Chapter 27: Betrayal

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves

By each let this be heard

Some do it with a bitter look

Some with a flattering word

The coward does it with a kiss

The brave man with a sword"

—Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol

"We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness, and affection.

Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.

Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed, and rare."

—Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

***

The wry on their faces could not be described when Grenoble moved to Baron's side with that smirk on his face. The traitor began to rip his clothes to pieces, thus showing the mark of the Sulten tribe. It was tattooed on his back. A dying sun with blood flowing from its fading light.

The traditional way of tattooing was done on him called "the batok". It is a traditional hand-tapped tattooing on male headhunters or people that earned great feats before.

One's achievements being carved on his back as a sign was nothing compared to the hardships they faced just to acquire such a rewarding experience.

Of all the people he was with, Dasha was the most confused and devastated by the sudden betrayal of Grenoble. And this turn of events made her hold herself against them, especially Grenoble, pointing her weapon at him.

"Tell me this isn't true, Grenoble," her words trembled, quivering at every syllable she spouts. "N-No way you have led us here for our own destruction!"

Dasha refused to believe that Grenoble turned against them. His pale skin was nothing more than powder he put on his skin to mask that brownish tone he had, signifying him as a Sultenian.

"Tie everyone's hands! We will put them in the cells far north in the mountains to prepare for the ritual and fulfill the prophecy!"

Grenoble ignored Dasha's words, even her gaze. She kept screaming. Everyone did while squirming, trying to free themselves from the knot on their hands until they got their mouths filled with hypnotic leaves, which will be addictive once consumed in large amounts.

"Began delivering every Balmackian we have captured. Those that died were brought to our dumpster. They will act as our fertilizers."

For the mountain and their crops to prosper, Baron will be making use of the dead Balmackians while the very few Sultenians that died on the skirmish will have their proper burial before being turned into ashes.

"Good job as always, Grenoble."

Baron, who had said horrible things to Grenoble bowed his head, showing his respect and wishing to receive the man's forgiveness for spouting outrageous nonsensical words to him. Although he meant nothing of his words, Baron undeniably felt bad for doing so.

"We were just doing our tasks, Baron. You can now raise your head."

Having been forgiven, Baron, then gladly followed Grenoble back to their camp along with the great news about their task.

***

All of his muscles were aching, turning stiff with each step he took after pushing himself past his limits for the second time. Xenia really needed a break, or he might collapse.

"I've been running around non-stop now, coming across Balmackians who were either seeking food or running away from the killer and yet I haven't run into people I'm looking for."

Resting under a tree on the riverbank where the streaming water flows and washing his dirty feet, Xenia looks up at the sky. Flapping their wings and uttering loud cawing was Bandit and Mischief, hovering in the sky.

"Aren't they getting tired of doing the same thing for several minutes? Only if I know what they mean by doing that continuously... I would not be wandering, wondering where Arlan and his brother could be. Also, Pack and Mack..."

Tiny groups of fish were swimming in the river, freely letting the water drag them, then going back to the same spot all over again. It was so peaceful for a moment. The sound of the streaming water, the cricketing of the insects although it was not yet nighttime, and the chilling breeze as the night approached was everything to Xenia.

"How I wish this peaceful moment would last forever..."

Just as he was talking about it, Xenia jinxed the serenity of the place. Footsteps from everywhere resonated with each other, approaching at speed while people's screaming voices reverberated.

"Bandit and Mischief flew away..."

He was on his feet in an instant, cautious of the incoming horde of people from behind bushes. Time was ticking, his heart was pumping, and he could hear his breath getting heavier again.

Xenia hasn't taken that much time to regain his energy. Even if he was prepared for the worst, he doubted that he would perform well in a predicament impeding his way.

"Get out of my way!"

No one wanted to be placed behind. Those near the danger drag others to the back just to salvage themselves from the harrowing peril.

"Fuck you!"

An old man who does not have that much long lost his footing when one of the people in front of him kicked him but missed. He had to dodge, which caused him to slow down and slip on a damp rock.

"Noooo! Argh!"

And then, there was only growling and screaming of agonizing pain as the monster and poor old man behind shed the blood that mixed and splattered all over the woods.

One by one, Xenia saw people coming out of bushes, terrified and hurrying to run away from a terrifying monster. From kids to adults, young boys to teenage girls sprinted further away from the horrendous growling.

As he was wondering, it was when Xenia finally came across Arlan and his older brother. Horrified, Xenia called out their names, and they simultaneously turned in his direction without stopping.

"Huh? Xenia! What are you doing here?! Your family—"

"My family?"

*Growl!*

Two huge wild grizzlies bears emerged from the bushes where Arlan and his older brother came out— where most of the people ran away from. They were both on their feet, towering as they kept roughly growling, which could be heard from all over the place.

"Dude! What are you standing there for?! Run already!"

"Aren't— I thought there were no wild animals on this island! Where the hell did those two come from?!"

Arlan and Thaniel were more surprised by the appearance of wild animals on the island. It was actually their first time seeing two towering grizzly bears that killed people by harrowing through their soft skin.

They have only seen wild animals in picture books before, so encountering wild animals in person came as a shock. Realizing that it could kill brought them back to their senses.

"Xenia, we must go back that way!"

The way Arlan was pointing was the path toward Xenia's home. He understood what his friend meant by saying that. However, a question sought an answer from his friend.

"Did something happen back home, Arlan?!"

His friend gritted his teeth in anger. Xenia hasn't seen this expression from Arlan before, so he jumped to the conclusion that something bad occurred.

Spotting three healthy young men had both of the grizzlies bears running on all fours. Each of their paws left a trail behind through the damped dirt.

*Growl!*

"Before we tell you what happened, let's kill these monsters first!"

"Idiot! There is no way we can kill a grizzly bear let alone two of them! They will massacre us!"

~