where we are now," he whispered to himself and took a couple steps forward.
"Kade, you can't see anything in this darkness. Put me down and light the way," I urged quietly and loosened my arms from around his neck. He pulled me back and grunted with frustration.
"No, I don't know what's lurking out there. It's not worth the risk," he answered back. I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it.
"How are you going to fight anything off with me in your arms?" I nagged and once again loosened my arms. He gave free this time and set me down carefully, keeping his arms around me for a bit too long. But I ignored that little detail and thanked the darkness for its only advantage: nobody could see me half naked... kinda.
"If anything grabs you, just yell," Kade said and stepped cautiously forward. As red flames like before sprouted from his hand and lit the way, I looked around at the cramped stone hallway, feeling my whole body stiffen with fear.
"Well that's reassuring," I mumbled sarcastically and made sure to stay close to his shadowy figure. The flames made a difference, but only slightly. It was as if the darkness was determined to swallow any light.
"I offered to carry you," Kade pointed out in a stretchy tone as he crept forwards. I rolled my eyes again and finally clamped my mouth shut. The silence seemed to build on as we walked, becoming even more creepy and oddly thick. Maybe I was confusing it with the chilly air and rough stone floor under my feet. I was praying that I didn't step on anything slimy, furry, or much worse. This wasn't the place to pass out.
"How are we going to get out of here? This place seems to continue forever," I said after awhile longer of creeping. My eyes and head were growing sore from trying to see in the dark. The frustration that had built up before was now turning to anger and hopelessness. When Kade didn't answer me, I tapped him on his bare back and nearly repeated my question. But he suddenly pulled me against him as he slammed his back to the wall, put out the flame on his hand, and clamped it over my mouth. He kept me glued to him by pulling an arm over my stomach and forcefully keeping it there while I momentally struggled. When I heard the squeaking of a door a bit further up the hallway, I froze and stopped my breathing.
"How did you let him get away?!" Trent's familiar voice said, accompanying two sets of footsteps.
"Excuse me for wanting to live another century or two," Another, scratchy voice answered in reply and growled afterwards. Xur.
"Idiot... Salazar's not going to be happy when he comes back. And you're gonna be the first one on his hit list," Trent criticized angrily as his voice faded off down some other unknown direction. When Kade apparently thought they were gone, he released me and let out a sigh of relief.
"Come on, I think I know where we are," he said, and took off running towards the direction of the door I heard. How he knew where to go all of a sudden, I don't know, but I took off after him. After a sharp turn to our right, we were met by a door which we pushed through immediately. Through it was a spiraling staircase that led us to another hallway of doors. Kade walked down it quickly, counting four on his left and going through the fourth one hurriedly. He occasionally checked behind him to see if I was still following. I managed as we took numerous turns left and right and shoved through multiple doors. Wherever we were seemed to be like a place to keep someone in by confusing them. Without Kade, I'd be one of those people.
Eventually, we pushed into a room with actual windows and a door I only hoped was the exit. There wasn't much in the room, only chairs and tables that seemed to be unused. When I began to worry about our friends again and remind Kade about our task, Odis and Maeve suddenly jumped out through another door on the opposite side of the room, fully dressed with my and Kade's clothes.
Without hesitation, Maeve tossed them to us and smiled when I asked her how they got out. "Hello?" she said. "I can't believe they actually thought a few chains would hold a witch. And since Odis has a keen sense of smell, finding the surface was easy, not to mention the room they held our clothes in." I smiled back as Kade and I quickly dressed ourselves and hurried with the two towards our presumed exit. Luckily it was. A stary night sky loomed above with a bright crescent moon, fresh air hitting my nose as I gratefully breathed it in.
I took no time to study the building's stone architecture as we shot off into the woods surrounding it, leaving its Hell fest behind us. Either they didn't want to know or they didn't care, but Odis and Maeve didn't bother to ask me and Kade how we escaped or what happened when we were taken away. And right now, I was grateful for that. All that mattered was getting very far away from that building and finding shelter for the night.
