Chapter 23

Inner turmoil was raging a war inside Will's head. Leave or stay. Freedom or victory? He opened his eyes and looked at Shanya, trying to see how she felt about this new revelation but her face remained cloaked in the shadows which made it hard for him to tell what she was feeling.

He met her eyes and slowly almost imperceptibly she nodded. The signal was clear.

They had to get those battle plans as quickly as possible and without arousing suspicion.

"How do we get the plans?" Shanya asked him, biting her nails unconsciously. Will was glad she said 'we' instead of 'you'. At least he wouldn't have to do this alone.

"Another distraction." Will said with a mocking smile. She nodded as if she already knew his answer and let him contemplate a way to get inside. Before he could come up with a suitable suggestion however she gasped and Will turning to look at her saw her eyes light up as though she had struck gold. He was about to ask her what she was thinking when without a single word she sprinted down the hallway to the opposite end to where the guards were.

"Shanya? Where are you going?" He hissed, trying to call her back. He cursed under his breath. Where was she going? Why was she running to the guards and not from them? Was she turning him in? But he dismissed the last one. Of course she wouldn't turn him in, she was the one who let him out in the first place, and even before the logic came to him he knew that he trusted her. He felt as though they had some bizarre connection between them, flashes of his old life interlinked with hers. So he waited, albeit grudgingly to see what she had in mind.

It was minutes before he heard anything. From a place to his left he heard murmurs and sneaked a peak through the hole in the rock. His heart froze momentarily as he saw Shanya standing through the opposite doorway two guards holding her in place. He could now hear the mumbling words clearly.

"She said something along the lines of an escaped prisoner General." One of the heavily built guards told him. Will's heart was in his mouth, he was so nervous he felt as though if he opened his mouth he would puke.

Heart still beating wildly he saw General Hazkam's head snap up with this unexpected news.

"The boy?" He asked. Dimly Will was aware that under different circumstances he would have been surprised at the general's calm tone of voice. It was smooth and devoid of emotion.

"We assume so general it would be best if you came with us to check his cell." The guard said shiftily. Will saw the slight beads of perspiration break off on his face and felt a surge of satisfaction. Serves him right, he thought as the guard shuffled his feet a little. The general instead of heeding his advice turned his head abruptly to study Shanya, who was keeping unnaturally quiet.

"What say you Shanya?" He spoke harshly. At the sound of her name she looked up to meet him directly in the eyes. It was a while after she spoke.

"I thought I heard noises of an escape." She stated. There was a look in her eyes that Will couldn't place. Slight fear, anger and a look of defiance? Before he could properly distinguish it however she turned her head down respectfully.

The general continued to scrutinise his daughter carefully for the next few seconds during which Will's heart continued to do jumping jacks in his chest. He was hoping against hope that the general believed Shanya's well executed lie for he was beginning to see what she had in mind now. He pondered briefly on how hard it was to stand metres away unable to help her in the slightest, he would have gladly taken on three guards unarmed than watch his friend struggle with this predicament.

"Very well I shall check his cell." Hazkam muttered gruffly. He stood up lithely and stepped out of the small cave like shelter he was in. The two guards who were holding Shanya followed in his wake without a second glance at the girl they were holding. Her arms dropped limply at her side as she watched them go with a worried expression.

Finally when she thought they had gone far away enough she rushed over to Will and helped him climb out into the small room. He looked at her with gratitude, unable to express how much he owed her in such a small amount of time.

"Quick! The scroll!" She said hurriedly. She rolled the parchment hastily and thrust it into his hands but Will shook his head.

"I can't take it." He said.

"Why not?" Shanya asked impatiently. She kept turning her head to the door way in case any of them came back. Once again Will thought she looked as though she may get a crick in her neck from all the frequent head turns.

"Because if I take this parchment the general will know someone has taken his battle plans, if that is what they are." He added wearily. Peering down at it his face frowned in concentration. "Yes they are definitely battle plans." He murmured to himself.

"Well how are you going to get those plans if you won't take them?" Shanya asked.

"I'll just have to draw it quickly on a separate piece of parchment." Will concluded, at the same time finding a quill and quickly scribbling the plans onto a blank parchment nearby. Shanya looked at him with despair.

"There isn't enough time Will!" She stated. She was on the verge of tears he could tell.

"Why don't you stand outside as a guard for the moment and I will let you know once I have finished." He told her distractedly. Right now her worries were beginning to distract him from the task he needed to get done. She complied with his orders though he could tell she wasn't very happy about it. He shook his head and carried on.

A few minutes later Will's silent call alerted Shanya that he was ready. Rushing back into the room she saw him roll up the new scroll and stuff it hastily in his belt where it would be secure. All of a sudden distant alarm bells and rough voices could be heard near their area.

To Will's horror he saw a massive guard rush into the room. Fortunately he hadn't noticed the two teens that were standing frozen but was still looking at the door he had just come through. Without a seconds hesitation Will grabbed her hand and both of them instinctively jumped through the small hole in the wall and ran even faster down the hall way, the loud cry of the startled guard echoing behind them as he called Shanya's name.

They broke out of the mountains dark interior to meet a flash of sunlight that near blinded them. Will, squinting his eyes staggered towards the mass of trees that surrounded them as his companion shoved him roughly. He looked back at her and saw she had no intention of running with him.

"What are you doing? Come with me." Will said frantically as the sound of more alarms echoed throughout the mountains. It was only a matter of moments until the guards would come bursting out of the entrance. She shook her head sadly.

"I can't Will it's too late go. Just go." She pushed him harder still in the direction of the pine trees yet he stumbled, unable to move.

"But you can't stay here they'll kill you for betraying your country."

"And if I go with you the Skandians will kill me for being on the opposing side of the war." She said, and the intensity of her sadness was so deep Will thought he would drown in it. As her words sunk in he realised she would die either way. He had never felt closer to tears than he did now.

"That's not fair." He said shakily, trying to keep his voice even. A humourless laugh greeted his ears, a sound he would never have thought Shanya could make. Her eyes glistening with tears met his.

"Did anyone not tell you life isn't fair?" She replied mockingly. The tears slid down her cheeks soundlessly and Will could now feel the edges of his own eyes beginning to water. Before he could say anything she hugged him fiercely and without having to think about it he hugged her back just as tight.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry." Will said. He didn't know what he was apologising for. For not being able to save her when she needed him now, for not thanking her enough for saving him from a fate worse than death, for the injustice of her own fate. His tears fell down his face as she whispered to him.

"Please, do one thing for me."

"What?" He asked his voice trembling worse than ever. She squeezed him tighter to her as she whispered one last time.

"Don't forget me."

Hey guys sorry for making this chapter sad but it had to be done. That's war unfortunately. Good people die when they shouldn't need to, and I wanted to show that in this chapter. Hopefully you people liked it and please review to tell me whether you thought it was sad or not or whether you liked it or not. Hopefully I'll have a new chapter up soon.

Sorry for the delay in update I've just moved house and there's no internet yet. It's going to come a month later so I'm having to go to the library post any new updates which is a MAJOR inconvenience.

Thanks for reading let me know what you thought of this.

Oakleaf Girl.