Dauntless Raiders

Chapter 37 - Hello Death, My Old Friend

After the explosion died down and left a horrible aftermath, the beach was turned into ashes along with whoever was caught in its fury. Three ships were destroyed after the Lucifer, which was destroyed by the previous explosion. Eight ships remained. Of them, two were half-destroyed. Such was the power of the Obsidian's light. With the exception of Kaya, August and Evelyn, the rest of them were knocked out by the blast.

After a while, Beverly slowly awoke with a blurry vision and a throbbing pain in her head. She shut her eyes tight and tried to handle the pain. Then she opened her eyes again and her vision was starting to grow clear. Her breaths were heavy and her entire body ached. The injuries on her legs, arms and belly were bleeding but they were not fatal. The exhaustion was great, however. She found her body too heavy to lift and stand back up on her feet.

Her eyes drooped from the dizziness. With some difficulty, she turned to look around. She found Nolan nearby. She blinked repeatedly to get herself to focus on him. Her head spun and her vision wasn't completely clear. But it was enough to show that Nolan wasn't moving a muscle.

"Nolan..." her voice came out in a weak whisper from the exhaustion.

Summoning what little strength she had, she dragged herself to him. Dale looked on with a sadistic smile on his face. He knew well that his arch-nemesis was on the verge of death. On the other hand, Beverly tried to wake Nolan but he wouldn't respond. He lay lifeless and wounded. She instantly grew desperate and looked around for her friends. Some of them she could see standing but they weren't in full health, others unconscious. She was horrified by the sight before her. The devastated beach and the amount of bloodshed the dragon caused just with its one attack. But above all, she was terrified of losing Nolan.

Sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize what you really feel about someone and Beverly was going through that. She realized just how much she loved Nolan that the very thought of losing him meant a kind of death that she would have to live with her whole life. She would be alive physically but dying inside. Andrew survived the blast because Esther was nearby and created a protective barrier around him in time. Unfortunately, in the tense situation, she could only protect him.

Nolan eventually opened his eyes but he was greatly exhausted, wounded and almost giving it everything he had to survive. The desperation and fear of loss brought tears raining down Beverly's eyes. The one woman who was fearless and knew exactly how to control her emotions. When confronted with the harsh possibility of losing the love of her life, even she broke down. Nolan was there beside her every step of the way, supporting her, protecting her. At the thought of that, she felt guilty for not reciprocating even an ounce of the kind of love he showered upon her.

He could barely move so she supported him by cradling his head. Though weak, he was at least alive. She was grateful for that. He saw her teary-eyed and smiling.

"Thank god you're alive." He said weakly, "I guess surviving anything is one of the perks of being a sorceress. I could use some of that."

"You don't need it." She spoke through her tears, "You're strong enough on your own. And you have me."

"I'm not so sure about that. There's Michael..."

"Screw that bastard. I can't believe I even brought him along with us. I'm so sorry I didn't see that and I kept defending him thinking he was still the same man he was before. I was stupid."

"Forget it." Nolan winced a little when the slight movement of his arm caused a harsh pain shooting throughout his body, "Oh this sucks."

"Don't move." Beverly said, "Esther will help you... I really am sorry about everything. I don't know what to say but this I know for sure, that there is no life for me to live if you're not in it. I can't lose you at any cost."