Chaser of Faith

Adriel suddenly took my shoulders in his hands, gripping so tight I thought that my bones might break. I screamed as he pushed me back.

“Adriel!” I screamed at him. He pushed me up against the wall. I clawed at his arms, trying to tear him away from me. I felt tears threaten to spill, but I tried to blink them away. “Adriel, don’t!” I yelled again. He rammed me into the wall again. My head banged against the hard wood and I saw stars. “Nicholas!” I screamed, closing my eyes painfully. Adriel slapped me suddenly, making me cry out. I looked up at him. His eyes were blank again. “Adriel, please,” I begged. “Please don’t do this.” He said nothing. He looked at me, his eyes on fire as he stared deeply at me. My breathing hitched. “Adriel,” I pleaded. He slapped me again. My neck felt sore from being forced to turn so suddenly. I groaned, closing my eyes again and letting my head fall back.

Not a moment later, I felt one hand leave my shoulder and grip my neck just tight enough for me to have to wheeze for breath. I scratched at his hand, trying to kick his legs. His other hand undid the button of my cloak, letting it fall to the floor. His free hand then went to the side of my breast, trailing down the side of my body and squeezing my hip tightly before punching my stomach and knocking the wind out of me. I wheezed for breath, trying to scream at him to stop. My heart beat so fast and hard that I could hear it. I was starting to lose my sight from the lack of oxygen.

He pushed me suddenly onto my bed, letting go of me. I gasped for breath, coughing and sputtering for air as I struggled on the bed, tangling myself in my unmade bed sheets. I opened my eyes in time to see him stand up from the ground with my sword in hand. I wheezed at him to stop. My throat was sore and closed up.

“No, Adriel, no, please.” I held up my hands to try to stop him. He straddled my waist, taking the sword and slashing my right palm open. I screamed as loud as I could with my throat as closed as it was. The pain radiated immediately up my arm. I brought my hands to my chest, trying to stop the bleeding and ease my pain. He tore my dress open from underneath my arm, down to my legs. I struggled under him, trying to kick him away and turn away from him to protect my chest. He grabbed my face in one hand, squeezing my jaw tightly to force my eyes to meet his. His eyes were still hollow. I finally let the tears fall. His other hand had let go of the sword to hold down my left hand. I brought my free hand- the bleeding one- up and struck his face, trying to knock his out of his trance. He barely felt it. I had left a streak of blood on the left side of his face, from his cheekbone to his chin. I tried to pry his hand away from my face now.

“Adriel, don’t do this,” I breathed out. He ignored me. He moved my arm away roughly and squeezed my exposed breast painfully, biting my neck hard at the same time. I screamed again, trying again to push him off. “Why are you doing this? Please,” I cried. I tried to struggle away. He bit me again hard enough to draw blood and I yelped. I looked down, trying to find my sword. I nicked the back of my hand on the blade and I winced with a gasp, pulling my hand away. He moved away from me finally, staring me down. He slowly moved his eyes down to the sword. He lifted it up. I drew in a sharp breath. “Adriel,” I whispered. He turned his grip on the sword, holding it with both hands and turning the blade to face me. “Adriel,” I whimpered a little louder. “Please,” I begged.

This can’t be happening! This isn’t real! I shouted in my head.

I closed my eyes, turning away, unable to look, as Adriel brought the blade straight down at my heart.

“Stop!” I screamed as loud as I could.

I opened my eyes again. But, I was no longer in my room. I was no longer with Adriel. I was no longer in danger. I scrambled from my position on my knees on the dirt road to Rahmiel’s cottage. Drying tears made my cheeks itchy. I was vaguely aware of the hot sting of my necklace against my skin but I didn’t have the patience to dwell on it. I stood up, breathing heavily, and darted my eyes around my surroundings fearfully and confused.

“Hey, hey,” a cautious voice said from behind me. I whipped around quickly, bringing my hand to my sword at my hip without a thought, as my shaky hands tried to pull it from its holster. I gasped for air, stumbling backwards, trying to right myself. It was a man. He was a young man, about my age, a little taller than me. He had deep brown hair and bright blue eyes that stood out, even from my place about ten feet away from him.

“Stay away,” I threatened irrationally, finally drawing my sword and aiming it at him weakly. My muscles were not yet accustomed to its weight. The man put his hands up defensively.

