Her Darkling

Chapter 12.

The awkward silence that passed between us both after I reiterated his statement felt so uncomfortable. The air was thick with tension. Thick enough to be cut through using my blades.

I had thought telling him would at least make me feel better but the confusion remained. Eldrion was my rock, and he was always reassuring me at every waking moment. Only now, he was as confused as I was, leaving me empty.

"But how's that possible?" Eldrion quizzed, raising his perfectly carved brow as his lips curled with confusion. "Your healing has never happened before. You are no Werewolf. You don't have the traits." He whispered, drawing closer to me.

I laughed and looked down at my fingers. And even if I did, I wouldn't have healed as fast as I did at the stream. I had watched Eldrion heal. It usually took minutes. Sometimes, hours, depending on how bad the injury was.

But mine had healed in seconds. f*****g seconds.

I looked at Eldrion who still had that furrow of confusion in his brows. Where we come from, nothing like this had ever happened before.

There were four tribes and only Wolves and scholars of magic could manipulate healing processes. Sometimes, Hybrids could do the same depending on their mixture.

I remembered vividly that my mother could wield magic and spirit animals. I remembered being trained by her once I was old enough to hold a weapon. She was gifted in that aspect but she didn't have the ability to heal with such insane speed. Maybe she would have lived if she did.

I plunged myself out of that thought, not wanting to dwell in the past. Somehow, my mind had a way of plunging me back into the abyss of my dark past, unlocking memories I wanted to remain in the past.

I thought about Aricen. He was a wolf, just like Eldrion so there was no way he was connected to me. No f*****g way for me to compare the speed of my healing with his. I hated that this plunged me back to the past, I hate that it made my chest squeeze with pain. I hated that something very little could bring back memories from my past, like they were interconnected to a large field that held a collection of terrible memories.

But the conclusion was glaring. I was not a wolf.

So what then was I? What hybrid?

Eldrion must have noticed I was having conflicting thoughts. He placed his hand on mine and stared into my eyes, his moss green eyes filled with determination. "Don't worry, Nariel. We will figure this out. We always do."

"No one must know." I whispered.

"And you think I would tell anyone?" He asked, briefly brushing my cheeks with his fingers. "We are together. Alone in this together. Because we are amongst them doesn't make me them. I will always protect you no matter what it takes. I promise."

He pressed a soft kiss on my cheek. It was feathery, almost ghostly. But it sent a zing running up my spine. "Thank you, Eldrion. For everything. I do not appreciate you enough."

He stood to his feet. "Because we are always there for each other. There's nothing to thank me for."

I smiled. "Whatever."

"I'll be right back. I'll get us something to eat."

And he did get us something to eat. After that, I was forced to take a nap with Eldrion talking about a gathering at the perimeter this evening.

*******

I woke up later in the day, feeling more energized. Filled with the need to go outside, I climbed out of the bed and walked towards the entrance, only remembering to limp once I was out of the tent.

I hated to pretend when all I wanted to do was walk like I didn't have a deep gash in my gut.

I nodded at a few warriors, ignoring the ones that stared at me like I was a forbidden spirit before going to sit at the edge of the rock.

The sunset this evening was so beautiful. Even more visible from this point— disappearing down the horizon, leaving colorful rays in its wake; thick clouds, painted in fiery orange and sunset yellow, a dash of pink, a tint of purple here and there and a tinge of blue, a sign of the incoming aquamarine dusk.

My skin had turned into a shade of golden orange. One that made me feel like I wasn't a mere mortal, fighting demons. It made me feel angelic, like I was made out of stardust and sun rays. I closed my eyes and reveled in this ephemeral beauty, only opening my eyes when I felt someone beside me.

Eldrion was standing above me, shirtless and his body gleaming with sweat. I raised my brows. "Acquainted with the perimeters already?"

He shrugged. "I couldn't help but train. Besides, I enjoyed being watched by the warriors. Stared at me like they've not seen someone train before. Sometimes, I think they are below par in combat. The General is the only one who knows what he's doing."

We turned at the sound of metal cymbals clanging. Everyone stood to their feet and other warriors began to pour in, all going in the direction of the perimeter.

"An assembly?" I asked as I stood to my feet and stood beside Eldrion.

"Let's go find out." He replied and threw his shirt over his shoulder.

We joined the others who were aready walking towards the perimeter and stopped when we climbed into a raised concrete block.

They were talking and laughing and I stood with Eldrion, silent as we watched things unfold.

