A Flawed Alliance

Chapter 11- A Tarnished Goal

He nodded and there was no hesitation before he wrapped his arm around my waist and rested my body against the rock I had collided with.

Just as he moved his hand away he said, "I apologize for running into you like that."

My hands instantly shot up in a defensive stance. "No, no, it's okay. Nothing was intentional."

Logan watched me as I winced some more at the pain blossoming from my whole body. He was going to say something but stopped when someone skidded down on the grass next to him. "Logan!"

A lady with wavy, blonde hair. Veronica.

"Came down in one piece, huh?" Logan asked her while repositioning himself.

She didn't reply, only looked over at me and instantly brushed a hand over my cheek. I probably looked bloody and bruised all over. Her voice was filled with pity, "Oh, no, are you alright? I don't have anything on me to help."

My head felt like it was splitting in two and it was getting harder to concentrate. "I do feel a little light-headed."

Unlike Logan who was hesitant to touch me or be near me, Veronica was the opposite, taking no time to reach a hand to wrap around mine. "Hang in there."

"This is insane!" Ace's voice echoed somewhere. "Iridian, you better come out here right now or I'm leaving you here."

"I'm right here!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Over here!"

Ace came from behind a tree with his Garvyn and Nix next to him. His feet skipped as he traveled further down the hill where Veronica, Logan, and I were. At the sight of me, Nix bounded forward, sniffing Logan and Veronica before pecking me on the head. Pain throbbed where he touched me.

From this angle, looking up at Ace, all I could see was his chest and his eyes laced with anger. I eagerly called to him, "What happened to Aaron and Mr. Hrodvitnir?"

Ace withdrew the staff he was carrying. I didn't realize he had been holding one this whole time. "Not sure, they ran off somewhere. So, what's your plan now?"

"Plan?" Veronica questioned.

"Oh," Ace turned to her. "You're in this too? Since when?"

Veronica frowned, unpleased with what she heard. She stayed silent, continuing to stroke her fingers over the back of my hand. A dragon crawled from behind Veronica's shoulders. It was the size of a textbook but a little bit longer from head to the tip of its tail. Veronica moved her hands behind her to pat her dragon. She side-glanced at her dragon and whispered, "Ssh, Zoey, it's okay. That's Ace."

Veronica moved her hands to part her hair behind her ear. That's when I noticed Veronica was wearing earrings shaped as a dragon, entwined with her ear and looping through it as if the dragon was crawling on them. They were silver except for the dragons' eyes which were red. They must be the symbols she received when she entered through the portal.

"My plan," I started, trailing off. I didn't know what my plan was; whether or not to choose between staying here or going to Malanthe...a billion options popped in my head.

"So, we all heard Aaron's story then?" Veronica asked.

Logan instantly looked away, unable to look me in the eye.

Veronica flipped her hair to the side. "It doesn't make sense. She could have come here a long time ago and could have tried to convince you herself once she knew either one of you was the Phoenix Auxiliary. Aaron must have told her about you two right when you came through the Center Assemblage portal. Something's preventing her from coming here."