Hello, Greencloaks! Yes, it seems like that's what I'll be calling you from now on. Thanks for all of you guys who reviewed! 22 REVIEWS! I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS MANY IN MY LIFE! Special thanks to albinokittens300 and AbekeGreen who have helped and supported me from the beginning and have helped me make some tough choices. Here is Chapter Three.
CHAPTER 3:
~*MEILIN'S P.O.V*~
Conor took up the task of carrying Rollan somewhere around a third of the way back to Greenhaven. The Conquerors had attacked the Greencloak headquarters after the multiple attacks on their strong holds, like Sunset Tower. Lenori had foreseen it, giving the Greencloaks time to set out to the flatlands, where the Conquerors had crossed through in Lenori's vision. The attack on Greenhaven came right after they had recovered the last talisman.
After a mile or so, Meilin took Rollan, just as they got to the jungle covered portion of the island. She spent her time and concentration on trying not to bang his head into a tree or boulder. It took them three times longer to get a mile in the jungle than it did on the flatlands.
"I am sorry to sound like a broken record, but how far?" Conor asked for the third time in under an hour.
"Two miles, not too bad." Abeke, trying to be encouraging.
"It's bad when you're dying." Meilin snapped. She regretted it almost as soon as she said it. "Look, Abeke-"
Abeke stepped closer, "It's fine, you're under pressure, and I get it. If Co- Um, I, Uh, if someone I cared about was dying, I would be quick to snap too."
Meilin felt her face start to gain heat, "I, uh, I don't, uh-"
Abeke repressed laugh and walked away.
The entire trip took them around eight hours, give or take. Greencloaks rushed to them when they reached the gates. They took Rollan to the infirmary, and Meilin never left his side. Something made her stay with him, just as it had when he had Sunset Death. It was something she couldn't explain, yet it made her stay, and she knew it was right.
^\/^ TIME SKIP: FIVE DAYS^\/^
~*ABEKE'S P.O.V*~
She hauled on one more body before signaling the driver. The cart was stacked full of enemy and ally corpses, already bloated from decay. This was the third one. A fire burned through the night off to her left. There were too many bodies to bury, so they were left with the choices of sink or burn. The Greencloaks were burned, cradled by the bones and ashes of their fellows, and bedecked in cloaks of emerald green. A separate fire burned for Conquerors whom had been found in the middle of the flats along with the medics of both sides. A warrior's ceremony. Even if they had been fighting for the Conquerors, it was the side that they thought was right. The ones who had clearly been fleeing were to be sunken in the ocean that cut off southeastern Amaya from Nilo, brought onto a ship that would set out in three days to the center of the water and deliver them to their aquatic graves.
Abeke jumped off of the wagon, bringing her rope with her. Every available Greencloak was told to come and help with body removal. Meilin had come, but not without protest, Abeke had to listen to her all through the hike and wagon ride to the field. Better yet, she was still refusing she cared about him! It was entertaining, but listening to her angry rants on wagon ride was… well, not so much.
Though there was clearly something wrong, and despite Abeke's remarks, Meilin refused to get her leg looked at. Her left upper leg was obviously causing her pain, but she refused to leave Rollan's bedside to get it examined. She probably wouldn't have left at all had Olvan not made every available Greencloak on the body recovery.
Tarik hadn't been seen or heard from since the battle. They were hoping they wouldn't find his body today. The chances of his survival after all these days… They definitely were not on his side.
~*MEILIN'S P.O.V*~
Her leg throbbed under her weight as she swung the corpse over the side of the wagon, the dead weight only adding to her pain as she loaded the cart full of death and decay. The smell of rot in this area was almost overwhelming. They were in what had once held the center of the battle. The bodies were in the hundreds, probably even into thousands. Flies buzzed all around them, moving from one corpse to the next, like bees on flowers.
There was still no word on Tarik's whereabouts.
Meilin was sure she had seen every single body that had been loaded onto the cart in the middle of the field where she had last seen Tarik.
There was a knot in her stomach. She was afraid of what she might find.
There was nothing left to do now but hope.
A sentence popped into her mind, 'Great, Hoping. That's always worked out well for us.' She strained her mind, trying to remember where it was from. And then it hit her, the sarcasm in the voice now formed, and the sound of the voice it's self. It was Rollan. It had to be Rollan. That was definitely Rollan.
She was just loading the next cart when the screaming started.
~*LISHAY'S P.O.V*~
The familiar pain of a thousand spears, stabbing through her heart.
That was all she felt. Then grief. Overwhelming grief. She dropped to her knees, sobs racking her body; this was exactly what she dreaded. She screamed, her voice mostly drowned out by the sobbing wails of others finding the corpses of their loved ones and friends.
Then she something, barely a whisper in the wind, "Don't waste your tears, I'm not dead yet." She gave a gasp of surprise at the sound of his voice, his sweet voice that she had thought to be lost, only remaining in her memory, growing weaker with each passing day.
He was alive. After all these days, he was alive.
And the clock was ticking.
Mwahahaha! You may call me the Queen of Cliffhangers, dear subjects! Please review, and I AM still accepting requests for SA fanfics! -IADS, Queen of Cliffhangers