Her Darkling

Chapter 13.

I didn't know what happened next but I felt my body inch away from Eamon's side. The fight raged on with Eldrion winning and yelling at his already weak and bloodied opponent who now lay on the floor in a weak mess.

My gaze was still locked on her and once again, I was faced with the confusion of her identity. She was dressed in a combat outfit, just like the other warriors beside her, and her hair was piled up above her head. The soft outline of her jaw was now prominent to me.

I was greatly intrigued by her. I wasn't sure I had shown this much interest in anyone and I blamed it on her identity that played tricks on my mind. She had torn her eyes away from me moments ago, turning to speak to another man standing beside her. It felt like she had been harsh to him because this man immediately nodded and stepped out of the way.

She pushed past people before making her way out of the perimeter and jumping down the high concrete with fluidity. I frowned slightly and briefly glanced at Eamon who was more invested in watching the match than prying into my life's history.

I had to follow her. I had a gut feeling that she was hiding something. That was it. Even if I couldn't pin my fingers on what exactly it was, I knew she was hiding something. Might be a hunch but I always trusted it.

I walked across the perimeter, pushing past warriors who looked at me like I had a plague. They were wise enough to shut their mouths because I was very much ready to slice my knife through the throat of whoever spoke ill of me or Eldrion again.

I jumped down the high concrete and rounded the corner where I had just seen her take. But she was not there. I was only met with darkness and the loud chirps of crickets in the distance.

The hairs behind my neck prickled. Someone was behind me. I turned with great speed, only to be met with cold, brooding azure eyes. Here she was, the object of my curiosity and she didn't look pleased at all.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" She asked, c*****g her head to the side.

"I wasn't staring at you." I matched her tone.

"Then why did you follow me here?"

Words failed me. "Uhm..."

"Do you do that to everyone? Watch them and stalk them when your interest is piqued a little?"

I scoffed. "You don't know me. Don't act like you do."

"I do not want to know you, stranger. Nothing about you interests me but it seems to be the opposite for you."

Words failed me. I had met my match. But she seemed to be worse than I was. Cold, brooding, and bitterly blunt. "You're mistaken."

Really? Was that all I could come up with?

She scoffed. "Stay out of my lane, whatever your name is. I hate people like you who don't like to mind their business. It's a character flaw and I'd advise you to fix it up."

Before I could say anything else, she turned and stalked away from me, leaving me startled and slightly unhinged. What just happened?

Had I let my curiosity take me too far to the extent of looking like a f*****g moron before her? This was a first and she had floored me effortlessly.

I hated myself for letting my curiosity get the better part of me. I should have done better. But that curiosity remained as I walked back to the perimeter. I contemplated asking Eamon about her.

The match had ended and people were starting to disperse. A group of men lifted Eldrion's opponent off the door. He was severely wounded. I smiled, proud of the fact that we had left an impact tonight. One enough to buy us respect.

I searched around for Eldrion but he was nowhere to be found. He was probably celebrating his victory somewhere with the few supporters he had gotten from this fight.

Just as I turned in the other direction, I found Eamon walking, and right beside him was a man, taller than him but with a slimmer frame. He was dressed impeccably, far better than the other warriors with a cloak behind him that had an emblem of a red slytherin emblazoned on the upper back of the cloak.

They walked into one of the largest and well-made tents, one belonging to Eamon.

I wondered who he was and what they were talking about.

Eldrion walked towards me with a container in his right hand and chicken drumsticks in the other hand. He was smiling brightly and was flanked by two men who walked beside him like they were his delegates. I shook my head at the ridiculousness of it all, watching as he discharged them both.

"What's up, Nariel?"

My eyes rolled to the back. "Drop that vain colloquium."

"See what I did today?"

I stood, hands akimbo and when he saw I had taken that stance, he groaned. "Of course. I saw what you did today. You nearly outed yourself."

"What do you mean?" Eldrion asked as a frown crept into his face.

