The Missing Piece - Chapter Two

She was wrong. She wasn't ready, wasn't prepared for what she saw. Never in a millions years would she have guessed a monster would be in the Hunters Test. A real monster; not like the tiny Field Elves who nipped at your ankles. They seemed tame compared to this.

Standing still, petrified with fear, she looked up at the monster.

Its skin was made of cedar bark, sickening green moss dripping from almost every part of its body. The eye sockets were empty, reminding Ryder of a skeleton she had once read about in a bedtime story. But these eyes, or lack of them, were more terrifying than any scary story. They were pointed in her direction, digging deep into her soul.

It was huge, at least twice her size. The monster seemed to pulsate each time it took a breath, its body moving in and out in rhythm. Heavy breath blasted her face when she looked up, making her eyes water. The smell of it nearly made Ryder sick.

They stood like that, frozen, staring each other down, wondering who would make the first move. Ryder still couldn't get over the shock. She was rooted to the ground.

She hadn’t realized the advance until it was too late.

"Leo!" she cried out as the arm of the creature came down on her, aiming for her head. If it had hit true, she would’ve died. But he came out of nowhere and pushed her out of the way, dragging her behind the nearest tree. The arm hit the ground with a definite thud, sending noticeable tremors through the ground.

“Are you okay?” Ryder tore her eyes away from the monster to see Leo on top of her, his knees straddling her hips, holding her steady like she had done to him earlier. His breath was hot against her face, coming in a short, fast rhythm. This didn’t feel right. She wasn’t supposed to be the one who needed saving.

“I’m fine,” she muttered, pushing him off of her. She peaked around the tree to see the monster staring away from them. It stood for a while before stomping away from them, traveling the way they had come. The ground shook under its feet. “I want to ask you something.”

“Anything.” He responded. Ryder heard something in his voice, something that told her he was telling the truth. He would answer anything she asked him, no matter what the question. She respected him for that.

No. I refuse to think that. He stole one of my closest friends. led my best friend on, abandoned me and ruined my strategy. He doesn’t deserve my respect. I don't care what he's done for me. I don't care that he just saved my life. I don't care.

While Ryder was trying to sort out her feelings for him, she could sense Leo studying her. She blushed slightly, but the feeling disappeared quickly. Crossing her arms, she looked at him accusingly. “Where did you run off to?”

Leo smiled grimly. “I was just messing with you. Trying to have a little fun.”

“You don’t get it do you,” she said incredulously. “This isn’t supposed to be fun at all! This is a test; a test that’s meant to bring us to our knees begging for mercy.” She paused to look around, gather her thoughts. For the first time, she noticed the sun shining through the clear ceiling of the Dome. It scattered among the trees, but left the two partners in darkness. How much Ryder longed to stand in that same sun just outside the city wall. She bet it felt better there than inside the city.

“Do you even know how much this means to me?” She shrilled. Leo looked up at her, a soft smile on his lips.

“I understand you would do anything to come out first,” he reached out and pushed a strand of blue hair behind her ear. She shivered under his touch and wrapped her jacket tighter. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way. As if reading her thoughts, he jerked his hand back.

“And I know it’ll kill you if you end up not being a Hunter. Jesus, Ryder, you’ve talked about it enough at our time at the Academy. Everyone here knows it. That’s why they’re after you. Especially Samuel, that jerk. But I’m going to do everything I can to make sure we get out of this first. Understand?”

Ryder nodded and looked at him with new eyes. He wasn’t the same Leo who had pushed her down the stairs the first day at the Academy. He wasn't the same Leo who stole Wyatt from her. This Leo cared about her. For all she knew he had always cared about her. Maybe she was too stupid to realize it.

“Thank you.” She whispered before turning away from him. She couldn’t stand to look at him for another second; her emotions were running high already.

The forest was silent, calm even. Much unlike it was a short while ago. The monster had left. Ryder wondered how long it would take for it to reach the other competitors. They would be in for quite a shock.

“What was that thing?” Ryder asked. She stood and dusted the leaves from her clothes. Her fingers found a spot of dark mud on her shirt. She cursed as she tore at it, praying she could rub it off. It was her favorite shirt, one she wore often. The unexpected mud stain did not impress her.

“An elf giant,” Leo responded, his voice grim. “Doesn't it seem ironic? Elves are always those small creatures we can step on. This however, was a totally different story."

"It can step on us." Ryder said grimly.

"We call it a Yeta.” Leo explained.

“Like a Yeti?”

“A what?”

