“When is the next trap coming, Dmitri?” I asked, kicking a few rocks that crossed my path. I waited and listened out for his response, but it never came. I didn’t know why he was ignoring me, but it was starting to piss me off. We had the best talk last night, and I thought that would change his behavior toward me, at least. But I guess not. I huffed loudly, hoping to catch his attention that way, but that didn’t work. Someone chuckled next to me and I turned to see Dax, a huge smile on his face.
“What’s up with you today?” he asked, eyes darting across my face to gauge my mood. “You were so happy and excited at the beginning of the trip, and now you look like you want to rip someone’s head off.”
“It’s about my memories,” I answered, keeping my voice low.
“What about them? Are you getting really nervous about getting them back?” He had a concerned look on his face.
“No, it’s not that. I mean, it was for a while, but now it’s more than that.” I paused to gather my thoughts, my eyes trained in front of me to make sure I didn’t collide into Dmitri. “Last night, when I was trying to sleep, I was thinking about my memories and what exactly I will remember and what will be different or the same.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad to me,” Dax commented when I paused, and I gave him a side glance.
“Well, that’s not all. More thoughts crossed my mind, like how will I be once I get my memories back? Will I change if I remember all the bad and traumatizing things that happened to me, if there are any? What if none of my memories are good, and I’m stuck wishing I never got them back?” I rattled off, my voice getting higher as more questions rolled off my tongue. Another thing I was thinking but didn’t say out loud was if I could live with one of my friends dying so I could remember who I was. What if someone dying was the price to pay? I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to one of them.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. For one, you need to slow down. Two, take in a few breaths and don’t focus on anything that just came out of your mouth.” He smiled encouragingly.
I took his advice, and it calmed me down a little bit. Only a little. The sun was so hot against my skin, and I could feel a headache coming on, which wasn’t helping me much.
“What happened for you to think about all of this?” he asked, glancing at Dmitri. Why was he looking at Dmitri? Did he know that we talked for a while last night? Had he been only pretending to sleep? I made sure not to be obvious about seeing him do that and looked back at my feet.
“Nothing, really. Just thoughts,” I said, not wanting him to know much.
“Well, here’s what I can tell you. Stop stressing. There’s no need to. Trust me when I tell you that you are definitely the same person, if not even more wonderful. Don’t focus on the negative. Find something positive to think about that will overshadow that. Everything in your life wasn’t all dandy, like any person ever, but you did pretty well for yourself. You have nothing to worry about,” he reassured me, and I wanted to hug him for his kind words. He was always so positive. I wondered about his backstory.
“Thank you, Dax. You are so kind. That really helps. I will try to think positive thoughts. Just give me a few more minutes,” I told him with a smile.
“No rush. Whatever caused you to think about that, try not to let it become a distraction.” He glanced at Dmitri again, and this time my eyes followed, staying on him a little longer than I wanted to.
I just nodded, not wanting to make eye contact with him. If I did, it would only confirm that he knew Dmitri was the reason for my negative thoughts. While I was trying to get my positive vibe back, the wind started blowing, feeling great on my boiling skin.
As we continued to walk, the wind picked up, whipping my hair around my face. I yanked my hair back, trying to get it out of my face, but it didn’t matter. The wind continued to pick up, blowing so hard it started smacking my face. “Ugh! What is happening?” I complained, ducking my head to stop the abuse on my face. I peeked up a little, and it looked like even Dmitri was having a hard time.
“Everyone, be careful and watch out for the path blinking. I have a feeling something is about to happen,” Dmitri shouted over the roaring wind.
I put my head back down and gasped, my steps faltering as the path started blinking, and then entirely disappeared. “Guys! The line is go—” The rest of my sentence never left my mouth because my scream replaced it. I was snatched backward. By what? I have no idea, but somehow I was in the air, getting further away from the group with no way down.
I think my name was yelled, but the wind was smashing itself into my ears. I couldn’t even tell who yelled it. I continued to scream and claw at the air, and Dmitri threw his pack on the ground and blurred as he ran.
