Chapter 9: The Fusion

Anaya

Anaya had never had a dream that felt more real.. She was walking through a forest not unlike the one the rebel fort Fernases was based in. She moved through it tentatively, and found herself wading through a familiar mist.

She heard rustling and ducked behind a tree. A few feet in front of her a hunched over figure was holding his side. His dark hair is a stark contrast against the mist. Anaya knew him instantly. He wasn't dead.

“Azrel!” She called to him, but he stumbled passed. She followed after. He was faster than her even in his wounded state.

Anaya rounded a corner and froze. In the distance she could see Azrel, but something was chasing him. It flew low and ducked between trees. It looked like a giant bird. Although her brain told her to fear the creature, her heart felt its safety. If she didn't know any better she would say that the bird looked like the crow god she had seen in ancient paintings.

“Azrel!” Her voice seemed to die right in front of her and yet she heard it echoing across the forest.

Anaya willed her body to move faster; her only thoughts were to reach Azrel. She came to a clearing in the woods and stopped out of breath before she observed the sight in front of her. The mist had made a circle in the forest. There were dozens of men surrounding the patch of bare ground. In the middle was Azrel. He looked above him where the bird creature was descending on him like an owl on mice.

“Son of Islo it is time for you to take on the mantle and restore the kingdom to what it once was.”

The creature grabbed him by his arms and spoke. When it touched Azrel it seemed to become a part of him. When Azrel opened his mouth to scream, as the crow became further infused with him. Anaya watched curiously and wanted to rush in and help him, but had a feeling that her time had not come yet. She waited until the men disappeared back into the mist she felt as if she might have loved them in a dream once.

A man with a white beard and kind eyes approached her. He looked like an older version of Azrel.

“Take care of him.” He said, patting her on the shoulder gently.

He looked at her with sad but happy eyes and then he, too, disappeared. Anaya glanced back at Azrel and saw that he was no longer human but a mix of the crow and his former self. He looked scared and confused. She finally made an appearance out of the mist.

“Azrel?” She spoke softly.

She reached her hand out to him. What that would do she didnt know.

“I am a monster.” He shied away from her but she stepped closer regardless.

“Azrel take my hand.” She spoke not with her own voice but that of many. “Please?”

He reached for her hand and she felt like he might crush her in his claws. When they touched she felt him calm down.

There was not another sound in the world around them.

“Who are you?”

Anaya tried to answer but shook her head, her mind cloudy. He spoke up instead.

“I am Azrel the prince of Dermnth.” He seemed sad when he said this as if he did not himself believe it.

Anaya knew his name and face. She studied him, trying to gain clarity. He noticed her gaze and turned away.

“I am a beast.” Azrel tried to move away from her but she held his hand fast.

“No.” She put her other hand on the soft feathers that lined his cheek. “You are a gift.”

Although Anaya knew these words to be true, she felt like her voice was not her own, but that of many people whose souls buzzed around her mind. She tried to shake them away.

Azrel leaned into her touch and some of his feathers disappeared; he became more human in his features. Anaya opened her mouth to speak more, to give encouragement, or even to ask for help, but suddenly the mist began to creep closer.

Azrel’s feathers prickled up again and fluffed out like a scared cat.

“We need to go.” Azrel pulled her closer. “Now.”

Before she could argue, Azrel was tugging her along. They followed a clear path back into the forest.

“What is it?” Anaya called.Then she heard it.

The cry of warriors, not unlike the ones she had heard before her village was destroyed. She ran at full pace, still gripping Azrel’s hand. The footsteps and war cries sounded on them. On Anaya’s right she saw a group of rocks that looked like they might hide a cave.

“Azrel over here.” She pulled the prince to a stop.

His eyes glowed brightly and his sharp teeth were bared, ready for a fight. He tried to continue pulling them forward but she grabbed his head forcing him to look at her.

“Please this way. We need to hide.”

Anaya managed to usher Azrel into the cave and when she looked at him again he had become completely human. He shivered in the corner. She had the urge to hold him, to comfort him.

Her thoughts got the best of her, though, and she asked, “Are you still alive?”

“What do you mean?” Azrel responded.

“There was an ambush and you were attacked.” Anaya held her hand up as the sounds of the warriors grew close. They stayed silent, hearts pounding until the war cries faded away.

Anaya looked back to Azrel and couldn't keep the gasp from escaping her mouth. Azrel was bleeding from a wound at his side, his leg was bent at an odd angle.

“Yes, the attack. I remember.” Azrel’s body slumped over and sweat dripped down his temples as his breathing became labored.

Anaya rushed to him. “You must wake up. You must not die here.” She pulled him close and tried to keep his eyes from closing.

“Are you dead?” He asked softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.

“No—” she stopped.

She remembered hitting her head on the ground. It was very possible that she was dead.

Azrel began to disappear in front of her as the mist seeped in through the cave’s entrance.“I don't want to forget you.” Azrel’s eyes were cloudy.

“We will see each other again.” Anaya muttered, letting go of his hand and sitting beside him. “When you wake up, run as fast as you can.”

They sat still as the mist rolled over them, erasing their minds.