The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 139: Withdrawal

They had gotten there in the nick of time.

When Kija, Shin-ah and Zeno all went tense at the same time halfway into helping Yoon make dinner, Calista knew it couldn't be good but this wasn't what she was expecting.

She wasn't expecting him to be half dead by the time they found them. The horror nearly suffocated her as her eyes landed on his body laying motionless in the middle of an empty street.

At the inn, Jae-ha's dragon presence had felt strange, too strange for the remaining dragons to put into words. So when the three of them tore off in the direction they knew he was in without an explanation, the others didn't think twice before racing after them.

Hak tried to prevent her, Yona and Yoon from coming with since it was pouring outside and their clothes had yet to dry but they all went anyway.

As if there were anything he could say to keep them from going.

Calista had tossed her still damp cloak back over her shoulders and the two others did the same before going back out into the raging storm.

Shin-ah hadn't grabbed anything except his horned mask on his way out, putting it on his face even though he had the cloth on still and she was worried that he would get sick without his fur.

She had no time to think about it as her bare feet pounded against the slick pavement, wincing as sharp stones cut into her feet. But it didn't stop her. She didn't even slow down.

They ran.

They kept running until they found the dragons, who miraculously weren't too far away from where they were staying. She had caught up to the youngest on the way there but everyone else was already there by the time they arrived, a couple seconds shy of the rest of them.

Yoon muttered the whole time under his breath about how much trouble the eldest was going to be in but all of his harsh words died the second his eyes zeroed in on the slumped body being carried between Kija and Shin-ah.

Calista and Yona cried out, reaching out for him at the same time.

Yona's hand shook as she placed it against his cheek, shivering at how cold he was and Calista quickly checked for a pulse, breathing a small sigh of relief as she found it.

It was faint but it was there. That was all the reassurance she needed for now.

As they were carrying him back to the inn, Yoon frantically trailed behind, Zeno trying to distract him from crying but it wasn't working. Eventually, the yellow dragon managed to steer him away so that they could get back as soon as possible.

Calista was just about to catch up to them when something moved. Her body moved on instinct.

Faster than the eye could see, she caught the two projectiles that were launched towards her in midair and threw them down with a force that caused the glass bottles to shatter on impact.

She flicked her wrist, calling two more silver knives forth and faced the pursuers head on, blocking them from reaching Jae-ha or any of the others behind her. So, this must've been what he was running away from.

Her eyes narrowed into angry slits. "Hak."

Her brother nodded once, stepping up beside her, glaive braced across his shoulders. "Got it."

Yona turned around when she noticed that the two of them weren't with her, Zeno clinging to her before she could go to them. She worked to free herself, shouting desperately for him to let her go.

"I can help!!" She protested, reaching for her bow slung across her back.

"Sorry, Miss." He apologized as Yoon rushed over to give him a hand. "But the Mister is worried about you, so come with Zeno this time, okay?"