If you don't like the beginning…the end will be better. *wink, wink* :D

If you don't like it still, no hard feelings. *smiles*

XxXx XxXx

Will stood shaking uncontrollably, his eyes locked on the scene in front of him. All three were dead; he didn't need to even look directly at them to know that. Halt looked almost fine other than a couple scratches, but Will knew he was already gone. Halt had been unconscious when the Kalkara attacked; he most likely wouldn't have even felt a thing. Nor would the Baron, Will guessed, still frozen to the spot where he stood when they died. He could still see Baron Arald lying on the ground in a daze of pain, hardly moving in his last couple minuets. And then there had been Sir Rodney, the knight had tried to cut in and save his friends; he'd tried, and failed. The knight was now on the ground, bloody and unmoving, his ax lay besides him. The only evidence of the attempt at a rescue.

The remaining Kalkara looked slowly up from the bodies before it, and Will ran. His feet flew beneath him; he had to get away from here, as far away as possible. He tore around a tight corner and came face to face with a dead end. Along the wall were dark large rocks with huge gaps and deep crevices between them. Will chanced a glance behind him and saw nothing following him. He took a slow deep breath and sidled easily into one of the crevices, he had to pull his knees up to his chest to fit, and let his head fall to rest on his legs.

If someone would have told him a month or so ago that Halt would die, Will would have laughed himself sick, and asked the person if he was serious. Halt is-was unbeatable, unstoppable, even, or so the boy had thought. Will had come here with his master, to stop the Kalkara, to kill them, and now Halt was killed, and Will would be leaving alone.

It wasn't until a tear landed on his arm that Will realized that he was crying. His body shook violently as tears started to flow freely down his cheeks, and the reality that he was never going to see any of those three heroes ever again started setting in. Halt was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The Kalkara's loud, ear piercing, cry made Will's skin crawl and shivers run down his spine, but he didn't want to chance leaving until the creature was out of the ruins and he knew that he'd make it out okay. Sorrow and fear suddenly flooded through out his body as he realized that Gilan knew nothing about what had occurred. He knew nothing of Halt and the others dying or of the Kalkara still being alive.

A choking sob wretched itself from deep in Will's throat as the boy thought of Gilan getting killed. Will's parents were already dead, why did Halt, Sir Rodney, and Baron Arald have to die as well? Was there something about him that made people die? If Gilan died too…Will wrapped his arms around his head and tried to calm himself.

He needed to find Gilan, to tell him what had happened, but what would he tell him? That he wasn't a fast enough thinker to save any of them? That he had let them die and had done nothing in return? That he'd run away like a coward?

Will closed his eyes, and the trembles gradually started slowing down. He could no longer hear the Kalkara's cries, nor could he hear the beast moving around the darkness. Will took a shaky breath, and forced himself to rise from the tight crevice. His head spun wildly and he almost lost his balance, but he continued, he had to find Gilan, and he had to tell him what had happened. He reclaimed Tug, Abelard, and Blaze, and only glanced in and the other two horses direction as unexpected tears came to his eyes. Will ducked his head sadly, he could only take three horses with him right now, Gilan or someone else would have to come back for the other two.

"Come, Blaze…Tug. Abelard-" Will's voice cracked. "follow."