Halfbreed

Chapter 18

Hours felt like days before Lilith had finally made it to camp, and what she'd seen horrified her. The camp was deserted, broken wood and cabins scattered everywhere. Lilith gasped softly as she beckoned Ash to slow down as they walked through the camp. There wasn't a soul in sight, only sad proof that there was a whole community here just a week ago. Lilith swallowed thickly and patted the top of Ash's head, who slowed to a stop so Lilith could jump down, her boots hitting the ground with a thud. Taking a deep breath, she continued to look around on foot, trying to find any evidence that her parents were here in the first place. But when she found nothing, she resorted to her ability. Looking around, she kneeled down and pressed her hands against the bare earth, feeling the hard soil beneath them. With a deep breath, she looked up and activated her power, concentrating on the earth below her and around her. A gray film covered her pupils as her sight became that of the earth. She couldn't hear or see anything in or around the camp, but she did pick up very strong scents. She could smell blood, strong and stale, and mixed in with that blood was a very, very slight hint of her mother's perfume. It was a small hint, but it was something. Instantly, she tracked the direction of the smell as far as she could, before lifting her hands off the ground, her eyes turning back to normal. With a swift movement, she jumped back onto Ash and pointed him in the direction of the scent. And with a light pat of her hand, Ash took off in that same direction as fast as he could. Lilith tightened her hold on her familiars fur as she concentrated. Every time a branch or leaf hit her, she tapped into her ability for a second, making sure they were still going in the right direction.

After a few minutes, they arrived at a large rock with an opening at the bottom. Ash was about to move past it, but she stopped him and jumped down, quickly moving to the rock and pressing her hand against it. The moment she did she instantly smelled the strong scent of blood. Without a second thought, she moved to clear the opening, but before it was open, she was suddenly thrown back away from it, her back hitting a tree. Groaning, she sat there for a second before her eyes shot open and she moved to stand up quickly. Standing before her was an Elf, but not any elf she was used to. His eyes were red and his mouth was wide, teeth sharp. His body was also hunched slightly and his ears were curled at the end in a very ugly way. This Elf looked like a straight up demon. Lilith instantly called her bow, aiming it with an arrow already in position.

"Who are you?" She demanded, though her hands were shaking slightly. The Elf merely grinned wider and she watched as he lifted his hand slightly. Before she could process what was happening, a very, very large wolf emerged from the woods behind the rock, and fear struck her. It was the same wolf she'd seen a while back in the woods, the same one Dallas scared away. Lilith's eyes widened as she was caught off guard for a second, glancing at Ash when he growled loudly at the animal. The two were about equal in size, though the wolf was 10 times scarier. Gulping, she aimed her bow at the Elf again and narrowed her eyes, taking a step closer to him.

"I asked you a question, freak. Who are you?" She said, this time more confident as Olive hissed quietly at her hip, ready to strike at any given moment.

"Oh dear, quite the demanding one aren't we?" The elf finally spoke, sending chills down her spine at the sound of his voice. It was high pitched and crazy sounding, pure evil dripping from his every word. Swallowing thickly, Lilith pulled the string back before letting it go, the air whistling around the arrow as it shot with great speed at the elf, but just in time, the elf stepped to the side, causing the bow to puncture the rock behind him. But not without cutting his cheek first. The elf reached his hand up to touch his bloody cheek, before a loud, insane, high pitched laugh escaped his lips. Startled, Lilith took a step back at the sound, fear swallowing her nerves one by one.

"Oh will boss be so pleased with you." He said, and Lilith's eyes widened. Luke had mentioned 'boss' as well when he first tried to kill her. Narrowing her eyes, she threw her bow onto her back and pulled out her sword, and in an instant, it was pressed against the elfs neck as she glared daggers at him.