Chapter 4 - The Crossing

 The very next mourning, everyone on the boat attended a service for all who had died on the Island. The service only lasted an hour but a lot went on in such a short amount of time. Kids where left with neither mother nor father only relatives nor sometimes only neighbors. Parents lost children land and everything they ever owned. I refused to shed a tear as others did. I had to think of myself better…stronger…what hope am I if I cry? I thought to myself. I saw Kayla cry as the ship passed flowers and anything else of memory of the people diseased where throw behind us. From another fisherman’s view it looked like we where polluting the sea with garbage but from where I saw it all the hurt and pain and suffering was being poured off the ship. John came but only stayed for the first few minutes. He couldn’t bare being around anyone not even me presently. Even if I didn’t want her around Kayla stood by me. Sometimes I’d get pissed and yell at her, but it passed. She knew I just needed time and when it came down to it I’d want her back. I always had suffered alone even when I had family to suffer with. It always felt like only my burden to bare. Eventually I did reach out to talk to her. The day was hard and evening came slowly. I was walking around the deck getting some air and trying to cool my head when I saw john starring off into the horizon. If he felt anything like me I thought then he’s gonna need someone to lean on too. I walked over to him but I didn’t say a word. Like Kayla did to me when the courage and the words came to him he spoke to me. I just gave him the mental awareness that I was there.
“ It’ll be hard going back…with her gone and all” He finally worked up to say.
“Yeah…when it’s all over…I wanna give her a proper burial…” I said.
“Its funny…for the longest time I didn’t think much of her…not past a friend or an annoying neighbor it wasn’t till around the times in the prison until I really noticed her.” He takes a deep breathe and pauses,” I thought I had all the time in the world to ask…and now…I won’t know”.
I stood there as the wind went through my hands and feet.
“ I don’t even think I’ll make it past all of this…for a while after yesterday…I seriously contended if I believe in god or not…he left her and she was one of us” John said.
“One of us?” I repeated.
“Yeah…The Sanction you said had abilities called Trinities and you said I had them too…Well…She had them as well” John barley made out. His voice was cracking in again and even thinking about her so soon was hurting him.
I decided to drop the subject because it wasn’t helping any of us. I’ve got so much to lose in all of this I thought. Now thoughts of the same thing happening to Clair or Kayla popped into my head. The scene with Kyoko was almost burned into every second I closed my eyes. The idea of it happening to Kayla or Clair was mind-boggling. I couldn’t take losing anyone else.
“So how do you feel about the Twin cities?” I decided this was as far off subject I could think of.
“Well…at first fighting in some unholy war sounded well…kinda scary to be honest…I mean how you described it. I’d be fighting a shoot load of things putting my life on the line and to know they are infinitely coming and theirs no way to win eats at ya…I don’t really want to die and I had no reason to really fight but now…I’m not just fighting for me anymore” He said and tried to force a smile. A tear rolled down his cheek and his breathing got heavy. I knew it was my time to give him space as Kayla gave me. I took a glance back when he had leaned his right arm over the side of the boat for support. I stood there a second gazing at the pink, orange, and red sun set before finally going back below the deck.
I hadn’t spoke to Lenneth since that time. Even if I happened to walk passed him I didn’t even acknowledge his existence. Right of wrong I hated him right now. I passed down the hallway into my room. It was getting late and I was tired from the previous night. I noticed that whatever wound I got healed in a matter of hours. I guess the Twilight has some advantages I thought and smirked. I laid my head down and was instantly asleep before I knew what even hit me.
 
