The Last Elementalist

Chapter 9

After what felt like a lifetime, Lielle finally emerged from the shadows. She sat on the overgrown grass clutching her foot, head resting on her knee.

"What do you need, Connor?" she asked softly.

She raised her forest-green eyes, but they didn't quite meet his.

"Are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

He knew very well that this girl could kill if she must and she wouldn't be afraid to do it, but the fire and determination seemed to have left her eyes when they arrived. The ghosts of her past clearly haunted her, but no one could help, because no one knew what had happened.

"What happened that finally broke you?" he added. "I know you lost your family, but what really happened? The full story this time," he urged.

She sighed and lay to rest. "I-"

A howl sounded nearby. Dread filled Connor and with fearful eyes, the two of them rushed back to their campsite.

There was a grunt behind Connor, slightly to his right, then a deep growl. Stumbling, Connor stopped and turned on his heel. Lielle lay in a pool of blood, a wolf on top of her. But not just any wolf, the same wolf that pursued him and his father in Boston when he was young.

Hysteria rose in his throat as Connor rubbed the ring on his little finger. The second wolf bared its teeth at him, hunger in its glowing gold eyes.

Connor knew what to do, the same thing he did last time while his father laid unconscious on the floor. The thing he feared even more than these wolves. The thing he could never explain to anyone, much less allow them to find out about it.

Fur flew into his eyes as he glared at his prey. Lielle moaned on the floor, a mix of shock and terror in her eyes, but he didn't care. He didn't care as long as he saved the life of the one who saved his.

With a long leap, he landed on the torso of the first wolf, teeth sinking into its neck. Then the next, scratching deep gashed into its chest. These beasts were too slow for him, but he was the real monster.

The last wolf retreated upon seeing the corpses of its apprentices and Connor shifted back and took a few steps toward her, fearfully approaching the girl.

"A brave lion," she muttered, before passing out cold in his arms.

He heaved her over his shoulder, blood sticking on the back of his neck as he made his way to the campsite.

* * * * *

"Connor, what happened," Evie yelped when she saw him carrying Lielle's limp body.

He dropped to the ground and let a tear fall. "The wolves."

Evie rushed over and grabbed her hand while Cassidy ran over with a first aid kit and checked her pulse.

"She's alive, but losing blood. Connor, give me a gauze and alcohol. These claw marks aren't too deep but they need stitches. Thankfully, I know a guy in Moab which is just south of here."

She cleaned Lielle's cuts and wrapped her arm and stomach while Connor cradled her ashen face in his lap. It's my fault, he thought. If I had attacked sooner she would be fine.

"I saw an abandoned car up ahead. I can get it started and we can make the drive," Cassidy opted. "It's better than hiking."

So they all trekked up the road to a rusty blue Toyota. Cassidy popped the hood and did some tinkering until an almighty roar sound from the engine.