"Shoot."
"So," Jaxton took another step back, angling his blade at a smaller Zenx, who was contemplating on taking a sneak bite on his leg, "they're picky with their food."
"They only eat prey with a beating heart," I gasped. "Our heartbeats attracted them here."
Instead of making a run for it, I dived toward the body and held one up.
"Cass!" I heard Jaxton hiss. "Are you crazy!?"
"Totally..." My focus was completely on the Zenxs, who turned their attention to me. "Just watch!"
Come on... open up...
A Zenx opened their jaws wide, its breath steaming with the smell of rotten flesh. I cringed, launching the body in its general direction as Jaxton wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back.
I saw the barely traceable shadows swish past our bodies to push us away from the Zenx who munched on the dead flesh of one of our victims. Jaxton landed on the ground first, stifling a strained cough as my weight came next.
"I'm not going to watch you get killed!" He exclaimed with wide-eyes, but I simply ignored his shock and grabbed him by both shoulders.
"I can't believe that worked! Let's do it again!"
"Wha- heavens, Cassandra, no-"
"Jaxton, help me with the other one!" I ran toward the body of the healer and Jaxton followed me without hesitation.
"This one, this one!" I nodded at the Zenx nearby that opened its jaws. Jaxton and I swung the body twice before it flew into its mouth. I had to ignore the nauseous feeling that rose from hearing the crunch and cracks.
"Good aim, soldier!"
"Thank you, Captain!" Jaxton swung his sheath, diverting one sharp claw away from him before taking a big slice at another Zenx's arm. I pulled out my sword, directed the aim of my sword at Jaxton's general direction and shot a fire blaze in the centre of a Zenx's forehead, forcing it to tip back and away from Jaxton. Another one attempted to clamp down on his leg, but he leapt away, striking his sheath at his head and pierced his sword through the side of its neck.
"The last one!" I called. I leapt for the last body and we repeated our plan, watching the body fly toward a Zenx's mouth. Except, this Zenx simply took a step back, clamping its jaw shut. The body bounced on the Zenx's lips and sagged back to the floor.
"I don't think they like the food we're giving them," Jaxton mentioned quietly, his arm brushing mine as he shuffled closer to me, his head moving and his gaze alert. His grip tightened on his weapon and so did mine. "We gotta make a run for it."
"Not until we make these beasts trample over that body."
Brutal, I know. I even felt my heart give a jolt when I said it. I thought Jaxton would think the same, except I saw his flicker of a glance before he said "good idea."
It had only occurred to me, then, that he probably killed many... humans. Given the deadly business, he does during the night, and dangerous situations he had to escape from, killing one or two people would be a piece of cake for him; thinking of different ways to do it would also be. As for me, I was trained to kill beasts and monsters, those also with a beating heart and fewer emotions. It didn't draw a lot of sentiments from me, I was used to it, but with killing humans... I wasn't as desensitised as Jaxton. I was holding onto a string of resistance, resisting against my realisation to what I have done.
Jaxton was already ready to act. He was too used to working on his own. I stopped him.
"Hold up! Wait for my signal."
I took action immediately by running toward a trunk. I ran parallel upwards, kicking off to shoot myself into the first Zenx to disrupt my plans.
I struck a whip of water at the back of a group of Zenx and they began to turn.
"Jaxton, now!"
Jaxton let his shadow extend and the Zenxs saw and began to run, going on a wild stampede... right over the body. Jaxton dodged last minute, throwing himself to a safer place before he got trampled into a mush.
After the commotion was over and the Zenx had moved away from the area, Jaxton and I both stood up from the ground, giving each other a look.
He stifled a laugh and shook his head, "That was wild... crazy!"
"But it worked," I let out a breath of relief, approaching him, looking at his dark emerald eyes. He stared back but his gaze didn't last long. His eyes flicked to the deeper part of the woods and I thought I heard voices.
"What's that?" I grew alert again, grabbing my sword but he held my arm to stop me.
"It was nothing," he said, letting off a reassuring smile. "But we shouldn't stay here for too long."
He saw the questions in my eyes but he didn't give me the opportunity to ask them. He nudged me with a tug of my arm and I followed him, not willing to stay any longer in this forest myself.
***
Throughout the whole journey back, Jaxton was acting unusually cautious. It was making me nervous too, but I didn't comment on it; I just stayed extra alert. However, Jaxton and I made it back to my dorm safely. No one saw us with the blessing of the night, and nothing attacked us from the shadows.
When I got inside, my room was spotless. There was a faint, perfume smell in the air. It might've belonged to Vel's powders and potions. While Vel probably went back to her dorm to wait for us.
I threw the balcony windows wide but didn't turn on the light. I didn't need someone immediately noticing that there were movements in my room. I went directly to the bathroom instead, using my sword as a light source.
I took off my bandanas and gloves and washed my hands and face. I could hear Jaxton's breath and movement outside, no doubt doing the same.
