Pᴇʀғɪᴅɪᴏᴜs || Tʜᴇ Cʜᴏsᴇɴ Eɪɢʜᴛ Bᴏᴏᴋ Fᴏᴜʀ

Chapter ten// Losing Everything

Zay
I don't often get scared. But right now? I'm terrified. My hands shook as I lined up beside Tyler. The hand gripping my quarterstaff had white knuckles. I focused on my breathing, trying to calm my nerves. Why were we doing this again?

"It's gonna work." Sasha's rumble startled me. His expression was bright, eyes full of hope and certainty.

"But how much are we going to lose?" I barely heard Navia's whisper as she stepped up on Sasha's other side. I blinked slowly. Everything.

My attention was brought back to Tyler as a group of people came out of the circle of tents nearby. The golden C's glinted in the bright, hot sun, a clear indication that they were our enemies. Well, the Greencloaks' enemies. Because, Conquerors or not, they are still my people. They are still the Stetriolians that I may have known as I grew up.

"Do you have the talismans?" Tyler's voice was deep and authoritative; it made even me want to obey.

"Do you have the captain?" The leader cried in return. He sounded like a boy, though he was the size of a man.

"He's right here." Our small crowd parted, showing Zarlo. He was bound again, and my heart ached at the sight. My breaths grew jagged. Something was wrong. My head darted up, scanning their ranks. My nerves were tingling; something was wrong. I spotted him a second too late, so the arrow was already flashing through the air as a warning escaped my lips.

"Look out!" I felt the world stop. Everything happened in slow motion as the arrow pierced my twin brother's chest and went straight through. Zarlo looked down at it, surprise lighting his features.

Everything came back to normal speed as he collapsed. I found myself beside him, frantically pressing my hands to the wound. "It's okay, Zar, you're gonna be okay." I felt tears drip from my eyes as the blood continued to gush out beneath my fingers.

"Zay-" he broke off to cough, more blood spilling from the corner of his mouth- "Zay... we knew this would happen..." his deep black irises held mine, struggling to stay clear of the clouds that were pulling at his life.

"Stay with me, Zar, stay with me." I gasped, feeling fresh waves of pain and tears crash over me.

"Zay... take care- take care of Olraz, please... he can..." his head lolled for a moment, then his gaze found mine again. "Z-Zay... we'll be okay, right?"

I let out a shaky, wet laugh. "Of course we will, Zar. We always are."

"Good." Red bubbles were forming at his lips as he spoke breathlessly. "I love yo..." the last breath left his system in a soft whoosh, then he moved no more.

I scooted back, horror washing over me. "No no no no no. Zar, please! Wake up!" I felt the hot sand on my palms as I scrambled away. My feet found their way under me body and I stood. My eyes swept the clearing, finding pitying stares from my teammates. I didn't want their pity. I just wanted Zarlo. I stumbled, retrieving my quarterstaff.

"Zay..." Sasha reaches out to me, but I pushed him away. I didn't need comfort. I needed revenge. My eyes fell on the Conquerors. Something burned up my throat, something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Anger.

Pure fury ran through my veins, masking my vision with red. I let out an inhuman roar and ran forward. There had to be about twelve Conquerors, but I didn't care. If I died, then at least I'd be with my brother. My quarterstaff whooshed through the air, a trusty companion in the midst of battle. Everything was a blur, and when I stopped to breathe, I was surrounded by bodies. Some had their chests smashed in, others had their necks broken, and others still had their helmets dented in a way that they couldn't have survived. I breathed harshly, raggedly. Two cowards had run, but if they fled from a fight, then they were not worth chasing. I felt my feet turn back to the Greencloaks. Stares pierced my back as I trudged back to the corpse in their midst. Navia, who'd been crouching beside him, backed away as I arrived. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "there was nothing I could do."

I nodded listlessly, not noticing that my quarterstaff had slid from my hand until it hit the ground with a thump. I saw Navia turn her face into Sabien's chest in my peripheral vision as I knelt beside my brother. His eyes were still open and glassy, so I closed the lids with a light fingertip. I slowly pulled his head into my lap, my fingers brushing through his hair. I took his left hand and brought it to my lips, kissing the strange birthmark we both bore on our wrists. It was dark, had never faded, in the shape of a Z. But at the same time, it was twisty and bent in odd places that made it look like a snake, rising to make the kill. His hand slid from my grasp. Tears blurred my vision as I pressed my forehead to his. My lips trembled. "Rest easy, brother." I breathed, "I will avenge you." I felt certainty flow through me. If I hadn't been sure before, I was now. The Conquerors has to be stopped. If they succeeded in their plans, Erdas' fate may be a whole lot worse than Zarlo's.  A single tear trekked down my cheek as I closed my eyes, whispering the standard response to his last statement. "I love you, too."

*screams* I'm sorryyyyy 😭 I had to? Also why am I publishing this so early? (it's like 5:00 here lol) Uh- idk but here ya go! Ahaha. Um, should I wait with the next chapter so y'all can recover, or should I start it and post it once I'm done? Please comment and vote! I love y'all tons.