Persphyni : I am Death

21

Pike, Pike, Pike.

My hand tightened on the reins, Erebus and I running through the forest. The fresh dawn breaking as we continued forward. My black cloak billowing behind me.

Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike.

I clicked and gave Erebus a small kick to speed up. He had sensed my anger when I walked up to him last night, so he pushed even harder knowing just what I needed. To cool down.

Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike.

A cacophonous scream erupted from my throat. The sound startled the birds nearby as Erebus sped up again. My heart racing in my chest as his hooves pounded into the ground.

Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike, Pike.

I slowed Erebus to a stop, his harsh breaths in time with my heavy beating heart. I looked around the forest we were in, the sun now fully in the sky at its highest point. We hadn't planned a destination, we just took off. Stopping once I knew we were far enough away.

I knew if I had stayed, prisoners would have been found mortally wounded in the morning. Or worse.

I felt my anger rising and I remembered why I was willing to kill so easily on the Ark. On the Ark, darkness had taken over all I knew. Except the few joys I had such as my books and music.

But everything else was black. I was surrounded and blanketed by darkness, darkness that I fed and fed off of. Darkness, I welcomed as my only friend. At least my only friend next to Death.

Dismounting, I pulled an apple from my pack. Taking a few quick bites, I grabbed the bridle from Erebus's face and freed his mouth from the bit, feeding him the rest of my apple. For the next hour, he and I did nothing except sit and listen to the birds. Their soft songs peaceful as we relaxed. My anger paused momentarily as I lay against the tree, Erebus beside me.

"He believed, truly believed, that after all of this, Trikru would turn on us and attack us? Yes we fought them before the Mountain, but that's over. And he didn't even have to trust them, he just had to trust me. Trust that I would handle things if they went the other way. And now, after the election," I gasped, standing up causing Erebus to rise as well. "The election, we're going to miss it."

I slipped the bridle back on, remounting afterwards and we took off, back to Arkadia.

"Fly Erebus, Fly!" I shouted as I leaned into his neck to hold on better as well as keep us aerodynamic. Erebus's speed increased rapidly, his harsh grunts filtered into my ears as he pushed himself in time with his galloping.

The rapid clop of his hooves hitting the dirt seemed to echo in my ears as we neared Arkadia. The sun down now as we took the entire half day back, needing to give Erebus breaks as I pushed him far but safely. My eyes could see flames flickering in the distance and I knew we were close.

Then everything slowed down. The forest grew silent. The birds stopped singing, the breeze stopped flowing, even the owls seemed to hide. Erebus's swift canter felt like a trot as I heard a noise I knew came from outside camp.

Pike, Pike, Pike.

Erebus's hooves seemed to chant as another gunshot went off. Followed by another, than another. The world spinning as they continued. The rapid release had my chest hurting.

"No." I whispered, slowing Erebus down as the shots came closer. This wasn't just target practice, this was a massacre. I dismounted from Erebus, holding him steady as the shots continued.

"Shh, shh. Be calm, Erebus. Shh." I whispered urgently, my hand resting on his nose as I laid my forehead against his. "It will be alright." I calmly spoke, his every breath drummed against my hand as I felt his heart beat begin to slow to normal. "I promise, shh. That's it." I placed a small kiss to his forehead. And stepped back slightly.

"I'll be back soon. Stay here." I watched his eyes dart around in the dark as he took a step towards me. "Do not fear the darkness, for you are named after it, Erebus. Do not be frightened." He huffed and seemed to contemplate what to do, but eventually he looked me in the eye and tossed his head back. Almost as if he was telling me to go.

I pulled the top of my cloak over my head. And took off through the trees. My legs stiff from all the riding, but I pushed forward anyways. The gunshots had stopped, but bodies kept falling and people kept calling out. They must have had silencers on their muzzles.

I stopped, my feet lightly sliding in the dirt as I came to the first body. An archer. I walked to the next, an archer. By the time I made it to the forest edge of the camp, all bodies I had seen were archers.

They attacked their long range weapons first, leaving the sleeping grounders defenseless. My eyes went to the group in the middle of the battlefield. In the middle of the bloodbath. Small groans emitted before being silenced forever.

Fury rose within me, my eyes trained on the small group as they continued to raise their guns and slaughter these grounders who were here to help us. Angrily, I rose, my sword and dagger drawn only for a hand to clamp lightly around my foot. I looked down to see a body I had taken for dead. The woman's face stared straight up at me as she blinked once. A tear falling from her eye.

She didn't speak, only rose her bow weakly. Her arm dropping as I grabbed the weapon from her hands. The beautiful wood now in my possession as she looked up to the sky. One final tear rolling down her cheek.

"Yu gonplei ste odon." I whispered, dropping to my knee and pressing my forefinger and middle to her forehead. "Rest peacefully."