Runaways Book 3: The Ivorian Princess

The Army

Brooke's POV

     What did I just do? I'll tell you what I just did, I just banished my best friend! That's what I did. And why? Because of one stupid mistake. Well technically, the mistake was depth big, but who cares? My best friend was gone, and it's all my fault. I was sitting down on a flat piece of stone. Jayze walked through the rubble, rounding all the alive Ivorians up, with the help of Kadir and Zayde. Many Ivorians were dead, I looked around and saw orphaned children sitting alone, scared, and wounded. There had to be another reason why the castle would crumble. Jayze's entrance wasn't that bad, was it? I was pretty lost on a solution for all this. Man did I wish Rex was here. I missed him like crazy. Another reason why I sent Kylie away. I'm so angry at those werewolves, even so, I let one kiss me. They killed my best friend!
     All of a sudden, I heard a scream behind me. I turned to see a ragged young woman pawing at the rubble. "Stephan! Stephan! Somebody help!" Oh no. I took off, I ran and ran towards the woman. Once I got to her, I looked down. There lying under a piece of cement, was a tiny hand. Marred, and dirty. It couldn't be Stephan's. It just couldn't be. I quickly waved my hand at the cement and it dissolved. I kept my eyes closed as I heard the young woman collapse on the ground and wail. I opened my eyes. Sure enough, there was the sandy-haired boy, his bright blue eyes now clouded over with pain. His pink shirt was soaked in blood and dirt. His chest was crushed. He gave a small cough and tried to sit up, but he couldn't. The poor boy was dying. The woman was shaking Stephan, willing him to be ok. "No, no, no, no, NO!" She screamed. "No..." I knelt down next to her. I knew that he was a goner. But I had to try to help. "I-I'm going to get some help." I said, touching he woman's shoulder.
     I stood up and ran to the edge of the area, screaming Luna's name. "Luna! Luna! Where are you?!"
Jayze was making his way over.
     "Brooke, what's happened?" He asked frantically.
     "A boy's almost dead." I said. "Have you seen Luna? The healer?" Jayze shook his head.
     "No, I don't believe I have."
The woman cried out again and I looked. "NO!" She wailed. "Stephan...NO!" I ran back to her. She had the boy in her arms. But he was gone. I hadn't even known him a whole day. I just knew him as a boy who never knew the joys of life. The woman sobbed into his shirt. "He was so young...he doesn't deserve to die like this!" She screamed. She gently lay the boy down, and then stood up and sniffled. She turned to me. Her face blotchy from crying. "When I find that...Man! I'm going to kill him!" She said defiantly.
     "Excuse me but...he said he had no family." I said. I was confused on how the woman seemed to know him so very well.
     The woman nodded. "He didn't. My name is Lise, I'm just a maid but...I knew Stephan well. He was such a good boy, but it was so cliché I mean...it's always the best people that lead the worst lives, huh." She wiped her eyes. "And look at him now." I was just about to answer when the sky darkened. And we all turned to the horizon, and there, coming just over the ridge, was a giant black boar.