Chapter 24: The Night Howl

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                                  The camp was silent that night, most of the sailors had disappeared into their tents in tiredness, hoping to get enough rest before sunrise. While the others joined in taking night watch. Carina had fallen asleep beside Marcus while Gaitan went from post to post  checking how things were going with the watch teams. Levi stayed up in his tent, calculating his next move once they were off the island. He lifted his pencil to mark a spot on the map, when the faint galloping reached him from a distance.

Gaitan heard the sound too and was already at the entrance of the camp looking into the darkness with some other sailors who had torches. Four horses were the first to come out of the darkness, they immediately scattered to let them through. Gaitan immediately looked to their makeshift stable, and realized that the hosrse were actually theirs
, but what he didn't understand was how they left on their own. He saw Levi hurry out of his tent, sharing the same perplexed look with him.

Another galloping was heard coming towards the camp, drawing them back to the entrance. Before long a white horse emerged from the darkness, but as  it approached the camp,  the rider in a purple hood fell unto the beach sand. Gaitan and Levi turned to each other wordlessly again, but were cut off by Carina.
"what's going on, where's everyone " she asked sleepily.
" what do you mean where is everyone? Edda and the rest are in, probably sleeping " Levi replied
" no they're not,  I thought she went up that mountain as usual again till i saw those horses and now her" Gaitan said as he pointed to the Sailors carrying Ava.

Carina's eyes cleared, as she put the pieces of the information together.  She hurried over to Ava, as she was carried into a tent. She looked to see if Ava was hurt, but she wasn't. just covered in small cuts,  bruises and mud. Carina lay her upon a bed to rest while she cleaned her wounds. She examined her closely after cleaning her up, then got up to leave but met Levi and Gaitan, at the entrance.
" is she alright " Levi asked
Carina nodded in response " just exhausted "
" She'll be up by morning? " Gaitan asked
" let's hope so" Carina said turning to look at Ava laying peacefully.

Levi turned to  the beach under the night sky  "i warned Her not to do this"  he said angrily, gritting his teeth together.
He puched a crate over and was about to hit another when Gaitan grabbed him backwards with an arm.
He calmed and released himself from Gaitan's grip, then turned to Carina
"so its just five of us left, and we have to complete this task no matter what "
" what do you want us to do" Gaitan asked
"we need to find the others,  we cant do this without them" Carina reminded

Levi remained silent for a while looking at Ava sleep.
"a maid survived what Four Elite soldiers didn't " he began
" something isn't adding up guys"
"you cant seriously be suspecting her" Carina said, folding her face into a frown.
"I'm not, there's just something about her I'm not sure we know yet, I' mean how are we sure the king sent her, she could have very well fulfilled her purpose here tonight"
"what are you saying " Gaitan asked impatiently
" our next action will be determined when she wakes

                             Everything was quiet except for the drumming and numerous chanting in the distance, the sound of merriment and feasting, sounds the crude drums reverberated through the village, while the villagers danced all the way. Women and children in tune to the drums round a large fire, while the some of the young men wrestled and entertained,  while Some stood guard along the boarders of the village. the old sat together with drinks under trees or eating. Everything thing about the village would have been normal,  but the three human bodies roasting over the huge flame.

Edda's eyes partly opened, and as her vision began to sharpen,  it was the first thing she saw. She sighed when she realized she had returned to her nightmare, and wished she had died once and for all.
"you're awake,  a familiar voice called out,  from the corner of the bamboo cage they were kept in
"kira" she called almost excitedly
"yes I'm over here" she said waving her tied hands in the air
Edda turned in her direction, and waited for kira's image to emerge from her blurry vision. She could then see her and the cage they were in,  perfectly.

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