There was a loud thunderous noise that woke me hard that night. I woke up with a fright as I could here yells and screams from above. Damn I thought my heart racing grabbing my sword and almost breaking down the door. There was a dim sheet of water on the ground as I made my way to the deck of the ship. I large wave hit the boat a shook it hard. I grabbed the side of the ship for support.
“Leon!” John yelled slicing in two a small creature.
Then from the side of the ship other bigger version of the scaly demons reached onto the ship. They where followed by the creatures from Albina. Clearly there wasn’t anyway to stop them. The ship leaned hard to the right knocking to my feet and I slid along with others.
“Hold the Damn ship steady!” John roared as the knocked the man in charge of steering out the way. Other men had taken up arms against the small creatures but just fell pray to the might of the bigger ones from Albina. The creatures long silvery skin glistened in the rain as it from into a sharp blade and with a deep cry ran over a sliced at me. I dodged it barley as it cut through the side of the boat down below. I sliced it quick in the leg and then with a flash of light shoot it clear off the side of the boat. Others quickly followed it as the men stood off and fought and the women took shelter down below.  I was doing fine holding them off from the civilians when I loud screech knocked me off balance. Everyone stopped in his or her tracks as it sounded off again. We listened and then without warning a large tentacle erupted from the center of the boat and sent men flying off the ship into the water. The water boiled a dark red seconds after they had entered.
“Leon!” Kayla screamed as a large wave sent her flying across into the railing of the ship. The railing collapsed from the tentacle she was holding for dear life.
I froze for a second remembering painfully back to the island. It all played in my head and I didn’t even need to think to act this time. I slid and grabbed her arm just before they gave out but with another hard wave to the side of the ship I was slipping too. I held her arm with both arms but I couldn’t pull her up nor could I keep my own balance on the ship. I was slowly slipping to her weight and my own just before I fell and I felt a strong and on my shoulder. I looked back to see Lenneth had grabbed my shoulder and grasped my hand just before I dropped into the water. Now I only supported Kayla with one arm.
“Don’t let go!” He yelled.
“Like hell if I’ll let another die” I retorted back to him.
He ignored my words as a wave hit us all hard in the face. I looked up to see his leg was wedged between a crack in the side of the ship. I couldn’t even see what was going on the deck since we where only feet from the ground.
“Pull us up!” I yelled to him.
“I can’t!” He said squinting. I looked back up and his leg was dripping with blood because of our weight.
Its not gonna hold for much longer I thought to myself. I could here the ship crack and it almost sounded like his leg as the storm raged and water dripped onto my face. I held Kayla’s hand tighter as I looked down to her face. She was neither scared nor afraid and looked at me with hope, and I wasn’t going to let us die if it killed me. Just then the wedge Lenneth had had on the ship broke and we began falling. I hit the water hard, as I didn’t break my grasp on Kayla’s hand. I barely managed to swim to the surface as I tried to keep her afloat. I could tell she hadn’t swum before because she panicked and clung to me just like Kyoko so long ago it seemed.
I could make out the out line of the Tentacles moving under us.
I debated using the Twilight but if I did then I’d have to leave someone. I couldn’t carry Lenneth and Kayla and I knew that if I tried and failed there wouldn’t be any winners. Lenneth swam over close to me with his blade in his hand.
“What ever happens Leon…I’ll fight, bleed, and die to keep you and the princess safe?” Lenneth said to me.
I was not in the position to argue nor did the situation call for it. I nodded, as I kept afloat for both our sakes. I felt something grab my leg and instantly I was pulled down into the towering depths of the Ocean.  I could make out Lenneth’s body trying to fight back under water but failing. The Tentacles constricted the life out of us and pulled us deeper and deeper was its grip on us got tighter. For the one instant I let go of Kayla’s arm so she wouldn’t be dragged down with me.  Then I heard a large sound as the last of my air faded from my body I could make out a large spear in the water as the center of the beast’s blood ran with us in the water. The tentacles grip on me lightened up as my body gave way. I saw Lenneth and Kayla just before my vision went black and my lungs collapsed. Her lips fell soft on me and it was the warmest feeling I had ever felt. My body took its last try for air as my I passed out.
 
