The Girl with an Owl

Chapter 59

"How do we know where to find him?" Bluebells asked as they followed Wallace, moving away from the healing station.

"He will want to be close to the battlefield to be able to change the outcome of the battle, whether he is aware of the will-o-the-wisp or not. After all, that's where you found Orla as well. It makes the most sense." Wallace said.

As they approached the battlefield, Ajana could see although she didn't want to, that the bloody battle was still ongoing. She even caught a glimpse of the few familiar people, such as her friends and Kieran's family, doing their best to win the battle.

She could also see how well the will-o-the-wisp were working, preventing bloodshed by making the Dark Elves go to sleep. Ajana was happy to note that it was working like a charm, but she feared that Bob might change that if they didn't stop him.

They were all paying close attention to the edges of the battle, looking for someone who didn't seem to fit in, someone who wasn't fighting but trying to cast a spell or worsen the fighting.

Wallace ordered them to split up but not to engage Bob if they found him. As they dispersed, Ajana couldn't help but worry about the others. However, before she had the chance to worry too much, Rex flew towards her, his pages rustling like they never had before.

"Rex! Bob! Find!" Rex said as he tried to lead her in the right direction.

She followed him while she reached her mind out to send the message to Wallace, hoping that it reached him since it didn't seem like she had enough time to look for him. While she was hurrying after Rex, her heart was racing, and she had no idea what she, an inexperienced witch, could do to stop someone like Bob.

Soon enough, she noticed a part of the battlefield where something was wrong. The will-o-the-wisp were slowly winking out, and she wasn't sure if they were winking out of existence or if they were being banished away to where they came from.

All she knew was that she had to hurry and stop Bob before he got the chance to hurt any more of those magnificent beings.

As soon as she spotted Bob hiding behind a huge oak tree while his lips kept moving, in what Ajana thought, was probably some kind of spell that affected her precious lights. Quickly she caught up to Rex before he could fly too close to Bob.

"Rex, I need your help. Go bring the others. I am counting on you." She said.

Rex shuffled his pages in silent agreement, and after she hugged him tightly, he flew away faster than Ajana had ever seen him fly. Watching him fly off, she couldn't help but smile at how eager he was to help her. He didn't even realize that she was just trying to get him out of harm's way.

Not knowing what else to do, how to help the will-o-the-wisp dropping all around the field, and since she couldn't make a shield to protect all of them, she decided to do the second-best thing, distract Bob. She was pretty sure that would destroy his concentration and shift his focus on her.

"Hey, Bob." She said, not knowing what else to say.

The moment she said that will-o-the-wisp stopped disappearing, and Bob focused his hateful glare on Ajana. His eyes were radiating hate, and she couldn't understand it.

How could he hate everyone so much, especially her, who wasn't even aware of the things the humans did to the people of Mag, let alone participated? How could he judge the whole species for something done by its individuals.

"You!? What are you, filthy human, doing here? Helping elves in their killings again?" Bob said.

"Bob, I was probably not even born in my world when that happened, how could I have had any part in what happened. Even now, I am trying to prevent the fighting, not start it, and you try to destroy all my efforts. Why?" Ajana asked.

"They need to pay! They all need to pay for slaughtering my angel! She was an angel, you know? The best of all of us and they killed her without a second thought. They left my beautiful daughter motherless and me heartbroken!" Bob said.

"Not all the elves were responsible for your wife's death. You can't just punish all of them! Do you want other children to suffer the same loss that your daughter has suffered? Why would you do that to anyone?" Ajana asked.

It was clear to her that her words wouldn't reach him, but she still kept talking, hoping to postpone his attack long enough to receive some kind of help from Wallace.

"You just watch me, little girl! I will have my revenge on the whole elf kind, they will all suffer and die. I want their children to suffer, even more than Orla has. I want all of them to feel what true loss is. They are the ones who started all this, and I will finish it!" Bob said.

"Bob, you know very well that revenge is not what we people from Mag are all about. Your wife would have been the first one to forgive, you know that." Wallace said appearing behind Ajana.

As he said that, he landed gently on Ajana's shoulder, and she could also feel Bluebells' presence close by. Being surrounded by her friends made her feel so much better, like anything was possible.

"Maybe you are not interested in revenge, but for me and my darling daughter revenge has been the air we breathe for so many years. We are not about to lose this fantastic opportunity to see the annihilation of this horrible race. My wife might have forgiven them but we won't." Bob said.

"We stopped your daughter and we will stop you. Why don't you just give up on bloodshed, the way she would have wanted, and come back to Mag with us. Maybe the healers can make you feel better." Wallace said.

"There is no going back!" Bob screamed.

As he said that, he let out a flame of black magic that Ajana reflexively stopped with her shiny shield forcing him to change tactics.

"Then, we will have to stop you," Wallace said, unperturbed by the attack.

"Who will stop me? You can't stop me alone. Will she stop me? She is just a girl." Bob said snickering.

"I am just a girl with an owl, but I can promise you that we will stop you, together," Ajana said.

She got a confidence boost because she could feel the energy radiating from Wallace, but also, for the first time, she could feel the magic buzzing in her veins. She wasn't sure if it had something to do with Wallace on her shoulder or with her newfound confidence, but she was suddenly sure that they could stop Bob.

As she said that she unleashed the combined power of her and Wallace who was perched on her shoulder knowing that time for talking was long over, and they had to act quickly. They had to move from defense to offense.