As the next day came, we were faced with the challenge of planning how to attack Tharielon. Ianthe, of course, being who he was, decided he was the best person to lead this, which pissed off Jayden.
We were all sitting round a campfire Dwynwen had made, well, everyone except Cozae who had gone missing yet again. Sayer and Dwynwen sat nearest the tents. Sayer seemed to be ignoring Dwynwen, facing diagonally away from her towards me while Dwynwen tried to get his attention with small gestures such as holding his hand or resting her head on his shoulder. None of this got his attention though, he just continued to stare stonily ahead.
Melissa and Zane sat either side of Ianthe who had now launched into a full speech about why we had to offer Andor up as bait to Thariels. Jayden, who was sitting separate from the rest of us, looked unconvinced and kept interrupting to Ianthe's annoyance.
I sat opposite Sayer, in between Ryan and Andor, which was slightly uncomfortable where my feelings where concerned. Ryan kept whispering in my ear and I noticed when he did this Andor tensed up next to me. Andor didn't seemed to be paying much attention, he hadn't spoken once, offered any opinions or contradicted Ianthe, which was strange.
"Shut up, mutt," Ianthe spat at Jayden, who leaned forward, as if he was about to change into a wolf, "As I was saying, offer Andor to the Valithors to make them let us in then-"
"Not much of a surprise," Ryan cut in, folding his arms.
"I didn't ask for your opinion, sprite," Ianthe retorted, getting up and pacing round the fire. I sighed and rested my head on my hand, waiting for them all to stop arguing. It had been around two hours and we had gotten no where apart from offering Andor up as bait, which I didn't really like the idea of.
"Ianthe," Zane spoke up and Ianthe turned around, nodding for Zane to continue, "If you think about it, Andor is the only one who knows his way around Tharielon so-"
"An excellent point you make, Zane!" Ianthe cried, smiling enthusiastically. Ryan and I exchanged an infuriated look, we had been complaining about that for ages and he hadn't listened at all! "So that's why we'll be offering up Morgana as bait instead."
"What?!" I cried as Sayer, Dwynwen, Andor and Ryan shouted in unison, "No!"
Ianthe rolled his eyes, "Fine then, we'll offer-"
"Offer up one more person and we'll be offering up you to get killed first," hissed Sayer. It was the first time he had spoken all day, it seemed Andor and him were off in their own world of thoughts.
"Fine, fine, chill Sayer," Ianthe replied, waving his hand lazily at Sayer, "So, my next great plan is we break into the castle and-"
"Just how do you plan to break into the castle?" I interjected.
Ianthe glared at me, "By breaking in, idiot. Now let me continue, you're not Khadi, you've got no say in this." His words stung me, how could I not have a day in this. Everyone had a say in this, it wasn't Ianthe's great adventure, it was our war. It was our war and I didn't know what side the boy I loved was on. No matter what he chose, I knew I had to fight on.
"You can't just break into a Thariel castle! I doubt they'd leave it that insecure," I retorted.
"Shut up, Morgana, I know how to break into buildings-"
"This isn't a building!" I cried in frustration, "This is a castle with a lot of security and-"
"You come from Earth, your points aren't valid, you know nothing about Thariels and-"
"She doesn't know much, but I do," Andor interrupted him. Ianthe fell silent, giving Andor a death glare, "She's right as well, you won't be able to 'break in' to a Thariel castle. Also, Ariadne will be in the main castle, where my father is and with the Hunters attacking they'll have full protection up."
Ianthe snorted, "She's only one Hunter, idiot."
Andor raised a brow, "I wasn't referring to Morgana."
Dwynwen gaped at him, "Lord and Lady Hunter are attacking Tharielon? But they went to Quivixta!"
Andor shrugged, "News has it they'll be attacking any day and-"
"So why aren't you back with your sister and father, scared you'll get hurt?" Ianthe taunted him. Andor clenched his hands into fists, obviously trying to keep in his anger. "What happens if they die? Will you be upset? You'll be all alone, all because you weren't there with them. Poor Andor, all alone-"
"Ianthe, shut up," I spat at him, rising onto my feet.
"He's an Valithor, yet you side with him still and-"
"Who anyone is does not matter to me, ever since I've got here he's been a hell of a lot nicer to me than you, so from my perspective, you are the one in the wrong here," I interjected.
Ianthe growled at me, "Your perspective does not matter! Once we get Khadi back-"
"If Morgana agrees, Khadi won't be coming back, so save your breath, Ianthe," Dwynwen retorted. We all lapsed into silence, Ianthe glaring at me, Andor staring at his fists, Jayden with his head in his hands, Dwynwen lying on Sayer, Sayer staring stonily ahead and Ryan awkwardly twiddling his thumbs. Our gazes all turned to Ryan who bit his lip and smiled sheepishly.
