Grounded On Juniper Island

No Time To Waver

"I won't do it," said Oleg. He took in deep breaths, flaring his nostrils in the process. His heart was thundering inside. He hoped he knew what he was doing.

"I will have no part in it either," said Dom, cracking his knuckles and furrowing his brow. The thought of going against Dom sent a sharp tingle to Oleg's spine. He was happy he was on his side.

"And I won't join either," said Jane. She raised her eyes at Erasmus and pouted out her lips like a defiant child.

Oleg was now certain he had the right choice. With support of his fellow Urthkai and the majority of the Bounders, Erasmus had no chance.

Since when does this girl have sass? thought Lior, who was unsure what to make of her. At least she is strong when it counts.

"How feeble of you all, especially you Oleg. Just look how helpless your beloveds are." Erasmus clicked his tongue. His head shook his head in disappointment.

Oleg gazed at his parents above. He resorted back to shuddering and let the first thought in mind, come out in a flurry. "If you kill them, then you won't have an ally, but an even fiercer enemy." He shot Erasmus a venomous glance, one that slightly broke the sorcerer's confidence.

Surely he will join me, Erasmus thought to himself.

You should've known I fight for everyone, replied Oleg, confidently.

The tables had seemed to have turned and backfired on Erasmus like a perfectly aimed arrow missing its mark. This was his kill shot; the defining blow that would give him what he always desired.The influence of his friends and his Bounder family were gravely underestimated.

Erasmus shot his hand into the air. "Fine, you leave me no choice." He regathered his malevolence, evident in the emotionless stare he drew upon them, and ordered the roots to do his bidding.

They clamped down on Ivan and Ursula, causing their bodies to convulse violently. Their heads bobbed like determined woodpeckers, desperate to make a new home. Grey skin was quickly transforming into white.

Doubt started to creep him. He had his friends but at what cost would it be to his parents?

Erasmus had him in a bind. As confident as he was, he hated making decisions. Each second it wavered from on choice to the next. The sorcerer knew him too well.

He had to come to  compromise

"Wait, please stop!" Oleg rushed forward with the palm of his hand out stretched. The webbing of his hand, ached as it spread. "I'll join if you answer me one question." The roots relaxed, letting his parents hang limp.

"Mate, what are you doing? " snapped Lior, shocked by his recent change of heart. "You may as well be the one suffocating your parents."

He was right. He was so flustered and only had a rough plan of what to do. Desperation made you do crazy things.

"I am doing what I have to," he answered. The sorrow in his voice made his response sound more like a whimper than a reply.

"Easy buddy, have faith in what he is doing," said Lorne, who had struggled to hold his tongue the entire time. He could have easily  told Oleg that if he joined Erasmus he was betraying all of them. However, it was his choice to make, as he himself wouldn't know what to do if his parents' life were on the line.

"But he can't do this brother," added Dom. "He has fought too hard to let him have his way."

"Jane, do something," said Lior, flashing her a worried look. Squinted eyes stared upon her, making his face smaller. There was an uncharacteristic vulnerability to it.

"I am sticking by him no matter what happens," said Jane, confidently, clutching Oleg's hand firmly There was no hesitation in her response.

The warmth of her skin on his dragged him away from the chaos. His eyes traced her body from the tip of her toes to the top of her hairless head. She was beautiful; a beauty worth fighting for. If only he could be alone with her and show her how he truly felt for her.

It was overwhelmed to know that she thought he could do no wrong.

Her loyalty to him was unbreakable. Despite the loss and danger that existed around her, she owed it to him for showing him such a beautiful life. When she seemed lost, unaware of how to make her way in this new world, Oleg guided her through it, kept her strong and on the straight and narrow. She knew Oleg felt the same and swore to herself that she would do anything to keep that together.

"Can we please end this? " said Erasmus in a painful whine, catching the attention of all around. "What do you want to know?"

Oleg blurted out his response. "Why were you not killed like the rest of the Urthkai?"

Erasmus hesitated, pinching the middle of his forehead.

"No answer huh?" Oleg could feel his voice growing louder. His thoughts of the Krals, his biological parents; the ones who made his existence possible, shot out of him into a scream.

"My birth parents! Jane's family! Hudson's family! Dom's family! They all died, but you somehow you weaselled your way out of it. Tell me did you broker a deal with the devil?"

"Alright!" The veins in his face rose to the surface, making him look like bloodthirsty animal ready to pounce on its helpless prey. To Oleg, he wasn't menacing anymore. He was a coward, who saw an opportunity and ran with it.

"I was the one, who told them where they were. I was the one, who gained the trust of everybody and led them to the prisons to be slaughtered. If it wasn't me, they would have ended me first."

Silence had overcome everyone. It felt like the Bounders were frozen in time; unsure what to say or do. Even the animals from the loudest cicada to the wildcat silently stalking its prey didn't make a sound.

However, Oleg was indifferent; he was wide awake.

He wouldn't be able to hold back what was about to come. 

Hey everyone here's nice, short and sharp on for you. Originally the chapter was meant to be longer, though I thought it would be better to divide into two.

What would you done if you were Erasmus? What do you think about Jane and his loyalty to him? Is it silly for her to feel that way?

Please vote, share the story and leave comments :)