BATTLE SCARS: (Indigo Symbols Book II)

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Myriad Of Killings

SARAH:
Huntor was morning, that much, that much was obvious, but Reina, well, she apparently didn't see that. after Wenzi destroyed the school, We landed in the Plain, and Huntor dropped our hands. He turned and walked away. "Huntor." Reina stalked after him. "Rey, he needs time, he—"He needs, to talk to me." She snapped, and followed him. Huntor however, seemed to ignore her as he made his way toward Kitana. The werewolf bowed her head as he came toward her, her face showing sorrow and sadness for our lost friend. "Where?" He asked. She walked a ways away from the camp, toward a bit of field, with a stone fence as a perimeter. Kitana opened the gate and walked through, Huntor behind her. Reina froze at the sight of Audrey's body. Someone, most likely Kitana, had undressed her, undressed her, so her small killing wound shown in the sunlight. Despite the wound, Audrey's face was peaceful, as if she laid here just for a little nap. The only kind of rest that death, or intense sleep could achieve. Death, Audrey was dead. I remembered when I first met her, remembered her bright face, remebered how she was when she fought Khione, teasing and ragging on the Goddess, how she made fun of her, fought with her, fought, fought, because I hadn't been strong enough to fight her. Huntor knelt, and his fingers glowed blue, one final time, one final try. He rested his palms over her naked breast and I saw agony cross his face, but he tried, tried one final time, he turned up the heat on that power, then, then, he rose, and shook his head, answering his own question. Kitana rested her hand on his forearm, "She moved on Huntor. I tried, but, but, but she was already gone." Gone, because Kitana was Huntor's Shadow, was able to commune with the dead, save those who weren't ready to die, and, and, and help those move on. Audrey was already gone, already moved on. He nodded, "Stay with me Kitana."
    "Of course I will." She said. "Who else?" Because we knew he needed more, there was always more. "Sarah, Diana," Reina's face went through several emotions as he spoke their names,my name, and Diana's. She turned and left the grave sight. Kitana squeezed his arm softly. I saw Diana pass Reina, and saw the look of challenge Reina gave the archer. Diana came through the gate and stood to my side. Huntor said, "Audrey Kylie." We waited, waited, as he broke inside. "Audrey Kylie," He said again, "You are my best friend, always were, since we first met, you were so shy, so sweet, so kind, I cared for you, cared, when you loved me." Tears began to fall from that blue eye, the right staying dry. Huntor didn't brush them away though. "You loved me, loved me, in such a way I couldn't love you back. You tried, tried to convince me, tried forcing me to touch you, sex you. But I always saw right through you." A small smile at the poor joke. "You never put us before the family though, you were always ready to fight for what we believed in, always ready to defend the ones we love." Kitana ran her fingers up and down his arm now, now, because he was stuttering, the pain deep. "We can stop." She said softly. "No, I have to get through it."
    "I hate you." He said, and his voice broke. "I, I swear Audrey, I hate you You're so stupid sometimes. Throwing yourself in front of me like that. Taking that shot, you always, always did that, so did I, but I knew not to die. We defended each other, all the way back to the time I came back to MSB and saved your sorry ass from being shot. Every time we got injured one of us, or the other saved the other's neck, and, now, now, and, and, and look at yourself now, dead, fucking dead, damn, damn you Audrey. Damn you Audrey, I love you, and hate you for that bullshit, stupid bullshit." He knelt and pressed his lips to her cheek, a kiss of farewell. "Goodbye Audrey, I won't let your death be in vain." Kitana stepped forward but Huntor said, "No, let me." He lifted Audrey into his arms and stepped to a grave, already dug, into the soil. He sat, and gently, gently, set Audrey into it with his telekinesis. Her body thudded softly against the soil bed. Huntor rose, and, with his whole body shaking with tears, lifted the mound of soil by him, and set it over Audrey's body. The mound settled over her and with the soft, almost silent thud, Huntor broke entirely, and fell atop her grave,sobbing his eye out. I stepped forward as Diana and Kitana did, and we all rested our hands over his arm, back, or shoulders,as he cried, cried, for the friend who'd never return. I glanced over to Reina. She was silently snarling at us all, her face filled with ire, with hatred. I wasn't sure if Huntor noticed, or, even cared. Kitana ran her hand over his back, "I understand, I understand, we all understand." He pulled away, and I saw it, saw something primal, horrible, terrifying, in that beautiful blue eye. He spoke, in a broken, broken voice, "Tonight we sleep, tomorrow, we finish this, we go finish the prophecy, and destroy the Keepers." I bowed my head, Huntor ran his fingers through my hair once, then walked away. Away, toward Reina.

REINA:
I watched him walk towards me, my face filled with anger, and hurt, so much hurt. He paused, a few feet away. He took a deep breath, and I looked into his face, into that beautiful, clever, wolf's face, my Huntor's face. Tears slid down his face, tears, from that beautiful blue eye. "Huntor." My voice was choked, filled with emotions, hurt, agony, loss, love. He stepped toward me, his hand reaching out, blindly. I took it, feeling the blood, the death, the sheer volume those fingers had done. The myriad of killings those hands, those fingers, those, those, those talons had caused. Yes, yes, talons, talons because, because, because those were wings he had, wings, a Drac'on's wings, a Drac'on's tail, a Drac'on's talons. Drac'on, the man, male, I loved, was half Drac'on. "Oh skies Huntor, my Huntor." I thought. I tugged on his hand. Getting the hint, he followed me through the field, the sun just starting to set. Seeka was still flying, keeping watch over us. We made our way to a bit of field that wasn't surrounded by tents, or had any eyes that were close enough to hear. I turned to him and said, "How long? How long, have, have, have you known?" Huntor's eye fell to our entwined fingers. I looked down and felt his fingers curving in, talons growing. I didn't yank my hand away though. "Since I met Seeka, Vello, and Theia for the first time. I suspected, but wasn't sure." "Now?" "Now? Now it's fact." He let my hand go to examine his talons. I looked into his face, into a face splattered with blood and gore, and saw fangs, fangs in that mouth, that mouth I had kissed, shared tongues with, let over my breasts, my shoulders, neck. "What happens now?" I asked. We were supposed to go to D.C. that changed. We went to your school, finished what you started, but now what?" Huntor looked toward the sunset, his face thrown in terrifying relief. He stared, unseeingly at Seeka's dragon form flying overhead. "What we once believed is long gone, the country is going to be razed by both sides of this war. Nowhere will be safe, everywhere will become bad lands. Innocence will die, Keepers and Indigos alike will kill, and, be killed. What do we do? We wage this war. We fight until our final breath. We take whoever is ready out there and fight. We fight, and fight, and fight. You, Sarah and I, we go to D.C. and finish this prophecy, find out whatever we need to, and join our brothers and sisters in this war."
    Huntor spoke to the others, his voice broken, empty, void. Amelia watched him with a worried look, but didn't intercede. Then, finally, finally, we were alone in the Pool Chamber, Huntor washing himself, me sitting next to him. He explained what the plan was, what they were going to do. That he wouldn't be joining them until we finished the prophecy and were able to at last, finish the war. Huntor pulled himself out of the waters and dried off. I put my hand over his arm, "I love you, you know that. I will always back you up." He bowed his head. I pressed my lips against his. My tongue traced his lips, but he pulled away. "I love you too." He said. Had he ever said those words? To anyone? Audrey? Amala? Seeka? Amanda? Huntor went up the ladder, and, smiling faintly, I followed.