Rune Wielders

Chapter Thirty One

Colbie and Ruby caught up to Alden and Reed, walking next to each other silently as Kabil led them through a thick tunnel layered with vines. Something felt wrong. Sinister. It made Colbie's stomach twist and churn with each step.

The feeling was thick in the air and it made Colbie feel constricted like someone was curling their hands around her throat and choking her slowly. It felt like smoke pouring into her lungs and made her want to gag. With each breath, each step toward the ivy curtain in front of them, the feeling got thicker and thicker, and it got harder to breathe.

Kabil held up his hand and crouched. "There is an evil presence here," he whispered, moving the ivy with his spear.

Colbie looked over to Ruby and she nodded, drawing out her blue swords to protect the chief. Colbie tapped her arm and felt the familiar weight of her shield fit on her arm, crawling toward Kabil.

Kabil widened his eyes and pushed away Colbie, gurgling as a black object impaled his throat. He clawed at his neck before slumping over, fingers falling over into the pile of leaves underneath them. In a last effort of strength, he looked to Colbie and smiled, as if to say not to feel bad, and stopped breathing as the blood trickled down his chest. It mixed with the crinkled, dead leaves on the ground.

Colbie stared at Kabil, covering her mouth as someone pushed past her into the courtyard where the artifact was kept. She could feel her shield slip off her arm and shatter on the floor, unable to hear her name being called from her teammates.

She was so close to protecting him. So close. Yet he pushed her away, to save her. She tried to process her thoughts, looking at Kabil's lifeless body. She didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to die. She could've saved him.

I could've saved him, she thought, feeling sick. That was the worst part of it all. I was so close.

A voice broke through the muck of her mind. "Colbie! Hey! Come on!"

Colbie snapped her head up to see Alden pulling at her arm out into the courtyard. Ruby was locked with her swords against a single sword held by a familiar looking boy.

Dusty-blonde hair and rage-filled blue eyes. That taller, thinner statue with his lips pulled up into a familiar sneer. One that Colbie had seen so many times from that boy in front of Ruby.

Colbie could only manage to say, "Reece?"

Reece looked up and locked eyes with Colbie, his sword thrown out of his hand when his concentration was broken. In his other hand was a golden tiger-like paw, with a hole in the center that looked as if it held some sort of jewel. "Colbie? What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed. "Aren't you supposed to be fucking dead?"

"How the hell do you know everyone that seems to be working on the evil side?" Alden snapped, reaching behind him for an arrow to aim at Reece. His arms were shaking, his aim heavily off.

Colbie tried to ignore the accusation flooding into Alden's tone. "That's not important--what's important is that we get back the paw before he escapes!" Colbie said, watching Ruby corner him against a tree.

Ruby reached for the paw before a whip-like rope wrapped around her wrist and yanked her back, sending her crashing into Colbie.

Colbie groaned and caught Ruby, stumbling backward and looked up to see Lila with Koli, reaching for Reece--or was it Kale?--to get on the back of the bird. She pushed Ruby off of her and looked over to Alden, motioning for him to shoot.

Ruby followed Colbie's gaze and shouted, "Alden!"

Alden nodded and took aim again, but froze as soon as Kale's head got in the way. He watched as Kale climbed up to Koli and sat on the back, hand holding the tiger's paw. Once the shot was clear, Alden let the arrow fly and it lodged itself in Kale's hand. They heard him shriek and curse as Koli sped away from the four.