Andor shook his head, getting up, "I'm going to survey the surroundings." He headed off into the forest muttering things under his breath. My gaze swept around the campfire, resting on Sayer who raised a brow. He nodded, without needing to hear my silent question and I ran off after Andor.
"Where is she going!" I heard Ianthe shout behind me.
"To make sure our only way into Tharielon doesn't change sides," retorted Sayer.
I wondered through the forest, keeping behind Andor, not wanting to interrupt him thinking. He seemed to know where he was going and eventually stopped at a lake. He stood there for a moment, staring at the shimmering water before taking off his top and sliding his shoes off. I couldn't help but gawk at his chest. He had a six pack and I had to admit, I had been fantasising seeing him without a top on for sometime... I bet Sayer, Ianthe and Zane had a six pack as well, the amount of training they did, but I would never gawk at him like I was gawking at Andor at that moment.
He walked slowly towards the water, dipping his feet in and skimming rocks across the surface. I watched him, not wanting to be a nuisance and tell him I had followed him here. This place seemed sort of private, as if Andor came here alone often. I tripped on a rock and fell onto a tree. Cursing under my breath, I leaned back to see an initial carved into the tree. A. Smiling to myself, I traced the A with my finger.
"I still don't know if I meant for it to stand for Andor or Valithor," I jumped as he crept up behind me again.
"Andor! You need to stop that!" I said, turning around. He smiled at me sadly and I smiled back, "Does it matter what it stands for?"
"Valithor has a history behind it and defines who I am-" I placed a finger on his lips, stopping him from continuing.
"No, it doesn't define who you are. You define who you are. Not your father, not your sister, not me, you. You choose who you want to be," I argued.
"I wish it was that simple, Morgana, I really do..." Andor sighed, brushing his fingers over his A.
I put my hand over his, "If you want to fight with your family I'll understand and respect that, I don't think you should be made to fight against them."
He frowned at me, "Why would you say that? You're a Hun-"
"Yes, I'm Hunter, yes, you're an Valithor, but to be honest, they describe nothing about us. Our parents are going to war right now and we're standing here talking to each other, as if nothing is going on..."
"You'd rather we were fighting?" Andor drew his hand back from under mine, his eyes becoming guarded, "You'd rather I treat you like Khadi?"
I shook my head, "No, of course not, I just... I'm sick of being on another side to you because of our surnames. I don't care what you've done, what you're family has done, Andor, you're my friend and no matter what anyone tells me or what you choose to do, I'll always be here for you."
Andor smiled and the guard in his eyes disappeared, "Thanks, Morgana," he offered me his hand and nodded towards the lake, "Want to come for a swim?" I looked down at my clothes and back up at him with a frown. He rolled his eyes, "Just come in your clothes, it hardly matters, you'll dry, and if not you can use your elements." he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the lake, "This is Nyx Lake, it's on the border of Tharielon so no one really comes here... Probably because they've seen me here, but I guess that's a good thing."
He let go of my hand and dived into the lake. He didn't come up for sometime and I felt a spark of panic arise in my chest, where was he? A splash to my right made me glance over to see Andor smirking at me.
"Come on!" He called, gesturing for me to get in the water. I shook my head not wanting to go anywhere near the lake for a number of reasons. One, I had no swimming togs, so my clothes would get all wet. Two, I wasn't a very good swimmer so Andor would constantly be waiting for me and three,I didn't want to make a fool out of myself in front of him.
Andor rolled his eyes, trudging out of the lake towards me, water spilling from his shorts as he walked. He stood in front of me, his arms folded, black hair plastered to his face and gold eyes staring at me.
"Do I have to carry you into the lake?" He asked, edging closer. I backed away, shaking my head. "If you don't want to get your clothes wet you could always take them off..." he added, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Andor!" I cried, my cheeks beginning to turn red.
"What? It was only a suggestion..." he replied, placing his hands either side if my waist. I frowned, not sure what he was doing until I felt my shorts begin to slip down my legs. I gasped, pulling them back up while he burst into laughter, "I'm kidding! You're face was hilarious though!" He chocked out through his laughs. I pushed him back and made my way back towards the forest but in no time he had his hands around my waist again.
This time me picked me up and dumped me over his shoulder. I gave an exasperated shout and like he had done the other day, he slapped my ass. I rolled my eyes, feeling my shoes drop off my feet as we neared the lake.