“Never mind,” Ryder mumbled. She forgot that Bryoks didn’t spend time reading human stories. She on the other hand was different. Human fairy tales and movies intrigued her. Human life and culture was no mystery to her.

“Anyway,” Leo continued. “Yeta’s are very dangerous.”

“I gathered that,” Ryder said. “Let’s get moving. We’re almost to the end; I can feel it.” This time she knew Leo was following her. It was as if she had a new sense, a new connection to him. It was a good sign.

They proceeded in silence, listening hard for any movement, any sign that the monster had come back. Ryder jumped at every sound. At one point, Leo stopped her and asked if she was okay. She told him she was just stressed out and offered no further explanation.

She didn’t want to talk at the moment. She wasn’t like this normally. Leo was in the lead, she followed. Leo was calm, she jumped at every sound. Leo kept his mind on finishing the test; she kept her mind on the possible return of the Yeta.

What was happening to her? Was the test changing her? Maybe it was meant to play with your head, make you question the faith you have in yourself. There wasn’t any other explanation.

You have to get over this. There’s no way you two will come out first if you don’t pull yourself together. Ryder told herself. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and slid her hand into Leo’s. She felt him stiffen beside her, but he said nothing.

They continued that way, walking through the forest holding hands like old friends, the same way Ryder had seen Hunters doing around Bryok. There was nothing intimate about their touch as it was illegal for Hunter partners to date. Not that she would even consider dating Leo. He was good looking, but he just wasn’t her type. There were too many memories, good and bad, for her to simply forget. She wouldn’t feel comfortable opening up to him.

They definitely had a connection though. Ryder felt it every time they touched. It was as if they were meant to be together, spend their lives together as partners. It was as if their powers were linked together somehow, which wasn't unheard of.

Do I believe in fate? Ryder wondered.

After walking for some time, Leo spoke. “So what’s going to happen when we get out of here?”

“We’re about to find out.” Ryder responded excitedly, a childish grin spread across her face. She dropped Leo’s hand and ran forward. There, just a short distance from where they were was the door leading out of the Dome. The only thing she thought while running was how great it would feel to be one of the new Hunters.

She could see it all: she and Leo standing on a platform in front of the city gate, listening to veteran Hunter’s praise and good wishes, taking her first step out of the city, collecting her first set and bringing it back to the city. Everything was going to work out just fine.

As she drew closer to the door, her heart pounded faster with excitement. This was it, the final stretch. Even as she ran forward, she could sense something wrong. She had spoken to magicians older than her who had experienced the Hunters Test. The all spoke of a large danger defending the exit.

Where was that danger now? Ryder hoped the elf giant had been that danger, but it left too quickly. It was as if it thought there was something more important to go after, like she and Leo weren't its only target.

Ryder heard Leo call out her name. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned to see him rushing towards her, scepter raised, the green stone atop it pulsating. She was confused. Why was he attacking her? Weren’t they just about to complete the test?

“Leo,” she started, her voice hurt. How could he turn on her like this? She didn’t want to have to fight him either. They had just become friends.

“Just get down!” Leo yelled at her. She could hear the desperation in his voice so she obliged. Just as her knees hit the ground, white light burst from Leo’s scepter and flew through the air. It hurtled toward its target; a boy crouched behind a large bush. But the boy was crafty. He countered the attack with a shield, sending the spell back at Leo. He ducked just in time. Ryder watched as it flew over his head, nearly singeing his hair.

Ryder immediately recognized the boy as Samuel. A dagger hung lazily in his grasp as if he thought the weapon useless. His eyes burned bright red as his gaze met hers. She knew that look. It was the same one she received when she had chosen to study fire magic except this look was more murderous. It was as if he was contemplating whether or not to kill her.

Ryder didn’t want to take her eyes away from his. If she did, she feared he would attack.

“Tell us what you want from us Samuel.” Leo demanded, standing with his arms crossed.

“I want her,” Samuel pointed at Ryder, a sickening grin on his face.

“So this is all because you’re in love with my partner?”

“No,” Samuel growled. “She cannot complete this test. She cannot be named a Hunter. She cannot survive this. This should all be mine!”

Leo took a step towards him. Samuel took a step back, his hand leaping for his bow.

“Leo! Be careful.” Ryder shouted.

Leo laughed. “You think this kid has a chance against me? He hasn’t even taken a swipe yet. He’s too scared,” Leo leaned closer to Samuel, their faces only a few inches away. “He knows he can’t beat me. Isn’t that right, you little punk? You’re scared of me, scared of what I can do.”

