Beautiful Tragedy

Seventy-eight

               Third Person POV
            ***Shadow Valley***

"Seda- I don't see mom." A voice whispers next to him.

"She's not here." Asher faintly whispers back, not looking the boys way.

Light green eyes narrowed as they bounce around- his mind thinking rapidly.

There's too many people

Too many men with guns. Many grouped together, only a few walked alone.

Apollo whispered again, but this time Asher didn't answer.

His mother wasn't here.

It wouldn't have been as quiet if she were, these men wouldn't be so calm.

Not with death lingering so close.

Apollo lets out another soft breath, keeping a tight grip on the branch above him. Leaning a bit forward he slowly turns his head scanning all the faces in the square.

"S-seda!" Apollo whisper shouts just as a low growl erupted from the mans chest.

Asher's body tenses, as a branch snapped beneath the mans clenched hand, eyes narrowing, lips curled.

"Aunt Raven.."

"Mine." The beast inside him raged, as he watched a dark haired woman being dragged out of one of the huts.

"Get off of me!" She yells struggling against them. But she wasn't the only one struggling.

Asher watched on, his lips curling into a vicious snarl, chest vibrating with the growl wanting to burst out from his chest.

A war raged inside of him.

To go down there and kill every single one of them that dared touched what he had claimed-their weapons be damned!

Duty above all.

But even as the beast raged wanting their deaths, it still held back with that thought in place.

Death before dishonor.

He made an oath- one bound in blood- passed on to future generations.

"I will not fail, I will not make the same mistakes as the last!"

But mistakes were made..
Too many to count...

Because like his predecessor, he wouldn't keep her contained.

Asher closes his eyes, blocking out the image of his little bird, fighting to be free. When he opens them again, he forces himself to look away from Raven, back to the house she was dragged from.

Duty, before love.

He remains silent, watching waiting until he sees Echo and a few others running from the back of the house and into the woods.

"Come." Asher rasps out harshly, turning for Apollo to climb into the giants back.

"Are we going to save aunt Raven?" The little boy questions as he quickly scrambles up the mans back. "We are going to help her aren't we?"

Apollo could feel Ashers muscles ripple under his hands, feel the unnatural heat pulsing from his skin. The giant man swallows thickly, the words tasting of ashes in his mouth when he utters the one word, "No."

He could feel the questions bubbling in the child chest behind him. Could feel the anger, sadness and confusion coming off the boy in waves.

"What are.. our words.." Asher finally rasps out once they're a good distance away.