Chapter Thirty One: Suluk's P.O.V.
As the blizzard does its best to try and tear us apart, the wind making our faces chapped, Clover and myself stay close to each other as we follow the melted snow and scorched Earth in the shape of small footprints. Soon we come upon the sight of a battle. Ginger stands there unbothered, taking down several enemies, while Zipporah… well Zipporah is confusing us. She's just standing there with her arms wide open and a baffled look on her face, as just small puffs of dark blue smoke float out of each of her hands. The enemies standing a few feet away look at eachother with confusion before shrugging and start to charge at her.
Clover and I are by her side in a second. Clover engages in battle while I go over and talk to Zip, now easily taking out a dainty fairy with short dark hair and a dress that looks to be made out of moss. "What was all that?" I look at Zipporah, before grabbing a dagger and throwing it at someone trying to sneak up behind her.
"Thought I could use my dark magic, but it's obviously been a while since I've practiced. Did I look stupid?" We both turn and punch a short, muscled goblin in the face, making him fall to the ground and bring up a cloud of snow.
"Not stupid… I'd say more like a bit bewildered, or confused. I wouldn't go around testing any more new tricks in the middle of a battle. Save it for when you're training." I snicker at her, making her roll her eyes and swat me away.
"Go do your job, and stop worrying about me. I can handle myself." She smiles and sends a poor, unsuspecting troll flying into the storm with a wall of ice shooting from the snow. Only a hard thud and a grunt let us know they didn't make it back up after that.
"I think we should stick together. After all this blizzard is getting heavier, and I don't want to lose anyone else." I feel my jaw clench and set in a hard line as I turn to face the storm. I still haven't been able to get a hold of Kieren yet. It's starting to make me worried.
"Who have you lost?" She looks up, confusion and worry written in those warm honey eyes.
"Haven't been able to connect with Kieren in a while. Hopefully that'll change soon though." I look back to her, with hope brimming from a place I thought was long dead. I've started to realize that emotions I had buried so long ago are starting to slowly resurface. I'd like to think that it's due to Ava now being in my life again.
Clover yelps in pain, and we both run over to help him with the last remaining two guys. Ginger, to no surprise from anyone, has already taken out all of her opponents and is on the move somewhere else to fight again. We don't follow yet, as I have caught a scent on the wind again. Ridge! I don't smell that wizard with him this time, and I need to end this soon before anyone else gets hurt. Clover and Zipporah look to me concerned as a growl surfaces from deep in my chest. It's not long before I see who I'm after, he's shifting midair to land hard on the ground.
From his large bright red and orange dragon form, with large dual sets of wings flapping; To his large, most bare body slamming into the ground to make a small hole where he lands. I feel all those hate filled emotions rush back from all the awful things he's done, and how he's targeting my mate. As the storm picks up again I lose sight of him, frantically trying to smell him on the wind again. Looking for any sign of him, from his short dark hair to his glowing tattoo down his back, anything to tell me that he's near and I can finally end this chaos.
I feel his heat moments before I see him, and duck out of the way, pushing Clover and Zipporah away so they don't get injured. A stream of purple flames rushes by my head and I manage to track him following his fire. He's standing there, in his bear pelt pants, and dual axe in hand, eyes angry and ready for a fight. He smirks at me, making the scar across his face pull tight and look uncomfortable. I run at him as he does the same, pulling our weapons in front of us trying to land a blow. What feels like a lifetime passes sluggishly, with us just swinging at each other, almost landing our hits but not quite close enough to make full contact. We both have a few cuts and bruises, but nothing life threatening yet and I'm growing weary of this back and forth game. "What do you want with Ava?!" I roar at him over the wind.
He lifts a brow seeming amused that I used her name. "So that's what that bitches name is? Interesting…" He doesn't say anything for a while and it makes my anger rise and fire want to escape from my hands.
"ANSWER ME!" I yell, as I swing on him again. His laugh booms out and he spits fire onto his axe, it swirls and dances in the wind quickly melting the ice off of the handle.
"What does it matter to a weakling like you? Don't worry I'll send you to the afterlife to join her once I've placed her head on a stick!" He yells at me as his axe comes down hard. Meeting my shield with a loud bang as I watch small sparks and purple flames fly off. My anger rises and I can't contain myself anymore as I let the fire burst from me. Something I've been learning to wield over the last few months; I'm not great at it yet, but good enough to make it go where I want for now. I throw a ball of fire at him, even if I know it won't do much damage. He dodges, but it gives me the opening I'm looking for. I swing down hard and I'm satisfied with the loud crunch I hear as my weapon manages to get between the small pieces of armor at his wrist. The loud roar he lets out in response lets me know I've broken the bone and he won't be able to use that hand for a while.
