They walked in silence for a while as they got back into the rhythm of it. Viri tried to think about anything other than that book and after thirty minutes or so of completely failing, she opted for conversation instead. “I vote that our next trip is to a beach or anywhere with a large body of water and no insects in sight.” Alyson slapped a bug off her chest right as Viri mentioned insects and they both laughed. “I agree. I would also like to request that there be no camping on this beach. I think we’ve had our fill for the year.” Viri mumbled that she agreed right before hearing a bird’s cry and looking up to see a hawk flying overhead. So much for not thinking about the Asai and magic. Alyson must’ve had a similar thought after hearing the bird because she sped up to walk beside her. She looked over at Alyson and arched a brow to see what was on her mind all of a sudden.
“Maybe you should try practicing your magic some while we’re still relatively safe. We don't know what could be waiting for you once we reach the temple.” Viri contemplated her and Alyson was right. There was no point in ignoring her fire, so she decided that she should practice while she could still ask Alyson for advice because she didn’t imagine she’d get far on her own.
“How do I will it? The few times it’s happened have been because my emotions were running wild. I tried once while you were sleeping and nothing happened, so I just haven’t tried since I guess.” She looked over when Alyson took longer than expected to answer and saw Alyson was deep in thought. She listened to the crunching leaves as they walked while she waited for her answer.
“I suppose the easiest way for you to understand would be to treat it like a weapon instead of the omnipotent source that you’ve always seen it as. You hold a knife or a gun and you will it to do what you need it to do. You calculate the best use for it in the split second that you need it, and you make it do your bidding. Magic is the same. You will it based on intention and trust. If you get emotional enough, your subconscious can will it for you but if you want it to appear when you call it, you have to trust that it will do as you say the same way you trust that the weapon in your hand will move as you will it to... What?” She cut her explanation short when she saw the surprise on Viri’s face. Viri closed her gaping mouth. “I’m sorry.” She chuckled. “You’re just rarely so wise.” Alyson shoved her and she laughed even harder. “Okay. Okay. I can do that.”
They stopped walking for a second and she took a deep breath to center herself, the way she always did before fighting. She felt for the magic in her and imagined she was feeling for a knife on her hip to pull out and defend herself. Several long minutes passed as she felt around in herself for any hint of magic. She was about ready to give up when she finally felt a pull in her gut in response and tried not to let it shock her. She lifted her hands and willed the pulling sensation to bring fire to her fingertips. She focused on her fingers and a small fireball suddenly appeared over her hand. Alyson squealed beside her, and it took all her self-restraint not to do the same. Instead, she focused on forming different shapes with the fire. Birds, wolves, and even a karkadann sputtered to life above her fingertips. She saw a leaf falling from a nearby tree and aimed the fireball in its direction. The leaf was ashes in seconds. They continued walking and she kept practicing. Alyson would occasionally cheer and throw twigs at her as targets.
This went on for hours until Alyson heard a twig snap nearby and threw her arm out to stop Viri from walking as she listened for what caused it. Any animal big enough to break a stick usually kept their distance from people in the forest. Alyson sniffed around and let out a low growl. “Run.” Viri didn’t hesitate. They both immediately took off running as fast as they could. In hindsight, the fact that she could always outrun Alyson should have been enough to let her know she wasn’t human, but this wasn’t the best time to reflect on that. Instead, they both sniffed around to see if they could catch a whiff of what they were running from.
Viri realized Alyson found a scent when she saw the death glare that swept across her features. She yelled, “Who are we running from?” Alyson’s expression changed from a glare to confusion. “I can’t remember his name. I was on my way to you when he announced himself. The teller? No, wait, the sender? Shit. The informer?” Viri realized whom she was referring to. “You mean the messenger?” Alyson nodded. “Yeah, that bastard is back.”
Viri contemplated a plan while they ran. She could vaguely hear leaves rustling behind them, which meant he was gaining on them. “Aly, we need to split up and let him come after me.” Alyson began to protest, and Viri cut her off. “Your arm may be working well but it isn’t fully healed yet. Plus, this way you can hide and plan an ambush if I need help.” Alyson didn’t respond, so Viri looked over at her and begged. “Please. Please, Alyson. Let me do this.” Alyson looked devastated but she conceded. “You better not fucking lose to this creep,” she demanded before running in a different direction.
