Chapter 3

Faye is risking her life an attempt of showing her courage, but is saved in the last second

"Blake, you idiot!" Rishima yelled, grabbing him by the collar of the jacket.

"Take your hands of me!"

"Why would I? You just told Faye to leave. Are you aware that we're in the Forest of Venom? If she's not careful, she will be killed."

"That's fate."

"How can you be so cruel?"

"Rishima, we were gifted with special abilities. What can go wrong? She can create storms and tornados when she wants."

"The assassins defeated us. We can't always rely on our powers. We must learn to defend ourselves with weapons and bare hands, too. Oh my goodness, what if Faye was captured? Or even worse?"

"How should I know?"

"Go and search her."

"I'm not gonna do this! Do you know how dangerous can be?"

"You should've thought twice before you insulte Faye and send her away."

Rishima's words left Blake speechless. Since Faye left, the others have been arguing. Nobody could accept the boy's attitude and kept telling him to bring her back. Zev was just standing against a tree trunk, watching in silence. He really hated the moments when his brother was screwing up. 

"We must do something until it's not late. We can't just stay here." Zev said in a low voice.

"So what do you suggest, lonely wolf?" Blake teased him.

"Don't call me like that! We should spilt up. We can cover a bigger area in this way. Asher will stay here and take care of Edra. The rest of us will pair up. Me and Rishima will go to south, you and Noah to north."

"But she flew to east." Rishima intervened.

"How about going to the east as a group? You'll be safer." Asher suggested.

The four headed in the direction Faye had flown. They tried to be positive, but something deep in their heart was telling them that something bad had happened. Half an hour had passed, but without any results. Maybe she's just hiding, they thought. Rishima had checked every bush that came in their way while Zev and Noah were climbing in trees to try to have a better view of the area.

"Do you see her?" Rishima asked them.

"It's raining too hard to see something from here. I think it wasn't a good idea." Noah answered. "Did you find something?"

"No. Let's keep searching!"

"It's useless. We should return." Blake shouted disintrested. "Do you really think we can find her when the weather is like this?"

"We can't just give up!" Noah protested, jumping from the tree right in front of him. "Faye is our friend. We must keep looking for her. In fact, it's your fault that she left."

"Can you just shut up?"

"Guys, check this out!" Rishima shouted.

The two boys went to their friend to see what she found. The girl picked up a silver bracelet with a lily shaped pendant and a kunai with a silver emblem. Rishima let a few tears to fall as she held the jewel at her chest.

"Faye... my friend..."

"This is impossible..." Noah whispered, hugging Rishima.

"Blake Almain, you monster!" the girl screamed.

"Hold on! You must see this." 

Rishima and Noah looked at the kunai and couldn't believe what they saw. The blade had the emblem of the Moon's Wolves. 

"Impossible!" 

"Rishima, please..." Noah tried to calm her down. "Do you know what this means?"

"She's probably dead and her body is probably lying in a ravine." Blake concluded.

"This can't be happening... This can't be..."

Rishima fell on her knees and started to cry. Noah kneeled  next to her and put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. He couldn't stand the thought that one of his friends was killed in a cold blooded way. The two looked up at the sky which seemed to partake of their pain.

"Faye!" they shouted at the same time.

"Faye... Faye..." Blake whispered, resting his hand on his heart, as if a part of him was torn away.

The ambush, the quarrel with Blake, her abduction, they seemed like a dream for Faye. For a moment, she thought that she was back in Filaria, in her house, surrounded by its coldness. 

"Since my parents and brother passed away, the warmth of this place dissapeared along with them." the girl mumbled under her breath.

Faye tried to stand up, but she was too weak. She felt like her head was tightened in a vise. The pain was getting unbearable. When she put her hands on her temples, the sound of chains echoed in her ears. Her eyes snapped open when she realised she was in a dungeon. 

"Everything was real." she screamed as she stood up. 

She tried to run towards the door, but she managed to make only three steps before being stopped by the chains, which were fixed in the middle of the floor. Faye looked at her wrists and struggled to break free. All the efforts were in vain. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes as she kneeled and let out a scream of despair. 

"What should I do? What should I do?" she whispered to herself, seacrhing for anything that could help her escape.

The silence was broken by the creaking door. Faye was paralysed with fear when she saw a tall man entering into the cell. His appereance sent chills down her spine, but the girl was doing her best not to show any sign of weakness. He was in mid-forties, with somewhat pale skin, messy brown hair and piercing green eyes placed a little too close of each other. The man was staring at her with dark amusement as he approached her. 

"My, my, look what we have here." he said as he cupped her face, analyzing her. "I must recognize, you're really charming..."

"Get your filthy hand off my face, you creep!" Faye yelled with all her power, hitching.

"Pretty brave for a scrawny girl."

"What did you just say? I dare you to repeat."

"You heard me very well. And you dare me? What can you do to harm me, huh? You're not even able to defend yourself. Plus, you're our prisoner."

"What do you want from me? You're annoying me already."

"I would watch my tongue if I were in your place. You don't realise that your life is in our hands. We can do whatever we want with you." 

"Who says that?"

"You, filarians, are indeed stubborn. Your friend didn't give up at the fight even after I made her swallow the Kirin."

"B*****d..." Faye muttered.

"Excuse me, what were you saying there?"

"I don't waste my mouth to repeat for an idiot."

"Listen up!" the man screamed, thrusting his hands in Faye's hair "I'm sick of your behaviour!"

"Oh, sorry, mom." the teenager teased him.

"Don't put my patience at trial, filarian, or..."

"Or what?"

"That's it!" 

The man took out his dagger and put its blade on Faye's cheek. All her courage disappeared. In her attempt of showing her firmness, she managed to anger a psycho killer. 

"What's up? You're already out of words? I'm impressed. Don't worry. I'll take care of you. Now, with what should I start?" the assassin asked, moving the weapon to the corner of her face. "Eyes, tongue, ears? The choice is yours."

Faye shivered.

"Oh well. It seems like I'm gonna have some fun."

When she saw the dagger raised, the girl closed her eyes instinctively, waiting the harbinger stab of death. Faye could see it: her lifeless body lying on the cold floor in a pool of her own blood. She waited. She waited. The pain never came. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and remained shocked. Someone grasped tightly the wrist of the man and twisted it. The assassin let out a scream of pain as he turned around. He fell on his kness when he saw who was standing in front of him. Faye recognised it immediately: it was the person she encountered in the forest, wearing the same black hooded cape. 

"Look, it's not what it seems!" the assassin bowed before the misterious person, explaining his actions.

Faye was completely dumbfounded. If this person weren't here, I would've been as good as dead, she thought. To show her gratitude, she kneeled, staring at the stranger. That person began to gesticulate. 

"He or she is deaf-and-dumb" she muttered pained under her breath.

The man who tried to kill her bowed once more before leaving the cell. The girl sighed in relief and said in thanked the stranger in sign language. 

"I'm know you're unable to hear me, but I really want to say this out loud. I'm very grateful. You saved me from a sure death."

The person approached her and Faye felt her face being cradled. Those hands' touch was gentle though she could feel the strenght they contained. This must be a man, the girl thought.

"It's just the beginning." the stranger said in a dangerous low voice.

Faye's assumption was right. The man in front of her seemed to be in his mid-twenties, but he was very respected despite his age. He left the cell, locking the door twice. The girl remained still, putting her hands where the ones of that man rested. She prayed in silence and fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by the coldness.