"The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend."
-Xamdú
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Analia scurried through the darkened hall like a rat that night. She had overheard everything which caused her heart to hurt more for Karos. However, that was where it ended. He did not know what he was doing. This all could be solved with Ake dying. If the dragon king would have it his way he would want Karos dead, so she did not feel so guilty in her thoughts. In all actuality, it was an easy decision to make. She fastened on her leather armor ignoring the clamor going on around her.
The men were readying their swords and steel while others were finishing with the trenches for the gwasas. There were shouts and yells followed by curses and swears. They were a motley crew, but it was all they had. She eyed one man who was busy swinging away at a log with the skills of a farmer boy. He could hardly hold the sword upright, nonetheless, leave a notch on the wood. She sighed and set her eyes on the blue sky.
What were they going to do about the griffins? There was only so many dragons left and from what she heard about them, they were vicious creatures. The kind of beasts that masqueraded around as human and did the most heinous crimes. There was no doubt in her mind that they had fueled the fire for centuries between them and dragons, but there was no more time for that. What was done was done.
"Analia, will you take the front?" Karos asked causing her to jolt away.
"Ah, Karos, you scared me. I will be wherever you will be, as always," she smiled, but he did not return it. "You are still angry with me. I understand that, but we are friends and we are family. Just for this day, put all other matters aside and only think of us in this."
She had to make Karos let his guard down around her. It was the only way she could ever get close enough to the stone. She rather it be Ake than him. That is what she kept saying to herself, but there was guilt nestling into the pits of her stomach. They were much in love, but so was she with Andel. Like herself, she had no choice in the matter just as she would not give Karos one. She would not ask him or force his hand.
Karos smiled then and ruffled her hair.
"We are and you are right," he said.
Analia knew he still held much love for her, and because of that, he was so easy to forgive and bring her back close to his heart again. He was the kind of man that loved a mother who sold him to a brothel and continued to love her even after. She had known he would come to forgive her. During the battle, she would take it from him and, after that, she would not speak to him or show her face around him any longer. Karos could not ever forgive her then. He pressed his forehead to hers and kissed between her brows as he had always done when they were younger. It caused her eyes to water. Could she ever forgive herself? That was the question which haunted her the most.
Just as he was about to bring her into a hug, she wiped her eyes and pushed him away.
"There is no need for that. With you, there is no need for silent goodbyes. You are not one for them."
"... I could not say it to him."
Analia smiled sadly. "Of course, you could not. You love him... " She swallowed the bitter taste of those words down and nudged him. "And I love you, so I would never let a thing happen to you no matter what." Looking at him now, he was very much still the same boy who brought her close at night and kissed her cheek whenever she would smile. "No matter what." Even if he came to hate her. Karos walked away causing her to take off in the other direction.
She quickly braided her black hair into a large braid to her side and stashed away a small knife inside. There was something she had not told him that would stay with her for the rest of her life. She would be killing hundreds of her own people, but what did it matter? A few hundred for his life was not something she would hesitate on deciding between. Some sacrifices would have to be made. She sniffed and strengthened her resolve.
Because Karos was in such a rush to see Ake, he missed the scout's report. The gwasas had split into two sections, taking the larger half with them over to Gasa as the others made their way here. If the gwasas did not kill him there, Analia would make sure of it herself with her own bare hands and then everything would stop. The gods would stop this terrible game of theirs and leave them in peace.
Night was peaking and the stars were coming out. They were no longer falling from the sky. They shined as bright as the moon that night. She liked them much better than the moon. She grabbed a torch from a fire burning nearby and searched around for Karos before it could become too dark. He would suspect something was amiss after awhile but what could he do? They were a day's journey from Gasa.
"Karos! Karos!"
Soldiers ran by with sharp, but thin, steel and wrapped it around the trees closest to them. Some put some into the trenches they had dug.
"Karos!" She walked further away from the camp. Many of the men were already in position, but there was no sign of any gwasas. They would not be here for some time. She nibbled on her bottom lip and continued ahead.
"Karos!" He was with the archers firing arrows at a far away tree which calmed her heart.
"Why-- " she pointed around. "Why had you given the order to ready the men when there are no gwasas approaching?"
"It is not the gwasas we should worry over. It is the griffins, Analia. There are only sixty or so dragons here and, like the prior battle, they will pile up on one and bring them down to the ground before they tear into their flesh with talons and ripped their wings." Analia closed her eyes at the image. "So we must deal with them first."
"Because they are Ake's people."
He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"But what about your own? These people are following your orders and entrusting their lives into your hands."
"I did not ask them to."
"Karos!"
"But I will cherish them. I will not sacrifice them again." He fired another arrow into a tree.
"Why had you not spoken to me about this?"
"There was no reason to." He handed her a spare bow from off the ground. "You are good with this, yes?"
"I am."
"Use it well."
Analia bit down on the inside of her gums. Should she target a muscle in one of his ankles or should it be his upper leg or arm? As he bent down to pick up another arrow, he hissed and grabbed his side.
"Broken ribs?" she asked but Karos ignored her. "How many this time? One? Three?"
"It will heal," he replied.
She had decided then. It would be his right side. She would lodge it into one of his rib bones, so she would not hit a vital organ.