Andor plunged into the water, taking me with him and soon my feet were dipped in the ice cold water. I squealed, tensing up as Andor laughed. He dropped me into the water and I cringed as my body sunk under the blue monster. I shivered, standing up and rising until my head was out of the water. I moved my wet hair out of my eyes and glared at him, shaking slightly from the cool temperature of the lake. My clothes were plastered to my body like glue and I probably resembled something of a drowned rat at that moment.
"You're shivering," he chuckled, poking me.
"Wow, you're so caring," I retorted, turning away from him. He grabbed me by the waist again and pulled me towards him, running his hands up and down my arms. My heart began to speed up just from his touch and my skin tingled where his hands had been. My back pressed against his bare chest and I knew I shouldn't have felt the way I did but I couldn't help my emotions. I knew it was unfair on Ryan, I had agreed to date him and now here I was with Andor, but it wasn't as if Andor meant these gestures romantically, he was trying to warm me up. He was just a friend. Nothing more, he could never be anything more.
"Are you warm now?" Andor whispered in my ear, making me shiver.
"Yeah, thanks," I mumbled, not wanting him to let go of me. We stayed where we were,his arms wrapped around me, holding me against him. His chin resting gently on my head and his hands running up and down my arms.
"I've been thinking about that question you asked me yesterday," he spoke up through the silence. I felt him tense up behind me so I took his hand and squeezed it encouragingly. "I-I-I've decided to fight with you... But, there is one condition, I want to try to save my sister. There's no hope for my father, but there may be some for Thorn, so I have to try..."
I glanced up at him, locking my gaze with his, "Then I'll help you get her out of there."
"I don't get why you want to help me, Morgana," he replied with a frown. Because I care about you. I longed to tell him yet I knew it would only complicate things.
"I don't get why you want to help me, Andor," I repeated his words and he sighed, pulling me closer to him. "We're enemies and-"
"No," Andor growled, "Khadi and I are enemies. I could never be enemies with you." I smiled at his words, turning myself around so I could look at him. He smirked at me before slapping my ass and letting me go, diving under the water. He emerged further away and winked at me, "You're gawking again." I shut my mouth quickly, glaring at him.
I dived under the water, opening my eyes slowly expecting the water to be a murky brown, instead it was a clear blue. I could see everything clearly and it felt as though I was in another world separate to Valcriea. In front of me, Andor appeared under the water, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. I rolled my eyes and he began to swim towards me, his golden eyes staring at me intimidatingly. I gulped, swimming away from him.
He began to chase me through the water, getting closer and closer until he grabbed one of my feet and stopped me from swimming any further. His hand moved up my leg, pulling me closed and closer to him until my nose was pressed against his. We emerged from the water, me breathing heavily while Andor stared at me, not the least bit flustered. The world seemed to stop as he locked eye contact with me. I could feel his breath on my cheek and I shivered in anticipation.
A scream broke us apart and immediately Andor grabbed my hand and began surveying our surroundings. It hadn't come from camp, that I knew for certain, and I didn't recognise the scream. I glanced at Andor questioningly and for the first time, he looked scared.
"Andor, what is it?" I asked, pressing myself closer to him.
"The war started early," he whispered, "The Hunters have attacked Tharielon." his hand fell from mine and he began to swim back to shore. I tried to keep up but I was no use, he was already on the bank, scooping up his stone, not bothering with his top.
"Andor!" I cried, finally reaching the bank and beginning to sprint after him, my clothes weighing me down. I grabbed my stone off the ground and summoned fire to warm me up. My clothes began to dry and my hair frizzed up. I patted it down quickly before rushing through the forest after Andor. I opened my mouth to call for him again when a hand clamped over my mouth. I squealed in panic and turned to see Andor shaking his head.
He took my hand and pulled me through the forest, still soaking wet. Summoning fire once more, the heat travelled through my hand to his and soon his black hair had lifted off his skin and tousled as it usually was. The drops on his pale skin disappeared and his shorts dried. My eyes kept flicking to his chest but I tried to ignore the temptation.
We arrived at a cliff over looking Tharielon and Andor sat on the ground,legs hanging over the side, staring at the sight before him. Hundreds and hundreds of Dusarlas and Thariels were fighting on the fields, some Dusarlas were trying to break into a castle while others were setting the forests on fire.
Andor had gone even paler than normal and looked slightly sick. I sat down next to him, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his shoulder. I could hear the sound of swords clashing, screams and cries for loved ones. I could see magic being thrown in the air, the clouds were being set of fire, the sky being torn apart by the wind. In the distance I could see a giant castle looming offer the battle field and rows of cannons being set up. When they fired balls of fire were unleashed onto the battle field, burning Dusarlas and Thariels alike.
