Armani's POV
I round the men up to go back to Ridderstad. The two day journey did not give me much hope for this girl, but somehow she continued to breathe steadily. It was almost as though some part of her knew she had to stay alive, and I was glad for that, because I knew we would need her sooner or later.
The grueling hours past by and eventually, I come to a halt in front of the gates. The shouts were almost deafening as the gate slowly creaks open. I can't afford to be held up by the swarms of people coming for a closer look, so I call for the troops to make a barrier around me. I don't want rumors circling around before the king even knows we have returned.
The path is cleared out before me as I easily trot through. When we reach the castle, the king is already waiting for us. I wonder how long he has been standing there.
The horses are taken away and the soldiers dispatch. I am carrying the girl in my arms as I march to the king.
"Armani."
"King Donovan." Usually I would make a full bow, but since that would be rather difficult just now, I settle for bowing my head.
He looks me over along with the girl for at least a solid minute.
"Come inside soldier," he finally growls in his scratchy voice. I breathe out a sigh of relief and follow him through the towering doors. Every room of the castle was beautiful but the great chamber had a comforting feel that none of the outlets had. The light carpet and wispy curtains framing the pictures on the wall made it look inviting, and the crackling fire in the fireplace gave a warm glow to the room.
He takes a seat in one of the plush chairs and gestures for me to do so as well. I place the fragile body on a bench between the chairs before sitting down.
"Give me your report soldier. What did you find?"
"Well...this is really it," I tell him.
"This girl was the only person or thing in any shape to be brought back." I glance around uneasily, awaiting his response.
He mutters to himself for a few seconds before looking back to me and saying,"We were too late."
I can't help but feel the same way. If we had come even just a day sooner, this would never have happened. Now, there is only one survivor, and we hardly even know if she will make it through the night. Despite all my thoughts, I try to stay positive for the king.
"We were in time to find this girl, that has to be something." I study her and say, more to myself then Donovan, "She should not be alive really. We could have gone sooner,but..." I look back to King Donovan,"We at least came in time to save her."
"And you are certain she is the one Kritanta told us about?"
"Yes," I answer without hesitation.
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(Teknie's POV)
I flash in out by the second. There is no sound. Just cold, black, and blood. Too much blood. I feel it seeping from my wounds, turning into a puddle around me. There is a face, horses.
I am in pale colored room. Fire. Carpet. Curtains. I black out. Again. The last thing I feel is being lifted.
Maybe I can wake up, and my nightmares- they can just be nightmares.
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(Armani's POV)
I took the girl to our medic to get cleaned up and tested. Now I have to wait for the results. The doctors were in quite a state about it. They have never treated any of her kind before I am sure. Not to mention she was covered in a thick, sticky layer of yellow, instead of red. Honestly though, blood is blood all the same.
I decided to see what King Donovan thought of the strange sword I found in that cave. I think it was hidden away for a reason, but he would probably know more about it than anyone else here.
"You have come back to me, Armani. Is there something you would like to tell me?"
"Yes, sir." He quirks an eyebrow at me expectantly. I hurry to explain.
"You see, there was actually one more thing I brought back, but I'm not sure what it is." I hold the sword out to him in a questioning sort of way.
It small, shaped like a lightning bolt. It has sharp edges that I am sure you would not want to be in you, and its hilt is prominent in pure silver. It holds a dull yellowish color-like the life has been sucked out of it.
I look to the king to see what he thinks.
"This is a special sword. Where did you find it?"
"In the same cave the girl was in. It was lying on stone," I reply.
He nods slowly and picks it up, examining it.
"I believe I have heard of this before. Perhaps Kritanta mentioned it. Yes...." He trails off and fixes his gaze back to me.
"Keep it with the girl. She is the only one who will be able to use it. Give it to her when she wakes up," he commands.
I take the sword back and turn to take it to where she is, but Donovan calls me back,"Oh, and Armani?" I turn in response to his call.
"You look out for her."
I nod and turn again to the door. This will certainly be something new.
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(Teknie's POV)
I jolt up when I wake but immediately wish I hadn't. I slam back down onto the fluffy pillows set under me. My body aches in places I did not know existed. I feel dead. I want to be dead, just at the moment, considering that would be better than constant eternal pain.
Right as I close my eyes hoping for sleep, Somebody clomps into my little....cubicle. He should really look into a stealth class, plus the echo of his footsteps just makes my head hurt more.
He stares at me for several seconds before coming over and squatting down beside me.
"How are you?" He asks simply.
I scoff. Dang it, even that hurts. So I stare right back at him with narrowed eyes.
He gives a small smile. "I don't doubt every part of you hurts. His smile fades. "You took some big blows." Now he looks over me with a concerned expression on his face. Creep.
"O...k.." I steadily find my voice before shooting at him,"So two questions."
He looks at up and waits for me to continue.
"Who are you? And where am I? Because honestly asking how someone who just almost died is without even knowing them is a little weird."
He chuckles softly. "I'm Armani. You are?"
"Teknie," I tell him, not in the mood to resist.
"I thought so; that's what your sword said. "As to where you are, you are in Ridderstad."
"What,why?" I ask, suddenly panicked. Was it that bad....
He sighs and looks away. "Teknie..."he starts slowly,another sigh. He takes a long breath and spits it out."As far as we know, you are the only survivor."
I don't know how long I stared at him. I never blinked once.
'No'
Was the only thing I could think. I could have done more I know. I didn't have to be the only one. But I am. I am the only Constinian left.
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(Armani's POV)
I knew this was a big blow, but the look on her face held too many emotions, I could not read her. I could see shock, of course, and she was upset, but there was something else that I could not quite place. Eventually, it clicked.
Regret.
Which leaves me one question-what exactly about the battle dies she regret?
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Teknie
Armani places a hand on my shoulder. I expected it to be cold, but it is surprisingly warm, in a comforting way. So rather than shrug it off, I let it stay.
My senses finally come back to me and I can ask,"How long has it been?"
"Maybe...four days? We don't know when it started, so I wouldn't know exactly."
I sigh as he turns and grabs something beside him.
"I found this with you," he tells me. "Do you know anything about it?"
He is holding a lightning bolt shaped sword with a faint yellow glow and silver hilt.
It looks vaguely familiar; I think mother told me about this once.
"The Salma sword." I recall. "It is always hidden away until absolutely necessary to use." A frown forms on face. "I suppose no one thought of it soon enough."
"You should keep it," he says." I have a feeling you are the only one that can use it anyway."
I take the small sword from him. All I can do with it is put it on my lap since I can't move much, but it's nice to have it.
"I have things to do, but I'll be back,"He assured me. Why is that assuring? I guess he is pretty nice...
I shake those thoughts out of my head; I'll deal with them later.
Just before he leaves, Armani says, "I hope you get better soon, Teknie." Then smiles and walks away.
Yeah, he's not too bad. Maybe I can start here with a friend.