“All I'm saying is, if the kryken hadn't come to us when it did... the war would probably still be raging on.”
“That is utter nonsense and you know it, Veert!”
Whipping his head around to an older man that had joined the debate which had been going on for longer than Fru cared to remember, Veert hurled some obscenities his way and pointed angrily at nothing.
“Oh?! Tell me, where was Codul when that monster destroyed Lengrat? Nowhere to be seen... And you want to know why?”
“Not that I'll get the chance to refuse... why?”
Fru covered her face as the two men continued to argue about what had happened to their country and what brought about the end of the conflict. What did any of this matter, there was no way back to change any of it. Lives, cities, ways of life were all lost in one day of rage from the kryken. That was the end of it, at least as far as most people cared. Fru stood up and walked over to where the light of the fire met the shadows of the forest, where Sascha was standing on his own.
“Are you all right?” He didn't respond or look at her, his eyes were fixed far ahead of him. “I'm sorry about Veert. He gets a little opinionated when he's drinking.”
Sascha closed his eyes and smiled softly.
“A little?”
Shaking her head and laughing quietly, she conceded that the debater at the fire was very firm on his beliefs. She cleared her throat and tucked some of her brown hair behind an ear.
“How are you feeling? See, it's not so bad out here with the rest of us.”
Sascha turned to her and nodded, the alcohol in his system admittedly relaxing him and allowing him to be happier than he would care to let on. In the moonlight that had crept up on everyone, he found himself admiring her features. Pale and soft looking skin, chestnut hair that just about reached her waist, long pointed ears, sparkling eyes and a thin nose sat perfectly over a pair of thin but inviting lips. He swallowed as he found himself staring at her, she was rather beautiful. Was this really the truth or the alcohol making him see her as such... He'd never really thought about her in this way before; she was his superior, his boss. But out here in the moonlight, she was neither of those things. She was here, with him, alone next to the quiet of the forest. She was inviting him to her, with her eyes and-
“Sascha...” Fru placed a warm hand on his shoulder. Her smile was directed at him and he allowed the magnetism between them to pull their faces together. Taking the hand on his shoulder in his own, Sascha pulled her closer as they both gave in completely. Letting go of her hand to cradle her back with both hands as the kiss got even more passionate, he felt Fru's fingers in his hair, he felt her tongue with his, he felt her chest pressing against his. He felt truly happy. He felt, warm, dizzy... Was this his memories of what a moment of passion felt like, reminding him how good it is? Moving his mouth away and onto her neck to deliver a series of kisses up to her ear, Sascha nibbled on her skin and opened his eyes. The whole world was turning in happiness with him, everything was moving in time with him and he felt so ... warm, all over, but especially in his mouth.
“Fru.” She was stroking his neck as he moved away from her slightly, her eyes looking at him lazily. She saw the problem just in time and jumped out of the way as Sascha leant over and threw up the beer that he'd had far too much of. Resting on his knees as the worst was out, he wiped his mouth and shook his head.
“Sorry.”
Fru smiled and rubbed his back, handing him a glass bottle from her jacket.
“No need to be sorry,” she handed him the bottle of what looked like water and nodded, “just be well.”
He sipped from the bottle and nodded when she suggested he go home and sleep. Taking her advice to heart, Sascha stood up again, sipped little more liquid and looked at her with an embarrassed expression.
“It's fine, Sascha. I'm not offended, you had too much to drink is all.” He received another of those beautiful smiles from her sparkling eyes and her now familiar lips. “See you soon.”
He watched her walk away and back to where Veert was now sitting on his own with a defeated look on his face. Must have lost that debate. Again.
It was well into the night when Sascha turned the corner into the lane that led him towards his home. There was no light in the sky at all now as a blanket of clouds had covered the moon. He wondered if that was due to how that magical moment between Fru and himself came to a close. Kicking at the ground intentionally, Sascha cursed his weak stomach and sipped the watery drink he had taken with him. He ruined that special moment with his inability to hold alcohol, he'd spoilt her evening by throwing up near her... he felt like a ridiculous idiot and swore louder into the night air. Tipping the bottle back at his mouth, he realised he'd finished the contents and was about to throw the bottle away before he noticed some writing etched onto the glass. “Zek”. Zek? What did that mean? Sascha stopped and traced the lettering with his thumbnail as he thought about this to himself.