"My father is ruthless, he'll do whatever it takes to win," Andor muttered in disgust. "I just hope Thorn hasn't joined him..." He closed his eyes, biting his lip and began to shake.
"Andor..." My arms tightened around him, it worried me to see him scared. He was never scared. Never. He never showed his emotion either, and here he was unable to hold it in. Something was wrong and he knew something he wasn't telling me. He stopped shaking, opening his eyes slowly. They glowed a bright gold, brighter then I had ever seen. He stared straight head, set on the castle in the distance.
"We attack tonight," he said through gritted teeth, winding himself free from my arms and getting up. Without another word to me, he walked away.
I sighed, rising to my feet and began to trudge back to camp. The thought of attacking Tharielon scared me, I doubted I'd be able to do anything useful. I was terrible in training with Andor and the best weapon I had was my words. Fat lot of good they'd do in war.
I still wasn't convinced Andor would fight for us. Fight against the people who taught him what he knew, who brought him up. Fight against his home. I wanted him to fight with us, but if I was him, I'd fight for Tharielon. He had nothing with us yet he had everything with them so I didn't get why he chose to help us.
I watched the sun begin to set and shiver, 'We attack tonight'. I wasn't ready to attack anyone. I wasn't ready to kill. I wasn't Khadi, I couldn't do this. Maybe I could run off in the night, pretend I had gotten lost... No, that was unfair on everyone else, I couldn't leave them.
I sunk to my knees, hugging myself and willing myself not to cry. Despite my best efforts to hold the back, the tears spilled from my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. I wasn't brave, I couldn't fight like the rest of them. I was a hindrance. I didn't belong here. I had always thought of myself as strong around Ward, Claire and Evelyn, I always thought I could do anything. But in this world, I was weak, I was stupid, I couldn't do anything. Still they expected me to fight and I didn't know how.
"Morgana?" I heard someone call my name but I didn't move. I didn't want to talk to anyone, I didn't want anyone to see me like this. I slowed down my breathing, hoping whoever it was would just ignore me. "Morgana, I know you're there..." They were a lot closer now, probably behind me, but I didn't care. I had given up.
The person knelt by my side, rubbing my back gently. I glanced up from my hands to see two worried, emerald green eyes staring at me. Dwynwen smiled at me, falling back onto the floor so she was sitting down.
"What's wrong?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. I shook my head, not wanting to reply. "A trouble shared is a trouble halved." My heart rose slightly at her words, Claire always said that.
"We're attacking Tharielon, tonight," I told her.
Dwynwen gasped, "What! Why? Who said?"
"The Hunters are attacking Tharielon now, so Andor plans to attack tonight," I replied, crossing my legs and staring down at my stone in my hands, "I'm going to get us killed..."
"Why would you do that, Morgana?" Dwynwen asked, frowning.
I lifted my head to meet her gaze and chocked out, "Because I can't fight."
Dwynwen sighed, "Has Andor been training you?"
I nodded, "Though he's been getting frustrated because I can't do anything." More tears stung at my eyes thinking about Andor, I was going to lose him tonight, I was sure of it. Even if I didn't, we would be on opposing teams because I doubted he'd keep to his word of being on our side.
"I think he's been getting frustrated for other reasons..." Dwynwen murmured and I glanced at her questioningly but she just shook her head.
"What about Sayer and you then?" I asked, wanting to move the topic away from Andor and me.
Dwynwen bit her lip, "There's nothing between us-"
"Lies," I interrupted, "You love him, he loves you, why can't you accept that?"
"Because we can't be together!" she cried, her eyes growing wider in vexation.
"No, people don't want you to be together, it doesn't mean you can't be together. Why don't you see-"
"Morgana, there are several rules about love in Ezalfar. Rule number one, a warrior must not fall in love with a member from their group. Rule two, no warrior can fall in love an enemy of Ezalfar," she interjected. I cringed at the second rule, I was doomed. "Rule three, no warrior can fall in love with another species. Rule four, all leaders must marry before they take the throne."
"Wait, what? I have to marry before I become Warrior of Ezalfar? And I have to marry a Dusarla?" I cried in horror.
"Yeah... But don't worry, it's accustom if you don't have someone in mind by the age of 17 your parents pick several boys for you to choose from. Oh, and beware, you're related to a lot of them..."
"They try to makes marry someone I'm related to?!" I felt like I had fallen into hell, I most certainly was not looking forward to becoming 17.
