FULL NOVELXO Chapter Twenty-Eight; Part One: Both
Please ignore chapter lengths from here on. When I wrote this ending, my grandmother had died and although I should have taken a break. I continued and the end didn't exactly turn out in the quality I would have liked so please forgive me for this :)
“I hate this place.” He mumbled to himself, staring up at the cave entrance he used to call home. It was odd, it wasn’t that long ago that he left this place determined to save his people and his home but now that he was back, he didn’t want to go in. He found his home, his everything in the shape of the woman beside him, and looking at this cave felt like he left a piece of himself in there that he never wants to see again.
Granted, he needed to go in and fight this Witch who has caused so much pain and suffering that even Marley doesn’t know about but she doesn’t need to know. She has already done enough for him and his people and she hasn’t even done their one goal yet.
“How has nobody found where you guys were hiding if the cave is this obvious?” Marley questioned, scrunching her nose in confusion as he stared down at her adorable face. If Sawyer was being honest with himself, he would have grabbed her and taken her against a tree again. During the last two days of travelling, they refused to keep their hands off of each other and for that, it has made everything a million times harder for him. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
He chuckled, pulling her to his side for his own comfort as they entered. “The wall to my people is enchanted. Only the eyes of a dragon can see where it is and some say a dragon’s mate can also see it if they have the sight and willpower.”
Marley hummed. “Well, I have the willpower. I want to see your home, I want to meet a mermaid so bad!”
She sounded like an excited kid and he couldn’t hold back the smile on his face. He could see his family now, staring at him stunned that a woman like Marley was mated to him but he digressed, that was for much later on. Right now they have this long walk ahead of them.
He remembered every turn and tunnel. He remembered every patch of moss and rocky stream that came through because of the cracks. He remembered every detail as if it were only yesterday that he had left. He hoped that everyone was still alive because when he left they were at war with ghouls and beasts that came up from hell.
The witch was cunning, she was cruel and she was someone he wished he didn’t know but he had to kill her. She was a danger to his people and a danger to the rest of the island and lastly but also most importantly, she was a danger to Marley.
He kept looking down at her, her eyes widening with fascination even though she couldn’t see a thing. Her hands were holding onto him so tightly that if she pulled, his clothes would tear but he didn’t mind, Sawyer was going to shift into his dragon at some point anyway and they were going to tear then.
He was so distracted by looking down at Marley that he hadn’t noticed the snarling echoes through the tunnels until Marley whimpered and gripped her sword. He could faintly see the glowing patterns of the hidden entrance before his vision was blocked by a tall, dark beast. Its vangs bore as it snarled and came towards them.
Sawyer pushed Marley behind him, blocking her from its attack as he allowed his dragon and burn it to a crisp. More beasts came at them in waves as he felt Marley disappear, his eyes widening as he turned and found her fighting for her life.
Marley struggled to keep the beasts back as she grunted and had to move away from Sawyer’s side. Her body ached from the last few days and her exhaustion was the reason why she was suddenly surrounded. The small environment felt large as she found herself back on her island, surrounded by ghouls whilst she was looking for her sister but all she could see was darkness. The only light she got was from Sawyer as he burnt the ones who tried to come near them but he didn’t see or hear the ones that came up from behind them.
He didn’t feel their eyes watching them while they walked but she did. The second they entered that cave she felt them and she knew they were coming. Marley felt like she was going to cry as she recognised everything as if she had been there before. She recognised the scene before her and she knew their every attack because to her, this was her living nightmare.
The dreams that have been clouding her mind for weeks now came true as she tried to figure out what she has done just before she woke but her mind was too fearful to think. Blows came at her in every direction as she dodged and attacked back.
Marley was slowly losing hope at remembering just as she saw Sawyer get struck. His body flew into the closest wall with a grunt as he stood and attacked the beast that had done that to him. The satchel around his hip opened and the crystal heart had fallen out as she eyed it.
Her gut ached and her heart pounded as she eyed Sawyer before she ran straight for it. Looking for openings as she slid under legs and sliced arms off of bodies before she finally reached it. The glow of the crystal felt warm against her skin as she fight harder, beasts also trying to get to the crystal heart as she protected it with her life.
But her gut also told her another thing, her instincts taking control as she made eye contact with Sawyer, fear swirling in his eyes as she watched him scream out for her but she didn’t hear his words.
Her heart hammered harder as she smashed the heart onto the ground causing a shard to slice her hand. Pain hit her instantly as she cried out and collapsed to her knees, an invisible barrier surrounded her as the oncoming enemy was thrown.
She felt like she had done what she was supposed to do at that moment as she held her hand to her chest and slowly looked up to meet Sawyer’s again. The fear of losing her was so strong that she had almost laughed, he was never going to lose her.
She knew he would save her as she felt her eyes close and her body get taken completely.