Chapter 8:
It has been a week since the elite squad went on the search of Anastasia and we haven't heard a thing since then. I was growing inpatient by the time. I even tried to followed them four times, but I always ended up been caught and brought back to the castle. They even put me on the dungeons, until they were sure that I couldn't followed the elite squad.
Apparently, Anastasia has been taken to a place called the Devil's mountain. A place where all the dark creatures lived since the beginning of times. I couldn't imaging Anastasia there all by herself. She must be scared to dead, and I couldn't do anything to go help her. I was stucked there in a stupid dungeon for almost two days!
I sighed in frustration as I went to the arena to start my training of the day. You see, since we got here the Queen has oredered us to train in close combat, magic, and other things like healing.
“You are late, Mead!” Saeros, our close combat teacher, yelled irritated from the arena's door. His green spiky long hair was tied on a ponytail. His piercing copper eyes were glaring at me. He had his sword strapped to his side. He was inches smaller than me, but that didn't stop him to act all tough and scary and I got to admit that it did scared me sometimes. “What was it this time? Did you got stuck on the restroom? Or did you got lost?”
He is one of the few elves here that don't like humans, but he has something against me since he meet me. I know that, because he never yell or get mad at Dustin and Naomi. Saeros is always trying to make annoyed me.
“No” I, calmly, said. “I was on my way here, and I just got a minute late”
“Don't talk back to me, little brat!” He scolded, glaring coldly at me. “Or I'll have you running around the arena with two rock tied to your waist”
I just rolled my eyes and went to join the others. I ignored him and I was starting to made my way toward my friends, when he suddendly stopped me by putting his arm in front of me, blocking my way in.
“Listen up, Mead. You better get here in time or next time I won't let it slip so easily, understood?”
I just looked at him, without saying a word.
“Understood?” He repeated more firmly.
“Understood!” I growled.
“Good, now give me thousand”
“What?!” I exclaimed.
“Want it to be two thousand?” He threated.
“Fine. I'll do thousand. This is not fair” I replied, glaring at him, the last part under my breath. And it was unfair! I can't believe he is treating me like this, just because I got one minute late! Apparently he heard me, because he replied by saying “Life is never fair, get use to it punk” and went toward my friends to tell them what to do.
“Now, everyone else get in pairs!” Saeron called.
I went to the side and drop to the floor over my chest with hands at my shoulder leve. I started to do the push-ups and I started to get lost in thoughts.
I was thinking about Anastasia...again. Everytime since we got here, I hadn't stop thinking about her. I was missing her a lot. I wondered how she was? If she was still alive?
No she has to be, if she is not I would blame myself forever, I thought. It was my fault that she got kidnapped and the worst about it was that I couldn't go saved her! It was my fault and I couldn't do anything about it.
“Mead!” I heard someone yelled, making me snapped out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a pissed off Saeros. “Are you done daydreaming?”
“ What do you want now? I'm doing your stupid push-ups!” I snapped.
“Oh, the little brat is giving me attitude, uh?”
I just rolled my eyes and kept doing the push-ups.
“Stand up!”
“What?” Confused filling my face.
“I say stand up!”
I did as he told me and stood up. “Now what?” I said gritting my teeth looking down at him. I would had laugh, but this guy was actully giving me a hard time. I was already worried about Anastasia and now I got to worry about him!
“Grab your sword...now!”
“What?” I asked, more confused. What did he wanted? I was doing the push-ups, why would I need a sword?
“What? Are you deaf now?” He asked, “I say grab your sword now. We are going to duel now”
“Duel? I don't want to fight you” I said.
“Why? Scared of a old man?” He asked.
What was he trying to do? Make me angry? Ha, well he didn't need to do all that to made me angry. I was already angry, besides I get angry by only seeing him.
I went to a wall where they have swords, spears, clubs and other deadly weapons and grabbed a sword. I grabbed one that felt good on my hand and was well balanced.
“Now attack me”
“I told you! I don't want to fight you. I'm not in the –” I was cut off by Saerso's sword slashing at my side. I barely blocked and then my arm went on auto and slashed back at him.
He blocked and grinned triumphantly. I got to say that I didn't like that grin. It was like telling me, you still obey me anyways.
“So I heard you let down you girlfriend when she got kidnapped by those witches”
“Shut up!” I said slashing at him again more fiercely. He raised his sword and blocked my blow easily. “And she is not my girlfriend!”
I don't why? But that comment made my face start to heat up. I could felt the blush making it's way to my face.