Eamon stepped into the crowd and everyone went silent. I wasn't surprised that he commanded so much respect.

He began to speak, commending everyone for playing their part last night and passing his heartfelt condolences to the dead while wishing them a safe passage to the land of the dead.

"People died?" I whispered into Eldrion's ear and he nodded.

"This evening will be different from the other evenings," Eamon continued and I focused my attention back on him. We locked gazes before he tore his from mine and looked at Eldrion. "We have two new additions. Amazing ones at that. I still can't believe we've been sleeping on them the whole time but I am glad that they are finally a part of us. Welcome Nariel and Eldrion, both skilled fighters who saved Twinecrest from doom!"

Only a few people clapped. I wasn't surprised. Neither was Eldrion. He was too excited to actually notice that we were being glared at, walking through the space that had been made by the warriors.

I followed behind him, unsmiling and wishing I could swat Eldrion's arm. He was waving and it became annoying.

"I wonder why they are a part of us." Someone behind me said. "Outcasts and probably demons in disguise."

"What did you say?" My voice rang out over the crowd and everyone turned in my direction, going quiet as I walked over to the man who towered several inches above me.

"You heard me, woman," He snapped. "You are one of them in disguise. And don't think I am afraid of you. I am not the least impressed by your demon slaying skills."

My hand rested on my thigh, where I kept my knife. I drew it out. "How about I show you?"

"Ahhhhh!" He groaned as I sank my dagger deep into his gut. He tried to get a hold of my hand but I twisted his fist and landed a punch on his jaw.

I was immediately pulled away from him by Eamon while the others watched.

Eldrion yanked me from his arms and pulled me away from the crowd in a frenzied moment.

"What did you just do?!" He cried

"He called us demons!" I fired back, breathing heavily.

"You gotta calm down, Nariel! We can't go around stabbing people for being rude to us!"

I pulled away from him when Eamon walked up to us. "Are you ready, Eldrion?"

"Ready for what?"

Eldrion gave me a stern look. "Well, while you were busy stabbing people, I was called upon to duel with one of his most skilled men."

Before I could say a word, he stalked away from me. He was mad at me. It was a rarity.

I looked down at my hand to see that it was smeared with blood.

"Here." It was Eamon and he was handing me a kerchief. I took it from him and wiped my hand. "Follow me."

I did. I also realized that I was being stared at. Longer than I wanted. My eyes fleeted over to the man I had wounded. He was groaning in pain as he was carted away from the perimeter. I didn't feel sorry for him. Not one bit.

I stood by Eamon at the other side of the perimeter, where it was just us standing. Somehow, it felt like he brought me here on purpose but I said nothing about it. I watched as Eldrion circled a really muscular man, chuckling to myself when I took his form in.

It was going to be a flawless win for Eldrion.

It wasn't something I wasn't used to. Eldrion and showoff worked hand in hand and he was doing just that while still being on the defensive.

"He's a really skilled fighter." Eamon began.

"Hours of training every day produces that."

"Of course. But there's something else. The speed. It's uncanny. He's too fast."

"He runs every morning by the lake. You must have seen him do it this morning." I said above the voices of the men cheering.

"He is too fast, Nariel. Like he possesses some form of power. Look at him. My warrior can't even catch up with him no matter how fast and precise his blows are. I also saw him fight last night. Hell, I've been watching him since the fight at the lake."

Did he know something? He was probably just assuming. Our secret was well hidden so he didn't know a thing. I kept acting oblivious.

"You're seeing things differently, Eamon. You're probably exaggerating because your warrior is getting beat up. By the way, isn't Eldrion your warrior now that he has joined the ranks?"

Eamon shrugged and we went back to watching them. Eldrion's opponent was really strong but he wasn't winning. Not now, not ever. I smiled at the disappointed look on the faces of the men, happy that he was proving to them that even as outcasts, we were better than them.

"How long have you both been together?"

I whipped my head to look at him, trying to read his expression. There was a hint of interest in his eyes. "What?"

"Is he your brother? I don't see a resemblance but there's a possibility he's your brother."

I didn't give him a reply. Clearing my throat, I went back to watching the fight.

"Touchy question, I guess." He muttered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Of course." I replied absentmindedly. My eyes darted over to a familiar figure amongst the warriors. It was the girl from this morning and once again, she had gone back to looking like a man. The unknown reason behind her action weighed on me.

Like she knew I was staring at her, her eyes searched around until we locked gazes.