You helped me

Chapter Eighteen - You Came For Me

"Rythian! Rythian no! Please don't leave! I'm sorry! RYTHIAN!"

Rythian's POV

I awoke from the nightmare, it seems that Zoey's screaming hasn't left my mind; the memory was fresh like it happened just now. It was nearly midday and I decided to take a rest since I couldn't get any sleep last night. I covered my head with my gloved hands, feeling the roughness of the leather. After a few minutes, I got up, no use crying about it now

After walking on in a failed attempt to find a village, the cursed night arrived. The sky turned from crimson gold to grey; stars dotted the sky and the moonlight lit a path. I unsheathed my katar, the yellow aura adding a little light. Moans of zombies and the hissing of spiders made me tense, the soft clacking of the skeletons’ bones could be heard as well.  I put down a torch and readied my sword.  Zombies emerged with their arms raised, spiders crawled and jumped. Skeletons with arrows nocked into their bows, the army was led by a spider jockey. I charged slashing at the monsters on the way; my clothes were splattered with blood and gore. I smashed the bones of skeletons and burned the zombies to the ground. Spiders were stabbed easily by my sword. The spider jockey’s spider had died and the skeleton retreated with a few other spiders and zombies.

Soon, none of the monsters moved, all of them were just torn pieces of flesh or shattered bones on the ground. A skeleton without legs crawled towards me and I stamped on it skull, stopping its movement. A familiar hissing sound whistled by my ear and I turned around, but I was too late.

Boom.

I lay on the ground, just only realizing I’d had forgotten to put on my armor, my side was bleeding but I couldn’t feel pain. Am I dying?  Raising a hand in front of my face, I saw my leather glove was splattered in blood, black blood. My arm fell back again. I felt a sudden regret, sorry Amber, I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with you, I’m sorry Cole and Haley for abandoning you and I’m sorry Zoey that you had to live this life without me, I’ve been a horrible personal guard. With the last of my strength, I cried out Zoey’s name hoping she would hear me.

Haley’s POV

Cole ran next to me as we ran towards Zoey’s room, Emeila behind Cole. We burst into the room, Zoey on the floor, her head in her hands sobbing gently, King Xephos next to her a reassuring hand on her back.

“Zoey what happened?” Amber came rushing in; she had forgotten to take off her armor after coming back from a mission. Zoey turned, her red hair was tied off her face in a messy ponytail and her eyes red from crying. Purple war paint on her cheek was smeared by her tears.

“He-he, left,” Zoey said, stuttering, “R-R-Rythian! He left!”

I could only stand there, shocked, “Why!? Why did he leave?”

Zoey looked like she wanted to cry her eyes out again, she whispered something then suddenly shouted, “It’s my fault! It’s my fault, he left alright!” She brandished a knife from her boot sheath and the King backed away. She raised it but then her eyes widened and closed, she breathed Rythian’s name and passed out. A boy stood there holding her, the knife dropped from her hands.

He was tall, looked twenty at least, and dressed in a green hunting cloak. A bow and a quiver of arrows strung around his body and an emerald sword was sheathed by his belt. Surprisingly for his lean arms he could carry Zoey like she was nothing. A gust of wind blew through the window and the hood fell back from his face. Shaggy brown hair covered the top of his head and sad brown eyes looked at Zoey.

He mumbled, “I’m home Zoey.”

A/N: That is the end for Rythian, he wasn't supposed to die this way but oh well, that's life deal with it. 

-Val :)