His Moonlight Saviour

23

Third Person's Pov

Zephyr closed the door behind Volkan, looking straight at Gartha. She had her back toward him as he sat down on her desk. "You should have told him, Zephyr. Now look at what is happening. The man cannot keep think straight and he has a war to to prepare for."

Silence echoed between them for a while before she opened her mouth.

"You are all wrong for what you placed that boy through. I am disappointed in you." Zephyr took her words to heart because she never told him something like that before. "I am deeply sorry for what I have caused b-" She turned to him, slamming the book next to him.

"Your sweet voice will not work this time, Zephyr. The way you treated him today, blaming him for causing this war when he needs all the support and love that he could get! You infuriated me today. I am not saying that what he did was correct, no one said that but it is already done and he paid his price."

"Amica mea-"(My love). She scoffed, folding her arms. "This is the exact reason why I stopped talking to you and closed off all the portals." His hands brought her closer to him, kissing her chin gently. "Please do not be upset with me, I will fix this with Volkan."

"I feel like turning you into a frog but Altar eats any that he finds." She pushes away from him walking toward the door. "I have not seen you in months! I do not want to leave here on another sour note." 

She simply ignored him, walking out the room with an extra sway to her hips.

~

Zulu didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to approach him after what went down in that room. She made sure to keep distance between them as Altar escorted them into their rooms. The creature stopped at a door, Volkan walked in.

"I would like to be alone tonight." She was slightly hurt but understood, she would want space as well. "Sure, goodnight Volkan." Without a word he entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Zulu!" She looked up, seeing Artemis walking up to her. "I'll take it from here, thank you." Altar left shortly. Artemis looked at her friend with sad eyes as Zulu fought back tears, forcing a smile. "Hey! Where's Nemesis?" She asked thinking it would take her mind off of things.

Artemis placed her hand on Zulu's shoulder. "You look like you need someone to talk to. I found this beautiful oak tree near the water. It is quite relaxing." She refused to let the tears fall. "Yeah, let's go there." Her chest felt swollen, tight and heavy all at once.

There they sat after Zulu told her what was going on, listen to the little creatures make their music, filling the silence. "Goodness. I do not know what to say."

Silence.

"Do you think it would have been different if I told him earlier?" Artemis nods. "It would have but the mistake is already done, Zulu. The most you can do right now is ask for forgiveness and prepare for the war."

"He may come around eventually." Their heads snapped behind them to find Elder Gartha. She gave her a small smile. "I finally got him to open up and I broke his trust." The elder nodded her head. "Just give him time, dear. He just has to process what happened."

"Not to be rude but how long have you been standing there?" Zulu asked making the woman smile. "I was just taking an evening stroll and saw that young one spying." She pointed on the tree and there was Nemesis hanging from a tree branch.

"Please come down before you crack your skull open." Artemis frowned at her friend who laughed, coming down slowly. "I did not mean to intrude on your conversation, I thought Sin had escaped his cage again."

"What is Sin if you do not mind me asking?" Nemesis asked, landing on the floor. "He is my Titanoboa."

"Boa? A snake?!" Zulu stood from where she was, moving away from the tree. She wasn't a big fan of snakes, fake or real. Gartha laughed at her actions. "He's harmless! The biggest baby you will ever meet, trust me."

"I'll pass on the visitation." Zulu said with a small smile. Artemis, Nemesis and Gartha soon left Zulu in her thoughts. She didn't feel as heavy as she did a while ago but she did feel a numbing sensation in her stomach.

~

"Zulu, try this." Nemesis placed a strange looking meat on her plate but she wasn't hungry, she hasn't been hungry for a while now. Gartha had them stay five days extra to figure out how they could keep me safe during the war and options were limited to none and they were on their third day.

Volkan was still quiet and to himself, he spoke to no one unless it was necessary. Mari noticed the separation between them, enjoying sticking herself to Volkan. She followed him like a shadow, stuck to him like his clothes and oogled at him every chance she had. Zulu glared at her as she took a seat next to Volkan and tried talking to him about useless things.

She didn't know that she was glaring at Mari that hard until her head started spinning. "She really is trying her luck." Nemesis mumbled forming her own glare at her. Even though he didn't give her the time of day, it upset Zulu.

Artemis poked Zulu's arm, frowning. "You are not eating again." She was worried about her. It may have just been a few days but her clothing were loose on her body. Since that night, her appetite shriveled. It included of water and a thin slice of meat.

"No, I'm eating." She gestured to her untouched plate. Artemis knew that she was feeling the guilt of keeping her secret from Volkan but she had to take care of her body. Zulu picked at the food, placing small amounts in her mouth, trying to convince her friend.

"Take care of yourself, Zulu." She simply nods, drinking some of the water, tasting the meat Nemesis gave to her. "This is horrible, Nemesis." She almost brought the thing back up. "I know! I just wanted someone else to taste it with me."