Carmine (Completed)

Chapter 71

We ran up the stairs. I found the courage to stare across the mangled debris scattered on the once beautiful landscape. The walls around it held their aggressors.

One group of people fired beams of light from their side of the wall into the opposing arrow carrying folk.

One person, alone walked along the wall without pause. Her determined walk indicated to me she was on a mission and I was that mission.

Corona looked up and I bent my knees into a crouch. Killing myself sounded sweet to my sanity right now. “Five any bright ideas?”

“None in particular...”

Janilla looked around weirdly then she said, “Can't we use this corridor to get to Valor?”

I looked up. Not at her, in space, I think we were a floor above them right now. “Okay, let us test that.” I stood up. “We need out of this hellhole.”

I ran forward, they followed and soon found ourselves navigating my handiwork. The floor sunk in at one side, while the wall tilted downward, ripping at the top seam.

Little time remained for this keep. We came into a clearing, Five picked a room and said, “We are over them.” 

In the corner, the floor and wall corroded away without its pillar holding it up. Over that, a room that bawled agonizingly about it's fragile plight. 

Janilla went close to it and looked down. “Oy!” She said. Five went behind her.

I heard a familiar voice. “I could use a lift!” Valor's voice was a Godsent in those times.

Janilla slipped when the floor sunk, but Five grabbed her. I steadied myself, but the roof collapsed in huge chunks crushing into the floor. It broke in many places and Five jumped onto a pillar rolling to the root of it.

I swerved away from the downfall, crouched up in the corner.

A cough escaped me. We needed to hurry out of here.

I heard Valor. “You guys alright!?”

“Yes!” I answered. 

I got to the ledge and looked down. Janilla gripped onto Five very tightly, her hair filled with white dust. Five held the pillar with one hand and stared up.

He saw what I did, for the pillar had big cracks. Five ripped Janilla's claws off him and let himself down slowly and dropped a few feet under Janilla.

His hands reached up, while his eyes asked for her trust.

Janilla’s face morphed into dense dread. Five was about to speak when Janilla’s head turned from his. She closed her eyes and pushed herself off into Five's grasp.

Her feet reached ground, she muttered something when she opened her eyes. She shook herself out of Five's grasp then began the process of brushing off all the dust of her robe and hair.

Janilla breathed in, waved her hands slowly and nodded with a raised chin as if proud of something.

With one blank stare at Five, she said, “Thank you.” She turned and walked off quite stiffly. 

Five looked at me. I shrugged, saying, "I'm supposed to say something witty here, but I'm out. You?”

"I was never good at commentary."

"Fair."

I fired the thicker thread and used it as an anchor. They slowly climbed up to our level. I hugged Marideth to me and drew Adu close to me. “Listen to me, do not trust Hion, do you understand me?” I said.