My eyes couldn’t keep up with him until he leaped in the air, disappearing and appearing in front of me. I leaned toward him, straining against the force. He grabbed my hand and yanked me into his chest, and I held on to him for dear life. We fell as gravity took over, and another scream escaped my mouth. The air shifted around me, everything disappeared for a split second, and then it all appeared again when we hit the ground.
The impact forced a breath out of the both of us, Dmitri taking the brunt of it. It didn’t seem to affect him, and he wrapped his arms around me protectively. He jumped up, steadying me.
“Wha…what the hell just happened?” I looked around wildly. There was a loud snap. Dmitri pushed me behind him, shoulders tensed as his head whipped back and forth, searching. The others were looking around as well, in defensive stances. I looked down—the yellow path was back. It must’ve reappeared when I was yanked by who knows what.
That was the craziest feeling ever. My heart was still beating quickly. I’d never experienced something so frightening yet thrilling at the same time. The wind was still blowing strongly, and the ground suddenly started moving. A gasp left my mouth as the rocks on the ground rattled. I turned, and my jaw dropped as the top of the mountain, what I could see of it, start turning colors, to pure white.
“Guys, look!” I yelled, pointing at where the color of the sky started changing.
They all followed my finger, and Dmitri hissed. The sky changed from red to a dark purple, creating an eerie atmosphere. The white color blanketed the mountain, and my eyes followed as it reached the ground. A wind chill blew past me, and the white kept going past where I was standing, covering the entire mountain. I turned in a circle, taking in the change of scenery.
The entire mountain was covered in snow. I’d never seen snow in person before. The snow left a cold spot in the middle of my hand as it melted, causing me to shiver even more. My breath came out frosted.
“Let’s go.” Dimitri’s voice interrupted my thoughts. He breezed past me, and I followed, watching him grab his pack on the way.
“Dmitri, what happened back there? What pulled me backward like that?” I asked, keeping my mouth closed from chattering out loud. He didn’t answer. Just kept stomping onward through the snow. That’s it. I stopped walking, planting my feet in the snow. My hands were curled into fists at my side, and Axel, Rita, and Dax all walked past me, but then slowed when they realized I wasn’t moving.
“Dmitri!” I yelled, my voice echoing off the mountains. My breath came out in angry puffs, condensing in the cold air.
Dmitri froze, ceasing his walking. A look of shock was on everyone’s face, and they turned their heads to Dmitri to see his reaction. He turned around dramatically slow, narrowing his angry eyes when it reached me. I didn’t care how angry he was right now. I was annoyed as well and so tired of him ignoring me unless I needed protection. He stalked my way, angry steps making the snow fly up from under his feet. He stopped directly in front of me, gray eyes hard with anger as he stared into my annoyed ones.
“What happened to me back there?” I repeated through gritted teeth, my breath fogging the air between us before disappearing. I wasn’t going to move until he gave me an answer.
“Caspian,” he growled.
“You heard me.” He clenched his jaw. Shouts filled the air, and his eyes flitted over my head. Frozen in place, my eyes widened as I watched his face harden.
“Dmitri?” Dax called out, his voice sounding nervous.
Dmitri growled in return, a deep guttural one coming from his chest and throat at the same time. This was a different growl than his usual. It sounded almost animalistic, and I wasn’t sure if I found that fascinating or frightening. “Dax, take Meadow, now!” His deep voice carried in the air, making him even more intimidating than he already was. Take me where?
Dax was by my side in no time, grabbing my hand. “Come on, Meadow. Let’s run.” His eyes were wide and cautious as he spoke.
I tightened my hand in his, and we took off, with him leading the way. We ran past Axel and Rita, who both had concerned looks on their faces, staring in the same direction as Dmitri. We continued to run up the mountain, and I tried not to think about what was behind me, why I was being pulled away. Dax was running fast, but still close to my pace. I was actually able to keep up with him, unlike how it was with Dmitri.
