Lover's Tradgedy- A Sloane and Steven Story
The wind howled and the clouds swirled together, turning the sky black. “Uh.” I leaned against Steve and let him wrap his arms around me. “What’s going to happen to us?”, I asked.
“Nothing”, he soothed, stroking my hair. It comforted me to hear his voice so soft, even though he was lying. The earth shook and the hill we stood on trembled. “Hold on to me”, Steven said quickly.
Another tremor passed through the ground, stronger this time. I gripped tightly to Steven’s shoulders. Our bodies swayed slightly as the hill shook. “I love you”, I whispered, burying my face in his chest.
“And I you, Sloane. And I you.” He tightened his hold on me as the wind tried to rip us apart. Slowly I looked up. “Don’t look down”, he warned gravely.
“Huh?”
“Don’t look down!” Somewhere a cackling voice reached our ears. Steve gritted his teeth. “Don’t listen. Don’t look. Just look at me. Focus.”
I stared straight into his eyes and waited. “Ha ha! Azimeth, now!”, shrieked the voice.
“Just look at me. No one else. Just me.” He rubbed my shoulders and tried to smile. I took in a sighing breath, trying to calm myself.
“I’m sorry”, I murmured.
“Why?”
“I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t save us.” Tears leaked down my cheeks and I thought with terror about what was going on around me.
“It’s alright. It’s almost over and we’re together now. You found me, we’re going to be alright, I promise.” His eyes were full of emotion and color, the things that my eyes were deprived of at this moment.
Life, Sloane. You saved his life. Rejoice. You are with your love now. I nodded weakly. My hair rippled in the air. Another tremor passed.
Lightning flashed in the black clouds, bouncing around with explosive light and fiery intensity. Then everything got dark. Thunder boomed in the distance and a shadow appeared at the base of the hill.
“Don’t look”, Steven whispered. His lips scraped the side of my ear as he whispered. He squeezed me tight, his body tensing.
“Farewell”, hissed the shadow. Black arrows shot through us. We both screamed and skidded to the ground at the edge of the hill. Beneath us was no longer a valley, but a pit. A pit filled with fire and hot magma. Steven was on his hands and knees gripping the ground to my left and a few feet in front of me. I was lying on my side, my head pillowed on the torn ground. My lids grew heavy and my eyes fluttered shut.
Fyrius and Glaice were standing over me. Even the valley in my mind was shrouded in darkness. “Is she alive?”
“Of course, cat!” It was Fyrius. I smiled weakly and sat up.
“Uh”, Glaice gasped. The Ice Panther was in shock. Her pale blue fur was trembling with her skin.
“Sloane”, Fyrius whispered. The Fire Wolf knelt and lifted my head. “Are you injured?”
“I don’t think so.” I pushed myself up and Fyrius removed his paw from my head. “Steven! I have to go back!”
“Patience. Soon enough”, soothed the Wolf.
He laid his palm on my brow and whispered a prayer. My eyes closed again.
When I awoke, Steven had me pressed against his side. In my hand was a Fire Seed and an Ice Rose. “Thank you”, I whispered. “Steven”, I hissed.
He didn’t move. “Wake up!” I pushed at him and yelled in his ear, yet he would not wake. I sat up on my knees and rolled him onto his back. And arrow shaft was protruding from his breast above his heart. Shadows were building around his upper body and his face was scared with a thick, jagged, purple line. “Shadora! I’ll kill you, Azimeth!” The tears flowed down my cheeks. I laid the Ice Rose down on Steven’s chest and leaned over him sobbing.
A life for a life, he whispered, quietly through the link.