Y a r a

》C h a p t e r 18. 1

The old wound dressing was removed and the raw wounds were carefully inspected while I layed on my back. A frown marred Dimitri's face as he concentrated.

"Lay still." He ordered.

I scoffed. "I am laying still-" I yelped out in pain when Dimitri pulled on the last cloth. Some of the wound dressing was stuck in the wound and was making it awfully painful to remove. My reaction made Dimitri lose his concentration and part of the wound was pulled open. His hand was already stained with blood.

"I said lay still." He looked at me.

"I-" I seemed to be at loss of words at the moment. I turned my head away.

At the moment we were resting. Dimitri's army met us halfway from the fighting fields, dragging along hostages who are to be dealth with.

"My king, Lady Yara, these horses were sent to you, it would be easier to reach the capital faster with horses." Said a soldier, holding two beautiful horses at his side.

The king nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you, you are dismissed." He then looked at me. "Almost done." Referring to the wounds.

Dimitri's warm hands suddenly brushed slightly against my stomach to ensure the cloth wrapping won't come undone. A faint colour of red touched my face.

A bit surprised at the reaction, I turned my head away so he won't notice.

Dimitri stood up and held out his hand for me to take. "I don't think riding a horse will do good to those wounds. One wrong movement and it's ripped open."

With careful movements I stood up and looked at the horses. "I'll be alright."

The King's eyes narrowed on me.

I rolled my eyes and stepped closer towards the horses. The horse closed its eyes as I rubbed his head. I looked back at the King.

"When are we departing?"

"When you're ready."

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Hushed whispers were heard as a group of men moved around in the water. The cave was dark and an echo followed every sound.

"This way."

The men followed the whisper and crept forward, towards the dim light seen in the distance.

"Start removing the stones. We need to get through this space. Do it quickly and quietly, anything can alert the enemy."

The men soon began to remove the stones, setting them aside. In every one's heart, hope and appreciation bloomed. They were thankful for Falcon's sharpness. If it weren't for him they would have died back there.

They were trapped in the building. Locked in. Everything was set ablaze. The smoke was thick and suffocating. Although some men lost their life when the building fell apart, most of them made it through the trapdoor into the narrow hallway leading to the cave. It was the escape route no one knew about.

As the hole got bigger and bigger, the grey sky could be seen.
A cold breeze floated by, reminding them of the cold reality soon to be faced.

The men climbed out and looked over the grey sea. It was restless and untidy.

"Come. We need to climb the ladder."

One by one the men climbed, exhausted and tired, till they reached the top.

Several emotions could be seen on the men's faces as they faced what's left of Linova. Most of them cried in anguish, having to lost everything dear to them. Anger to those that inflicted the pain. A sense of hopelessness floated through them. How could anyone survive this trauma? How could anyone move on from this?

"We will avenge them. We will kill them for what they did. They will suffer. Each one of them will suffer for what they did, we will spare no one."

Several agreements rang out through the cold morning.

As the lasting men of Linova watched their quiet town, they could think of nothing but revenge.

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Song: Eurielle