Chapter 36 VOL II : The trip to Calma(3)

Chapter 36 VOL II : The trip to Calma(3)

VOL II: The Trip to Calma (3)

"Look what you've done... look what you've fucking done!"

He laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to. I'm... I'm sorry."

I followed the map down the lake.

"No, no, no, no..."

I tried getting it out of the water, but it kept drifting farther away until it finally fell into a small crack near the stream.

That's it.

It was gone.

I just stood there, thinking, analyzing.

How was I going to get to Calma now?

I raked a hand through my brown hair.

"Fuck!"

This wouldn't have happened if that man hadn't followed me and taken the map.

"Are you happy now? You've gotten rid of the only lead I have to Calma! You're happy, aren't you?" I spoke through gritted teeth, my blood boiling.

"I'm sorry about the map. I didn't mean for it to fall."

Why the heck was his voice so calm?

It only angered me more.

I picked up my bag, which I had dropped earlier while trying to retrieve the map, and slung it over my shoulder.

"Stay away from me."

Before losing the map, I remembered I was supposed to head east through the forest.

I guess I'll just go there and see how it goes.

"I'm sorry about the map, but can you please slow down?"

I turned around and swiftly pressed my pocket knife to his throat.

"What did I say the last time about what I'd do to you if I saw you again, hmm?"

I pressed the knife a little harder against his neck.

He gulped nervously.

"I said I'd stick a knife through your throat."

"I'm... sorry..."

"Save it for yourself."

I shoved him away. He stumbled back.

Why won't this man just leave me alone?

As I walked farther, I came across a fork in the path. A two way path.

Great.

Just great.

I didn't know which way to go.

Should I just try them one by one?

It might be too risky.

"Shit."

This was frustrating.

"I know the correct path," I heard him say behind me.

I turned toward him with a glare.

He raised his hands.

"I'm serious. No jokes."

I didn't trust him.

He might as well be leading me to my doom.

"I'll figure it out myself. I don't need the help of a demon."

I decided to take the right path.

"Don't you want to help your mother?"

I stopped.

I froze.

My fist balled.

Who did he think he was to ask me that?

"I'm on my way to Calma as well. I have a friend there. It's the least I can do after losing your map."

He looked around the forest.

"The woods get pretty dangerous when it's dark."

He took the left path. His steps were slow and deliberate.

"Follow me," he said with a smile.
This was crazy.

But it was my only lead.

I followed behind him, keeping a clear distance between us.

After we had walked a long way in silence, the sky began to darken.

Night was upon us.

"We should camp for the night and continue the journey in the morning."

I stopped in my tracks.

"Are you kidding me? Weren't you the one who said the woods are dangerous once it gets dark?" I asked, folding my arms.

"It's only dangerous when we're outside the two-way path. Now that we're inside it, we're safe."

I pulled out my knife and walked toward him.

"If you try anything funny, or if you're lying to me, you'll wake up missing body parts."

"Whoa! You're a whole lot sexier when you're holding a knife."

A smirk formed on his lips.

"What?" I asked, pulling back.

"Nothing. I just fell in love with you all over again."

What the fuck was he talking about?

Love?

"You're crazy," I said.

"Crazily in love with you."

"Can you stop saying that? You're infuriating me!"

I stormed off to gather some firewood.

I could hear him laughing behind me.

I might lose my temper tonight and slit his throat.

\~~~~~~~

I pulled out a book I had brought from home and sat near the fire.

It was a magical book about illnesses.

From what I'd heard from Andressa and Papa, Mother's illness was a unique one.

A poison said to weaken Earth Witches and drain their powers, eventually leading to death.

The thing was, until it happened to my mother, it had been considered a myth.

Earth Witches were the strongest, bravest, almost immortal.

They were the ones who birthed life itself.

Only demons had access to such a poison.

As I flipped through the pages, nothing related to any poison with those symptoms appeared.

"Aren't you hungry?"

I looked up at him from across the fire. He was holding a bowl and blowing on it.

It smelled like risotto, a rice dish.

"I'm not hungry."

I was.

But I wasn't going to accept food from him.

Besides, I still had some supplies in my bag that I could eat later.

"My mother... wasn't the one who poisoned your mother."

His voice softened.

"It was someone else."