Chapter 23- Wicked Forest

Something wasn't quite right. It was in his bones; he could feel it. Drake, who is a better hunter? They'd be lucky if he caught anything. But he was adamant, and Levi didn't have the strength to argue. Crystal was curled up in a tight ball, trembling. If only her coven had revealed the truth to her. Instead, her curiosity had taken control, and they were now trapped in a world where they would perish. It was going to be impossible to remain hidden. Getting to the centre would be a different thing altogether. He wasn't ready for Athens, and she wasn't either.
If what his people believed about Crystal were true, they would be hunted. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep her safe in a monster-infested world. Crystal had no place in Athens; her innocence would be shattered. She was a lovely young lady, and the forest was designed for darkness.

***
Cold licked at her face and crept under her clothes, seeping into her bones. Crystal’s teeth clanged together as she pulled her body into a tight ball. She was so cold she was afraid her muscles would ice up leaving her stranded in the cave.
She heard a sigh and soft footsteps getting closer. Arms wrapped around her, and she found her face pressed into a warm chest. She clenched the shirt of the warm body and snuggled closer. Her stomach panged in hunger, but she had no strength to open her eyes let alone eat.
The first orange rays of sunlight kissed her face and gently woke her from her slumber. She tried to stretch her legs when she found them entangled with someone else’s. Her head was on something hard, yet comfy. Panic gathered within her stomach as she saw the grey stone walls. Then her ordeal rushed back causing her to bolt upright.
“Owe!” she heard and looked down to see Levi rubbing his stomach where her elbow had just dug in.
Crystal scanned the small cave.
“Where is Drake?” Levi shot up his eyes darted around the space. He walked to the edge and looked down.
“We have to go. It’s not safe to stay here,” was his reply.
“Where is he?” her voice took on more of a panic.
“I don’t know,” Levi replied.
“Come on.”
“No. Not without Drake,” Crystal crossed her arms. Why hadn’t he returned?
“Crystal, we don’t have time for this. You don’t know how dangerous Athens is. They will know we are here and be searching for us.”
“We have to wait for Drake.”
Levi shook his head. “We can’t, he will find us. Just trust me,” what else could she do but take his word.
The climb up was bad enough. Crystal dreaded getting down from the mountain, with each step she took to the cliff edge the more she wanted to hide in the cave forever.
She looked down and felt her body sway with the sheer drop. In the dark she didn’t realize how high up they had gone.
“There is no way I can climb back down,” she found herself stuttering.
“You don’t have too.”
Levi walked outside and out of view. A few seconds later his dark head of hair popped back into the cave.
“You coming?” he asked.
Cautiously she stepped further forward to find Levi stood on an almost flat surface. He walked further along keeping his body close to the wall.
“Don’t look down,” Crystal nodded at his words keeping her head faced forward taking each step at a time. She heard bits of rock falling to the earth, which caused her heart to speed up. Still, she refused to look. Chanting the words don’t look down in her mind. But it was the urge she had to fight. The urge to look.
“Crystal?” she heard Levi say softly.
“You can look now. They had reached the top of the mountain which homed more flat land. She looked out over the forest. She exhaled with relief as she took in the breath-taking sight. She could see for miles, roaming trees, rivers, and hills.
When she faced Levi, she had a smile on her face.
“Come on,” he said gently leading the way.
Crystal almost jumped for joy when she saw a winding path that led to another large stretch of trees. She thanked her lucky stars that she didn’t have to climb again. Instead, she skipped to catch up to Levi.
When they came across a river, he pulled a branch from one of the nearby trees and used a rock to sharpen the edges. With the branch he stood deathly quiet at the river’s edge, and then suddenly plunged the spear like twig into the water. Crystal clapped when she saw a huge fish attached to the end.
Levi set the fish on the ground and placed his hands over the top. The fish glowed red, and Crystal watched in owe as steam rose into the air.
He placed a generous portion of the fish onto a huge leaf and handed it to Crystal, who dug in with a strong hunger. She was thankful for the food. Her body felt more alive, she was more energized with strength to finish their joinery home.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand she asked, “Do you think Drake is all right?”
“Yeah, he is like a nauseating smell, always returns,” his answer made her smile, although the worry still remained.
A high pitch shrieking noise pierced her ears. It was so loud it almost made her head explode.
“Quick,” Levi jumped up from the ground and dragged her along. He was running and Crystal struggled to keep up with his large legs. She stumbled and tripped as he pulled her forth.
She fell to the ground. Levi stopped and pulled her up, pushing her into a nearby tree when the biggest bird she had ever seen swooped into view. Levi dropped and rolled. The bird only missed him by a millimetre.
“Run!” he yelled at her as the creature veered back towards them, this time she got a better view and noticed it wasn’t a bird but a dragon. A real-life dragon with golden scales, it was huge, although its eyes were small and bead-like.
“Run!” Levi yelled again. The dragon darted for Levi and they both fell to the ground.
The dragon made the most horrendous noise as it screeched and thrashed.
“Levi! Levi!” she called with no answer. The dragon became still. Its eyes were staring into nothingness. Inching forward she prepared herself for any sudden movement. Perhaps it was just playing dead.
“Help me get this thing off,” she heard Levi huff and raced the last few feet pushing the slimy scaly Dragon. It was heavy and took a great deal of effort and strength to move its body.
Levi shuffled out from under its huge frame and brushed off his clothes. He didn’t have a scratch on him, and he looked unaffected. Crystal glanced at the beast of a dragon and saw a large stick protruding from its stomach.
“The only way to kill a dragon is to chop of its head or pierce its heart.”
With her eyebrows raised she gazed at Levi, “Okay.”
He had just taken down a monster single handily. She was impressed by his skill and strength. But she was also at a loss for words. What was the guy?
“My hero,” she joked, placing one hand on her heart.