"Feel free to take a breather here," I decided to say. I flicked off the tape and wiped my face clean. I went outside and saw him flop himself onto a chair, rubbing his face. He didn't seem to be aware that I was in the same room as him now.
"You look tired," I said quietly, putting Reflecta with his sword on the table. Guilt rose like a tidal wave. I had noticed his exhaustion when I went to look for him in his room, but now, he looked like he desperately needed some sleep. But Jaxton looked up from his hand and tried his best to give me a grin, but even that grin looked like a tired one.
"A bit," he replied quietly, staring at the shadows in the room. "Can we uh... turn on the lights?"
I raised my brows and my eyes wandered around the darkness in the room. Was Jaxton actually scared of the dark?
"Sure," I didn't question him. Not yet. Jaxton was so tired and... nervous that he forgot to ask me about Vel and the three bodies. As I moved, though, there was a chilliness pricking my back. I stared at my faint shadow moving on the wall and the dark places of my dorm. There was something wrong with the way darkness looked.
I reached for the light switch, my fingers inches away before something pulled me back. I let out a surprised yelp. I heard the urgency in Jaxton's voice as I was drawn back by... shadows.
"Cass, the lights-" the shadow stretched and grabbed Jaxton by the mouth, another snapped itself around his neck. He fumbled desperately for his sword but it simply tumbled to the ground as the shadows sucked him back with the force of a tornado.
I pulled hard against the limb of a shadow but they were strong, their grip was so tight that my wrist felt like they were on fire. The other shadows leapt for my legs, slithering around them. I circled my ankle in the air and forced their hands off me.
There were quivers in the air, a breath there and a hiss here, "shadows have no masters."
I spared a worried look at Jaxton when I heard him utter a muffled groan. All the shadows were targeting him, they covered his body, tied themselves around anything they could grab: his arms, his legs, his neck... His knees buckled.
I flicked my glance to a nearby mug and launched it at the light switch. Bullseye! In a flash, the restraints around my wrist disappeared. The next thing I saw was Jaxton falling like a pile of bricks.
I dashed to his side, anxiously scanning his body for injuries. "Are you hurt!"
To my relief, Jaxton was breathing, and breathing hard.
He winced against the sudden brightness of the room. "Cass... you literally just saved my life."
"I know." Slowly, I helped him sit up. His expression was a look of shock, and if no one looked at his eyes, people would think he was relatively composed and just needed time to regain his breath. Except, his gaze was mismatched. He had a look of distraught and... fear.
My hand instinctively found their way to his shoulders, holding him. He gave a subtle flinch. Seeing him like this made my heart twist. "Has this always happened?"
He paused briefly, unsure whether he should tell me the truth. But, with the look in my eyes, I pleaded for him to tell me. The sag of his shoulders and unknitted brows told me he yielded, "It was common when I was younger, it hasn't happened for... some time."
"So that's why you're scared of the dark..." I thought back to all the signs. When we were across the boundary, dumping bodies a few hours ago, Jaxton had inched closer to me; closer to Reflecta, the only light source. It wasn't because he was scared of the Zenxs (well, maybe he was), he was scared of the dark. He was scared of the shadows. And him... being all weird on the way back...
"Did you know this was going to happen?"
He swallowed, "I could... feel them. They're restless tonight. Aggressive."
My eyes rounded when I remembered that morning. Jaxton was with me the whole night on the day I was sick, and in the morning, the lamp wasn't turned off. It wasn't because he forgot. He left it on on purpose.
"That's why you leave the lights on during the night," I breathed.
He gave a weak grin, "just in case."
I kneeled properly on the ground next to him, "When do they — you know — attack you?"
"When I'm exhausted. When I overuse my shadow powers. When I'm stressed and overwhelmed-" I couldn't help it, my hands weren't in my control anymore. I found my thumb tracing along his neck and the bruises that were appearing, and I saw him swallow, his voice growing quiet, his body was awfully still. He must've seen the look in my eyes because he released a playful smile to reassure me, "it's nothing. Do you have something I can cover it up with? Like... foundation?"
I raised a brow at his terminology as I examined the other parts of his body for any other injuries. "You've done this before, haven't you?"
"Yeah, with Vel's makeup," he chuckled, his eyes found his way to mine and his voice trailed off, his speech was slowing. "Those things work... like magic..."
We were inches away from each other, and we didn't seem to have any intentions of moving away.
"I'll heal you," I whispered, staring at his lips, "it'll make the bruises go away faster."
"Right..." his gaze flicked down, and suddenly, he looked shy. Shyness was definitely not something I see on Jaxton often.
I leaned away. "Come on, let's grab you some tea and get you in a comfy chair."
I heard him chuckle. Whatever kept us in that trance was no longer there.
***
A/N
I repeat.
They. Are. Cute. Period.
L