35 Ashes

Raven stared up at Axil.

"Why would you care?", she asked.

The hand that was resting on her cheek, dropped from her face.

"Because, Raven…I've never met anyone more worthy of such magic than you. How could you even…" He sighed. "I know you blame yourself for what had happened to your parents and I know that it is something I'll never be able to understand but…please, Raven, stop…there was nothing you could've possibly done to save them…it's not your fault…"

"It is, Axil! You weren't there…If only…If I had only listened to them…" Raven looked away. "They told me to stay away from the bridge. I never knew why", she softly said. "So…so one night…I snuck away and went to the bridge. I guess they must've woken up not long after I left. They wouldn't have been there if I had only listened to them…"

Axil studied her face, a slight frown appearing between his brows

"And when they were being-I…I just ran away…like a coward", Raven continued as the tears softly trickled down her face. "I just wish I could change the past", she said in a hoarse whisper.

She suddenly found herself against a warm chest and Axil's arms wrapped around her like a blanket.

She buried her face in his chest as the tears, raw with emotions, flowed from her eyes. Her arms crept up Axil's chest and wrapped around his neck. She clutched the rose tightly in her hand as she clung to Axil, her sobs echoing through the night.

***

Raven slowly opened her eyes. She glanced around the bright shack and closed her eyes again.

Suddenly, realisation struck her and her eyes flew open.

She stumbled out of the bed feeling confused. {"How did I get here? What happened last night?"}, she thought. She walked closer to one of the walls and looked through the crevice. She could see the sun shining brightly outside indicating that it was already midday. {"I slept in late again? I should really stop doing that"}, she thought to herself.

She sighed.

She walked over to the table and took her sword. She strapped it around her waist and left the shack.

Axil and Brogr were nowhere to be seen. {"I wonder where those two could be"}, she thought. She decided to walk towards the stream, hoping that they might be there.

When she reached the stream, Raven looked around with a frown on her face. The two men weren't there either. "Where could they have gone off to?"

She turned around and suddenly a scream escaped her lips when she saw the scene in front of her. The creature stood in front of her and she could see the triumphant look in its red eyes. In its claws, it clutched the two men. Raven's eyes glided over their bleeding bodies as she felt the panic rise in her throat.

"Why?", Brongr weakly whispered. "Why haven't ye come earlier? Ye could've saved us…"

The creature roared triumphantly and ripped the big man apart.

"No!", Raven screamed hoarsely. Rage filled her heart. She unsheathed her sword and charged at the creature.

Suddenly, her eyes met the fiery red ones and she stopped dead in her tracks. The red eyes glowed and she couldn't pull her eyes away. She lowered her sword and bend down on one knee. She tried to resist, but she was no longer in control of her body. 'Kill him', she heard a voice say. Suddenly, the creature tossed the white-haired man towards her. Regaining control over her body, she rushed over and helped Axil up.

The creature roared again, making both of them swirl around. The creature's eyes glowed brighter and Raven lifted her sword. She turned towards Axil and her panicking eyes met the silver ones. She saw the disappointment brimming within them. She wanted to scream, to tell him that she wasn't in control of her body but, she couldn't open her mouth.

The creature's screech filled the air and the blade pierced the white-haired man's chest. His eyes widened and he stared at Raven, shocked.

Raven regained control over her body again and looked down. The sword in her hands glowed with a golden light. "No…", she whispered. She looked back up and into Axil's lifeless eyes. "NO!"

She stumbled forward when Axil's body tumble to the ground.

The creature came closer and Raven turned to look at it with a defeated expression on her face.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?", she asked.

'Because, Raven, you are Ljósauki. And I am Njóladóttir', Raven heard the creature say.

She frowned.

'We were meant to be enemies'

The frown on Raven's face deepened.

'But we don't have to be…enemies…Raven. Join me. Join me and we will rule. Together.'

Raven laughed humorlessly. "I will never join you, Beastie. I'm not that naïve. Did you honestly think I'll join you? You? You destroyed my life, you murder people for fun and you brought a curse upon this forest…"

'Oh but you are naïve, Raven. You would've suffered a worse fate than your parents. I saved your life then and I am offering you a better one, right now. Besides, you never had much of a life before that night.'

"Liar. I had a happy family. A normal life…and you destroyed it. And I will never accept your…offer. Do you hear me, Beastie? Never!"

The creature growled. 'Very well. Then you are of no further use to me.'

Raven jerked her head down and stared at the smoke emerging from beneath her feet. Black flames appeared from the ground. She saw the flames dancing around her feet and slowly creeping up her legs. The smell of burning flesh entered her nostrils as the searing pain throbbed through her body.

She clenched her teeth and lifted her head to look at the creature.

'Not a very epic death but, it'll have to do for now…'

A scream escaped Raven's throat as the flames crept higher and slowly burned her to ashes…