The Dragon's Kiss

Chapter 4 - You Have My Word

Haco gasped, waking up with a jolt. He winced, holding his throbbing head, as he tried to remember what had happened. Castery had taken its toll on him, leaving him vulnerable for a short period of time. He sat up, looking around as his hand instinctively went to his sword, only to find it missing. He scanned his surroundings, and relaxed when he found the familiar trees towering over him. He was still in Daracke, the Grand Forest of Dragaria. Haco made a move to stand up, but froze when he heard her.

"Don't move." Her tone was threatening.

He turned his head to find Ashley standing behind him, his sword in her small hands, the blade pointed towards him. She was almost shaking from its weight, but maintained her truculent stance.

Haco sighed. "Really?" He raised his eyebrows. "Where's Valak?"

"I shoo-ed him off," she replied, her voice laced with pride.

"Great." Haco rolled his eyes, standing up.

"I said don't move!" Ashley snapped, taking a step back.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Let's not do this, alright? We need to go before it's dark."

She gulped, looking around. "No. We are not going anywhere until you answer my questions."

He ran a hand through his hair, pursing his lips. "Ask."

"How did you kill the dragon?"

"The dracone," Haco corrected. "And I didn't."

"You're lying," she accused, taking a threatening step towards him. He did not even flinch, staring at her unfazed. "Tell me the truth," she stated.

"I am speaking the truth." He shrugged. "I just... 'shoo-ed it away'."

She blinked in confusion. "How do you shoo a drag-- a dracone away?"

"By casting the spell that I used," he replied. "Differus divignem Dracarius."

Ashley gaped at him. "A spell? As in, magic?" she asked incredulously.

"Uh, here we call it castery."

She lowered her gaze, taking a deep breath. "So... you're what? A mage?"

"No, I'm a caster," Haco replied.

"Right," she muttered. "Never mind. Just tell me where to find the Transporter."

Haco let out a chuckle, scratching his cheek. He walked towards her, until the end of the blade touched his chest. Ashley's eyes widened, and she resisted the urge to back away.

"What makes you think I'd tell you, even if I knew?" He leaned in closer to her, establishing his dominance.

Ashley blinked, her frown deepening. "What do you mean by 'if' you knew? How can you not know?" she asked.

"Transporters aren't permanent gateways to other realms, Ashley. They have to be summoned," he explained. "Just like horses, or the things you use in your realm."

"In my 'realm', we own those things. Or we can easily catch one in public. So, you need to summon that stupid Transporter so I can go home. I just need a few seconds, and we can be done here. You already said you got me by accident. Maybe we could go back together, and... then you could take Liana," Ashley suggested, blinking at him hopefully.

Haco frowned. "You're willing to trade your sister for yourself?"

Like hell I am. You step on Earth and I'm getting your ass beat by cops. That'll teach you a lesson.

"I always wanted her gone in the first place, " she lied. Even saying those words made her heart clench slightly, and she had to remind herself that she was only trying to trick him.

Haco narrowed his eyes, disappointment reflecting in them. "I didn't take you for a traitor," he said with distaste.

"Well, I am one," Ashley replied, clenching her jaw. "I'm a trash person, complete garbage. I'm a traitor, a liar, arrogant, and mean. I'm also very sneaky, and... and I'm killing you the first chance I get. So it's better for you if you dump me back on Earth."

Haco smiled, lowering his gaze. Ashley did not find it amusing at all. "I would have, only it isn't possible." He glanced at her again. "To summon a Transporter, it takes a lot of energy. We already exhausted all our sources of power when I came to your realm, and then took you back."

Ashley's heart sank within her chest, and her face fell. "So... you mean there's no way I can go back?" she whispered, lowering the sword unconsciously.

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean." As soon as she let her guard down, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, spinning her around as he twisted her arm behind her back. She let out a small scream, wincing in pain as he caught hold of her other hand as well, the one with which she was holding his sword. "Drop it," he warned.

Ashley's chest heaved up and down, as she felt his breath tickle her neck and her ear. She struggled to get free of his hold, but he twisted her arm a bit further, making her yelp in pain. She obliged to his command, dropping his sword onto the ground as tears formed in her eyes again. For a girl who loved pretending to be a badass, her pain tolerance was remarkably low.

"Good," he whispered. He moved both her hands in front of her, and trapped her wrists against her stomach now, pulling her tightly to his chest. Her back pressed against his front, making her suck in a breath, as he placed his chin on her shoulder. "You try that next time, I'll kill you with my bare hands. Is that clear?"

A shiver crawled down her spine, and she slowly nodded, gulping. She turned her head slightly to glance at him, causing their heavy breaths to mingle together. Her eyes went to his eyebrow, and she noticed a deep scar cutting through it. Their gazes met the next moment, and Haco's expression softened slightly.

"I... I just wanted to go home," Ashley whispered, as a tear left her eye.

Guilt flashed in his eyes, and he clenched his jaw, loosening his hold on her. Lowering his gaze, he stepped away, letting go completely. Ashley sniffed, quickly wiping away her tears before she rubbed her wrists, keeping her gaze fixed to the ground.

