"He what?!" Mike asked, eyes wide and tears brimming the edges.
"I'm sorry," Richie said quietly. "We need to go. They'll be coming for us."
"How long would you say we have?" Stan asked, looking into the surrounding forest.
He was terrified to be caught and killed, and knew if they didn't do something, their families at home would take the blame. From the expression on Bev's face, she felt the same way.
"I'd say an hour? Maybe less?" Richie responded, walking into the cave. "Eddie, get up."
Eddie was asleep in a tattered sleeping bag, Bill and Ben sleeping next to him in their own bags. Eddie seemed peaceful while he slept, and it made Richie's heart ache.
Then he saw Bill's black eye illuminated by the moonlight and felt a wave of anger hit him.
"Eds, wake up!" Richie said more urgently, shaking Eddie's shoulder.
Eddie's eyes fluttered open and then narrowed in confusion when he saw Richie. "What?" he asked in a sharp tone, clearly still pissed off.
"Klais is coming for us. We have to go!" Richie lifted Eddie up, who immediately protested and pulled away from Richie, stating he could walk on his own.
Eddie went over to Bill and Ben, shaking their shoulders to get them up. "Come on, we have to go," he whispered.
Both boys were confused but got up, clearly groggy and Bill complaining of his headache. He glared when Richie snickered at that, pushing past the boy and walking outside the cave.
"Wh-where are we g-g-going?" Bill asked, crossing his arms. "It's fr-freezing out."
He went ignored, as did Eddie's questions. They were ushered past the cave, Mike informing them of another port where they could escape to allies in Konilla until it was safe to do anything else.
"Why are we going to Konilla?" Eddie asked, grabbing Richie's arm to stop him from ignoring him. "Richie. What's going on?"
Richie shook his head. "I'll tell you once we're off this island."
Eddie had always been stubborn. It was the only quality his mother disliked about him. "No, Richie. You told me Klais was after us! Tell me what the fuck that means!" His voice was raised, making Richie cover his mouth.
"Shut the fuck up, Eddie! I can't explain it right now, okay? Can you just trust me?" Richie pleaded, the upset tone clear in his voice.
Eddie nodded, and Richie removed his hand. It was a moment of tense peace between them, until they heard a scoff.
"I t-told you that y-you can't trust Tenebrians, Eddie. How f-f-fucking stupid are you?" Bill asked, nearly making Richie run and attack him again.
Thankfully Bev and Stan were there to stop him, grabbing his arms before he could react.
Bill noticed that and laughed. "See, Eddie? H-he needs his f-friends to hold him b-b-back because he's too dangerous oth-otherwise."
Richie was pissed but knew he had to control himself. He didn't want Eddie to hate him even more. He forced himself to calm down, focusing on the frozen breeze and the shadow of Iris flying around overhead, making sure no one was coming.
"Shut up, Bill," Eddie said, surprising Richie.
Richie had figured Eddie would have just stayed quiet. He went off on Bill earlier, but he was mad at Richie. There was no point in defending someone he was pissed at.
"Y-you know I'm r-right."
"No, you're not," Eddie snapped, glaring at his brother and grabbing Richie's hand. He squeezed softly, letting Richie know he wasn't as upset anymore. "I can see why he kicked your ass. Don't be a dick."
Richie looked down at Eddie to see if it was protection or genuine care. He felt his heart swoop as Eddie smiled softly, letting him know he was forgiven. Even though they didn't know each other all that well, Richie felt as though he was connected enough with Eddie to read his emotions.
Sure enough, once Stan, Mike, and Bev had taken the lead with Ben and Bill, Eddie pulled Richie aside.
"I'm sorry that I was so mad, Richie. I didn't realize what he had said," Eddie whispered, walking slowly behind the group. "I didn't know he was capable of being that horrible."
"It's okay," Richie responded, smiling softly at his boyfriend. "Sorry for kicking his ass."
"He deserved it. I didn't even notice... that's how I was when you met me, huh?"
Richie could tell it upset Eddie, but he'd be even angrier if Richie lied. "Yeah, but you're not like that now," he said hesitantly, watching Eddie's face shift into an angry expression.
"I hate Luceat," he said suddenly, looking at his arrow. It was scabbed over from Patrick cutting it, but the arrow shape was still visible. "I hate that we're sheltered and lied to and I'm never going back."
Richie could almost feel the anger radiating off of Eddie, though he was proud. "You're the only good thing to come from Luceat," Richie said, smiling and pressing a kiss to Eddie's hair.
Eddie blushed at that. It was barely visible through the shadowy forest, but Richie could still see it.
"I'd say the same about you, but Bev and Stan are pretty cool," Eddie said with a laugh, standing on his top toes and kissing Richie's cheek. "And you said that your mother is really nice too."
"Fine, so more decent people come out of Tenebris. I'm not ashamed of that!"
"You shouldn't be. You are all incredible. Except for Henry and Patrick."
Richie laughed but was cut off by Stan swearing loudly.
"What is it?" Richie asked, he and Eddie jogging to catch up with the rest of the group.
"Henry. He may be an asshole but he's one of ours. We shouldn't leave him!" Stan said, glancing back the way they came.
"He's a traitor. I overheard from Klais and the king. He sold us all out."
Bev swore, getting everyone's attention. They all stopped, knowing they needed to talk out a plan. No one had any idea what they'd do if they managed to escape, or what would happen to the Ponanians.
"Henry knows all about the rebellion! He could expose everything!" Bev said, before realizing Bill and Ben were there.
"There's a rebellion?" Ben demanded, looking at Eddie to see if he had known.
"Of course there is! Like we'd stand to be mistreated our whole lives," Stan snapped, making Ben fall silent.
"Can we save our fighting until we're on the ship? I'd like to not get murdered tonight," Mike said, leading the group toward a downward slope.
It was steep, but they could see the ocean about a mile away and down the hill. Mike told them there were ships they could take.
The sun was rising, spreading light through the forest. All of the teenagers were hungry and exhausted, but they knew they had to keep moving.
Carefully and holding tight to one another, they began to slide down the hill.
