Code of Shadows

Chapter 14: Family

Windsdover wasn't exactly how I remembered it. Compared to Pleaci, It was tiny--even miniature--and run down. There was a peaceful lull that surrounded the place. Everything was calm. It was so different compared to Pleaci. 

I took a breath of fresh air and it felt so nice.

It had only been a few days since I had left Windsdover, but everything had been so... intense that it felt like several years.

There was nobody by the station's exit, and the silence almost made me shiver if I hadn't known that this was common in Windsdover. I almost skipped down the road in happiness of being back here. Something about this small town made me relax.

I rounded the edge of a building and came to a dead stop, my mood completely deflating. Standing a little ways down the road a group of people huddled with their hoods up. That wasn't the part that got me though. It was that Ariana was directly in the middle of the group and she didn't look too happy about it.

"Ariana?" I called. She whipped her head around in surprise. Instead of her usual youthful and joyful face, she had bags under her eyes and looked completely defeated.

Ariana's eyes locked with mine for one second, and I immediately knew the story. They had taken her, and she couldn't do anything about it. She was out numbered and out skilled.

"Cait..." Ariana said, then she was kicked in the stomach.

"I told you not to talk dummy," a tall hooded figures hissed at Ariana. Ariana looked up with the most hatred I had ever seen in her eyes. The man that had been talking a moment before pulled his hood back to expose his dark head of hair. He turned and smiled cruelly. "Hello Belle, it is such a honor to finally meet you."

I took a step back. This was bad, so bad. My mind was screeching of an insistent warning I couldn't ignore. Belle was there in an instant. Keep calm. We can't beat them if you aren't. You get Ariana and get out of here as quick as possible. I will deal with the Malacri. My mind froze at those words. He was a Malacri? Cait! Belle screamed at me. I snapped back to the present just as I felt Belle slip through the magic barrier, and I watched as she materialized next to me.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you." Belle smiled politely as if she was meeting a friend. But that only lasted for a second before the two of them launched themselves at each other. The other people standing around Ariana took one good look at the fight and high tailed it out of the area. I recognized a few of the fleeing faces as some of the trouble makers around town. I would have laughed at their cowardice if I had been in any other situation.

It took me only a moment to get to Ariana's side and grab her arm. I tugged her arm once, and she turned to me completely shocked.

"How?" she asked wide-eyed. I took one glance at the magical fight behind me. Smoke filled the air, and light was fizzling on and off. The area around the two fighters was almost impossible to see through.

"Later," I replied. I tugged on her arm one more time before I finally succeeded in making her leave. We dashed away from the vicious fight as a large explosion shook the air around us. Ariana darted into a alley and I followed close behind her.  

We sprinted down the familiar streets of Windsdover. Ariana weaved through the neighbor hoods with immense ease. I followed her without a thought. We were panting hard when we reached the community building. I looked at the building I had once thought was enormous, and I somehow found it immensely hilarious. I tried to fight back a wave of laughter, but I wasn't very successful. A choked giggle made its way out of my mouth.

Ariana looked at me as if I was crazy.  

That took the mood out of things, if there was even a mood to start. "What it is just funny how much things have changed," I said. I sat down on a bench, and looked back up at Ariana. She rubbed her forehead completely confused.