Faeries of Delusia

Chapter Thirteen

I stepped back, staring at my friend in shock.

“Sorry.” Mitsoki’s cheeks flushed a pint tint.

I was so utterly confused I didn’t know how to respond. I hadn’t seen that coming.

“Sorry.” he repeated again, his eyes not focusing on me any longer.

“Why did you do that?” Since I didn’t have anything better to say, I decided to ask that so it wouldn’t be stuck in my head forever.

“I’ve never kissed a human before.” he stated simply, shrugging.

“I’ve never kissed a Faerie before.” I chuckled back.

“Guys, look out!” Fumio shouted directing it at Mitsoki and I. Without looking we bolted in opposite directions, just getting out of the way at the beast that continued to charge at us. I got a good look at it.

It had two arms and two feet and stood up straight, human-like. It was an awfully hairy beast and was purple. It stood as tall as the high trees and had two beady black eyes that took up its whole face. As it walked the earth around us shook and we tumbled to the ground. How had we missed this incredibly large beast before?

“The Forest Monster!” Mitsoki shouted in terror, running towards me, stumbling along the way because of the small earth quakes that came as the beast walked. “We have to get out of here, now!” he shouted in my ear.

Worriedly I shot a glance at Fumio. He wasn’t looking at me but felt my eyes on him and quickly turned his head to face me. I gave him a sympathetic look as I got in the position to dart out of the forest.

“He killed my brother!” Fumio shouted, his voice cracking as tears leaked out of his eyes. “We must KILL this monster!” he shouted louder than before, straining his voice again.

“This creature is going to kill US first! We can’t do this with four people, impossible!” I pointed out.

Fumio simply shook his head furiously. “Leave if you want, I’m not!” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a long, silver sword that glistened when the stray beams of light from above hit it. I looked at Mitsoki, hoping he would have a plan.

“We need to get out of here!” was all he told me. I suddenly scanned our surroundings for Hikaru as Mitsoki and I dodged the beast that wanted to step on us; he was nowhere to be found.

“HIKARU!” I shouted and felt the burn of my lungs. It was difficult to hear over the roar of the monster and the pounding of his body against the ground.

I listened intently but couldn’t hear Hikaru answer.

Mitsoki and I shouted his name a few times and looked up and down and all around for him. Had he fled? Had he ran away in fear? Did he leave to get back up? Maybe he was just hiding, planning a sneak attack. Even if he did that, what would it do to this beast? We need a machine gun to bring this thing to the ground.

“I don’t know where he is.” I said abruptly to Mitsoki.

“Forget him then, that’s one less wizard.”

I thought about that statement. Raiden had said the same thing before about Shape Shifters. Did any creature have feelings about another’s life? It seemed not.

Mitsoki and I ran out of the forest and I felt guilty all of the sudden. I should be, though. I left Fumio in there to defend for himself, and I did just the same as Hikaru did; run in fear, at least that’s what I guessed he did.

I turned to Mitsoki before we were far away from the trees. “I can’t leave him in there, he’s younger than me.”

“Yeah, in human years.” he pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter!” I shouted in defense. “I’m not leaving!” With that, I darted from Mitsoki’s side and bolted back into the forest, calling out for Fumio. “I know how to help!” I shouted. “I have this golden stake!” I pulled it out of my back pocket and held it up. As I did, it slipped from my hands and fell to the ground. I ran a few feet before slowing down to a complete stop. I turned and looked at the stake lying on the forest floor. Before I could race to it and pick it up, it was suddenly smashed into pieces as the beast stomped its foot down on it.

My jaw dropped as I stared at the tiny golden pieces that flew through the air as the monster picked its foot back up. I stood there in shock, unknowing of what to do next.

“Wha-?” I couldn’t gasp out anything else.

I stood there, now running my fingers through my messy, tangled hair, almost in tears, as Hikaru ran up behind me and shouted, “Move out of the way!” Without comprehending what he meant I was suddenly shoved out of the way, Hikaru grasping my arm and pulling me forward.

His cloak whipped around him and I as we practically flew through the air to jump away from the massive foot that nearly smashed my in pieces like it did my golden stake Raiden had given me.

He mumbled something that didn’t quite make sense to me and pointed his wand at the powerful beast. With a quick flash, lightning struck the beast and it moaned out in fury and pain.

“Run!” Hikaru ordered and I was about to do just that until I thought of Fumio again. Had he been squashed?

