The Destined Protector (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 1)

Seventeen · · · Monta

Governor's House, Mayno, Gazar

MONTA COULD FEEL HIS ENERGY SPUTTERING OUT. He could even see it on his hand. The orange glow was dissipating. The light flickered making Tapalla stumble next to him, but it came back on. Monta at least needed it to stay on until they found somewhere safe and away from the Night Warriors. Even better, with May and her daughters and their guards.

At the first door they saw in one of the house's long hallways, Tapalla pulled Monta into it. She closed the door silently behind him, but then her face turned to rage. She shoved then shoved Monta against the door her eyes glowing with a ferocity that Monta could never match.

In a hushed, angered tone Tapalla said, "Why did you just leave Jorda back there! What if he needs our help?"

"You've seen Jorda," Monta replied sounding exhausted. "I think he can handle himself."

Right then and there, Monta's light went out leaving them in darkness. Black was all Monta could see except for a few orange lights flickering in and out of his view as he tried to adjust his eyes.

Against his chest, Monta could feel Tapalla's warm breaths. Somehow they brought him comfort that he wasn't alone in the darkness that surrounded him. But then he remembered that anger that he felt towards her. How she couldn't give him a straight answer when he had given her time to think his question over. He wanted to pull away from her in disgust. Instead, he stood his ground turning on his charm to make it look like she didn't bother him.

Sounding annoyed, Tapalla said, "I don't think you can."

"After conjuring up a big vine creature like that, I feel like you should be exhausted too," Monta smirked even though she couldn't see him.

Tapalla laughed quietly as she said, "I can't believe that you're already out of energy after shooting only two blasts of light."

Monta frowned and was about to cross his arms but Tapalla's grip kept them firmly against the door. "For your information, I had been keeping my hands lit for quite some time. Since you don't have my gift, you don't know how much energy it takes to hold it that long."

Monta could hear Tapalla growl. "That's beside the point," she said. "We have to go back there and help Jorda!"

Monta rolled his eyes. "Oh, now I'm the one getting off track."

Tapalla huffed again, her anger making Monta laugh.

"Just, please!" Tapalla begged, pulling at Monta's sleeves.

"We can't, Tapa," Monta said seriously. "You know we can't. We have to get you to safety. If the Night Warrior's catch you...."

Tapalla hummed as Monta's voice trailed off. "I know, I know," she murmured as she hit her head against Monta's chest.

It took him by surprise making him cough. He then took her hands in his and asked, "We need to find May and Chanta. Do you have any idea where they could be?"

Tapalla shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Their bedrooms or maybe the room where May and I talked. That room seemed important."

"That's a good idea," Monta said as he tapped Tapalla's wrist with his finger. "Come on. Let's go-"

Monta was cut off by the sound of footsteps out in the hallway. Every once in a while, a shoe squeaked on the tile floor making Tapalla jump behind him. Monta instantly shut his mouth, unable to tell if it was Jastka or the Night Warrior. Monta figured that if it was the Night Warrior, they wouldn't be making any noise at all, but it could be a ploy. Maybe the Night Warrior was making his shoes squeak on purpose to make Tapalla and Monta think it was Jastka and not the other way around. Monta all of a sudden felt light headed. All this thinking was giving him a headache.

When they were sure the footsteps were gone, Tapalla hissed in Monta's ear, "What if that was Jastka!"

Monta shook his head. "You don't know that was him. It could have been the Night Warrior pretending to be Jastka," he whispered.

"You don't know that it wasn't," Tapalla whispered stubbornly.

Monta rolled his eyes. "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I get you to safety, so please let me do that."

"Fine," Tapalla mumbled.

Monta slowly opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway even though he couldn't see. He then shook his fist trying to call on all his leftover energy so it could glow, but nothing came. All he felt was his fist getting hotter, the power he was gifted with.

Over his shoulder, he whispered, "I'm sorry, but we'll have to walk in darkness."

The response he got from Tapalla as they walked forward was the gentle squeeze of her hand on his arm. Pulling her with him, Monta took off at a fast pace to the left. He tried to get in the middle of the hallway so they wouldn't run into something or someone. Soon, they passed into an airy room, which Monta could only guess was the main entrance hall that led into the living room. As they ran through the large room and into the next hallway, Monta fell, tripping over a hard lumpy thing in the middle of the floor. Tapalla fell too, landing on Monta and rolled off of him. As they sat there, all Monta could hear was her breathing along with his own.

Monta could feel Tapalla brush against his leg as she crawled toward the lump they had tripped over. After a few seconds, an earth-shattering scream escaped from Tapalla's lips. She crawled back into Monta's arms, still screaming. Fear coursed through Monta's veins as he quickly put a hand around her mouth. As abruptly as they came, her screams stopped. Somewhere in the depths of the house, either a vase had fallen or window was broken, but Monta could hear the shattering of glass on a hard tiled floor.

Harshly, he whispered in Tapalla's ear, "Quickly and quietly."

Monta fumbled for Tapalla's hand, but when he finally grasped it he pulled her to her feet and took off down the hallway. From the way they had come, Monta could hear the screeching of metal and right away Monta knew it was the metal Night Warrior. Monta picked up the pace, dragging Tapalla with him until he ran into a door at the end of the hallway. He only hoped that it was the correct room. That it could save them, but when he tried to open it, it was locked.

Growling to himself, Monta banged on the door. "Open!" he yelled, hoping someone from the inside could hear him. "Help us! Open up!"

Next to him, Tapalla begged, "Please help us! They're going to kill us if you don't! Please, please!"

Monta wanted to sob, but he couldn't. He was only filled with rage. If it was possible, in the limited time they had, Monta would kick down the door. As Tapalla banged on the door, he could hear her cry. Monta could only imagine the tears streaming down her face, and how blue it would be if he could actually see it. Part of him did want to see her face. Maybe her sorrow would make him less angry at her.

"Please," Tapalla moaned, hitting the door one last time.

Monta was surprised when it didn't hurt. When the metal rod had hit him the back of the head, Monta felt like he had been lifted from his body. He saw his body crumple, unconscious. Monta went to grab it, to shake himself awake as he watched the metal Night Warrior drag their bodies away from the door.

When Monta closed his eyes, unable to bear watching them both be killed, he felt like he was really drifting off to sleep. He imagined himself floating farther and farther away from his body.