THE SUN SUMMONER

13

SOLARYA AIMLESSLY WALKED through the forest. It was starting to get dark but she didn't care. She listened to the sounds of the silent area. Birds cawing in the distance, crickets chirping in the bushes and the near sound of rushing water.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," a voice drawled.

"Good God," Solarya exclaimed, "Are you following me?"

"Yes."

"Well leave."

"You're going to get lost. The Amazon rainforest is a very large place," Druig teased as he walked towards her.

"I know that. And I won't get lost," Sol turned away from him but he caught her arm. He spun her to face him and she swallowed thickly at their close proximity.

"My sun. I've missed you," he whispered.

"Really?" Solarya asked, "Cause I didn't miss you."

She lied.

She had thought about Druig at least 10 times each day and she hated it.

"You're a liar, you thought about me every day," Druig smirked.

Solarya rolled her eyes, "Stay out of my head."

"If it helps I thought about you every day also," he tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ears. His fingers brushed against her cheek and a shiver slid down her spine. She snatched her arm from him and continued to walk.

"What are you even doing out here?"

"Following you. Make sure you don't get lost. That would be a tragedy." Solarya climbed a tree and he glanced up at her, "Are you going to shift so I can come up?"

"No."

"Please, my love?" Druig pouted and she scowled shuffling along the branch. He smiled to himself and came up, "So how have the years been."

"It was fine," she answered vaguely.

"Come on, give me a proper answer."

Sol smirked knowing how Druig is, "Fine. I travelled. I married Loki. And I became a ballet dancer."

"Hold on, go back."

"I became a ballet dancer."

"Before that."

"I travelled."

"After that."

"Oh, you must mean that I married Loki."

"You married that... guy?" Druig's jaw clenched.

"You're jealous," Sol smirked.

Druig shook his head, "I am not."

"You are. Your face tells it all. I didn't marry Loki we're just very good friends," Sol said.

Druig sighed in relief. He looked at her, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to choose. It was wrong of me."

"Well you're right for once." Sol replied. She looked at him and he stared at her intensely, "Sometimes I wish I never loved you. It would have saved me so much pain."

Druig looked sad. A distant shout echoed and Sol looked up.

"Deviants." She jumped off the tree and ran back to the camp. Kingo was firing at a Deviant and it blasted into a hut.

"Really?" Druig exclaimed before running off.

"Very nice sir!" Karun said.

"Are you mental?! Hide!"

"We need action sequences," he responded. He looked at the burning building as the Deviant snarled, "Sir!"

"Sprite, get Karun out of here," Kingo ordered.

Sol saw a Deviant jump on top of a roof and flick away part of the wall with its tail. She and Kingo shot at it as the people screamed in fear. It jumped from hut to hut and Sersi lead the people into the large hall.

A moment later gunfire went off and Sol looked to see the people, golden-eyed, shooting at a Deviant with rifles. It hit people with its tail and Druig appeared out of nowhere and flipped over it. The robe was long gone and Sol shook herself from staring.

She shot it and it turned her way. As it was about to advance a large metal tree fell from the sky and trapped it underneath.

"Druig. Let them go," Sersi commanded.

"Now is not the time Sersi," Druig responded.

"Please, I know you're better than this," Sersi said.

"Druig, they're going to get hurt," Sol said as she ran up. He sighed and raised his hand. The people stopped and a man started questioning.

"Druig. What's happening?"

"Go! Get to the river!" The people scrambled off and the Deviant snarled as it tried to get out from underneath the tree. Druig gently tugged Solarya away as it screeched. They stopped by the hall and a Deviant ran towards them.

A moment later Ikaris flew down and stopped a Deviant, opening its jaw wide and blasting laser beams into it. It fell but its tail tried to hit him. Sol blasted at it and it fell limp.

Ikaris ran off and Druig stood beside Sol.

"He's destroying my hard work," Druig shook his head. An explosion rang out and they ran towards it. A Deviant stood out of a pond. Its body was twisted at all angles that resembled a tree.

Ikaris ran towards Sersi who stood in front of it and hugged her, making sure she was alright.

They took off into the woods as Ikaris told them Gilgamesh and Thena were still out there.

As they approached they saw Thena crying and Gilgamesh's dead, grey body. Sol released a shuddering breath and swallowed deeply.