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Viri kept running through the trees and jumping over rocks and branches until she made it to a small clearing that gave her enough space to move freely and was covered enough for Alyson to hide easily. She stopped and turned to face the direction the messenger was coming from. She threw off her backpack and unsheathed two of the three knives that she strapped to her waist that morning. She smelled him as he got closer and heard his steps become slower as he stopped running and began to stalk toward her. She rolled her eyes at his apparent flair for the dramatic but slid into a fighting stance, nonetheless.
He began speaking before she could fully see him. “We weren’t properly introduced last time. My true name is Gregory.” She couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. “Gregory? Seriously?” His eyes glinted with annoyance as he finally walked into the clearing. “My ruler, The Basilisk, prefers that his citizens be civilized, unlike this shithole of a country I’m unfortunately visiting. Having civility also requires having civilized names.” She finally stopped laughing, but a smile still spread along her lips. “Well Gregory, to what do I owe the pleasure of this hunt? I didn’t expect to see you again after our last meeting.” She quickly scanned the trees around them and saw Alyson crouched in one, her face determined and calculating.
Her attention snapped back to Gregory as he spoke again. “I always pay what I owe, and you, my darling, are infinitely owed for this.” He swept his hands towards his tail, and she noticed the end of it was still missing after she sliced it off. She scrunched her brows at him. “I thought reptiles grew their tails back?” Gregory’s nostrils flared. “We do, yet for some reason, I haven’t been able to undo the injury you have bestowed upon me, which I imagine is due to your lineage. So, I decided to track you down and right this particular wrong by killing you.”
Viri crouched deeper into a fighting stance. “What do you know about my lineage?” Gregory’s answering smile was hideous. “This forest knows a great many things that your cities have long forgotten. They have secrets. Secrets some of them share with the highest bidder in other countries. My king is the highest bidder there is and he has a rather large penchant for secrets. Especially magical ones. No need for you to worry your little head over it though. I’ll soon be telling him of the secret of your death.”
He chuckled as he lunged forward too quickly for her to see. She sensed him coming towards her face and threw up her right arm to block him. Once his fist connected with her arm, she kicked him in the stomach. The kick pushed him back a little and she saw him reassessing her. He threw more punches, and she blocked them all until there was finally an opening to attack. She cut him across the cheek with one of the knives. He let out a growl and kneed her in the stomach before she could block it and she fell to her knees. He raised his tail and slammed it toward her, but she rolled out of the way. She jumped up and steadied herself. He hurled his tail towards her again, and she stuck one of her knives into it. He yelled, snatching his tail away, allowing her to rip the knife down it and slice it into two halves. He growled at her, “You little shit!” She steadied her breathing as she smirked at him. “What happened to being civilized?” Gregory lunged for her again and grabbed her by the neck, then slammed her into the ground. She saw movement in the trees and held her hand up for Alyson to stay put.
Gregory leaned in and whispered, “Once I'm done with you, I’ll kill your little pet next.” Viri gripped his hands while closing her eyes briefly. She willed fire to envelop her hands, burning his in the process. He yelled and tried to pry his hands away, but she opened her eyes and gripped them tighter. She could feel his scales melting off in her palms. He picked her up and slammed her into a tree to make her loosen her grip. She let go, but not before sending the fire shooting up his arms towards his shoulders. He stepped backward, beating the flames off him, and she used the distraction to throw one of her knives and pin his tail to a tree behind him. He roared and grabbed the handle to rip it out, but before he could do so, she lunged for him, grabbed his throat with both hands, and willed her flames to ignite again. He glared at her and choked as she scorched his throat. She refused to let go until black smoke came out of his mouth and she stopped feeling a pulse.
She felt Alyson lay a hand on her shoulder and willed herself to breathe normally. She made her flames disappear. Gregory’s charred body fell to the ground in front of her. She finally looked up at Alyson who arched a brow at her. “It’s been a long, few days, and I forgot to pack my punching bag.” Alyson chuckled. “Well, at least you didn’t lose. So, the next round of drinks is on you when we make it back home.” Viri smiled at her. She reached to get her knife out of Gregory’s tail and realized the hilt was crushed. She held it up to Alyson. “We have to have a funeral for the fallen Priss Sister.” Alyson smiled and pulled out a bottle of bourbon she had stolen from the hotel’s mini bar. Viri beamed right back at her as Alyson held up the bottle. “To our fallen comrade. May the winds of life carry you onward.” She took a swig from the bottle and passed it to Viri. She immediately took a shot and they both cringed slightly from the heat in their chests. She handed the bottle back to Alyson and buried the blade by her feet. Once finished, she stood up and dusted her hands off, kicked Gregory in the face, and walked over to get her backpack.