Violet Fire

Chapter 6

I wasn't sure how long I had been unconscious. My eyes were still closed, but I could feel sunlight warming them, and could feel my body sprawled out on the ground. I slowly opened my eyes to see a ray of sunlight falling on me through a large gap in the canopy of two trees. I sat up slowly, fighting off vertigo as I did.

I was in a forest. It was early summer here, just like back home. The leaves were brilliant shades of green, and the moss underneath me stretched in every direction like a carpet. I could hear the faint trickling of a stream and the breeze rustling the leaves. I stood up carefully, using a tree for support. I followed the sound of water and knelt down by the merrily flowing stream. I cupped my hands and drank greedily. I had obviously been out for a while – it was midmorning here.

I looked down again as I reached my hand toward the water for another drink, and saw violet eyes staring back at me. What happened to my contacts? I thought. I looked to my left and noticed that the journal was lying in the grass. It must've fallen out of my hands. I picked up the journal, then froze at the sound of rustling behind me. Two men stepped out from behind trees, their burning red eyes fixed on me. I stood for a moment, then turned and jumped over the stream.

I started running through the trees with absolutely no idea where I was going. I could hear them following me, which only egged me on. I wove through the densely spaced trees and paused behind a large oak to catch my breath. I peeked around the trunk to see them looking around for me. I quickly pulled back as one of them glanced my way. I turned around and found myself facing another man, although not one like the two following me.

His hand shot out and covered my mouth before I could scream, and he put a finger to his lips to indicate that I should be quiet. He was much taller than me, and I had to crane my neck to get a good look at him. He had dark hair and looked as if he spent a lot of time in the sun. The clothes he was wearing looked like they came out of a Lord of the Rings movie, and I noticed a sword hanging from his belt. The last thing I noticed was his eyes. They were light brown with flecks of gold in them. He seemed trustworthy enough – besides, it's not like I had many more options – so I nodded and he took his hand away.

He started walking slowly around one side of the tree, so I turned to peek around the other side. The men who were following me had their backs turned to us, and were talking in low voices in a language I had never heard before. My new friend drew his sword and the men turned, drawing their own weapons. I could hardly keep up as I heard metal scraping against metal and saw the sunlight flashing off of swords. I didn't even notice that one of the men was gone until I heard a twig snap right behind me.

I whipped around to see the second man leering at me with a sword in his hand. I started backing away quickly, and tripped over a tree root. He smiled at me, revealing pointed fangs. The forest had gotten eerily quiet. I tried to ask my friend for help, but I couldn't manage to make a sound. The man crept closer, and the next thing I knew the tip of a sword was staring at me through his midriff. The man exploded into ash, and my friend was standing in front of me, sheathing his sword. He offered me his hand and I let him help me up.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice as deep and warm as his eyes.

"No," I whispered, staring at the pile of ash on the ground. "What were they?"

"Unnatural creatures," he said darkly.

I tore my gaze away from the ash and turned instead to face my new friend. "My name is Juliet," I said, extending a hand.

"Damon," he replied, taking my hand.

I thought he was going to shake it, but instead he kissed the tops of my fingers. I looked around at the forest to hide my blush.