Ablaze

Thirty Six

I've calmed down because I know that being angry isn't going to help anything, and it'll only make things worse. I can't think straight when I let my affinity take over.

We make our way back to the ally, "Look... footprints."

"Those could be your guys'."

"No, we didn't walk on that side."

We follow the footprints in the dirt, hoping they'll lead up to something. "What the hell?"

"What?"

"They just disappear. That's impossible."

"Not unless they flew away with her."

"I doubt it. They wouldn't kidnap someone then show themselves to everyone in the sky like that."

We all look around, searching for any other clues that could help us. "Guys... there's a forest back there."

"Huh?"

"There's an invisible wall blocking it. But I can see through it with my affinity."

I stick my hand out, watching as it disappears, "Is this something that the city put up?"

"No... definitely not."

"That has to be where Ash is. Come on."

As we slip through the invisible wall, we're spit out into this giant forest. It's pretty dark, but all of the lights surrounding us from the city help a little bit.

"This is crazy. Somebody definitely put that wall
up to keep people out."

"Yeah... I know. Let's stick together here."

Ashling's POV

I struggle to open my eyes.

I go to wipe them with my hand, but realize that I'm chained up. "What the hell?"

Internal panic kicks in, because I have no idea where I am or how I got here. It looks like I'm sitting in a warehouse of some sort.

"Good. You're awake." A voice says, causing me to remember what happened.

"Brix." I say through my teeth.

"Hello, darling."

"Don't call me that."

"Ouch, so hostile."

"I believe you have some questions of mine to answer."

He leans against the wall in front of me as he speaks, "Fine, we've got time."

"So... you're Menticide, right?"

"Correct."

"Why... Why would you do all of this? I thought you and your father hated what happened with Samael."

"We did."

"Okay, can you stop with the short answers? I want to know everything."

He menacingly laughs, "Alright, as you wish."

He walks around as he begins to speak, "As you can remember, our fathers were very close. They trained both of us until it practically killed us. With our affinities being similar, it only made sense for them to want us to be close, just like them. We have a lot of similarities, Ashling."

I scoff, "We're nothing alike."

"There is one difference, though." He bends down to be level with me, "I didn't betray them like you did."

What...?

A puzzled look comes across my face. He smirks, "I knew of our father's plans all along."

"What? You mean... you guys were in on it?"

"Of course we were. But then Samael had to be an idiot and start shit himself, without letting us know. And it resulted in his death. I was furious. I worshipped Samael for his ideologies, as did my father. We had planned to avenge him sooner than this, but then my father got sick. He died just a year after Samael did. When that happened, I knew that I had to avenge both of their deaths. It took me some time, but I finally got a whole crew together who believe in the same things that I do, and who worshipped Samael like I did."

I... can't believe this.

Brix was so nice when we were kids. He always told me to keep my head up, and that everything was going to be okay one day. I never knew that this is what he meant.

"How did you find me?"

"It hasn't been easy, sweetheart, believe me." I cringe at his words, "I've been searching for you for quite some time, now. I didn't think it would be this hard."

He laughs, "But then... I saw you, here. The universe handed you to me on a silver fucking platter, and I wasn't going to miss this opportunity. If it hadn't been for your blue hair and facial markings, I would've never known it was you." His hand reaches down to touch my face, "You're even more beautiful now than you were when we were kids."

"Don't touch me." I growl.

He smirks, "Fiesty and sexy... I love it."

When he touched my face, I tried to use siren on him... but it didn't work. I even tried popping my wings out, but I couldnt. It felt like I weighed a thousand pounds.

"Oh, and as you probably figured out by now... you can't use your affinities. The restraints that are holding you down have special properties within them, made by one of the members of my crew. It prevents you from using your affinities."

I groan, "What the hell do you want with me, Brix?"

"Please, please... call me Menticide, it's much more fitting."

"Answer the question."

"I want you to join me, Ashling."

I scoff, "Are you insane?! I would never join your pathetic little group."

"Come on... don't tell me you haven't at least thought about it when you found out what Samael was doing."

"I haven't. Only a fucking psychopath would think that he was right in what he wanted. He deserved to die."

"Sounds like you really hated him."

"I did, and I still do."

"So, you weren't upset when he died?"

His question threw me off guard. "What?"

"Your father died... he sacrificed his life... and you don't even care?"

"No... no, why would you... why would you even ask me that?"

"Come on, I know you miss him."

I don't know what's happening, but I feel weird.

"No... no you're wrong. I don't miss him. I fucking hate him. I meant what I said— I'm glad he's fucking dead. Just give it up, I'm not fucking joining you."

He sighs, "That's not what I wanted to hear, Ashling."

"If you're gonna kill me, just do it already. I'm tired of hearing you talk."

He stand and laughs, "What's so funny?"

"That you haven't figured it out by now."

The devilish smirk on his face told me everything I needed to know.

"No... no, you can't do this."

"I can do whatever I want, darling."

"They'll find me— my friends. They've realized by now that I'm missing." There's panic in my voice as I speak, "My boyfriend— he won't stop looking for me. He'll fucking kill you and whoever else he has to in order to get to me. He loves me... and he won't let anything happen to me.

"Yeah? We'll see about that."