Wrath of The Aswang

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

My few belongings were in a satchel and a hilt on my hip. In the satchel was the deadly ring my father used to almost kill us, a golden bracelet I had received from my dreamland and plenty of my own clothes, hat and a jacket.

I got into the carriage. As Zachary and Sam got in, James watched us. Before the door closed, I flashed him a quick wink. I hadn't forgotten of yesterday. He smiled and the door closed. Zachary looked at me in a strange way, like he's trying to read my mind.

Can he do that?

I unloaded my things onto my small bed, leaving my sword at my hip. I was more cautious now a days.

My hand traced around the hilt, feeling every bump and carve. Someone knocked on my door and let themselves in. Zachary.

"Hey," I said.

"Hi," he replied, "is everything alright?"

"I'm doing okay, why do you ask?" I ask, he scratches the back of his head.

"I mean with Anne, I know she was your best friend and everything." I frown, I hated the topic. I hated myself even more because I hated it.

"Should I lie or tell you the truth?" I say.

He shakes his head, "truth."

"I'm not doing good," I admit.

"Oh," he says, "Do you really think that those forest men had killed her? Or someone else."

"I don't know, is it that important to you?" I said, pushing down my shirt in the back.

"Yeah, because I don't think those men killed her." Zachary said, I gave him a questioning look. "I think it was the general."

"Why would it be him? He's the most trusted knight in the whole kingdom?"

Remember in the meeting when we got back? He just had that feeling that he was up to no good. Plus, why would he be interested about the forest trip?"

"He was interested about that?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, you kind of zoomed out for most of it." Zachary points out.

"I don't know." I push my bangs out of my eyes and look at the wall behind him.

"Fine, whatever. People here are doing a group thing tonight, We're all invited."

---

We all sat around a table and everyone had liquor. Even me, for once. I promised that I wasn't going to intoxicate my mind like some of the men were doing.

"I'll snap their necks, one by one. Then, their internals will spill from their chests.!" One man yelled, we laughed as he stood on the table and hit his head on the lantern hanging from the ceiling and fell off.

"He was always quite ignorant anyways!" Another man yelled. Our base was by the border of Dolf and Flodian, Aradon was to the west. Nobody was going the hear our party.

"It's not really the soldiers you need to worry about, it's the Aswang and dragons." Another man, Hugh, said. "Almost lost my family to an Aswang. Nasty creatures, they are."

"What happened?" Sam asked, taking another sip of his beer.

"I was in me cottage when I heard I loud clatter. I knew my wife was in there and I went to see. The kids were nestled in their beds. But an ugly beast had been in there. It's eyes were like endless pit, of white."

"Again with your stories, old man?"

"No, if you think this didn't happen, then how do they eat?" Hugh snapped, "look into it's eyes. You won't see your own reflection."

---

Sam walked into my room that night before curfew. He walked in without knocking, like he was in a hurry. But he didn't look like it, he was mad, furious even. Since I was barely aware why, I put my hand on my sword, my only defense.

"How did you get this?" He is holding the ring. I try to snatch it from him but he pulls it away.

"Why?" I say.

"How did you get this!?" He asked, this time nearly yelling.

"I got it from Faim!" I say back.

"Stop lying." Sam says. "This was burnt when my brother was cremated. How the hell did you get this?"

The ring was cremated? How did Faim get it? Did he steal it? Possibly got it from his brother one he was dead?

"I don't know how Faim got it but I know I didn't steal it!" I say.

"Do you know what this does?" Sam was on the verge of killing me, I could just tell.

"Yes! I almost died because of it! It wasn't disposed of properly so I took it with me!"

"It can't be destroyed." Sam said, he examined it's every curve and carve. I snatched it, I didn't trust him with it. He looked at me sternly. "If you try to, it disappears and reappears somewhere else. Give it to me..." I really wanted him to leave.

"No!" I blurt out. "I don't trust you!"

"If I wanted you dead, you would be dead." Sam said, this wasn't the flirtatious Sam in the woods, this was darker.

"What happened to you?" I asked, backing away to the next exit.

"Nothing," Sam insisted. The next thing I knew he dove at me and I had little time to move away. I turned and he gripped my foot. My gut screamed at me to get free, but it was too late. A familiar scent of yellow berries filled my nostrils, and we were gone.

---

Sam was no where to be seen, I had the ring though. I looked up to see the burnt golden branches of The Tree Of Glory. The golden doors were still there, untouched by the fire. I look inside to see that a bowl of crystal clear water sitting serine. Remaining leaves of the tree were gliding slowly across the surface.

A speck of light floated kindly on to the side of the bowl, it was a fairy with white hair and a long beautiful dress, "mom?"