“Dax, where are we going?” I asked, my voice coming out a little strained from being out of breath.
“Somewhere, anywhere to keep you hidden and safe from what’s coming,” he answered, looking around quickly before speeding up again.
“He told me it was Caspian,” I almost whispered, as if saying his name out loud would actually cause him to manifest.
“I know, I heard. Which is why we need to find a hiding spot as quickly as possible,” he said. He stopped when we were far enough away, looking around before speaking again.
“Catch your breath, I don’t need you passing out on me.” He chuckled, and I relaxed. This part of the mountain seemed safe enough. More snow-covered trees littered the area, bunched together, giving us enough cover.
“Thanks, I definitely need it.” I took in a few breaths. I chugged down some water from the canteen, the cold water freezing my insides.
“No problem. Gotta have the energy to fend off Caspian’s attempts to kill you.” He replied so nonchalantly, I choked on my water. I coughed violently, and Dax pounded my back, trying to help me out.
“Did you have to add that he’s trying to kill me?” I wheezed, coughing once more to get the rest of the water out of my windpipe.
“Sorry, I didn’t think you would choke on your water. I just need you to keep hearing this, so you realize how serious it is,” he responded, rubbing my back as I cleared the remnants of water from my throat.
“I do know how serious it is,” I grumbled, rubbing my arms to get warm. I really needed to check my pack to see if there was a jacket in there.
“I know you understand a little bit, but not the fullest extent. It is more serious than you think it is.”
I sighed and brushed him off, looking at the sky so I wouldn’t roll my eyes. “I got it, Dax.” I ended that part of the conversation. “So, what’s next?” I asked, ignoring his concentrated stare. I understood he wanted to keep me safe, but I didn’t want to stress more than I already was.
“We need to find a tunnel to travel in so that Caspian won’t find us,” he told me, taking the hint.
“All right, let’s go find us a tunnel,” I said as enthusiastically as I could so that the energy could be cheerful again.
He smiled, and we started walking quickly again. This time, I was more aware of my surroundings. The wind picked up a little making me shiver. My teeth started chattering, and I walked faster, trying to warm up. That didn’t really work. Dax picked up the pace and started jogging, so I did as well to keep up, trying not to trip over the lumps of snow. I was panting, and watched as my breath filled the air, Dax’s did as well. Random whistles filled the air, and Dax gasped, looking behind us.
“Meadow, run! Go!” He shooed me away, not even looking at me. “I need to create a distraction!” he yelled.
I ran like he told me to, but kept glancing back to make sure that he was okay. When I was a reasonable distance away, I stopped to catch my breath. He was standing in the same spot with his arms spread out. The mountain started shaking, making me crouch slightly for balance.
The snow from the ground rose in the air, creating a thick wall in front of him. I watched in awe as he moved his arms, the middle of the snow wall parting, and I saw movement on the other side. Slapping a hand over my mouth, I held in a gasp that threatened to escape. I ran up the mountain more and hid behind a large tree.
Standing in plain view, between the two walls of snow, was Caspian. He wore his signature purple cloak that rippled behind him as he walked. His blond hair was messed up from the wind, but he actually made it look good, much to my chagrin. His confident strides left no prints in the snow, and there was a huge smile on his face, teeth gleaming even though there was no sun to shine on them.
Seeing him again made my heart hurt. It shouldn’t have, but I still couldn’t believe that was the same person who knew every little secret of mine. He was there for almost every tear being shed, breakups, undercover jobs, etc. Now he was just…my enemy? That deep connection just severed like it was meaningless. None of it made sense. Blinking the tears away that threatened to spill, I turned my attention to Dax.
“Caspian! Stay where you are!” he commanded, but Caspian kept on walking. Dax lifted his arms, and the snow in the air rose as well, starting to rotate. The snow twisted in the air and started turning into mini snow devils.