"Tell me what you want with Ava, Ridge! Or by the Goddess I will make your death a slow and painful one." I spit the words out at him like venom. He smiles wickedly as he picks up his axe with the other hand slowly.
"Everyone in that village should be dead for what that hag did. She double crossed us." He spits the words out like they are acid burning his tongue. When he sees how confused I am he tilts his head slightly before he starts laughing like he's a madman. "You have no idea do you?! That wench, your little Ava worked for, was going to help us. She was supposed to supply us with food and medicine. But she got greedy, like all humans do, and wanted more than what we could give. When we didn't give her what she wanted, she hired a dragon slayer to come into our camp and bring her back all of our hides. Unfortunately, for both of them, I was there." He smiles wickedly as his eyes gleam with the promise of death. "He only took out a few of us before I stopped him and went after her next. When I found that village I made sure there wouldn't be any survivors. So how did your little human make it out alive?" He looks at me curiously.
Before I have a chance to answer, a tree falls in our direction. Landing hard in the snow between us and causing a white out to happen. I can't even see my hand in front of my face, but feel someone at my back. I turn without a second thought and swing at them, hearing the unnatural wet crunch that lets me know that I've made a fatal blow on whoever was behind me. I pull my blade back and see it's covered in blood, I can't stop the satisfied growl that slips its way past my lips at the thought of it being Ridges, but something doesn't smell right. As the snow slowly drifts back down to the ground, and making it easier to see again, my blood runs cold and I feel the fire go out as soon as I see who is kneeling in the snow, holding their stomach. I run over to her and drop to my knees, tears already stinging my eyes.
She looks up at me, fear and panic clear in those mix colored eyes, as she reaches a hand out towards me. I quickly grab her, holding her close as she begins to fall into the snow. "AVA! AVA HOLD ON! STAY WITH ME!" I'm so panicked I can't stop myself as the tears stream down my face, burning my eyes and cheeks in the cold. It feels as though my chest has caved in leaving a hollow spot where my heart used to sit as my whole world shatters. "SOMEONE! HELP! ANYONE HELP! ZIPPORAH!! KIEREN!!" I yell for the only people I know to save her as the storm slowly dies down. I finally feel Kieren tugging at the link, trying to talk to me and I rush to grab it. Watching as the light slowly leaves Ava's eyes. Her blood staining my hands.
'Suluk? Can you hear me? I've been trying to get ahold of you!' Kierens voice sounds frantic… almost mirroring my own emotions at the moment.
'Kieren! I need you here now! It's Ava! She's dying!' I yell down the link. I have no doubt he can feel my panic and heart break right now.
'Coming.' Is all he states and I feel his own emotions echoe mine as they crash together in the link. It's not long before he's right where we are; kneeling in the snow on the other side of her, the blood soaking into the snow and nearly touching his knees where he sits. His eye's rake over her dying form quickly, I can feel him trying to grasp his usual calm nature even as panic sets into his eyes. His hands shake softly as he reaches out to touch her. A low warning growl slips pasts my lips and I hold her a little tighter. When her hand slips off my face to land in the ice and snow harshly, is when something in me snaps. I feel Ridge at my back and I can't contain myself. I kiss her forehead and slowly hand her limp, cold body to Kieren.
'Keep her safe while I end this.' Is all I tell him as I stand. Her warm blood is still fresh on my hands and arms, her last wheezed breath echoing in my ears as my blood rushes and my heart beats violently. I watch as Kieren carries her off, trying to think of ways to save her. I feel the moment the air shifts and Ridge is about to swing down on me with his axe. My anger and violence take over. I release all the fire built up in me as a roar so primal and feral, it is the pure sound of my hollowed out chest, of my now dead heart, tears my throat. "THIS ENDS NOW!" I yell at him as I raise my weapon, covering it in blue flames I never knew I had. Ridge seems amused as he smirks over to me and lunges again.
The battle is fierce and we seem to still be evenly matched, making my blood boil and my flames rage into an uncontrollable inferno. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Zipporah makes her way around us slowly, sadness written on her face and I assume she's seen Ava. My focus returns to Ridge as he throws fire back at me again aiming for my chest.