Pernicious- True Evil

Chapter 14

She woke up to the sound of a soft whistle dancing through the air. The first rays of misty morning light were beginning to burst through the trees. Astra yawned and inhaled the smell of wild flowers and morning dew, a pleasant, yet unexpected scent.

Her heart lurched at the sight of Alek, standing in front of her with a brown bowl made of clay in one hand and a handful of wildflowers in the other. With a tense jaw she waited for him to speak, not knowing what he wanted, or how long he had been standing in front of her.

Alek handed her a bowl of vegetables and placed the flowers by her feet. "I made you breakfast. We are going to train this morning and then we will continue to look for Vojin."

Slowly, Astra ate the crisp yellow, red, and green vegetables. "Thank you," she said with flat lips as she eyed the flowers on the ground. "How long is this training session going to be? I want to get as much distance in as possible today."

"A few hours. Don't worry, we'll get plenty of distance in, but you need to at least be a bit more prepared if something heads our way. I found a place yesterday while you were training with Sagan."

"Where is this place?"

"Not too far from here."

"You never got me flowers," Sagan gasped as he sat up with a fur wrapped around his body.

"You never deserved them."

"On the contrary, my closeted lover, I always deserve them, and I expect a bit more romance on your part. I feel you need to put a little more effort into our relationship."

Alek rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "Just so you know, I've never touched that man."

"Not in real life, but I am almost positive that you have dreamed about me."

"Sounds more like a nightmare," Alek retorted before motioning for her to come with him.

Alek scratched the bit of hair on his chin and wiped some sweat off his brow. His lips tightened as he looked intently over the land. "I think you'll really like this place. I know it's a bit of a walk but trust me, you will understand why this place is so..." His voice trailed off as he searched for the right words, "I can't explain it. You'll just have to see for yourself."

"Why couldn't we just train back there?" She pointed behind her. They had walked so far from the camp that it was no longer in sight but at least they were still close to the river. "I don't want to spend my day wandering around."

"Listen cutie, I told you I was training you and I found the perfect spot to do it."

She bit her tongue. Why did he have to speak to her like that? It wasn't flattering or something she wanted. To make matters worse, she wasn't sure what Alek was capable of or what his intentions were. He could easily kill her without any consequences. All he would have to tell Sagan was that they were attacked. He could claim she died in the attack and give himself a few cuts to make it seem like he fought gallantly for her life. Slipping her fingers down her leg, she dipped her hand into her pocket and felt the handle of her weapon. What would she do if he attacked her? Could she kill him, or would he overpower her?

It was sunny outside with only a few clouds littering the sky. The dewy crisp temperature allowed her to keep on her thin scarf and jacket without feeling too warm. This weather reminded her of a cool fall day.

She remembered back to when she would go to the fall festivals with her father and mother. Southerners love their festivals and her family was on board with those, especially the ones in the fall. She never missed a single one. They would even travel a few hours just to catch one of the many the south had to offer. She couldn't wait to get home and go to another one with her father.