Caspian snarled and charged at Dax, making me gasp softly. Dax threw his arms out in front of him, and the snow devils flew Caspian’s way, colliding into him. He was thrown backward, but landed on his hands and feet, sliding back as the snow devils continued to attack him. He snarled against the snow, his canines growing, and his eyes suddenly turning a vibrant violet. My mouth dropped, and he threw his arm out to the side, hand curling as he strained against the never-ending snow. There was a loud rumbling sound, and I looked up as snow fell from the higher part of the mountain.
“You want to play games, Dax? Let’s play!” Caspian jerked his hand forward, and a boulder rolled down the mountain following his movements. It collided into Dax before he could do anything to protect himself.
“Dax!” I screamed, throwing my pack down and scrambling from my hiding spot. I started running toward him but slowed when I realized what I was doing. But it was too late. Caspian’s head lifted, his crystal blue eyes locked on mine, lighting up.
My eyes enlarged, and I reached inside my pocket. I barely took a step before something knocked into my chest, pushing me up into a hard tree. A large, cold hand was wrapped around my throat, and I grabbed at it, trying to yank it off.
“Now, what do we have here?” Caspian spoke, and I finally looked at him, seeing his grin spread on his face. “Hello, darling.” His smooth voice lowered, and he used his other hand to tuck a loose hair behind my ear, his eyes caressing my face as if to lock it in his memory.
“Caspian,” I greeted in a bored tone, making sure there was a passive expression on my face.
His grip loosened, but he left his hand there, ghosting on my neck.
“What do you want?” I asked, sighing loudly when he didn’t speak.
“You know what I want.” His eyes darkened, yet the grin stayed on his face.
“Then get on with it,” I growled, yanking at his hand, even though it was pointless.
“Ooo, feisty as always, my sweet Meadow. Brings back some rather delicious memories.” He tsked, moving his hand from my neck.
I rubbed the place where his hand was to relieve the throbbing sensation he caused. I made a face. Delicious memories? What was he talking about?
“What made you think I wouldn’t be able to find you?” he asked, pursing his lips when I rolled my eyes.
I opened my mouth to answer but paused when I saw movement from the corner of my eye. “I wasn’t running away. I came here for my memories. You know I would
face you head on if I needed to,” I hissed, keeping my eyes trained on Caspian so he wouldn’t be aware of Dax sneaking up on him.
He smiled, sans teeth. “How cute.” He tilted his head, held up a finger, and adjusted his cloak. “Give me a second.” His arm flew back, connecting to Dax’s face.
I yelped at the impact and launched off the tree to tackle Caspian. His arm shot out, shoving me back into the tree. Pain shot up my back, and I cried out, arching my back. I thrashed against his hand, trying to get out of his hold. Dax was coughing, and I looked up as he hissed, his head jerking up at Caspian.
His eyes changed to violet, and he quickly lifted up his leg, smashing it to the side of Caspian’s face, causing him to loosen his grip on my neck. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I held on to the tree’s trunk, lifted both of my legs, and kicked Caspian in the chest.
He stumbled backward from the force, and Dax grabbed his cloak, making Caspian’s hands fly up to stop it from choking him. Dax still had Caspian by his cloak, and I ran up at Caspian and hopped up to kick him in the face, but he grabbed my leg, throwing me to the side. All the air in my body left as I was thrown into a boulder, my shoulder taking most of the impact.
The scream that left my mouth was blood curdling, the pain so extreme I had to gasp to breathe properly. It felt dislocated, and I really hoped nothing was broken. I panted heavily as I tried to get up from the frozen ground.
“Meadow!” Dax shouted, and I lifted my head up in time to see Caspian stalking toward Dax, who was focusing on me.
“Dax, look out!” I shouted back, but it was too late. Caspian uppercutted Dax, sending him flying in the air, and he crashed into a large tree before dropping to the ground. The tree shook from the force, and a loud snapping sound filled the air as it fell to the ground after him.
I couldn’t even gasp properly anymore from how much pain I was in, but I staggered up anyway so I could somehow help him. My breaths came out short, the pain igniting in my shoulder from my movements. I grabbed the lighter from my pocket.
Souls Page 18