"The General is beginning to suspect things. Your speed. He has been watching you for days. He's a smart man and you have to be really careful so he doesn't find out."

"Man..."

"I understand that sometimes, your abilities override you but if we are going to keep our clan and identity secret from these people, we must act like them. We must tone down whatever abilities we have. Try not to move so fast or show any superhuman abilities, please?"

He nodded. Mischief crept into his eyes as they darted to my gut. "But someone hasn't been limping the whole night."

My eyes widened slightly and he burst into laughter while pointing at me and tearing meat off his chicken.

"Eamon must have been oblivious to it. He only has eyes for your face."

Before he could say anything else, I tossed a stone at him and he ducked, using his abilities before he raised both of his hands in surrender.

"f**k you, Eldrion."

"Maybe add 'Eamon'?"

Just as I was about to send a playful punch his way, someone cleared their throat. It was one of the messengers. I could tell from the blue emblem of a wyvern on his coat.

"The General requests for your presence in his tent. Both of you."

I and Eldrion exchanged glances before shrugging and walking in the direction of his tent.

We walked through the entrance of his tent and I noticed how good his tent looked. The inside walls were not bare. It was covered in relics of different warriors. Shields of different shapes and materials hung on the wall and they had runes carved into it. Over Eldrion's head was the head of a dead saber-toothed tiger and a deer skin underneath it. It was a symbol of great feats in the past. He must have warred beside the gods.

I took a good look at the man I had seen him walking with. He was dark-haired and his eyes were as dark as obsidian, giving nothing away. But I could feel his aura from where I stood. He was an important man.

Eamon leaned away from his desk. "I called you both here for a reason," He searched our expression before he continued. "Information reaching us from the spies that had been sent out says there's a feast to be held in the Dark manor. I'm sure we know where that is."

Of course, we did. Everyone did. It was a building somewhere in the thick rainforest, away from Twinecrest, surrounded by trees, harboring all sorts of evil and forbidden spirits. No one ventured there except they were searching for their doom.

"We will be in attendance tonight. There has been a rise in their attacks and we need to find out why it has been happening." He continued. "Though we do not have a substantial amount of information on how the feast will be held, I am aware that it would be a gathering of demons of different ranks. A few high demons will also be in attendance. We can't stay still and wait for another attack. We need to know what is going on."

I folded one arm over the other. "Feels like we are signing a suicide note," I c****d my head to the side, my brows furrowed in askance. "And how do we go about this? They will sniff us out before we get close to the manor and rip us to shreds. They can smell the blood of humans. It's no new information."

"Which is why we have this." The other man said and brought out a mini bottle from a box. "An elixir to conceal our scent and make us blend in with them. It only lasts for a short while, say half an hour. But it's enough to do the job."

"Do we need to know where this was gotten from?"

"No." Came Eamon's curt reply.

There were so many unanswered questions. So many hidden secrets either of us were yet to know and though I trusted Eamon, there was a part of me that refused to be a skeptic.

"If I may ask, why are we being told all of these?" Eldrion, who had been quiet for the better part of this conversation, asked. "Don't you have trusted warriors to let this information out to? Not us."

"Because I want you both going with me."

"And why have we been chosen?" I chipped in.

"It is not new that you both have a reputation for fighting demons off. Skilled and precise. That's what I want. I want people who know what they are doing and you both are the right ones for this operation. I don't need so many people. Just four people including me."

"And who is the fourth person?"

The sound of the tent opening had I and Eldrion turning. She walked in, still with her brooding eyes and bored expression before coming to stand beside me. I glanced at her before turning to face Eamon. I definitely wasn't expecting her.

Eldrion was looking at her with the same confused expression. He was probably asking himself if she was a man or a woman and why she looked like the world was no good for her.

She looked like a brick wall, hard to break. I was still intrigued by her persona but I refrained from following it again. She wasn't someone who wanted to get close to anyone.

"Senja is the last person who will be with us. One of our best fighters. Trained for heavy combat. "