The Broken

XVI.

Spring came by. Flowers grew and bloomed out from the dead ground, as beautiful as always. Yet the war still raged on. An unstoppable wave of destruction.

"Kat finish your food" Osoe rumbles from across me. I glare in return and go back to pushing around the baked fish on my terracotta plate, my nose wrinkles at the oily stench that clings to its scales.

Seeing as i was not going to obey him, Osoe grunts disapprovingly but starts digging into his own. Dried fish was the only food we had managed to purchase during these couple of months. They had closed off the roads cutting through the mountains where we traded for food because of the war. I looked at Osoe again, he had lost a lot of weight and his face was more haggard. His hair was tainted with more grey than it ever had been and it bled into his beard, betraying his old age.

Ragnar didn't look much better. He had shaved his hair, causing his scars to become more prominent against his tan skin. Sam looked worst of all;  His once long hair barely reached his shoulders and had lost all of its shine, it just hanged limply. 

I blow out a breath, defeated.

Where are you Lillian?

I set down my fort and fold my hands on my lap. " It's been months..."

Osoe tenses. "We have looked everywhere Kat" he replies, immediately picking up what I was talking about.

The whole table becomes quiet. I ponder wether to challenge him, we had already had this conversation before, many times. but this time it was different, desperation clung to me so tightly i almost couldn't breath.  I shake my head "Not everywhere. We haven't looked in the East"

Osoes face hardens. "We cannot go to the East and you know that" his knuckles go pale around his knife as he says that.

I straighten in my chair, wanting to look taller, bigger.  "We have to try!"

Osoe bangs his fist against the table, rattling everything on it. Cups clink together in protest. "Lillian is gone Kat! We have tried everything to find her but we didn't; and now we no longer can because we are at war! We need you to focus! "

He rubs his face, his shoulders haunching. " It is time to let her go...."

I shoot up, my chair falling behind me. Eyes wide with panic i whisper "What?! How dare yo-"

"Its been months, months, Kataly. If she wasn't killed by the war-"

The back door bursts open, revealing Tarken and Azrael.

 "Osoe" Tarken calls urgently as he stalks to the table.

Osoe stands up "What is it" his face twisting with unease. Azrael stops next to Tarken, panting. His long black hair is twisted in a disheveled braid and his leather clothes are soiled with mud and things I didn't want to recognise. I never knew you could look happy and scare at the same time, but those were the emotions that clashed across his face as he takes a deep breath.

"I found her."

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Hey sorry it took months. I was in prison, jk i just didn't have motivation.