“Hey, whoa, whoa,” he stuttered, taking a step back. “I just want to help.” He looked around at the forest around us. He seemed to be looking for something. “What’s wrong?” he asked finally, looking back at me. I hadn’t budged. My muscles were stiff and I knew my face was hard.

“What do you care?” I growled at him. He moved his hands in front of himself, shaking his head.

“I just want to help. My name is Remy.” I stared at him intensively. That was a name from home. But it was daytime. He couldn’t be a vampire…

“Are you… are you human?” I asked slowly and quietly. He raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly.

“Yeah, I am… are you?” I relaxed my muscles. I remembered my mother’s words immediately.

Another human. A human. Someone I can trust.

“I… am,” I lied. What else could I have told him at that point? “My name is Claire,” I said slowly, letting my arms fall to my side. My breathing was still heavy, but I was starting to calm down now. Remy put his hands down, walking towards me slowly.

“Are you okay, Claire?” I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“Yeah.” I put a hand to my head, closing my eyes tightly. “I just... don’t know what happened.” I tried to remember what I was doing. I was just walking home from Beythas. And… I thought that I had made it. And then Adriel attacked me… But none of that was real. I never made it home. “I never made it home,” I whispered incoherently, trying to make sense of what was happening to me. I inspected the hand that Adriel had sliced. Nothing. It was all a hallucination. I let out another breath, putting a hand to my neck, and looked back up at Remy. He was a few feet away from me.

“Do you need help getting home?” he asked politely. I swallowed, trying to soothe my sore throat.

“Was I talking or making any noise?” He nodded.

“You were talking… That’s how I knew you spoke English. That’s all.” He cleared his throat as I nodded, zoning out, staring at the road behind him. “Is… Adriel your boyfriend or something?” I snapped my eyes back to him.

“No. What? No,” I sputtered and shook my head. He raised his eyebrows, nodding.

“Sorry, that was rude to ask. Can I help you get home, Claire?” I bit my lip, wiping away the stray tears from my cheeks and rubbing my eyes to help the dryness. I cleared my throat, nodding.

“Yes,” I said finally. “Please, if it’s not too much trouble.” He gave me a reassuring smile and joined me at my side as we started walking towards the cottage. I finally took in his appearance. He was carrying a large duffle bag and a backpack on his back. He wore no cloak, but he wore a white button-up shirt and black slacks. It was an interesting mix between Aksan and Earth fashion. It made me smile.

“Are you travelling?” I asked him. “Are you new to Aksan?” He gave me a smile.

“I am travelling, but I’m not new here.” I nodded.

“Where are you going? If you don’t mind me asking,” I added quickly. He chuckled. His voice was deep and his laugh was infectious. It made me smile.

“I’m actually heading to Herith,” he admitted. I raised my eyebrows. That was quite a coincidence. That was where I wanted to go once I left here.

“Oh, but, that’s in the opposite direction,” I realized, slowing to a halt when I remembered the map, pointing behind me. I realized that we are heading in the same direction that he was coming from. “I don’t want to set you off-course.” He shook his head.

“No, don’t worry. I was going to stop in Beythas for the night anyway. I heard there was an inn in the city.” I nodded. I suddenly noticed how much darker it had gotten. The sun would be gone within the hour.

“Well, I appreciate your help, Remy. I’ve actually only been on this planet for a couple days,” I admitted. “I still feel a little out of place here. Meeting nice people like you makes me feel a bit better,” I laughed, blushing. “Ah, that’s a weird thing to say, I’m sorry, I’m a little out of it.” He chuckled, shaking his head.

“I think it’s a kind sentiment,” he said sweetly. My blush didn’t leave my cheeks. “I grew up on Earth with my mother. My mother did not like this world, and I was the only one of my brothers to spend most of my life with her. Though, my brothers made sure to include me in this world as much as they could, in their own way. I finally moved to this planet for good about four years ago.” I knew I shouldn’t ask what sparked the change.

“That must have been an interesting experience for children to grow up with,” I mused. “I had no idea this place existed till like four days ago,” I laughed stupidly. The thought hit me, once again, how much your life can change in such a short about of time. He nodded.

“I definitely had an interesting childhood compared to most others on Earth,” he answered. I knew he was side-stepping some information that he obviously didn’t want me to know, but that was okay. I felt like I could trust him. I felt comfortable with him, almost like how I felt around Nicholas. But I had only just met Remy. How was I supposed to know if I could trust him or not?