When I came to I was coughing hard the salty water of the sea. I turned over to my stomach and it felt more like I’d hurled everything I’d ever eaten. I could barely breath for a few seconds. I looked up to see everyone standing around me.
“Mr. Leon I presume?” A man dressed heavily with badges and stars of all kinds said to me offering his hand.
I took it gratefully and answered yes.
“We have orders from the King to Escort you from here to the Twin cities and their you will immediately be asked for a meeting with the King himself understood?” He said.
“Yeah…where is everyone else?” I said looking around at the circle of soldiers.
“The Female and man that swam you up to us are resting but are looking as bad a shape as you. Other then a number of survivors off the ship that was attacked everyone else perished to the creature before we could bring it down” The man took off his hat and bowed. The other soldiers copied and did the same.
I stood up and pushed through them and went below deck. I looked through the doors quickly and found John sitting on a bed with a towel.
I took a sigh of relief when I saw him.
“Your awake already” He said to me,” Didn’t actually think we where going to make it through all of that”.
“Your not the only” I said taking a deep breath.
“Where’s Kayla?” I asked him.
“The princess? She’s a few rooms down. She passed out not long after they got her on the ship. They almost had to pry her off you” He said with a smirk.
I smirked,” Is she ok?”
“Go see for yourself but last I saw she was just resting” John said.
“Thanks” I said about to hurry down the hall but I thought for a second and turned back into John’s room,” Are you going to forgive Lenneth?”
The room had an awkward silence before he spoke.
“ I don’t blame Lenneth for his…I blame myself and my weakness to save her. He did what was right and it was me who didn’t secure her safety before any others…I just couldn’t leave all the those people on the island to die…turns out that most of them died only a day after we got off”.
John looked grim” How many actually made it off?” I asked.
“Counting me…2 or 3” He answered solemnly.
My heart almost skipped a beat with that lose,” Damn”.
“Don’t worry about it” John said,” You did what you could…But we have to finish this. More are going to die and I don’t want kids to lose their parents or Parents to lose their kids…it’s just a vicious cycle of death and it’s following us where ever we go”
“It follows me…and the people who wield the Twilight,” I said in a deep voice.
“Well…Even with that said…it’s not just your problem anymore” John said raising his sword to his shoulder. He stepped out of the room and went back up to the top deck.
I went down the hall checking every room until I got to her room. I walked up to her bed and took her hand. She was sleeping peacefully and I stayed by her side. I laid my head back on the bed next to her. I closed my eyes and after a few minutes began to hum a song from when I was younger. I didn’t know the words but I knew how it sounded perfectly. The song rang in my ears and I didn’t even notice for a few seconds someone was calling my name.
“Leon” I heard a voice yell.
I instantly came back from daydreaming when Lenneth came into the room.
“We’ve made it” He announced,” You should probably come see for yourself”
He walked out without another word and after a glance back I followed shortly behind him.
When I got back on deck everyone was eyeing the city. It had changed a lot since I had last seen only about a month ago.  Building had been torn down and the city was armed to the neck with every weapon available to man. I could see ships arriving from almost every direction.
“Theirs not many gathering like this is there,” John asked.
“No…there isn’t going to be a battle like this again. Whoever wins will win this war,” Lenneth said.
“Then we better be ready,” I said as the boat docked in the Port. Kayla got up a few minutes after we docked in the port. I could tell she was happy to be home but she didn’t look like it. She almost looked like she didn’t even want to be here. I wanted to ask but it just didn’t seem important. I had questions for Luther and everyone else. How where we going to win a battle when no matter how many soldiers die the tide of battle will not change or even waver. There was something they hadn’t told me and a lot of things they never mentioned. I was tired of being left in the dark so I was going to go get answers for myself at whatever cost it took. It looked like we marched as all five us entered the secured castle walls together. We where immediately greeted and welcomed. If they sent Lenneth then they obviously did expect us I thought. Kayla was taken away to her chambers and it sure did look like it too. It looked like she was dragged. It really looked like something she wasn’t telling me but I’d have to worry about it later. Lenneth led John and me down to the Sanction Chamber. We briskly walked down the spiral stairway that led to the Chamber below. We could already here shouts, murmurs and other conversation before we even entered. We stopped at the door for second and then walked in to see where this war was going to take us.
 
 
 
 

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