Chp 17
1878 Words
Pearl
The sunlight hit my face from the window, causing my eyes to flutter open. My vision was still blurry and my eyes crusty. I stretched my legs before sitting up. Slowly, I opened my eyes and realized that I was hugging that prick. Not only was I hugging him, but one of my legs was on top of him. He was holding my hand while he slept.
I quickly got up from his side and crawled into the corner of the room. What the actual moon curse, did I just cling to him while I was asleep? Why do I always do this? Why do I hug him like he’s my pillow? Ahh, this is so annoying. I need to do something about this habit of mine.
That’s when I noticed he was staring at me with a huge smile on his face. Oh no, don’t tell me he was staring at me this entire time. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize he was awake, and now he was looking at me.
I cleared my throat and tried to avoid eye contact with him. “Good morning,” I said in a soft voice.
He smiled while lying on his side, his palm supporting his head.
“Good morning,” he replied in a husky voice.
My eyes softened as I heard him. Wow, his morning voice sounds so seductive. I wanted him to keep speaking. I soon shook my head. “Don’t get lost in your thoughts, Pearl. This is not good,” I reminded myself.
He suddenly yawned like a lazy wolf pup and stretched his arms wide—nearly smacking me in the face.
“Careful!” I squeaked, ducking just in time. He chuckled shamelessly.
“What? You attacked me in your sleep. I think this is fair retaliation,” he teased, brushing his bed hair out of his face.
“I did not attack you. I was... I was cold. My body has instincts,” I defended with a pout, wrapping the blanket tighter around me like a burrito.
“Well, your instincts seem to think I’m a particularly comfy pillow,” he smirked, clearly enjoying my mortification.
I glared at him but couldn’t stop the heat rising to my cheeks. “One day, I’ll throw you to the wolves.”
He raised an eyebrow with a grin. “And they’ll return to me, saying I’m too much to handle.”
I rolled my eyes and got up from the cold ground, i want to have a warm bath but how?There are no bath houses nearby.
“I want to have a bath,” I said while I moved close to him while I tried to avoid eye contact
He then got up and patted on my shoulder, “There is no time to have bath little kitten, we need to continue the game as we cannot lose, orelse they will remove us from the academy,” saying that he put on his scholar robe and headed towards the door, he stopped before opening it and looked behind from his shoulder, “Hurry little kitten, we need to leave now and please don't get drowned again,” he said with a smirk on his face.
He is behaving as if I have done this on purpose, ahh what should I do of this guy.
I muttered under my breath, “Next time I’m dragging you into the river with me.”
I tried to walk past him with some dignity, but my foot got caught in the blanket and I almost tripped. He caught me by the arm, and his smirk grew wider.
“Careful now, kitten. At this rate, we’ll need to enroll you in a survival class before the tournament.”
“Very funny,” I snapped, yanking my arm free, cheeks burning.
He started laughing under his breath, and I could swear the trees outside were laughing too.
We had been walking for what felt like hours, the totem tightly strapped to my back under my robe. The forest was eerily quiet—no birds, no wind, just the sound of our footsteps and the occasional grumble from my stomach.
“I’m starving,” I muttered, placing a hand on my stomach dramatically.
“We’ll eat when we’re alive,” Demyan replied dryly, eyes scanning the trees. He was back to being serious, alert, as if danger was trailing behind every leaf.
I frowned, “You could try being optimistic for once.”
“Optimism won’t save us from an ambush,” he said, stopping in his tracks. I walked right into his back.
“Ow! You could at least warn me before you become a tree.”
He didn’t laugh. His hand shot up, signaling silence.
I froze.
Suddenly, a sharp whoosh flew past my ear—an arrow embedded itself in the tree next to me. My eyes widened as I ducked instinctively.
“Run!” Demyan yelled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along. We darted between trees, branches clawing at our robes as arrows zipped past us. My heart raced, I clutched the totem tighter to my back.
We slid behind a fallen tree trunk. He pressed a hand over my mouth, and we both held our breath as footsteps approached. I could feel his breath near my cheek again—why was this becoming a theme?
Once the enemy passed, he slowly released me.
“We need to outsmart them,” he whispered. “Just two of us, one totem, and probably six of them. Got any bright ideas?”
I bit my lip. “I could pretend to fall in a puddle again and lure them in?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Please, no more drowning, kitten.”