“You just got her kill, and why? Because you couldn't protect her” He said venomously. “You didn't cared about her. You didn't do anything to saved her”
“I said shut up!” And I slashed at him with more force and speed that he could barely had time to defend himself.
“Why? Because you know I'm right?” He said smiling. “You know it is the true. You were there and you weren't strong nor fast enough to saved her.”
I felt myself getting angry by the minute. I could felt tires staring to form in my eyes.
“She trusted you to protect her and what you did? Let her down”
When those words left his mouth, I don't what took over me, but I just let my instincts took over. I slashed at him with such speed and agility that everyone started to gather around us and watched us. I kept slashing at him trying to push him to the wall, and he was doing exactly as I wanted.
He then kick my feet off under me, making me fall on my back. My sword dropped a few feet away from where I had land.
“You have loose again” Saeros said, his sword pointing at my throat. “You are not ready yet, to fight. I don't know how did you killed a witch. Probably luck, that's the most reasonable option. Maybe you didn't got too much luck to saved your girlfriend”
“Shut up!” I repeated kicking him on the knee with my left foot, and with a nasty crack sound he felt on his butt. I stood up quickly and went to grabbed my sword.
When I turned with my sword in hand, he was already standing and with his sword ready to strike at me. He charged at me and slashed like there was no tomorrow. I let my instincts took over again and started to push him to the wall again. I could see almost everything on my surrounding. I could see the birds flying in the sky, the ants on the wall, I could even heard the murmured of the people bahind us and I could feel their stares at us. Somehow that made me self-councious, but didn't stopped me to kept slashing at him too. I was angry and all because he just said all the things I knew were true, but couldn't face it.
I was the reason of her kidnapped, and all because I couldn't protected her. I just let her down.
I slashed at his feet, and he drop to his knee, but stood up as quickly as it happened. I kick him on the stomach making him crashed against the wall behind him with a thud. He stumbled back to his feet and leaned against the wall with his sword ready.
The wind making my hair fly wildly around, and I heard the others murmuring and whispering. I took a step forward Saeros. He tried to disarm me, but I saw my opportunity and twisted his balde with mine and sent it flying behind me stabbing it in a tree and pointed my sword at his throat.
“You don't know anything!” I said pantting, glaring at him. “So you better shut up or I'll make you”
He was just smiling triumphantly like if I just did what he really wanted me to do and I actually did! I just dropped the sword and it hit the floor with a clang!
“I did everything I could” I said softly. “I really did, but that wasn't enough”
“Then why don't you take this more seriously and train harder! That way you won't do the same mistakes in the future,” He said calmly. “And you really can't screw up in the future. You got a destiny... you four got a destiny and a big role to play on the future battles. Don't take this like if is a picnic at the park or just a joke. Look at the this young elves around you”
I turned to see around twenty elves that look our age. Then I took a quick look at my friend to see that they were doing the samething –looking at the elves –and turned back to Saeros.
“They all got families like you. They are fighting for a purpose. A reason. And you don't take this seriously enough. I had fought in many battles. Saw a lot of fellows die fighting for their families and their Queen. A lot of blood has been spilled for those things. And you know what? They had already won respect and that battle. They had won the battle they were fighting for their families and Queen, why? Because they fought for a purpose.” He said that and I swear I think I saw tears on Saeros' eyes. “So tell me, would you have the guts to tell their families that they die, because you couldn't take this seriously? Because you couldn't help them when you were suppose to? I don't know if you have that kind of cold heart, but believe me when I say that I don't have it”
I just stared at him with tears running my eyes. He just sighed and walked out of the arena. Everyone else followed and I was left there alone.
I couldn't believe what just happened. Saeros, the person that seems to like to annoy me, made me angry and push harder than anyone else, had just gave me an advice.
I sighed and walked out of the arena walking without caring where I was going.
After walking for who knows how long, I ended up stopping in the middle of the laberynth.
Everything was so quiet and peacefully. The sound of the birds singing on the distance as the sun was setting down. The sky changind color –from blue to orange to pink orange and then to dark purple.
I sat on a little beanch that was beside a huge pond with a fountain in the middle with statues of fishes spitting water. There were fishes in the pond too. They were swimming happily around without a care. I got to say that I was enviding them, swimming without responsabilities.
I sighed and put my head on my head.
How could I be so selfish? Everyone here were training hard for the supposed upcoming battle, and my friends and I were supposed to be the key to win. We were 'destiny' to defeat the dark dragon.