“So have you travelled all over the continent?” I continued to make conversation. I couldn’t help but talk nervously. The sun was close to setting, and I was afraid that Adriel would beat me home, or Nicholas would be awake when I got there.

“I’ve lived in Kost for the past four years. I figured that I should give Sithen a shot as well. I’m sort of…” He shrugged, searching for the right words. “Well, I feel like I’m running in circles. I’ve been lacking purpose.” I dropped my jaw, surprised.

“That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling,” I confided with a laugh. “I get it,” I said, looking at him goofily. He gave me a crooked smile, and I blushed and had to look away, suddenly noticing how handsome he was. I shook my head, still smiling. “I have these… friends,” I started, trying to find the proper word, without lying as much as I could. “They’re kind of stifling me,” I admitted. “I’m gonna strike out on my own in a few days,” I said finally. “I’m going to try to find my purpose, too.” I smiled at him quickly, and looked back to the road ahead of us. I finally saw Rahmiel’s cottage and picked up my pace excitedly.

“That’s where I live,” I said, pointing. “Please, let me make you some tea. I can’t send you on your way again without something to repay you for your help.” I clasped my hands together, holding them against my hips in front of me to turn towards him as I spoke. I tried to look him in the eye, but I couldn’t. I felt myself blush again. I saw his white smile gleam out of the corner of my eye.

“I should get back on the road,” he said timidly. “And I don’t want to intrude.” I shook my head, looking at him finally.

“No, please, it would be my pleasure,” I insisted, smiling to convince him. He chuckled, smiling back at me.

“Why not?” he decided finally. I nodded, pleased.

“Good.” We had reached the cottage; I saw no lights on in the living room. I opened the gate for him and he went to walk through, but stopped and let his smile drop.

“I can’t come in,” he said in monotone. I frowned.

“Why not?” He shook his head.

“I can’t come in,” he repeated in the same tone. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking down at my hands, slightly disappointed. I noticed the symbols on the gate and the wheels started to turn.

“Oh, of course. Remy, please come in,” I invited. His face relaxed and he walked through the gate. He looked at me with understanding.

“Your friends put a charm on the gate,” he decided. I nodded.

“It’s on the door, too, I’m pretty sure.” I opened the door and waited for him to come in. He stood there, his face contorted in confusion. It was almost as if he forgot what he was doing there. “Please come in, Remy,” I said again. And, once more, his expression lightened. He shook his head, blinking, to bring himself back. I laughed at him, appreciating how intriguing this magic was. I headed in, letting Remy in, too. I looked at the sky as I closed the door. The sun was nearly set. I knew Nicholas would probably be down any minute now.

“Please,” I started, taking off my shoes at the door. “Make yourself at home. I just need to drop something off in my room, and I’ll make us some tea,” I said, smiling with excitement. He smiled back at me and looked around the room as I ran off down the hall. I paused in my doorway, suddenly remembering my terrible hallucination. I gulped, fear building up in my chest. “Don’t be stupid,” I whispered to myself. I looked behind myself bravely, making sure I was alone. I shook my head at my stupidity and started taking off my holster.

I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder every few seconds- my fear got the best of me. But, I was alone. I pondered the hiding place for my sword. My stomach did flips when I thought about hiding it under my bed. I scanned the room to try to find a better spot. I finally rolled my eyes at myself, shaking my head and leaning under my bed to hide it there.

“Don’t be stupid,” I told myself once more. I let out a satisfied breath, standing back up. I nodded, my heart picking up speed. I took in a deep breath, closing my eyes. I turned around and cracked my eyes open slowly. Nothing. Of course. I let out a breath, shaking my head again. “Don’t be stupid, Claire.”

I took my dictionary out of my pocket and left it on my desk. The coins that I still had leftover from today, I folded in my red shirt from back home in my drawer. I kept on my cloak because I knew I would be going outside again to make the tea. I headed back out into the living room and a thought occurred to me. I found Remy looking at the fireplace from a few feet away. He looked at me as I entered the room, smiling.

“Hey, I should tell you, a man will probably come downstairs in a while, and if he does while I’m not in the room, tell him that I invited you in and let him know I’m making some tea. His name is Nicholas.” I quickly moved towards the door, grabbing three ceramic mugs and a box of kion from the case along the back wall, and headed outside.

