Rebellion (12 page)

“Where is the path that will lead us to the Road of Ahnor?” Xylia asked, probably expecting the worst answer imaginable.

Despair settled in once we realized the path was nowhere to be seen.

“We should fly, Isaac,” Devin suggested, looking out into the ocean.

“They might see us, Devin,” I said, struggling to hide the fear in my words. I narrowed my eyes, looking out into the raging ocean.

The crashing sounds of the waves were drawing nearer. Despair found its way into every single one of us.

“We climb.” Ballard pointed to the cliff. “It is not that far.”

An unsettling silence lingered for a while. There was fear in all of our faces.

“We will be going to our death.” Adara shook her head, pressing her hand against her forehead.

My shoulders shrugged up. “Are we not already fighting for our lives?” I turned my gaze to hers. “We must be brave.”

I marched to the edge of the cliff. Without much thought, I grasped one of the rocks to my left; my body hung in mid-air as my right hand struggled to find a safe grip.

For a couple of seconds, I stood still—my eyes danced as they studied the cliff. The clashing sound of the furious waves caused my heart to beat faster as I inhaled the frigid air.

“Come on!” I beckoned them to follow me. I glanced down, realizing the water was still rising.

My hands latched onto the rocks around me as I attempted to make my way to the other side. Some of the rocks were as sharp as shards of glass, cutting the palms of my hands. I had to ignore the sharp pain, knowing that if I let go, I could fall to my doom.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Demetre, Petra, and Ballard already climbing their way across the cliff.

I was startled by sudden abrasive shouts resounding from above.

“Where are they?”
I heard the faint voice of a man.

“We must find them or the blood-drinkers will murder us all!”
a female voice cried in response.

I panicked. It was not going to be long until they found us hanging on the side of a cliff.

“Isaac!” I heard Demetre scream. “We are not going to make it.”

I looked over my left shoulder, realizing that Xylia, Adara, and Devin had not yet begun to climb. The sea was an arm’s length from reaching the passageway.

My wings slithered beneath my skin for a couple of seconds. The moment my hands released the rocks, they sprung from my back. I was aware of the risk of having the blood-drinkers see us if we were flying, but that was a chance I was willing to take at this moment.

In a matter of seconds, I clasped Demetre’s and Petra’s hands, carrying them toward the sky.

“Isaac, what are you doing?” Petra shrieked as I continued to fly.

“Improvising!” I yelled with a smirk on my face. “Hold on to me.”

I flew beside the rocks of the cliff, struggling to hold on to my companions.

“What about Ballard?” Demetre shouted. “We cannot leave him.”

“I will return for him as soon as we land.” My eyes searched for a landing spot. It was not long until I caught sight of a valley located a safe distance from the riot.

I felt my eyes throbbing as I neared the valley. There was a sharp pain spreading throughout my body. Flying still took its toll on me.

My legs were immersed in the snow when I landed. My body was relieved when I released Petra and Demetre from my grasp. They trudged through the snow, sitting on the scattered rocks. The valley was quiet; the pine trees stood tall, surrounding us like monumental walls.

“Is that Devin?” Demetre narrowed his eyes, looking to the sky.

My chest tightened as I realized he only carried Adara and Xylia. I marched to him once he landed; his dark wings retracted, resting behind his back. Adara and Xylia rubbed their hands against their arms, trying to remain warm.

“Where is Ballard?” My heart hammered inside my chest.

Deep creases appeared on his forehead.

“I did not see him when we were flying,” he said. “I thought you had brought him with you.”

“We must go back,” I declared, my mind already crowded with thoughts of what might have happened to him. Had he fallen to his death? Had he been found?

My feet left the ground, and Devin followed.

The crowd’s ravenous cries intensified. As we ascended, I could faintly see Bellator as it sat hidden behind a cloud of smoke. Monuments and houses burned like torches. We decreased our altitude, flying beside the cliff, looking for Ballard.

“There!” Devin pointed to the ocean; his dark wings maneuvered his body down.

Despair took me once I saw Ballard—his body floated atop the violent waters, his arms and legs spread wide.

Devin grasped his right arm, pulling Ballard’s body out of the frigid waters. His lips were a shade of purple; his skin had lost its vivid pigment and his arms and legs dangled lifelessly.

We rushed our way to the valley. Despite the speed with which I had gotten to the valley previously, the present situation made it feel as if this was the longest journey yet.
Was Ballard dead? Had the waters taken him?
I thought as sorrow and rage crept their way inside of my heart.

“Hold on, Ballard.” I watched him as we flew.

The incessant shouts of the crowd continued to ring through the air. I wondered if they had entered the castle. Had they killed King Demyon? Were the blood-drinkers still amongst them?

We plunged down toward the valley at full speed. My companions wore death-stare expressions when they saw Ballard.

“Give me your coat, Demetre” Devin demanded the moment his feet sank under the snow. “We need to warm his body.”

“What happened to him?” Adara rushed to my side. “Is he alive?”

“I don’t know.” I bore my eyes into hers.

“Let’s lay him over there.” Adara pointed to one of the rocks.

“Use the coat to cover the rock, Demetre,” Devin ordered while carrying Ballard’s body.

Demetre removed his coat, laying it on top of the dark rock. Ballard’s brown hair looked like thorns covered in ice.

Devin laid him on the rocks and wrapped him with the coat. He bent his head down, laying the right side of his face on Ballard’s chest.