'What are you doing here, Jason?' I heard Sky said inside my head. I looked around to find him, but I didn't saw him.
“Sky?” I asked, still looking around. “Where are you?”
'Up here' Sky replied with what I guess was a chuckle? It sounds more like a growling laugh.
I looked up and saw a huge blue lizard with wings land in front of me.
Sky and the other dragons had grown since we got here. They were now like six or seven feet long, plus another feet counting the tail. They had been teached how to fly with the help of one of the elves that train some Berdines.
Those were huge birds and when the showed us to them, I got out of there, because they reminded me of the witches that took Anastasia.
'You know I can feel your emotions, and also read your thoughts' Sky reminded.
I sighed nodding slightly smiling. “What's up, Sky?” I asked him patting it's neck.
'Everyone is looking for you' Sky said, 'They been searching for hours, and they asked me if I knew where you were'
“Wait! Hours? I had really been walking for hours?” I wondered, “But it felt like just minutes”
'The Queen feared that you got inside this laberynth and get lost. She said that this laberynth has life of its own and like to play pranks on whoever or whatever enters.”
“But I didn't got lost” I said, “So what did you told them where I was?
Dragons have a bound with their riders, and our dragons and us have a strong one since the first ones. That how the elite squad could tracked Anastasia. They asked Maya for it's help to find her. I really tried hard to go with them, but the Queen didn't wanted me to go.
'No, I told them that I didn't know'
“You lied? You are becoming a liar, Sky” I tease, chuckling.
'I got the feeling you wanted sometime alone' He replied as he tried to wink. That only made me chuckled.
“Thanks, buddy” I said patting him on the head, feeling his scales scratch at my hand.
Sky just nodded and looked up.
'Oh, and Arath want you and the others to meet him.'
“For what?” I asked confused. Since we are here I had never talk to Arath, the elve that teached them to fly, nor even say a word. Actually I haven't meet him yet, since I just walked out of his stables.
Yeah, they have stables for their birds...or should I say nest? Oh, well, the point is that the place looks like stables.
'A surprise' Sky said and I could felt him grinning.
I sighed and started to walked back out of thise mase with Sky walking beside me. I still can't believe how tall they are now. It seems like if yesterday they were the size of a Chiuahua.
Sky turned to me and look me at the eyes. I got to looked up a little bit, because he was taller just by inches.
'I know you still blame yourself' Sky, suddendly, said. 'But you really got to stop. She did it to protect you.'
“Protect me? She has been kidnapped, because of me” I said, “I never asked for her or anyone to protect me. Beside, why would she do it? She has her brother and her family that care for her”
'You really are a oblivious one, uh?' He said shaking his head in disbelief. 'She did it, because she care for you more than you think'
“What do you mean?” I asked confused. “And how come I am oblivious?”
'Think just for a moment, Jason.' Sky said, 'Everytime you needed help, who helped you? Everytime you needed someone to talk to, who was listening to you? And when your parents got some problems and they were about to seperate, who was there with you?'
“Anastasia and Dustin. They had always been there for me. Everytime I got some troubles they helped me out. Well, Dustin sometimes, but Anastasia all the time.” I replied thinking. How did he knew about all those stuffs? Does he can see my memories in my head?
'See, she cares a lot about you. More than you can imagine, and when she pushed you out of the way of that witch was to protected you. What do you think she would do when she find out all those things you been doing since she has been taken? Do you thinking she would wanted for you to feel upset and beat up yourself for a decision she has taken? When you were fighting those witches, why did you do it? Because of your friends, right?'
I just nodded, I did it because of them and grandpa.
'And who told you to do it? No one, you just did it. And who was always worried about you and told you to don't go?'
“Anastasia” I said.
'And did you obeyed her? No, you went anyways, because you made a decision' Sky said, 'And so she did when she pushed you out of the way. Now put yourself together and train hard and don't get in troubles. Do it for her'
He was right. She made a decision when she pushed me out of the way as I did when I went to fight those horrible witches.
“I guess, you are right” I said, a little to unaudible.
'I'm always right' Sky said raising his head proudly.
“Whoa, watch it, Sky. One of this days your ego is going to crush you” I said rolling my eyes.
'You are just jealous, because I'm right and your not' He replied, making me laughed. I haven't laugh since Anastasia was kidnapped.
“Thanks, Sky” I said putting my hand on his head smiling.
We kept walking in silence for the rest of the way, until we got out on the side of the castle.
“Let's see what Arath wants with us” I said and Sky nodded, and we started to walk to the Arath's stables.