Sunlight (On Hold)

Chapter 26: Familiar Encounters

~~~~~
Jim
~~~~~

Stupid stupid stupid!
Why did I leave her back there?
Why did I take the amulet?
Why did she give me the amulet?
Think Jim, think!
Skylar is smart, she must of had a plan?
I got there somehow, I gotta remember how.
Think, think, think!
I was fighting Gunmar...
He beat me.
I slowed in my running, remembering how quickly I fell to him.
I was way out of practice.
If I had been better...
No!
I can't think like that.
I have to keep running.
I need to get help so we can get back to Skylar.
The amulet suddenly began to glow a deep purple in my hand, distracting me.
I tripped, falling to the ground with a harsh thud as a groan left my lips.
"Jim?" A familiar voice questioned, making my gaze slowly lift up to meet his.
"Draal, Skylar needs help." I spoke hoarsely, getting back to my feet on shaky legs.
His curious gaze hardened, almost becoming a glare as a growl rumbled in his chest?
"Where?" He growled out, eyes darting to the direction I came from.
I was barely able to point before he took off through the trees.
The glow suddenly brightened as I looked to it.
I had to get back to the others.
With that thought, I took off running again.

~~~~~~
Draal
~~~~~~

Everything was red.
Jim had the amulet.
Skylar must have gave it to him if he had it, but why?
Why would she give away her power if she needed help?
...
To protect her brother?
My mind seemed to be moving faster than I was.
I was going to slow.
What if I was to late.
I stopped in my tracks as blue flame danced through the trees.
I stared at the sight in front of me, at Skylar.
She was using her power without the amulet, no armor.
Her wings seemed to glow with power, matching her eyes.
However, she looked different.
As though the fight brought her more fun than it did anger.
That's when I saw who she was fighting.
He looked slightly familiar, yet I couldn't place where I saw him before.
Suddenly another blast from an unknown source hit the boy and a black troll tackled him.
Skylar jumped backwards, her wings fanning out to catch herself.
I moved forward, taking a protective stance just behind her.
The glow faded from her eyes as she looked at me, offering a small nod before focusing back on the new scene before us.
Another blast of magic came from the trees as the black troll roared.
A chill ran up my spine, a growl catching in my throat as I pulled Skylar closer to me.
"Bular..." She whispered, eyes wide.
Another human walked forward from the trees, magic resonating at her fingertips.
Her gaze moved over to us, her eyes lighting up as she smiled.
"By the gods, Bular! Check out our luck! We help a person and it turns out to be exactly who we're looking for! How awesome is that?" She spoke, causing me to frown.
Who exactly was she?
"Will you focus?" Bular growled out, slamming the male into a tree.
Both Skylar and I stayed still as we watched what was happening.
"Should we help them, or..?" Skylar questioned, never taking her eyes off the scene.
"I am conflicted." I replied, frown deepening.
"Well, on the one hand... Alden. On the other..."
"Bular..." I finished.
She nodded in response.
Suddenly the male turned black, becoming a figment of shadow before disappearing into nothingness.
Bular then turned to us, the strange female almost jumping in place as she stared at Skylar.
"Hi, I'm Blythe. You guys know Bular, but before you attack him, we kinda need to tell you something." She stated, offering a bright smile.
"You trust this?" Skylar questioned, loud enough for them to hear.
"No." I replied.
"Great Gronka Morka!" A voice shouted from behind us.
Skylar pursed her lips a moment.
"Well, he hasn't tried to kill me... or threatened to do so... yet. I say we listen to what they have to say and if it's not satisfactory we can just kill him again." Skylar stated with a shrug.
"After everything u just went through... You still scare me the most." Jim stated slowly.
"Well yeah, I'm your sister." Skylar replied before looking over the group.
"It's a good thing Arya isn't here, she'd kill Bular first thing." She added on.
I will never get used to this side of her.
She fanned out her wings, stretching them some before letting them disappear and plucked the amulet from Jim's hands.
"K, let's get this conversation over with before I change my mind, yeah?" She spoke, raising a brow as her armor dawned itself.