How I Met Hena Chakelithp

Chapter 27. The Last Battle

Chaos reigned. Hena dove away. All thoughts fled from my mind except saving those dragons. I didn't see another person, not even Arvern, who had disappeared somewhere. I grabbed my axe and ran. It was all a blur. I darted along the the cliffs, back and forth, watching for Vechti. I was keeping an eye on his ship, which was drawing steadily closer to the cliffs where I stood. I didn't question where Arvern had heard about this. All I knew was that I had to help keep Vechti away from his ship, otherwise all would be lost. I paced back and forth on the sandy top of the cliff, frantically watching for any sign of Vechti. However, as I was supervising the barren clifftop and the slope inland, I happened to come across the one thing that could have instantly distracted me(and indeed it did): the lifeless corpse of the mean boy who I'd killed.
I strode right over. He had many wounds. The sand was red with blood. He was sprawled out on the ground, his arms and legs stuck out at odd angles. His head was split in two, his face warped grotesquely where the skin was stretched across the two skull fragments. It was by far the most horrid thing I'd ever seen in my life, and it was made a thousand times worse to know that I myself  had caused it. I myself  had subjected another human being to such a horrible death. Yes, he had insulted me, and maybe I had purposefully caused him a little bit of temporary pain,  but nobody in the entire world, no creature under Cheeliad's skies, could ever do anything to deserve a punishment like this.
"Examining your results, girl?" said a cold voice. I gripped my axe tighter and turned around fast. An extremely formidable-looking man stared down at me. He was wearing leather armor and iron-toed boots. He had scarred hands that were holding a basket full of what looked like unconscious baby dragons. He was burly and very tall with a dark beard that grew wild all over his face, but through it I could see a pair of malevolent jet-black eyes.
"If you'll please move aside, I need to get to my ship." He pointed to the ship, which by now was directly in front of the cliffs. I refused to move, determined to keep Vechti away. He shoved me aside and then ran toward the ship. I got up and ran after him. I was faster, even though he was bigger. He was holding a big basket, and I was only holding an axe. I soon caught up and stood once again between him and his ship. I dodged his hands and held him back until he took out his sword.
"This is your last warning, girl!" Vechti said, a menacing look in his eyes.
"No!" I refused defiantly.
It happened in a shining, instantaneous flash of steel: He whipped his sword across and hit me in the side, knocking me to the ground...

Pain beyond pain, nothing but pain. My world was rapidly disintegrating into a mass of red and black. All I saw was a figure running toward a ship in front of a reddish blue background. Then something, I couldn't see what, whizzed past him. I could hardly turn my head to see what was going on, but I did with a huge amount of effort. I saw three more figures on top of a cliff above me. One had short brown hair and was slightly taller than the others. One had golden hair down to its shoulders and looked thin and curvy. The last had long black hair and was holding a bow and arrow.
The black-haired one shot an arrow at the first figure, and the first figure doubled up and dropped the big object he was holding. I managed to make this out through the miasma that surrounded me. The pain was overwhelming now. It trapped me in darkness, suffocating me. I struggled to see through the swirling colors. Then the first figure, still doubled up, staggered away and disappeared into the orange glow, and then I could take no more.