“... Zek. Where have I heard that before...” He slowly moved his head up and turned back towards the way he had come. When these questions attacked his brain, Sascha could think about little else. Feeling strangely sober, he thought about going back to the Well and talking to Fru when he heard a sound behind him in the darkness. That knot of dread in his stomach that never truly went away, tightened and he started to feel anxious. Whatever it was; a bottle rolling on the path, a rat knocking something over as it travelled on its run to a food source... It was an unwanted feeling of discomfort in Sascha's mind and it was between him and his route home. He had to get home and soon, to sleep off anything in his system and now to get in from the cold. Looking upwards in the lonely, narrow street, Sascha found himself relaxing slightly as some snowflakes started to fall. Softly at first but swiftly getting heavier and before long the whole night sky disappeared within white flakes. He closed his eyes and allowed the cold gifts from above to decorate him and he felt his nervousness disappearing again. Listening carefully, he waited for any other sound but nothing came and he smiled as he opened his eyes and continued his journey home. Walking carefully and with momentum, Sascha walked through the already snow ridden lane towards his home. But something in the back of his mind told him to look behind him...
There! In the shadows of what was once another house, eyes... Yellow eyes staring at him! Those yellow eyes that had stared unrelentingly at them when they had fought that battle at Everglade. Those yellow eyes that had watched his comrades fall when slain by arrow fire that came at them in thick waves, piercing their armour effortlessly. Those yellow eyes that had appeared to laugh at them when they died, tortured screams of agony escaping their lungs as everything turned dark. They were watching him now... they were taunting him!
“What do you want?!” Sascha screamed into the night and at the shadows at the rubble. “What do you want from me?”
They stared at him, unblinking. Wide, lid-less and wild eyes staring into his soul. Dropping the bottle and clutching his heart, Sascha fell to his knees, breathing hard and trying his best to not look at them but he couldn't fight the urge. They watched him, continuously.
“I didn't... I did everything I could to save her!” Tears ran down his cheeks as the vision of her last moment was vividly painted in his mind. Sobbing loudly into the snow as it fell around him in sheets, Sascha saw her face, illustrated in sheer terror as that heavy beam flew down from the roof and crushed her instantly. Her tiny frame was no match for the strength of that heavy timber, that same timber he lugged around every day in the mill...
“Rel....” His sister's face appeared close to his in the white sky, a whispy illusion formed by some dark magic maybe? “Rel.. I ... “ Sascha blinked some saltwater out of his eyes, watching her face get closer and closer. A warm feeling washed over him, he remembered it; fond love for his little sister and being genuinely happy looking after her. She was frail from an illness that had taken a lot of her strength but she was forever sunny in her character and she loved him back, a great deal. They'd been inseparable since Rel was old enough to toddle around behind him, like true siblings they did a lot of growing up together and learnt from each other. Then Sascha was enlisted in the army, because he was healthy enough to do so; the army was formed out of emergency. Bahndett had no barracks, it was a tiny country that hadn't seen the threat from their neighbour, Oeriz. But when they had brought war with them across the border, they had little choice but to retaliate with what strength they had. Sascha had been doubtful about leaving Rel behind to go and fight in a war but she told him to go so they could be safe...
“For once you were wrong, Rel...”
The day Sascha returned to Gyhn, was the day before the kryken destroyed his life. He'd walked over to his home and found Rel sitting on the front steps, reading a book. Her face was full of euphoria when she saw her big brother walking, seemingly unharmed over to her and she ran to meet him. Throwing her thin arms around his neck as she jumped up and laughed in his ear. Sascha had held her close to him and laughed with her in the hazy sunshine that was hitting the town. It was a wonderful moment and looking back, he wished it had been their last together... He wished the kryken had taken them both to the next world.
“Rel... I miss you...” Her face looked at him as he recalled her last moment in his life. In an instant her sweet face transformed into something resembling a screaming banshee and he screamed in horror. Recoiling so fast and in such a panic, Sascha fell over completely and lay in the snow. He lay there and wept loudly, wrapping his arms around himself for comfort but deep down he knew there was no comfort for him in this world. Not without Rel, she always knew how to make him feel better when he felt melancholy. But this sadness was new, it was a mixture of loss; his comrades, his house, his life, his Rel... Shivering in the cold, Sascha pulled the material in his fingers tighter and tried to fight the demons out of his mind.
“Just one night,... Just once...,” he managed through chattering teeth, “leave me alone.”
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