Within the Shadow

Chapter 7

As they traveled, Nova continuously looked behind her to make sure that they weren't being followed by anyone. It's been like that ever since they left, no one talked--they only continued their journey. The zodiac began more anxious as they kept on walking. She wanted to say something to make them feel better, but there was no chance.

'This is my fault,' she thought. ' If I never came to Holden, such a thing would not have happened to them.' She looked over at Austin, who's shoulders had dropped. ' Though, they were after Austin as well.'

" Are you okay Nova?" Cassandra asked. " You're spacing out."
" Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking is all."

" I see." Cassandra looked behind Nova to find smoke rising in the sky--where Holden had been located. The smoke was dark gray

" Sister?" Caspar asked.

" Smoke," she muttered. " It's coming from Holden."

The three of them looked at the smoke that had turned black.

" I guess we better hurry," Cassandra said. " Holden is bursting into flames from George and his group. If we stay any longer, then we might be killed as well."

" So, then...Holden is now destroyed," Austin muttered. The Hale children had many fond memories of their town, but now it had been burned to the ground--their memories along with it.

~

Outside all the kingdoms, had a forest that no one had dared to enter. They all heard myths about how they are haunted, and that you would see things from your past that haunted you. But apparently, some people aren't fazed from them.

Deep within the forest, that was a fire crackling in the dark with two people on the side of it--a boy and a girl. The girl brought her knees up to her chest and sighed. The boy looked up from the fire and glanced at the girl, with worry in his eyes.

" Astrid, is something wrong?" he asked. She shook her head.

" No, I'm sorry. But, do you think that we will ever find people just like us?" she asked.

The boy frowned. " What do you mean? There are tons of people like us that are in danger as well."

" I know that Dante, but....Will we find friends? We've been traveling like this for as long as I have known you."

" Are you saying that you don't like traveling with me?" he asked.

Astrid quickly shook her head. " No!" That's not it! But, don't you ever wonder that too? Everyone we find, they don't have magic like we do--it's frustrating."

Dante frowned. " Astrid, life is about frustration. There's no changing such a thing."

" Unless you die," she muttered. Her ice blue eyes looked at the fire once more before sighing. " Don't you think so?"

" But if you die, then the people you meet would miss you."

" I haven't met anyone that has our pain and suffering. Unless you know someone that's like that, then I suggest that you stop talking."

Dante glared at her. " Watch your mouth," he growled. " I'm the same one who's teaching you fire magic, and the one who can ban you from being my student."

" I'm more of a traveler," Astrid said. " Remember? I'm the one who followed you."

Dante clicked his tongue. " What floats your boat." He then started to draw in the dirt with his pointer finger, mapping out the country. " We should be heading north after this. There's a war happening north-west of here, but we shouldn't be involved in such a thing."