- - - -

"I am telling the truth," Liana cried, tears rolling down her cheeks freely. "She disappeared into a silver vortex. You have to believe me," she begged.

"Stop this nonsense, Liana!" Mr. Parker snapped, glaring at her. "A magical vortex? You think we are fools?"

"Liana, please," Mrs. Parker begged, her eyes filled with tears. She gently took her by the arms, looking her in the eye. "Please, baby. Tell us the truth. Where did your sister go? Who did she leave with?"

"She was kidnapped, Mom," Liana sobbed. "The man hypnotized her or something. He-he was very weird."

"Kidnapped," Mr. Parker muttered, massaging his temples. "She made a fool out of you, Liana. Or you're making a fool out of us. I had been suspicious of her activities ever since she changed her entire wardrobe. Are you sure she had not joined some kind of a cult?"

"Eugene!" Mrs. Parker said incredulously, staring at her husband. "Just because our daughter chooses to dress in all black, doesn't mean she's joining a cult."

"She also dyed her hair bla--"

Mrs. Parker shot him a look, cutting him off.

"I am just saying that it's a possibility," he sighed. "Ashley did have issues, alright?"

"She did not," Liana replied, walking up to her father. "She had nightmares," her voice broke as she spoke, "and so do I. It happens when you've lived on the streets for over three years. Yes, she'd be easily angered. She would come off mean at times. But my sister is not a part of cult. Do you understand?" She broke into a sob, closing her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Parker sighed, lowering his gaze. He pulled Liana to his chest, and she held onto his shirt, crying. "We'll figure this out, we'll find her. Alright? Don't worry." He rubbed her back in reassurance, while glancing at Mrs. Parker.

Mrs. Parker wiped her own tears, taking a deep breath. "I'll call Mike. Maybe he can help us."

"Yes, please do," Mr. Parker nodded. "We need the cops on this as soon as possible."

- - - -

"Ashley," Haco said softly, gently taking her arm and turning her around. "It took the power of two hundred and thirty casters, to summon a Transporter, not including the bones of the dead. And then the same amount again, to summon the one that you went through. My people exhausted their strengths, so I could get them the Daughter of Light. And I failed. If this really is a misunderstanding, it could mean that the hope of my people has been destroyed once and for all. It had taken them years to gather that much energy from different weak sources of power. And now, due to my stupidity, we have failed. I failed them all."

She had the urge to curse at him, but remembering the incident that happened just moments ago, she held back. 

"So what happens now?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"I believe in fate, Ashley. There has to be a reason why Serena chose you," Haco mused.

"Sky. Please call her Sky," she said, sniffing, as she wiped away her tears.

"Alright. Sky. She chose you, and there has to be a reason behind it. I'm willing to find out," Haco said with determination.

"I'm not." Ashley frowned at him. "Look, I don't know what's going on here. But whatever it is, I don't wanna be a part of it. I didn't ask for any of this."

"Neither did I," Haco replied, a dark shadow passing over his features. Before she could even try to decipher it, it was gone. "But that's not the point. You do wanna go home don't you?" he asked.

"You told me I can't."

"That's true, but only as long as the Dracones are in power. Ashley, if you co-operate with me, with us, there can be a way to send you back," he proposed.

"What? How?"

"If the casters are able to claim the throne, we get our most powerful source of castery back, the main source, actually. That source could help us summon a thousand transporters and we wouldn't even flinch," he explained. His eyes glittered with a kind of promise, a determination, that told her he was telling the truth.

Ashley's eyes lit up, a spark of hope reigniting in her heart.

"Well, what is it? The source?"

"It's called Divignus. Look, I'll tell you everything you need to know. And I will protect your life with mine, Ash. You have my word. But you must cooperate with me, or there is no point of any of this. Can you do that? Can I... Can I trust you?" he asked, extending his hand towards her.

She took a deep breath, glancing down at his outstretched hand. She gulped as her heart thumped in her chest, before she met his gaze again. Haco looked sincere. His bright blue eyes had a way of reflecting his emotions. They seemed to conceal nothing.

She reluctantly placed her hand in his, feeling a jolt through her skin for some reason. Suddenly, a bright light clouded her vision, blinding her for a moment.

Remember your purpose. Forget it never. And when you're close, call to the flower.

"Ashley?" Haco shook her by the shoulders, snapping her out of the vision.

She stared at him wide eyes, blinking multiple times to remind herself where she was. There was an uneasiness spreading in her chest, as she breathed hard, trying to calm herself down.

"Are you alright?" He frowned, bending down slightly to get to her eye level. "What's wrong?"

"I..." she whispered, confused.

"Calm down. You're shaking," he pointed out. His gaze held nothing but concern.

"I know that," she muttered, gulping. "I... I need to lie down."

"Alright, okay," Haco nodded. "You can, once we get to safety. You're fortunate nothing showed up while I was unconscious. We can't be here when darkness falls." He glanced up towards the sky, even though the thick canopies hid every bit of it.

"Why?" She felt a shiver crawl down her spine. "What... what happens when it gets dark?" she asked, unsure of whether she really wanted to know. 

Haco met her gaze, his eyes holding an eerie warning.

"The Dracones set out to hunt."

- - - - - -