“Jamie, what are doing?” a voice asked from behind me. When I turned no one was there.

“Who said that?” I called out. I saw Hikaru battling the beast with his wand but I still couldn’t find Fumio. Mitsoki wasn’t anywhere around either.

Suddenly a figure jumped from the trees and onto the vicious beast. I saw it pull an arrow from its back and shove it straight into the beast and the beast cried out in pain.

“Raiden?” I questioned quietly to myself.

Several more arrows were shoved into the beast in all directions and the figure suddenly jumped from it, landing on branches until it reached the ground. When I got a better look I saw it was, in fact, Raiden.

“I thought you had a family emergency.”

Raiden chuckled with no humor. “Some emergency.” he sneered, and I knew he would explain what he meant later. Right now, we had to get away, and fast. “Why haven’t you guys ran yet?”

“Fumio wants this beast dead. It killed his brother. I thought I told you that already.”

“I only see Hikaru here.” Raiden pointed out.

“How do you know him?”

“It’s a small world after all.”

“Mitsoki dragged me out of here but I decided to go back in and help.” I told him.

“That no-good Sand Faerie?” Raiden asked.

I nodded my head, rolling my eyes. “He’s not all that bad, like everyone assumes.” I objected.

“Sure.” Raiden told me sarcastically. “Come with me.” He took my hand and swung me up into the trees with him, holding my torso firmly so I wouldn’t fall.

“What are we doing?”

“Killing this beast, that’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“I’m no murderer. Fumio is the one who wants it dead!” I pointed out.

“Either way.” Raiden began. “This needs to end.”

Of course I agreed.

“What are you planning on doing?” I asked.

“Get out your golden stake.” he ordered, and I immediately felt guilty. How would I explain this to him?

“Well-,” I began, stammering for words. “I dropped it.”

Raiden’s eyes were filled with fury. “Where? Where is it now?”

“It was trampled on by that beast.” I said softly, hoping he wouldn’t flip out.

“WHAT?!”

Suddenly the tree we lingered on snapped in half and our bodies were catapulted into the air. I screamed for dear life, reaching for Raiden. “I’m sorry!” I screamed in mid air. “It was an accident!”

As we fell it became obvious we were about to tumble straight onto the beast.

“Here.” Raiden reached his hand into his back pack and pulled out a handful of golden stakes. “I keep spares. Just in case.” he told me and I almost judged it a coincidence. I grabbed them and made sure the pointy ends were all sticking in the same direction. “When you land on the beast, shove these into him as deep as you can.”

“These little pointy things are going to kill it?”

“They aren’t just little pointy things. You’ll see.” Raiden assured me. I couldn’t argue. I couldn’t because we were about to land! With strength and anger I slammed onto the beast at full speed, all of the spikes penetrating the monster. It wailed out louder than before and tossed and turned. Raiden had missed the beast and landed in a tree or on the ground, so I was struggling to hold on so I was projected into the air again and surely killed.

I held on longer than I figured I could before suddenly the beast let out one last wail of anger and rage before it burst into a million dust particles. Suddenly the hard matter I held onto was just dirty air. I felt myself pummeling to the ground once more, with nothing in the way to catch my fall.

“Raiden!” I wailed the whole time I fell through the air. I couldn’t see. I hoped he would catch me!

I got the wind knocked out of me when something hard hit me at full speed and I was knocked to the side. I landed on something, but it sure wasn’t the ground. It was softer. Feathers maybe?

“Fumio?” I gasped out with all the air I had left in my lungs.

If it said anything, that is, if it even could, I didn’t hear it. The wind rushing past my ears was a distraction. We were still in a fog of dust so I couldn’t see anything, not even my own hands. I felt my body to make sure I wasn’t bleeding and it seemed that I was. When I felt my head and pulled my hands back, sticky liquid lingered on them. I was about to puke from the smell of blood and the fact that I was practically flying through the air, but closed my mouth and wrapped my arms around my stomach, hoping it would keep everything in.

I wanted to scream out for Raiden, for anyone. I wanted to know what was happening, what was I on? Probably Fumio, I decided, but wasn’t positively sure. I strained my eyes to see through the dirt and my vision came back when the dust and dirt began to clear.

I was on the largest bird I have ever seen in my life. It looked like a giant eagle times one hundred! I knew it had to be a Shifter, it had to be Fumio. But when I looked into its eyes, they were green. But Fumio has blue eyes . . .