tHE gIRL wITH tHE iRON fISTS

cHAPTER 15

cHAPTER 15

Damion Roland

I sat up groggily. My head was pounding, and my insides were on fire.

"You part of the quest," Mariah spoke. "Ivy from Pan. That's you."

"I still don't believe it." I heard Ivy's voice. "Do you really think I'm Pan's daughter? I didn't even know my mom."

"Huh?" I spoke. I didn't get anything. Mariah turned over to me. "Oh, you're up." She gave me a bit of ambrosia. "You used too much magic. B's been beating herself up over it."

"It's all my fault. If I was stronger, if I had more magic," I heard B muttering to herself. She turned to us. "I'm going on a walk." B spun on her heels and walked off. I heard Mariah sigh.

"B really is torn up. She looked awful." I said, even if it hurt to talk.

"She got a nasty scar on her cheek," Hunter said. "She ran into something, I think. Or maybe she fell. It isn't infected, but she refused to eat the ambrosia." Hunter looked really upset.

"You don't look good either." I heard Ivy say. "You doing ok?"

"Yeah," Hunter replied. "Just worried about my mom."

"I'm sure she's fine," Mariah told Hunter.

"She'd probably scold the monsters on their hygiene." Hunter smiled at the thought. We sat in silence until Ivy spoke.

"Where are y'all going next?" I sat up. It hurt a bit, but I didn't feel like laying down.

"I really don't know," I said. "But we should probably find Persephone's Goldenglow, whatever that is."

"Haven't I told you, I don't know, like a billion times?" Mariah scolded me. Ivy snickered.

"Where will you find it?" Ivy asks.

"Probably in a garden," I say. I point in a direction. "I think this way. I can feel the magic." I glanced at Mariah. "And there's magic coming from you." Mariah paled.

"I'll go get B," Hunter speaks, and disappears.

"I have no idea why." She stammers. "But if you think so, we probably should."

"There's a clearing that way. I think there's another town a bit farther down, but I've never been that far." Ivy speaks. "But whatever we're doing, we should leave soon. It'll be nighttime. when we get-" We hear a howl. All of a sudden, B and Hunter burst out of the thicket.

"Guys." Hunter pants. "We have to leave now."

"Why-" I start to ask but B interrupts.

"Monsters. A huge group of them. Minions of Filkhorn. We have to leave now." We hear another howl. Ivy stands.

"I'm coming with you guys." Mariah raises an eyebrow. I don't blame her, I didn't even think she was going to come. "Now let's go." We all begin standing and getting our things. B snaps and another cloud appears.

"I forbid you from standing, Damion, so you sit on the cloud." I reluctantly sat. I look around and help get all of our things in the cloud with me.

"Let's go." B casts a spell to make us run faster, and we're off.

***

We're past the clearing. Ivy's predictions were right, as we come to a more modern town a mile from the clearing.

"I know this place." B gasps as she looks around. "Follow me. I know a place we can stay." We all are tired, so we follow her to an abandoned garage. She goes through the back and ducks under a tarp.