I smirked. “Okay, okay. Let’s use the clearing near the stream. I remember a rocky ridge nearby—we can trap them there.”
He stared at me. “You surprise me sometimes.”
“What, you think I’m all clumsy legs and no brains?”
He chuckled. “You said it, not me.”
As we crawled out of our hiding place, I tripped over a vine and fell—right on top of Demyan.
“Ugh, Perin! Are you trying to flatten me?”
“I didn’t mean to!” I snapped, trying to roll off, only to get tangled in my robe. The totem hit the side of his head.
He winced. “I swear this totem will be the end of me.”
We both froze.
Footsteps. Close.
He reached for his dagger. I reached for my courage.
The game wasn’t over. It was just getting interesting. We reached the rocky ridge just before sunset, the golden light casting long shadows that danced across the forest floor. The stream nearby bubbled gently, a peaceful sound that sharply contrasted with the danger crawling toward us. Demyan crouched beside a large boulder, eyes focused. “They’ll come from that direction,” he pointed. “We’ll lure them through this narrow gap here. Once they’re in, we collapse the ridge behind them.”
I blinked. “How do we collapse a ridge?”
He smirked. “You let me handle that part.”
“Let me guess, I’m bait again?”
“You’re very good at it.”
I groaned dramatically. “One of these days I’m going to let the enemy catch me just to spite you.”
He rolled his eyes. “You’d never do that. You’re too noble.”
I was about to argue when a rustle in the bushes caught our attention. I quickly scrambled into position, pretending to limp a little as I dragged the totem behind me, just enough to make it look believable.
Within seconds, shadows emerged—four figures this time, masked and armed. I shouted, “Over here!” and bolted toward the narrow ridge.
They chased me—just as planned.
Demyan sprang into action. He moved like a shadow, precise and powerful. As I crossed through the gap, he struck the loosened rocks with a firm kick and a well-timed throw of his blade. The ground rumbled.
The ridge gave way, crashing down behind me.
Two of the attackers made it through. The other two were trapped on the other side, yelling in frustration.
Now it was two against two. And I had Demyan.
“You messed with the wrong team,” he said, twirling his dagger.
The first enemy lunged, but Demyan intercepted, quick as lightning. I held the totem tightly and ducked as the second one charged toward me.
My heart pounded. I swung my satchel at his face, and the totem bonked him right on the nose.
“Ow!” he shouted, stumbling back.
“I warned you!” I snapped, holding the totem like a weapon. “This thing is cursed!”
We fought side by side, the battle wild but swift. When the dust settled, both enemies lay groaning on the ground.
I turned to Demyan, panting. “That… was terrifying.”
“You were amazing,” he said, brushing a leaf from my hair. “And that totem attack? Priceless.”
I laughed despite myself. “It’s more useful than it looks.”
We took a moment to catch our breath. The forest fell quiet again.
Then Demyan frowned. “Did you hear that?”
My smile faded. “Hear what?”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the trees. “There’s someone else out there… watching us.”
Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the air and struck Demyan in the side.
His eyes widened in shock, blood spurting from his mouth as he gritted his teeth and clutched the shaft. The sound of the impact echoed in my ears like a thunderclap. I just sat there—frozen. My breath caught in my throat as I stared at him, my limbs refusing to move.
“Demyan…?” I whispered, the word barely escaping my lips.
He sank to his knees, one hand still gripping the arrow, the other reaching out toward me. His face twisted in pain, yet his eyes remained sharp. Focused.
I didn’t know how to react. My mind screamed Run! Help him! Do something! but my body wouldn't obey.
“Pear—Perin,” he rasped, forcing himself to stay upright. “You have to… protect the totem.”
“No! I can’t leave you!” I crawled toward him, my hands shaking as I tried to steady him. His blood was warm on my fingers. Too warm.
My heartbeat pounded like a war drum. “What do I do now? What do I do now?” I kept repeating, eyes flickering toward the trees. The attacker could still be out there. A second arrow could come at any moment.
He gritted his teeth and grabbed my wrist. “Hide the totem. Then come back. I’ll hold them off.”
“You can’t even stand!” I shouted, voice cracking, panic tightening my chest, and then a shadow moved in the trees, another arrow flew straight toward us.
He thinks I can leave him alone but he is wrong I'm not leaving without him.
- Writer