"Yeah, make sure to ask if you're related to them or not," Dwynwen added. "Lots of people date relatives over here, as sick as it is, especially royal families such as yourself." I frowned, why couldn't I just be a normal Dusarla? I noticed Dwynwen had changed the topic from Sayer and her to rules, so I decided to change it back again. I wanted answers.
"Why was Sayer ignoring you at the campfire?" I inquired, even though I already knew why.
"I-I told him I didn't want to be with him, okay? He needs to understand we can't be together. He needs to stop f-flirting with me a-a-and m-making me w-w-want him..." Dwynwen stuttered, not meeting my stare.
"Dwynwen," I sighed, "I think you need to give him a chance, he's not stupid."
"It's hard when he won't talk to me," she retorted.
"Then apologise!"
"I shan't."
"Dwynwen, don't lose him again. He loves you, he'll do anything for you, try to how him some compassion," I pleaded.
Dwynwen folded her arms, "I don't want to be forced to split groups with him."
"Then I'll make sure you're not split!" I argued.
Dwynwen rose to her feet, "We're friends and that's all we'll ever be." With that she turned and marched away into the forest.
"You might not have him as long as you think," I called after her, though I wasn't sure if she heard me or not. With a sigh, I got up and began to wonder round the forest, not sure where I was going. Night was edging closer and closer and it scared me.
My hands trailed along the bark of the trees I passed, my feet kicking up the golden leaves which had fallen. It looked like Autumn, though the weather hadn't changed much. How long had I been here in Valcriea? Three months? Longer? I had lost count.
I continued thought the forest until I reached he fields where Ryan and I had come yesterday. I stopped for a moment, glancing around and feeling the wind on my face. A twig snapped behind me and I spun around, squinting, trying to see if anything was there. A shadow moved and I edged backwards, gulping. Someone was following me.
I turned and began to sprint into the fields, trying to get away from the person following me. What did they want? Who were they? How long had they been following me? I glanced behind me, trying to see if they were still there when I smacked into something solid. I yelped and stumbled backwards, falling on the ground in a heap.
I looked up slightly, biting my lip to see Ryan shaking his head and laughing. I rolled my eyes and he offered me a hand to help me up. He pulled me up off the ground and I turned behind me, trying to see if the shadow was still there. Nothing. Only fields, trees and bushes. No one was watching me.
Ryan walked in front of me, frowning, "What are you looking at?"
I shrugged, "I thought someone was following me, seems to be nothing though." Ryan glanced behind me, squinting at the forest and then shook his head.
"I don't see anything," he confirmed but started heading towards it to make sure. I took his hand and pulled him back.
"Don't bother, it was probably just my imagination," I told him. He shrugged, giving the forest one last glance before taking my hand and leading me further out into the fields. He pointed out a few more clouds but soon it was too dark to see any. Night. We would attack Tharielon soon.
I shuddered at the though and Ryan put his arm around me, thinking I was cold. In all fact, I was scared, not cold. How many would die when we attacked? Would we save Ariadne? Would the Dusarlas win against the Thariels? It had all come down to this. One wrong step, and we were dead.
"You look worried," Ryan stated, staring at me. The wind whipped around us, giving me goosebumps along my arms and making the grass at our feet prick out skin. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my head in his chest. He stroke my back slowly, still not sure what was wrong.
"We're attacking Tharielon, tonight," I whispered and he tightened his arms around me.
"Morgana, don't worry, we'll be fine, we'll get Ariadne and leave," Ryan said soothingly.
I raised my head to meet his, "It's not going to be that simple, I've promised Andor I'd help him save Thorn." Ryan expression turned from calm to angry and I cowered back slightly.
"Why would you promise such a thing?" he queried, still not letting me go.
"Because it's the right thing," I said, "He's helped us, it's only right I help him."
"And if you get killed?" Ryan added, his expression softening.
I chocked back the tears, "Then so be it. I die." Ryan pulled be back to him as the tears trickled down my cheeks again. What was wrong with me? Why did I cry so much? Why couldn't I be strong like the others?
"You won't die, Morgana, I won't let you," Ryan whispered to me, kissing my forehead then leaning his head against mine, "You'll be fine."
I smiled at him and he leant closer, gently placing his lips on mine. I pulled him closer, slipping my tongue in his mouth. There was no spark in the kiss, but at least it satisfied my needs and made me forget about what was going to happen. He deepened the kiss, pressing his body against mine and as I pulled away he began to kiss my neck like before.
I glanced behind Ryan and that's when I saw the person who had followed me, watching from the forest. My heart skipped a beat as I locked eye contact with his intense gold eyes.