"Gwasas! Gwasas and griffins!" a man shouted as he ran passed them. He would not be coming back. Another man came running to Karos, panting and out of breath.
"There are only a hundred or so," the man breathed as he smiled causing Karos' eyebrows to furrow.
"A hundred or so? And the griffins? How many are there in the skies? Did the archers shoot at the sky to see how many?"
"A couple hundred it looked to be like, Commander."
"Archers to the oil barrels. When they come down aim for the skull and wings and nothing else. Help the dragons as much as possible." The men nodded and ran up to higher ground. Karos took off in the other direction causing Analia to follow close behind.
"Positions!"
A gust of fire lit up the sky as griffins came falling from the sky like stars. One fell close by them causing Analia to hit the ground just before it could crush her leg. Its wings brushed against her body as it struggled to get upright. Just as its eyes met with hers, Karos plunged a sword through its chest.
"Get up. Hurry now." Karos grabbed her hand and hoisted her up.
"Where are we going, Karos?" They were headed in the opposite direction of the battle. What kind of commander would leave amidst this all?
"Gasa," he answered.
"Karos, we cannot!" She grabbed his arm and tugged him back just before a dragon came falling from the sky along with a dozen or so griffins separating them.
Analia had no choice but to help. She grabbed her bow and notched three arrows into it before she let them fly. They sunk into three griffin's heads allowing for the dragon to get up and bathe itself in its own fire killing the rest of them.
"Karos!" She looked around desperately for him. The screeches of the gwasas were nearing. She heard the soldier's breaking out into the screams, but the dragon roars were deafening. The ground was shaking and breaking under the weight causing her to fall to the ground. Just as she rolled to the side where the dragon was, the earth fractured and out came a pool of gwasas. She got to her feet and took off, but it was not long before the gwasas had encircled them.
She backed up against the dragon.
"I saved you. Now you save me." It looked at her causing her eyes to widen realizing whose eyes those belonged to. "Rakkaus... "she murmured. His eyes looked away from her, for a moment, but she continued on to stare on in utter fascination, ignoring the gwasas looming presence. He pushed her underneath himself. His underbelly sent off waves of heat, but she muscled down the discomfort and turned her head away from it. A gust of blazing green and yellow fire lit up the gwasas.
As she came from underneath him, the charred bodies of the gwasas were littered around the ground. Some became ash because the fire was so hot. Like Karos, Rakkaus was heading west back to Gasa causing her eyes to widen. She looked to the sky and saw many dragons taking off into that direction abandoning the humans here, all together. Did they know their prince was in danger?
Just as Rakkaus was about to take off, Analia stood in front of him.
"Help me find Karos before you leave. You know what he means to—" With a flap of his wings Rakkaus took off causing the wind from the action to knock her back down to her feet. She did not think ill of him. She would have done the same.
"Karos!" she called out again. All she heard was gwasas calling back to her and the sounds of dying men. She rose and notched an arrow into the bow. Everything was filled with smoke and dust. She could not see. If anything ran in front or behind her she would be prepared.
"Close them in!" he heard his voice shout causing her eyes to widen.
As the dust settled, the remaining soldiers formed something like a U around the gwasas. They closed in until it became a circle. Arrows rained down from the hills just as the gwasas attacked. She was in awe of his tactic and his resolve to stay with his men. She thought he would abandon them like he had done before.
Her hands were slippery with blood making it hard to keep a steady hold on the bow. Once Karos came into view, Analia fired an arrow to his side causing him to fall to the ground. She had to do this before the battle was won and the attention was back to him. Analia turned him to his side and reached through the inside of his shirt causing him to push her off of him.
He took the arrow out and reached for his sword but Analia already had an arrow ready and fired it at his arm. He dropped it and hissed out in pain.
"What are you doing?" he shouted, but Analia ignored him.
It was not in his left pocket. She tried his right and felt something hot and round, like the time before, and grabbed it. Before she could get up, Karos held on tight to her leg and tugged her down to the ground causing her to drop it. She tried to fight him off her, but he only pulled her back towards him and away from the gem.
"This will be all over if you just let me do what has to be done!" she screamed and kicked him. She rose to her feet and stomped on it once before she was tackled to the ground again. It cracked. Just one more and it would be done.
"Get off of me!" he tried to grab her arms but Analia threw a punch and kneed him in the groin. She sunk her nails into his wound causing him to cry out in pain, but he would not get off of her.
"You will kill him!"
"He will kill you if I do not kill him first!" Her voice was hoarse and breaking.
She reached for one of her small knives she hid inside of her hair and stabbed it into his side. With one hand, she tugged it forward until it hit a bone. He lurched over causing her to kick him in his chest.
She got up and searched around for the green gem but she could not find it. As she looked to Karos, she saw that he was coughing up blood. She pressed the thought away that she had hurt him badly and continued to look for it. There was something glimmering in the dirt which made her go towards it. She had been right. It was cracked.
There was guilt and doubt flooding her mind, but she shook her head. What she was doing was right. She looked to Karos as he held his side and brought himself up on his knees. It had to be. Something so precious should have at least been a bit harder to break, she thought as she raised one of her feet and smashed it to the ground.
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[A/N]
Whew.
As always, leave me your thoughts down below!