I started a fire and heated up some water. I couldn’t help glancing over my shoulder every few seconds. I felt jumpy and nervous still. So many strange things had happened to me. So many terrifying things. I was afraid that the wolf would pop out of nowhere and come after me again. I was afraid that Adriel would try to kill me again.

I grabbed a bit of kion leaves from the box and mixed up the tea once the water was ready. I shook away the memories of my hallucinations again.

Maybe they’ll all stop once I finally leave this place, I thought to myself.

I tucked the box under my arm, taking the mug handles in one hand. When I headed inside I found what I had feared would happen.

“Nicholas,” I called. The two men turned from each other to me. They had been staring each other down in the living room. “Nicholas, this is Remy-”

“Remy Graves. Yes, I know.” I put the box back on the shelf, hurrying over to them, putting the mugs down.

“Well, he sort of saved me today. It’s a long story, but-” He cut me off again.

“But he has to go,” he said dangerously. I gaped at him, confused.

“Nicholas, I only wanted to make him some tea so I could repay him for his help.” Remy was looking darkly at Nicholas, his eyes flickering to me briefly every few moments.

“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Remy spoke up.

“I know who you are, so you should understand that you and your family are not welcome near me or my friends. I’m going to ask you one more time, before I make you leave.” I grit my teeth, placing myself between the two men, staring down Nicholas.

“Hey, stop, don’t be rude. He hasn’t done anything wrong,” I seethed angrily. “What’s the matter with you?” I accused. His eyes flicked to mine, softening, but still remaining strong.

“His brothers are the ones that I suspect as the Tiver murderers.” I gaped again, raising my eyebrows. I let out a breath, thinking. I finally shook my head.

“He hasn’t hurt anyone, Nicholas,” I defended. “He’s not a killer,” I scoffed.

“You don’t understand, Claire,” Nicholas said straightly.

“Claire, it’s okay,” Remy said from behind me. I turned to him. He looked at me kindly. “I’m kind of used to this.” I gaped at him.

“No, it’s not okay.” I turned back to Nicholas. “You’re treating him how everyone treats you,” I said angrily. Nicholas was about to speak again, his eyes softening to reason with me. I heard Remy start to move to the door so I whipped back around, grabbing his shirt sleeve. “Remy, please stay,” I pleaded. He looked back to me. He looked defeated. I hated it. No one spoke for a moment.

“Fine,” Nicholas said shortly. “Sit.” I spun back to him to see him sitting on the couch, taking his mug of tea and starting to drink. I turned back to Remy, giving him an encouraging smile. He looked from me to Nicholas and back to me again. He sighed finally, and sat down in the arm chair that Rahmiel usually sat in. I let out a sigh of relief.

“Good.” I took my mug of tea, too, sipping at it. “I went into Beythas today, Nicholas,” I told him, smiling at him proudly. He looked at me with raised eyebrows. I could tell he was shocked.

“Really?” He suddenly frowned. “Why did he have to save you?” I searched for the right words, clicking my teeth.

“I just had a little mishap on the road coming home. I did fine in the city,” I said, still full of pride. “I even bought a sword,” I said, biting my lip to try to combat my widening grin. I heard Remy chuckle. Nicholas looked at me with confusion.

“How?” I didn’t say anything, blushing and picking my words carefully once more.

“I may or may not have stolen some money from Adriel.” Nicholas laughed, closing his eyes and putting a hand on his head. “Obviously,” I said quietly. “He can’t know about any of this,” I suggested to him. I looked at Remy, smiling nervously. “My other friends don’t actually know I’m leaving,” I admitted. “In fact,” I bit my lip when I realized something. “I can’t tell them how we really met. What would they do if they heard I had gone out onto the road or into the city?” I asked Nicholas who thought for a moment.

“I think we can keep that between us,” he decided. He smiled slowly at Remy but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We can tell them that Remy’s my guest.” I frowned, pursing my lips. “Finish your tea,” he said slowly, sipping at his own. “I have a few questions to ask about your brothers.” I looked at Remy, who frowned and grit his teeth.

“Brother,” he corrected. He set his empty cup down on the table. Nicholas sat forward, towards the edge of the couch, nearly leaning on the table. “I’ve been trying to track down my brother Gage.” He looked at me with sorrowful eyes. “My brother Levi killed himself four years ago.”