After awhile, Odis said he could smell civilization again and we followed him through more thick brush. We eventually came across a small town, lively thriving with night owls and casually dressed couples. Kade stopped us from going any further and set out a plan.
"I know a wizard who lives here. He should be able to tell us stuff about Galendale," he had said before we followed him towards the mentioned house. It was a small, log cabin with a long trail of smoke flowing from a brick chimney. At the door, I could smell something cooking inside, which made my stomach grumble hungrily. It was then I realized how hungry I was; I couldn't even remember the last meal I had. Thinking about it only made my craving much worse.
Kade knocked lightly on the door and moments later, a middle aged man opened it, his hair and goatee streaked with grey. His skin showed obvious signs of age and stress, slightly wrinkled and roughened at some parts, mostly under his eyes. He smiled warmly at Kade and let out a hearty chuckle. "Kayden, my boy! How well it is to see you again. How long has it been?" he greeted in a scratchy but optimistic voice. Kade smiled back and shook his head once.
"Too long, Winston," he answered. 'Winston' motioned us all in and pulled up more chairs to a small wooden kitchen table, where a bowl of stew and a plate of some kind of meat were set neatly at his seat. A few feet away lied an adult German Shepherd, sleeping soundly on a dark blue rug. Once it realized we were here, it raised its head and stared curiously.
"Calm down, Berlin, they're not threats," Winston said to it and immediately the dog put his head back down. Then the wizard turned to us again, smiling. "Well Kayden, it looks like you've got quite a gang with you. A werewolf, a witch and a..." he paused when he got to me, squinting curiously as if trying to read something behind my eyes. "Hm... I can't quite tell what this lovely young lady is," he said and stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"She's a goddess," Kade stated proudly and looked at me with an admiring look. After Winston exclaimed a few words of surprise and excitement, spamming me with questions I could barely answer, he moved on to the reason we were all sitting in his cabin, half starving -he somehow managed to assume. Wizard magic, I guessed. And so began a long explanation and story from Kade. When he was finished, the old man seemed to hold a bit more respect in his eyes. He looked from each of us to the next, appearing to discuss something with himself mentally.
"Galendale, huh?" he eventually said after some time when Kade asked about the guy. The name seemed to trigger an unwanted sparkle in Winston's eyes as he got up and began to fix all of us bowls of stew and plates of meat. Once we were all situated and digging into our meal, he began tapping his bony index finger on the wooden surface of the table. "I remember working with that ol' fart. He's got some impression magic, way more skilled than mine, I'll admit. But ever since a few years ago, he's gone MIA. Haven't heard a word from him." I assumed he was talking about the situation of the coin and when he handed it over to my grandmother for safe keepings. Why he disappeared after that left me completely stumped.
"He disappeared before giving the coin to Eliza. I heard they met up secretly after that, somewhere in a town a few miles north. I don't know why he wanted her to have it, though; especially since she was wanted more by the Abominations than him. But if you want anymore information, you might can find someone in that town I mentioned. An old friend of mine, an elf actually, might know where you can find the ol' fart. Trust me, this guy hears and knows everything. I think he's a reliable source," Winston added usefully and leaned back in his chair. When we all gained satisfied looks, he frowned and flashed a warning glare at us.
"I'd be careful," he said. "Somewhere between here and there is a vampire cove. A whole organization of rogues." My stomach twisted into a knot at the mention of vampires. Why hadn't I thought about the possible existence of them before?
Odis scoffed and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Gross," he mumbled to himself. I should've known werewolves and vampires didn't get along.
"Well we'll be careful. Nothing a few spells can't handle," Maeve mentioned proudly with a satisfied look. Winston smiled broadly and gave a nod of his head in agreement.
"You can say that again." After a few seconds later he added, "But anyway. Please, all of you, stay the night here. You guys look awful! Rest up for a bit and then continue on in the morning if you're feeling better."
So we did, and the whole time we got nestled in, I was hoping nothing would snatch us in our sleep and drag us to Hell.