Ava

14 - Voices

Ava half jogged and skipped as she went north, towards the spring where they’d usually fetch their clean water. Even though she’s annoyed with Black always asking her to fetch clean water with his wooden pails, she still did as instructed. She moved through the trees with ease until she finally reached the spring. Sitting down, she was carried away by the sound of the water and decided to stay longer for at least a few minutes more. So she removed her boots, pulled back her pants and dress and sat on a huge stone just at the side of the spring. Bringing her feet forward, she wiggled her toes as soon as it touched the water. The cold water made her giggle unconsciously.

“Refreshing.” She uttered.

She smiled widely and looked at the bright sky, a clear and sunny day. Suddenly, she felt that her fears had started to occupy her thoughts once again.

What if they all die too? Just like all of the many of the others who befriended me and stayed with me?

“No, this time it will be different. This time, I will learn to fight and fight for them.” Ava countered.

But I am not even an expert fighter yet. How can I fight for them?

“Black is teaching me. That’s right.” She contradicted her mind once again.

That’s right.

She then closed her eyes and immersed herself with her surroundings. The birds, the flowing water, everything made her feel relaxed.

Kill. Kill them all.

Something whispered, her eyes immediately opened and she looked around. She felt eyes on her but couldn’t fathom where.

Destroy them all. Kill them all.

She heard another set of whispers and she felt a burning sensation from her pocket. Bringing out the black shard she took from the woman that night, she was shock to see the black smoke coming out of it.

They all made you suffer.

So you must kill. 

Kill. 

Kill.

Kill.

You must kill and destroy them.

The whispers have started to penetrate her mind as her grip on the black shard started to tighten.

Death is near.

Be careful.

Death is near.

Another voice whispered.

Ava. Can you hear me?

Her mother’s voice then whispered just beside her ear and she froze like she really felt her warm breath near it.

Ava.

“Mama.” She voiced out.

Kill. 

Kill.

Kill.

Kill them all. 

“No! Stop it!” She screamed and tighten more of her grip on the shard, making it pierce her palm.

A drop of her flaming blood fell from her hand and it was then too late for Ava to realize. The sky immediately darkened and cold breeze surrounded the area. She knew what was coming next. 

“No.” She whispered as she saw a group of them in a far distance. By then she tore a part of her dress and tightly bandaged her palm.

The ointment. I need the ointment. She thought desperately and stood up. She left it in the cabin. She cursed herself for being so stupid.

The Peace Keepers will be here soon.

“My dagger.” She voiced out and cursed herself again for allowing Black to keep her dagger. The only thing that can kill these b*stards with only a small cut.

She was about to move when she heard a haunting song which echoed through the woods. Ava was rooted on her spot when she saw a tiny beast walked out from the shadows of a very large and bulky oak nearby. It was a creature she’s never seen before. The small creature was like a mixture of eagle and a cat. It’s head and body is more of a cat but has eagle wings and claws, a hybrid. The singing continued as it walked slowly towards her before spreading its wings and flying to her shoulder. Ava looked at the creature in awe and was even surprised to see the Peace Keepers had stopped on their tracks and were doing the same, their blank eyes are totally focused on the singing hybrid.

“Who saved the continent from the second plague?” The tiny creature spoke and asked as it’s eagle eyes looked straight at the Peace Keepers when her song ended.

“The Master.” The Peace Keepers answered in chorus.

“Wrong.” The creature answered flew over them. The Peace Keepers trailed their eyes on it, completely unmoving.

Then it flew right back at Ava, flipping its wings as it stopped right in front of her face.

“Who saved the continent from the second plague?” It asked once more, eyeing her.

Ava didn’t know what to say but then she remembered Casix’ story.

“The dragon king and his wife.” She answered.

“Bingo.” The small beast said before it winked at her, flying over her, she then was able to move. “Now, go, my lady.”

Ava immediately put on her boots and was about to run when she looked back at the tiny beast.

The Peace Keepers are hunting all magical creatures. What if they also kill it?

“Come with me. It’s not safe here.” She said.

“I’m safe for now.” The tiny beast answered as it landed on the huge stone where she once was.

“Thank you.” She blurted out.

Hesitantly, she nodded and ran to the woods. She needed the ointment right away of a bunch of more Peace Keepers would come. Then she bumped into someone.

“Woman.” Black’s voice warmed her she immediately grabbed on his hand.

Black’s eyes darkened and he tried his best to swallow the lump on his throat. The scent of the flaming blood is truly so hard to ignore that all he wanted was to taste it.

“Heal me. Please.” Ava begged as she removed the bandage she used.

A stronger scent reached Black’s nose and he stepped back to fight the urge. But after controlling himself, he immediately took her hand and placed his palm over the cut. Black’s eyes had once again had that silvery glint on it before he then produced a streak of black smoke that eventually diffused into her cut and healed it. Snapping his fingers, the piece of cloth with her blood ignited with white flames and burnt into ashes.

“You.” Black said so coldly as he squinted his eyes on Ava.

