Charcoal Skies

The next morning was for Tsunami's departure from the main castle. It was a chilly morning, the sun was skimming the tops of the mountains. The sky was a dark orange, down below by the base of the foothills were hundreds, maybe thousands of houses. The stillness of the village was calming. The silence helping quiet my worries. Taking a deep breath, the cold air stung my lungs somehow it felt good. The scattered houses' lights were like stars in the sky. Each one containing a story only few will hear.

Tsunami had finally arrived, surprised to see me there. I was the only one to see them off but it was worth it. With a slight movement, their giant wings spanned across a 60-foot reach, scales glistening in the slight sunlight now placed higher in the clouds adding pinks and peaches to coat the sky. The first downstroke sent a large wave of air almost knocking me over with its force. Lifting their feet from the ground higher, higher, higher. Turning into a tiny speck in the sky, another black dot was on the horizon. Another star in the sky containing a story with chapters none have, or will, read.

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Later that day we got news of strange movements from the soldiers from the Light Realm by the upper Northwest border. The 21st Army was guarding that area but we hadn't heard from them in a bit over a week. An eerie sensation fell over me after hearing that, I felt as if there was no letter coming. It wasn't abnormal but it was strange, for all we know our upper left flank was unprotected. A big discussion of booming voices clashed off the stonewalls magnifying the noise tenfold. Barely able to hear my own thoughts I made a sound unlike any I'd ever heard. It was a thunderous voice, a commanding voice, a loud and powerful voice.

"SILENCE!"

The yells ceased. The silence that had run away earlier being filled with the noise came running back. Whispers fall off and the room becomes dead quiet. All eyes turned to me with shock. Everyone was as stunned as I was.

Then we heard cannons.

All the walls shook the bits of loose rocks started to fall from the ceiling like hail. The shock on our faces turned into panic. Lucy Lu screamed, "Grab a shield from the wall and cover your head!"

The shrill cries echoing through the halls made my suspicion come true, we were being attacked.

The cannonballs hit the walls of the castle obliterating them completely. The shattered rocks would fly like arrows through the air piercing like a knife. The debris scattered along the hallway as we ran made the trek more difficult. All I could think about was finding the dungeon. Lucy Lu and Harri were behind me, Elfy leading the way, machete-drawn, poised to kill anyone in our path. As we approached the ballroom nearing the stairs towards the darkness below we ran into a squad of 20 soldiers blocking the other side in search of something. I didn't care. With the adrenaline setting fire to our veins Elfy attacked, I grabbed my bow that was always over my shoulder along with the quiver of arrows I wasn't supposed to have. I shot to kill. The battle was a blinding flash of blood in swords. The shrill cries of the dying horrified me. All I did was hope it wasn't one of us. We were so unprepared to find people within our own walls already. I felt a sharp pain in my right calf. I turned around whacking the soldier over the head with my bow. His gold and white armor clashed with the ground. With another blow to the skull the soldier crumpled into a pile at my feet. Blood started to pool on the floor and my legs felt hot. As I looked over I saw a huge gash going from my ankle to a couple of inches from my knee. I leaned over and barfed. I crawled over and prop myself up by one of the columns surrounding the room, trying my best to assist the others but only hindering the process more. Then another cannon boomed which caused the destruction of the hallway leading to the dungeon.

Our initial escape had now been turned to rubble before our eyes. Our plans of escape were ruined by a single cannonball. My vision blurred, all sounds became muffled, the panic now flushing over my body was maddening. My brain scrambled and surveyed for another way of escape. Imagining passages and hallways flipping through doors in my brain, another route to make it to the dungeon. Then it hit me: the courtyard! If we went through there we could follow another passage to get to the outskirts of the castle walls and flee into the surrounding forest. As my eyes cleared the sounds around me came back. They were quieter now the battle that was raging moments ago had ceased. It had gone almost silent. The sounds of the groaning dying and the cries of Lucy Lu? I slowly pull myself out from behind the pillar. I look at the once elegant ballroom now turned into a complete battlefield; the light pink walls had splattered blood along them. The unique patterned tile could no longer be seen below the mangled bodies and blood covering it. It seemed almost like someone dropped paint on a finished masterpiece. Scanning the bodies a sigh of relief hit me when I saw none of them were the War Council. I scanned the room and saw Elfy and Lucy Lu in the far right corner. Elfy looked like she had no real injuries. But Lucy Lu definitely had a broken arm that was not good for us. Then from the left corner, I heard a loud, "FUUUUCCCKKKKIINNNGGG SSSHHHIIIITTTT!!!"

I didn't even have to look, it was Harri, no doubt. As I scanned that corner I saw Harri slumped on it, barf covering the wall next to her. All she screamed was "I BROKE MY FUCKING RIBS, THIS HURTS LIKE A BITCH!!"

I couldn't help but giggle to myself, at least we're all still alive. As I looked back toward Lucy Lu and Elfy, I saw Elfy making her way toward me.

"ARE YOU HURT?!" Elfy yelled as she crossed the hall.

"JUST A SCRATCH! HOW IS LUCY LU LOOKING?!" I yelled back.

"Broken arm snapped in two spots in her forearm and once between elbow and shoulder."

"So good" Sarcasm pooled off my lips.

"Um no, not good dipshit." The encouragement felt so real and loving.

"At least we can get her walking,"

Elfy continued,

"What happened to your leg?"

"Funny story, look to your left and you'll see the culprit."

Elfy stuck out her leg and kicked the slumped body.

"KACHOW, WATCHOW!"

THUMP the body was sent flying across the ground.

"Oops."

Elfy snickered to herself.

"Anything wrong with you Elfy?"

"Nothing, just a few scratches."

"At least one person is almost unscathed." Slightly disappointing how we got so hurt in the fight against so few. Then out of nowhere, I hear a loud rip. I looked back up and Elfy was now missing a sleeve to her jacket. Another rip and the sleeve becomes a large rectangle piece of fabric Elfy bends down wrapping it securely over my leg. Covering it twice to add pressure and slow the bleeding.

"I made a sling and realigned Lucy's bones. She should be in some pain but feeling better soon."

CRACK

Then came a loud

"SHIT"

Echoing from Harri's corner we both look over and see that she just snapped her broken and dislocated ribs back TOGETHER?! We all stood there in shock, not in surprise but in shock. We all know Harri can just crack and pop dislocated joints back together. But BROKEN BONES?!?! That was a whole different level even for her. Then Harri just stood up and walked over to us and said to me with an UNDESIRABLE amount of AUDACITY, "Walk it off, princess." The indescribable amount of SASS gave me POWER!! I stood up and faced her staring dead into her eyes, and punched her. Right in the rib cage and as she winced she gave me a good kick to the shin on the way down. While both of us fell over wincing we both laughed.