“Okay, stop it,” Ryder stood and stalked over to the boys, pushing them apart. “This is no place to discuss who has a bigger man ego. Leo, we have more important things to worry about like getting…” she trailed off and took a sharp breath. There, standing behind Leo was the Yeta.

“Like that,” she finished quietly, pointing behind him. Leo ignored turned, forgetting about Samuel. After taking a quick look at the Yeta, he grabbed his sword. Quick as a fox he stabbed the monster through the stomach. It made a horrible noise, one that made Ryder sick to her stomach. Her face contorted into a look of disgust.

As she watched, the monster reached down and pulled the sword from its body. Sleek black liquid dripped from the sword, forming small puddles on the forest floor. Leo retreated to where Ryder was standing, the same look of disgust on his face.

“Got any good ideas?”

“You mean besides stabbing it in the stomach?” she asked. “Nope.”

“Guess we’ll improvise, huh?” Ryder nodded in agreement. What else were they supposed to do? If they waited any longer, more partners would come up behind them and they would lose their chance to exit the Dome.

The Yeta let out a terrible cry and stomped the ground. Ryder and Leo charged the monster. It staggered back after being hit by Leo’s sword. It gripped its left arm and howled again. It kicked out its leg and connected with Leo, sending him flying through the air. He hit the forest floor and crumbled. In the confusion, Ryder conjured a small flame in her hand and set it against the Yeta’s skin, burning it.

She ducked as the monster swiped at her, nearly taking her head off. Lunging at its legs, she wrapped her arms around them and held tight. Leo had recovered and stood, pointing his scepter at the monster’s face. The stone atop it lit up a dark red color and shot a stream of light at the monster.

Ryder closed her eyes and dug deep inside of her. She felt the fire rising, coming from the core of her stomach. Channeling the energy, she pushed it through her body reaching out to all parts. She gasped as the fire took hold of her. She had only used the spell a few times and had forgotten how it felt.

She looked down at herself and saw flames rising from her skin. The Yeta cried out in pain and Ryder smelled burning bark and moss. She retched at the smell but kept holding on. The fire didn’t burn her or affect her at all for that matter.

The spell Leo had cast hit the monster just as she had begun to burn it. The result was not what they had planned. Both of them were thrown through the air. Ryder hit a tree and crumbled to the ground. Her back, which had taken most of the blow, ached. She could barely move. For a scary second she thought her spine had snapped. Relief flooded through her as she realized she could still move her arms and head.

“Ryder, the Yeta!” Leo yelled. She looked up in time to see the monster blundering towards her, half of its body burnt off. Its head was still steaming and she could see a small flame still ablaze on its foot.

With much effort, she stood up to face the monster. She winced as she raised her arms, hands outstretched. The monster continued to advance, seeming to think Ryder wasn’t much of a threat.

She willed the fire to come fast and full. Closing her eyes, she imagined the fire building up inside of her. With a cry, she opened her eyes and built a fireball in her hands. After gathering every ounce of energy she had left, Ryder threw it at the Yeta.

She watched as the fireball hit it in the stomach, forcing it air born. It flew through the forest, smashing trees on its way. It finally disappeared from view and Ryder let out a sigh or relief. Just then, a wave of dizziness came over her and she collapsed.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Leo asked. He had caught her and laid her gently on the ground. She barely had enough energy to shake her head. Leo stroked her cheek and told her how he’d knocked out Samuel in all of the confusion.

“Hopefully by the time he wakes up he won’t remember who did it to him. I wouldn’t want to have to deal with that kid chasing me around trying to get revenge.” Leo joked.

“Leo,” Ryder coughed, pointing to something behind him. He twisted his neck and looked into the forest. He didn’t see anything at first, but he did hear a scream followed by frantic voices.

And then the smell of smoke filled the air. Leo’s eyes widened as he saw the bright flames approaching them.

“Damn girl,” he said, hoisting her into his arms. “Next time you throw a fireball make sure it doesn’t light up the whole world.” Ryder couldn’t respond. She wanted to say something, but her voice wouldn’t come. She just didn’t have enough energy.

Leo, still carrying her, headed towards the exit. Suddenly, a tree engulfed in fire fell onto the path in front of them. Leo took a step back and almost lost his balance. Looking around, Ryder realized they were completely surrounded by flames. The fire had spread fast.

I did this. We’re all going to die because of me. Ryder coughed as she took in a breath of the smoke filled air. Her throat burned, making it hard for her to breathe. The coughing wouldn’t stop. Leo was coughing as well, hacking about all while trying to find a path out.

“We’ll get out of here,” he told her. “I swear on my life!”

That was the last she heard before darkness engulfed her.