Embers & Spells

14 – Unlikely Hero

Arawn Rhys was furious. At least that was what he looked like at the moment. His clear grey eyes pierced me, so intense I felt the hair at my back of my neck stood up.

I blinked, reality kicking in. A knot twisted in my stomach as my heavy heartbeat echoed in my ears. My back hurt and my head started to spin. The only thing keeping me awake was the pulsating pain from my palm, the blood still oozing.

“It’s not what you think,” I muttered, trying to steady my vision, his face too close from mine. His weight was on me, our chest pressed together and I became more aware to what just happened.

Arawn Rhys got to his feet, grabbing my arm as he helped me find my balance. This felt déjà vu, as if in every worst thing that happened, he was there, lurking to somewhere I couldn’t see.

“Not what I think?” He raised an eyebrow, putting a distance between us. “Can you read minds now, Tana Axle?” He deadpanned.

I held my wounded hand, needing to submerge it to hot water to ease the pain and heal. “What? No.”

“And you can’t be stupid as well,” he added. I could see the anger in his eyes, as if I had intentionally offended him.

“What are you even doing here? Did you follow me?” I suddenly realized his presence. I put a spell around the building to keep humans from coming near.

“How many lives do you think you have?” Arawn asked, his eyes still on me, freezing me in place. “You’re not a damn cat. You got only one life, Tana, one.”

“I am not trying to do what you might think I’m doing!” I hissed. I wasn’t supposed to explain my act to him.

Arawn Rhys grabbed the red candle and blew the light. He then smashed it to the ground, breaking the wax. “Oh, I know what you’re doing. You think this voodoo s**t will work out, giving you a way to go down the underworld- to what? Snatch your damned soul? You think you can just demand the devil’s presence to release some witch’s soul?” He laughed bitterly. He suddenly looked a madman and it was the first time I had seen so much emotion in him. He pointed his finger to the ledge. “If you fall, your body will break. And when you physically die, Tana, you’ll lose every chance you have now to f*****g redeem yourself. Do you even have that understanding?”

To say I was surprised was an understatement. I was baffled, shocked to the core, the thoughts warring inside my head stopped. His words felt like a punch to my stomach that I literally winced.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stepped back, widening the gap between us. Turning my back on him, I retreated.

But I faltered, finding him suddenly before me, blocking my path.

How the hell? I looked up at him, his height towering over me. “Let’s not play dumb, shall we? I know who you are, hybrid.”

Fear crawled up my body. “Get out of my way.”

Arawn Rhys tilted his head, standing his ground. “Or what?”

“Zalisma!” I pushed my good hand to his chest, expecting him to stumble back but Arawn didn’t move an inch, once again proving me that my spell didn’t work on him. All sense seemed lost on me, my guard up, anger and frustration and desperation stormed my head like plague. I swung my hand toward the glass dagger, catching it swiftly as it flew directly to my grasp.

Arawn caught my dagger in my hand as I tried to stick it to him, smoothly getting it from me and out of my reach. A little smile turned at the corner of his lips, wanting me to smack the bastard.

“Oh, is that how you repay your hero? Stabbing him with your little weapon?”

I returned his glare, trying to calm myself. “Who the hell are you?” I whispered.

He leaned closer to me, his mouth inches away from my ear. “Someone you’d rather not cross path with, hybrid.”

Tears stung my eyes, knowing I failed again. I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping everything was just a dream. ‘Cause all this troubles and bad happenings were like nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.

“Don’t ever be stupid again, Tana Axle. If your body dies, then you’ll be in the underworld forever. Got it?” His voice sounded more calm now, like he suddenly get a grasp on his sudden burst of emotion.

I just nodded, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. “Can I have my dagger back?”

Arawn tossed my weapon, spinning it playfully. “Sure. But not today. Go home.”

****

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, seeing dark circles under my eyes, a reward from not getting enough sleep. I looked dull, my face pale, my shoulder felt heavy. Goose bumps ran down my shoulder, remembering Arawn’s eyes, intensely piercing me. We had the same color, but his were lighter, almost clear that it was captivating.

How did he know me? He called me a hybrid. Obviously, he was stronger more than I gave him credit for. And for the first time, his face registered in my head. Now that my mind was clear and at ease, my senses told me he was a dangerous guy. Was he someone I should looked out for? Was he an enemy? But if he was, he probably wouldn’t save me. But why was he helping me out? How did he know about my damned soul in hell and my bloodline?

As if Inigo’s existence wasn’t enough to bother me, another load of questions bombarded my head at Arawn Rhys’ sudden appearance. The indifferent remarks he always threw at me made sense now, giving me hints that he knew what I was. A hybrid whose soul got imprisoned in the underworld.

I realized that I have been acting blindly all this time, and above all, foolishly. I became too desperate and impatient, displaying my vulnerabilities to someone I didn’t know might be watching me. I took a deep breath, nodding my head. I should not let my stupidity rule me over. I made too many mistakes already and that could cause me my life. The life that I was now barely living.

“I’ll start over,” I said, gazing at my reflection. “First, I need to prove Inigo’s the alpha. And second, I’ll have to know who Arawn Rhys is.”