“I feel his heart,” Devin remarked. “It is weak.”

“His breathing is frail,” I murmured as I saw the almost non-existent movement of his chest.

“Why did you leave him, Isaac?” Xylia exclaimed in rage. “Could you not have—”

“Could I not have what?” I felt my heart thundering in my chest. “If I had helped him, Demetre and Petra would have fallen. I had not the strength to carry all three.” I stomped my way closer to her as anger burned inside of me. “You and Adara were the ones that could not even climb your way out of that cave. Don’t you dare presume to tell me what I should or should not have done.”

“Quiet, both of you!” Petra shouted in a breaking voice.

An uncontrollable anger slithered its way through me. Like a snake that wraps itself around its prey, I felt my patience being crushed by Xylia’s remarks.

Once again, everything around me disappeared. I was surrounded by darkness. My eyes could only see one thing—Xylia.
Is it happening again?
I thought.

As I looked at her, I saw that her eyes were as black as the night, and blood ran down her cheeks like tears. Her skeletal body was covered in rags. Wisps of hair sat on her head.

An uncontrollable hatred fueled me. I wanted to kill her. How dare she presume to tell me what I had to do? Maybe she thought she was better than all of us.

I can’t do this
, I thought, surprised at my current desires.
How can I be willing to kill her?
What was this will that was now finding its place in my heart? She was my companion. How dare I desire to take her life?

Moments later, the scene before me vanished. I was back in the valley.

What is happening to me?
The question lingered in my mind as I watched Ballard.

“He is gone.” A shiver went down my spine when I heard Devin utter these words.

“What do you mean, ‘gone?’” Adara pushed Devin to the side, her hands grasping Ballard’s shoulders. “Ballard?” she asked as her voice turned to sobs.

“No, no, no…” Petra’s voice faded as he lowered his head.

My eyes swam in tears. I stared in disbelief at Ballard’s frozen body. Like a sword that sinks inside an enemy’s body, the cries of my companions penetrated my ears.

I shot Devin a morbid look. He sat still in the snow with arms crossed over his knees. With a vague expression, he gazed at Ballard.

Demetre leaned over Ballard’s body and grabbed his hand. He shivered at the touch. He was silent as the tears rolled down his red cheeks.

Xylia rested her head on Ballard’s chest as her right hand caressed his frozen hair. “I need to hear your heart beat again, Ballard,” she begged with a breaking voice. “Please, do not leave us.”

Sadness drowned all other sounds around me.

“We must move on,” Devin affirmed as he stood to his feet, wiping away his tears.

Xylia turned her gaze to his.

“Move on?” She furrowed her brows. “One of our companions just died.”

“And we will die with him if we do not continue to move toward the Road of Ahnor,” he contested. “Those men, and the blood-drinkers, are still after us.”

“Give us a moment to mourn,” Demetre requested.

“Our mourning may cost us our lives. We are being hunted—all of us. We must leave this valley.” Devin raised his voice.

I turned my back on all of them, venturing into the woods. There was a desire in me for solitude and silence. I shuddered as I recalled the image of Ballard clinging to the side of that cliff when I’d left him to meet his demise. My knuckles struck a dry tree trunk. I let out a shout, kneeling down; my bleeding hand rested on my thighs.

“Where are you?” I mumbled through shallow breaths, struggling to contain my urge to cry. “Where is the winged lion that breathed life back into me?” My hands tightened. “Amidst the chaos, the task you have appointed to us seems too burdensome to carry. I know humanity chose to fall away from righteousness, but can those who have chosen to fight for you not find mercy?”

I reached inside my satchel, touching one of the objects responsible for all this chaos. I wanted to toss the Diary in the raging ocean and let it sink to the bottom. In my heart, I desired to be the young boy who knew nothing of Lucifer or Fallen Stars right now.

“Despite all the pain and the loss, this task is greater than any of our needs and desires.” I looked over my shoulder and saw Demetre approaching me. “There can be no victory without peril, no life without death, no strength without pain.”

“Do you think we will live to see our victory?” I managed to stand back on my feet.

He lifted his eyes to the sky. “Do you remember the Song of Brave Heroes?”

“Of course.” My eyes narrowed. “Your dad sang it to us whenever we went fishing.” My chin quivered while the memories of those days flooded my mind.

“Brave heroes of the west.

Glorious in conquest and victory.

Brave ones who knew fear, yet overcame the enemy.

Brave heroes of the west.

Darkness was not your worst enemy.

Fear found room amongst ye

Yet through the darkness, thy light appeared.”

“The songs of glory and triumph forget to mention the trials and struggles those heroes had to endure in order to achieve their victory,” said Demetre in a low voice.

I bowed my head. Would there be songs about us? Would we live to see the days when the gray clouds that hovered in the sky would no longer cover Elysium? Would we once again be able to return to Agalmath and see the fields ready for harvest?

“Hopefully, when they write songs about our journey, they will not forget to add verses that mention our trials,” I murmured.

I felt his hand reach for my shoulder.

“You see, Isaac.” He managed to smile. “Our songs will speak of our struggles and battles because we will be the ones to write them.” His tearful eyes met mine. “Never doubt for a second that we will live to see our victory, my friend.”

Demetre wrapped his arms around me.

“You are not alone, my friend,” he said. Though hope was a foreign feeling at the moment, I had to believe that better days were yet to come.