SGE His Guarded Heart (Prequel to His Darkened Heart)

Chapter 3 The Sadist

Chapter 3 The Sadist

Heat kissed Krushem's skin as he held his hands over the crackling fire. He sat on a log, staring into the dancing flames.

The sky was dark, and he could see the stars twinkling at him above the tree canopy. A heavy gust of wind blew through, threatening to put the fire out. Krushem wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head into his lap as if that would serve to make the wind go away.

It'd been three days since Krushem left Altazzara behind. For now, he was stuck camping out in the woods in the company of the woodland creatures and his own thoughts. For a while, he tried not to sleep at all, but every night, he fell into a deep slumber and the nightmares would come to him.

He didn't see the witch anywhere else since leaving his home behind. All he saw of her was in his dreams. Sometimes, she'd stare at him, her blood red gaze cutting into his soul and speak in a language Krushem somehow understood. She called him "Usmere" many times, and Krushem didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.

The Witch was like one of those obsessive ex-girlfriends who refused to leave their ex partner alone. Despite the severity of Krushem's circumstances, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought.

He'd only had one past partner, his ex, Clara. He'd been fourteen and it was a dumb kind of love they had, a puppy love that wasn't quite serious. They'd split up after six months of dating cause Clara insisted that her and Krushem "just weren't compatible enough."

Krushem had gotten over it soon enough, but Clara apparently had had a change of mind on the matter and for two straight up weeks, she would go to Krushem's home and say she was there to buy some of his mother's bread rolls. But when Krushem's mother let Clara instead, Clara would resort to talking to Krushem and flirting with him.

It'd been ludicrous at the time but comparing the witch to his ex, Clara, was even more ridiculous. The thought of the witch being some obsessive ex who haunted Krushem in his dreams every night was just a step too far.

Krushem rose his head to see the fire dying out and he huffed. Getting to his feet, Krushem ventured towards a cluster of trees to find more sticks for the fire. He managed to collect a few sizable sticks as well as some dried leaves not too far away from where he set up camp.

He began to walk back but then stopped short. He could hear a sound, an unmistakable sound of rustling in the undergrowth.

It could just be an animal, a deer or something. But then Krushem heard a clank and footsteps. He ducked behind a tree, dropping all the supplies he'd collected. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline kicked in, coursing through his bloodstream and fueling him with a sudden surge of energy he desperately needed.

Someone was intruding on his camp!

Krushem dared to peer behind the tree. He struggled to focus on the campsite and glimpsed a shadow lurking near the dwindling fire.

For a moment, Krushem thought it was her. He thought it was the Witch come to mess with him once again.

But then another shadow came into view and then another, and Krushem's breath caught in his throat. He raked his brain for how to deal with this intrusion and he reached for his sword, only to realize he'd left his sword with his stuff by the fire.

Krushem didn't know what these intruders wanted. He didn't know if they were dangerous. But he had to defend himself if things turned ugly.

Krushem found a sharpened stick he'd dropped, and he held it tight. It would have to do for now.