The Island Boy

Chapter 25- Battle

        My eyes widened as the horse ran closer and closer to the edge. Before I knew it, the ground was no longer underneath us. I grasped Cedric in my arms as we fell down towards the flowing river.

        The General grasped me in his arms, burying his head into my neck as we made the long way down. The only sounds I could manage to hear was the sound of our screams, and the sound of the horse's whines. 

        Is this the end? The end of all of us? Even though I was falling, it felt like I was flying. Cedric's arms were freezing cold, almost as if they were lifeless. My heart rattled against it's cage, as we got closer to the deep water. The river water splashed along the rocks, and it was then that I knew we were done for. 

        "Let it all out."Jake muttered, patting my back. 

        "I will never leave you. Not for a spare second. Never." You lied to me. 

        "I love you Kai." 

        You could have stayed here longer. You could have stayed with me longer, smiled with me longer, laughed with me longer. Was I that terrible? Was I that ugly and abused? Did you only use me for that one night?

        I gritted my teeth. Damn it! I opened my eyes one last time, looking at the earth's beautiful skies before we hit the water. But we didn't.

        Right before we hit the water at full speed, a green bubble went around us. I shook the General, trying to catch his attention. When he looked, his eyes widened, and looked at the green bubble. He sighed. "Man I really thought we were done for." 

        He wiped the imaginary sweat off his forehead. Cedric looked at the bubble. "Is it real...?

        "No!" It was too late, and the child had poked his finger through the bubble, causing it to pop.

        We fell into the river, our clothes getting soaked. I swam towards the top, trying to catch some breath. "Ugh."

        The General grabbed onto my hand, and looked for Cedric. His head popped out of the water. "That was fun!" I glared at the child. "It was not fun." The General chuckled, and moved his bangs out of his face. 

        "And I had a pretty dress too..." The General wrapped his hands around me. "But we're alive. That should be all that matters." Cedric swam over, and pocked his head between the two of us. "Yeah Kai!" 

        I chuckled, and  ruffled his hair. The General leaned over to give Cedric a kiss on the forehead. He smiled, but then instantly frowned. "What about Kai? Doesn't she get a kiss too?" 

        Our faces turned bright red as he said that. "Well? Aren't ya?" The General swooped in, and gave me a light peck on the lips. "Yay!" He waved his arms around, and slipped on the seaweed. "Whoa!"

        We gently chuckled, faces still red. The dress plastered against my skin, as we moved towards the land. His arm draped over my shoulder, holding me close. Our faces were still red, and Cedric looked at the both of us in confusion. "What's wrong?" 

        I shook my head. "Nothing Cedric." I said, my face growing vibrant red.

        "But your face is red." He placed his hand on my forehead, "It doesn't seem like you've got a fever." He placed his hand on the General's forehead. "Neither do you..."

        He smirked, and pulled our hands towards the land. "Come on! You slowpokes!"

        Once we were on the land, Cedric pointed at the small cave. "Look!" We quickly ran towards it, but the General stopped us. "Hey! You can't just go around barging into caves. You don't know who or what is in there!"

        "But it's shelter..." Cedric muttered. "Yeah, well a canon could count as shelter but no one goes in there!"

        Cedric mumbled something under his breath as the General walked into the cave with his flashlight. "See. Now you can go in." 

        Cedric smiled, and ran in. "Yay!" He stopped, and covered his arms. "It's freezing." 

        The General walked up the center of the cave, to where an old fire was once held. He looked over at the cold floor, smiling. "Why aren't we in luck?" He held up a box of matches, pulling a stick out and stricking it. Cedric bumped into something. "Ow." He rubbed his head, and looked over at the stash of things. "Hey! More stuff!" I looked over at the bags there. "Hey...Isn't that..."

        I quickly dug through the bags, realizing that they were mine. I quickly opened it, noticing the letter. 

        I know you miss her Jake, but this is for the best. 

        I crumpled the letter up, tossing it into the fire. The general looked over, and walked closer. "Aren't those yours?" I nodded. "I don't know how these could have gotten here."

        It soon got dark, and the sun ran off to light up another village. "Get some rest. It's been a long day."

        Cedric slept by the fire, knowing we were comfortably nearby. "Can I ask you a question?" 

        "Anything." I looked up to see his light blue eyes look into mine with all seriousness. "How did I do that?"

        He chuckled, and pulled me closer to the fire. "If there's one thing the strong one can do, it's protect the ones she loves." He looked over at Cedric. "Maybe you did it for him. Maybe you did it for someone else."

        I nodded, and twiddled my thumbs. "That's how it goes. You could save us all. Only you. Because you've got the power, and you've got the strength and courage no one else has in this village."

        "Then we should go to battle. Me against everyone else." He shook his head. "I can't do that." 

        "Why not? We could save everyone here. We could save the children, I could take revenge upon my mother's death."

        He shook his head. "You against all those people. There's no chance, even if you are the strong one." 

        "I can do it! I know I can!" He shook his head. "I'm not going to let you go alone!"

        I gritted my teeth. "What, am I not good enough?" I pried his arm away, and stood up. "All those children will die if I don't do something about it!"

        "I just don't want to lose you! Think about Cedric! The boy has lost enough!"

        My fist clenched. "Fine. You go ahead and watch the world crumble away. But if someone kills Cedric...It won't be my fault."

        I walked out of the cave, walking across the river. "Kai! Wait!" I ignored his yells and he called me back. I could hear a child calling my name too. It almost felt as if the whole world was calling me back. Almost as if they really needed me. 

        But I have to do this. With or without them. 

        I could hear the sound of splashing through the calm river. Arms wrapped around me, and held me tight. "Let me go."        

        I could feel his warm arms. "I'm not going to let you go." His head fell onto my neck. "Please. Don't go."

        A pair of smaller arms wrapped around my waist. "Please don't go Kai!" 

        "Dad would be lonely without you here. He's never cared for a girl before. Plus, I'll stop bugging you. I promise."

        "Kai. You have to stay. You belong with us. Like a family."

        Cedric's voice was filled with worry. "Please Kai. Please." His head dug into the side of my stomach. "Please. Don't leave us."