“You must help me save the creature there.” She said right away and pointed the way back to the spring, ignoring the glare that Black just made.

“Are you courting your own death?” Black asked angrily.

“Please. We have to go now.” Ava begged, still ignoring his anger. “You can be angry with me later. But we must go back and save the poor creature.”

“Creature? What creature?” Black asked as his forehead creased. He moved towards the spring as soon as the witch had gone to ensure that she is safe, surprised to see her running without the water he asked her to fetch.

“The tiny one. I’ll explain later. Please, let’s go.” Ava said urgently.

Pulling his hand, they ran back to the spring only to see the Peace Keepers were still frozen in their places and the tiny beast was just lying lazily on top of the stone.

“You want me to save the Peace Keepers?” Black blurted out with his brows raised. “Because as I see they’re the ones endangered here.”

“I meant to save the hybrid.” Ava replied and blushed, a bit embarrassed for her wrong judgement.

What powers does this tiny beast have to keep these b*stards frozen?

Without any more word, Black moved swiftly towards the Peace Keepers and slayed them one by one using the dagger, the wind blowing away their ashes. In a flash, the sky had turned bright and sunny once again.

“Oh, that was completely unnecessary.” The hybrid commented and flew on top of Ava’s shoulders. “I was actually enjoying it.”

“What?” Ava blurted out and confusedly looked at the hybrid who flew around them.

“He is showing off, my lady.” It answered and purred.

“Do you want to be next?” Black asked coldly.

“Black.” Ava called out and his eyes squinted on her once again.

“What happened? Didn’t I tell you to be very careful?” He demanded.

“I…I wasn’t thinking straight. It was because of the voices. It kept echoing inside me and I couldn’t control my hand so I squished the black shard and-“ Ava started to explain but was cut off when she was suddenly engulfed into a warm embrace.

“Thank goodness you are safe.” Casix blurted out and sighed, relieved to see her okay. They were already on their way back to the cabin when he saw the sky darkened at this side of the woods. Then a vision of the lady’s b****y hand appeared in him. Worry automatically enveloped him. He instructed Alvis to ran to the cabin and keep himself safe there while he sprinted towards the spring. “I thought something bad happened to you. Your hand was b****y and-”

“She’s okay now.” Black butted in and pulled Ava away from him.

“He’s right, Casix. I’m fine.” Ava replied and nodded her head, showing off her hand. “See? It’s all healed.”

The she stopped and looked at the centaur more seriously this time.

“How do you know that I hurt my hand?” Ava asked.

“We were on the way back to the cabin when a flash of vision struck me and saw your hand’s bleeding. Seeing the dark sky, I knew you are in danger and so I immediately came here.”

“A vision?” Black asked curiously.

“Yes. Like she was connected to me somehow.” The centaur answered.

“But.” Ava said and trailed off when she remembered the shard. “Wait. Where is it?”

She then checked her pockets but its empty. Ava ran towards the stone beside the spring and tried to look for it.

“It should be here. I was holding it right here.” She said and continued looking for it.

“What is it?” Casix asked as he also started checking around the stone.

“The black shard.” Ava replied.

“Oh.” Casix said and helped her.

“Found it!” She yelled after finally finding it, raising it up.

The hybrid flew over it as its eagle eyes began scrutinizing the material.

“I wasn’t sure what was it while I was eyeing you from afar. But now I see.” The hybrid said as it landed back on her shoulder.

“Eyeing me?” Ava asked and the creature nodded. That’s when Ava realized that she was right earlier when she felt that someone was looking at her.

“I saw you talking to yourself on your way to the spring and followed you.” The hybrid explained then turned its gaze back to the black shard. “Then you were holding this one while talking to yourself.”

“Talking to myself?” Ava asked, curious if the hybrid also heard the voices she heard. “Did you hear the voices too?”

“No. No voices. Just you talking to yourself.” It answered, eyeing the shard completely.

“What was I saying?” She asked.

“Kill. Kill them all. Destroy them all.” The hybrid said. “That’s what you said.”

“No. Those were the voices that started to whisper things to me.” Ava tried to counter.

“This shard. Where did you get it, my lady?” The hybrid asked.

“From the woman at the northern border. She died and this material, I found it in her ashes.” Ava answered honestly.

“Very interesting.” The hybrid blurted out.

“Do you know what is it?” Ava asked, feeling hopeful as she felt that this little creature knew something about it.

A soon as they were safe last week, she showed the shard to her companions but even all of them were ignorant about it. Alvis even said that maybe it’s just a piece of burnt bone from the woman who died which made her cringe by the way his mind works sometimes. Black on the other hand just stared on it for minutes but didn’t say anything. When she asked, he shook his head and said he doesn’t know.

“A Black Shard. Sharp and shimmering.” The hybrid answered. “Of course I know what it is.”

“What is it?” Black butted in and asked, he appeared eager to know the answer too.

“It’s a shard of the Demon God.” The hybrid answered.

***