To my disappointment, nothing much happened on those two days of travel. We just ran hard each day, only halting a couple of time for rest.
If anything, I thought that Ash was avoiding me.
And if anything other than that, I was trying to avoid him too. The whole episode back at the Serpentine bandit camp had us both flustered and unknowing of how to set things right.
Walking onto the cobblestone streets, I smiled as a breeze played across my face.
The town bordered on a large swamp where the Serpentine earned most of their wages. It was always wet here, but many visitors from different tribes still came to purchase the fishermen's' daily catch. Tall cypress trees towered over the murky water. Dozens of species of birds housed there, their songs filling the air. The telltale symbol of the Serpentine symbol hung everywhere.
With a town this big, it was going to be difficult finding the Serpentine's Chosen one.
I avoided looking at Ash, still not knowing what to do. As much as I wanted to dwell on the meaning behind the kiss, there were other, more pressing, matters to deal with.
Like saving the world for instance.
"S-so," I asked, cursing how my voice shook. I cleared my throat and tried again. "How are we going to find the others?"
Ash consulted his map and I tried not to stare at him. He looked up and I quickly turned away, embarrassed to have been caught.
He let out a low chuckle but made no further comment on my reaction. "I told them to meet us at an inn called the Swamp Alley. We'll start there."
We tracked and backtracked, getting lost in the maze of a town. One thing that never failed to appear, though, was water. Swamp water lapped at the slippery harbors, crashing into the wooden support beams. It was even in the wet, humid air, forming droplets on my clothing.
I brushed them off with a grimace. The sooner we got out of here, the better.
A beat-up wooden sign hung above a rickety door. In sloppy red letters, the words, 'Swamp Alley' with an alligator painted next to it gleamed.
"I guess this is it," Ash said and glanced at me.
At that moment, there was a crash as the door flew open and a burly man flew out. He was clearly drunk and staggered off, a bottle in hand.
"And stay out!" A ragged voice shouted after him from inside the inn.
Crossing my arms, I pursed my lips. "Well, you certainly picked a reliable spot. You first."
Ash gestured. "Oh no. Ladies first."
I looked at him. "Really? Fine."
Sauntering in, I placed my hands on my hips, searching for Sora and Dakota. As much as I wished to ditch them completely, Sora was one of us and I owed Dakota for my life.
So like it or not, I wasn't leaving without them.
I almost immediately regretted that oath a second later, as I found them at a table. Well, making out at a table. I gagged. People cat-called and hollered at them, seeming to urge them on while some looked on with disinterest.
Okay, maybe I was leaving without them.
Nodding to the bartender, I coughed loudly in front of them, breaking them apart. Ash turned away uncomfortably, scratching his neck.
Sora and Dakota stopped sucking at each other's faces and their eyes widened. Dakota blustered while Sora appeared unfazed and collected.
"Melody," Sora said as if nothing had just happened. "I see Ash has found you."
"Mhm," I replied. "I was informed that you two were supposed to be searching for the fourth member, not making out in the corner."
I think I did a pretty good job of hiding my shock at seeing them like this. I think I also did a good job of resisting the urge to punch Dakota for betraying me.
They didn't belong together. But then again, who was I to judge when I couldn't even figure out my own life?
And to think that I'd thought there'd been something between us.
Sora checked her nails innocently. "Oh, but we were. While doing so, I found some interesting materials that I thought you two would be intrigued with. We decided to take a...break after that hard work." She chucked a thin, worn book at me and I caught it easily.
I thumbed the little thing in surprise, throwing a look at Ash from the corner of my eye.
"Abilities of the Chosen Few," I mused aloud softly, turning the cover and examining the table of contents.
"Yeah," Sora said smugly, blowing a kiss and Dakota.
Glaring at the two of them, I maneuvered my way to the door. This place was suffocating.
"I'll be outside checking this out. I'll leave you two...alone for a bit. Try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone. It'll be hard for you two not to, I know."
Sora outright hissed at me while I passed, but I ignored it, stepping out into the alley next to the inn.
"Hmm..." I murmured while I read the listed contents.
Chances were, the book was completely bogus, but it wouldn't hurt to look into it.
Contents:
Sun: fire
Earth: land
Stars: light
Sky: air
Moon: water
Afterword
The list was pretty vague and I wondered what kind of nut-job cooked this up. I wouldn't be surprised if none of it were accurate.
The table of contents was as far as I got before a shadow jerked by and tore it out of my hands.
"Hey!" I shouted as the blurred figure took off.
This guy was fast, I thought, recklessly chasing after him. I tuned into my wolf senses, feeling my canines brush my bottom lip. I sniffed, catching his scent.
Definitely a guy. He's not getting away from me.
I grinned. If he thought he could outrun me, he was mistaken. And I'd caught his scent. There was no way he would hide from me now.
Vendors in the streets yelled as we rushed past, predator chasing predator, wolf chasing snake. From his movements and scent, he was a western green mamba. Highly venomous. I had to be careful around him.
"Get back here!" I crossed the distance between his quickly, outpacing him as his stamina faltered. Grabbing his hood, I was about to snatch the book back when suddenly he vanished, twisting out of my grip.
What the -- ?! Where'd he go?
I looked around wildly, the street's alleys offering various paths. A quick sniff told me that he'd gone to the left. I turned on my heel and raced down the narrow road, ducking under tents and clearing wooden crates in my way.
The trail got stronger and a smirk flickered across my face -- then disappeared.
Huh?
I glanced around, seeking the trail, but it had stopped. It just...stopped. It didn't continue.
Confused, I backtracked, picking up on it again just to find it gone once I returned to the earlier spot.
Then I realized that there was no one else in the street. It ended in a dead-end. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, some primal instinct warning me. It made me cautious, wary of a sudden attack.
It's a trap! My mind screamed. Get out of there.
I was about to when there was a loud rumble, knocking me off balance. I looked back just in time to see a large wall of rock completely cut off the other end of the street.
Rock didn't normally rise out of the ground like that.
That meant...the Earth's Chosen was here!
(Side Note: Hi again! I posted to make up for the late update yesterday. Here's another pic of Ash! All of the drawing requests for both books have been noted and I'll try to do all of them sometime. It might not be as soon as you think because the coming weeks are going to be busy for me. I'll try to post regularly though.)