St. Francis National Forest-Arkansas
I sat on the couch, embracing the warmth of the rolling fire in front of me. My hand meticulously angled my knife to sharpen the wooden stake in my grasp. The flimsy wood shavings pelted against my boot that tapped against the floor.
Those who inhale the scent can be met with their worst fears, playing a loop in my mind. I stole a glance towards Silas who sat at the table, sharpening his own stake. The unbridled anger on his face back at the creek flashed through my mind. Who could he have seen?
I can't seem to understand why his lie is bothering me so heavily-especially when I'm lied to all the time. It felt as if his lie had embedded itself under my skin, its bristles grating through my body with every second I spent ruminating on it. He doesn't owe me anything. Honesty has always been important to me, but we are just working together. He doesn't have to divulge things of that degree.
"Any particular place we need to hit with the stake?" Silas asked from behind me.
"Heart," was all I said, still consumed with my own thoughts. I needed to shut it out-shut out the thoughts. The thoughts of Silas lie, thoughts of my parents giving me some enchanted necklace. Distractions in this job get you killed.
"Something bothering you?" I heard the chair scoot back against the wooden floor.
I shook my head. "No, let's just get this over with." My brain and heart were also racing at what or whom I'd see next. My mind berated me for being pathetic, that with all I've seen, all I've done I shouldn't fear... well my own fears.
His steps settled at the door before he turned back to look at me. His lips pressed together, forging a slight frown as his eyes sparked with doubt. "I can hear your heart, I know something is wrong," he pushed.
I lifted myself from the couch, shooting him a glare. "I'm fine," I grumbled.
"Whatever you say," he quipped, opening the door.
The evening sun was already beginning its descent behind the vast tree line. If we didn't find the creature soon we'd be left with my flashlight as the sole source of light-well I would be; vampires can see perfectly fine in the dark. The wind had picked up, whistling through the spiny tree limbs around us. The woods no longer felt peaceful. Only a reminder that my worst fears lingered within them-literally. My heart roared with every step, an alarm telling me to turn back.
"I can finish this," Silas offered, keeping pace with me even with my limp.
"No," I bit out. I wouldn't be weak nor let my pathetic fears stop me.
"I'll tell you what," he started, glancing over at me. "I'll tell you who I saw, if you tell me what Tara has done to you."
For a moment all I did was stare at him. My eyes floated around his face, my curiosity making me consider the deal. To know more about the person I had blindly placed fragments of my trust in. I tilted my head, trying to piece him together. Trying to understand why he's been so hell-bent on figuring out what I've been dealt out by Tara. "There's too much to tell for you just telling me who you saw," I said, moving my gaze back to the trees. "I'll tell you one thing she's done in exchange, but you go first."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him tense up. "His name is Aleksander," he started, clicking his tongue. "He was a close friend to my family, a loyal soldier to my father... or so we thought." My eyes had now moved back to Silas, my mind hanging onto every word he said. "I suppose the idea of the power my father held enthralled him. To the point he organized a mutiny against my family." The pain in his eyes was hard to miss, no matter how hard he tried to mask it. "Caught off guard, my father had no time to prepare. In one fell swoop, he massacred nearly everyone I had cared for, destroyed everything I had known." His eyes were flickering between his usual emerald green and the glowing red hue. His jaw ticked with his words. "He couldn't even just let me die with them, instead he kept me chained in the dungeon constantly... I think you get the point," he uttered, keeping those shifting eyes on me.

YOU ARE READING
Eclipse of Vengeance
FantasyAstrid Greene had been a fairly typical teenage girl; attending high school, playing sports, and nightly family dinners. That all changed when a cloaked being slaughtered her parents in front of her at just fifteen. Instead of finishing high school...