CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Sara dropped from the forest canopy to the ground, landing on her feet. After waiting a few seconds, she looked up behind her.
It was night. The moon was full, and the clouds were sparse. An owl's hooting and crickets' chirping filled the darkness.
Moments later Leon arrived in a similar fashion. His eyes were completely black. “What's wrong?” he asked.
“You're lagging,” Sara answered.
Leon turned back, sniffing the air and listening. “Something ain’t right.”
Sara looked around. “What do you mean? We've got a clear sky, and I don't smell anything.”
“I can’t really tell,” Leon said. “Maybe Pelasgians, but I'm pretty sure they're not around.”
Sara used what little Vesuvian blood she had to enhance her senses. The amount of new input was almost overwhelming, and she couldn’t make heads or tails of so much at once. “How do you sort through it?”
Leon relaxed his senses. “It takes some getting used to. I thought I was hearing things.”
“Like what?” Sara asked.
“Like we were being followed,” Leon said, “It could be a couple of animals, but at certain times I swear it sounded like it was keeping up with us. There aren’t many things that can do that. Then again, maybe it’s just me. I’m not getting anything now. How are you?”
Sara's eyes returned to normal as the Vesuvian blood in her ran dry. “I've been thinking. Considering the hundreds of ways the world could probably end, I guess I can't be too mad at you. Still, you should have told me.”
Leon grabbed a glaive and squeezed it in his hand to give more blood.
“No thanks,” Sara said. “New Haven must be close. I heard a bunch of commotion in that direction I think. It could be fighting, but...”
Leon picked up the sounds of sawing and hammers banging. “Construction,” he said. “Lots of it.”
Sara began walking hurriedly. “We better get a move on then.”
It wasn't long before they were within earshot for Sara to start hearing all the noise.
“Hey, hold up,” Leon said.
Sara crouched down thinking they were in danger. “What is it?”
Leon was visibly anxious. “I made a mistake not telling anyone.”
“Geez, Leon!” Sara said with relief. “I thought we were in trouble. I'm scared out of my mind enough as it is. Listen, I understand why you didn't want to tell everyone about Nibiru.”
“Then you're not mad?” Leon asked.
“Mad? No,” Sara answered. “I've been thinking about it, and to be honest, I feel unbelievably fortunate to be alive. You could have joined Nibiru all those years ago, couldn't you?”
Leon gave a nod.
Sara smiled with a mixture of joy and sadness. “I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I suppose I should thank you for that, at least.”
“Don't thank me,” Leon said. “I was made to protect this world, and I give you my word that I will die before ever joining Nibiru.”
Sara could see in Leon's eyes that there was no questioning his sincerity. “Let's hope Nibiru doesn't figure that out.”
They continued on until they reached the clearing in front of New Haven. Sara was stunned at the sight of the city. Hundreds of soldiers and workers were repairing the city's wall.
Sara could only stare in disbelief for a few moments before cautiously approaching one of the construction sites next to a tower.
Several soldiers spotted Sara and Leon and ran to them. “Guardians?” one asked.
“Yes,” Sara answered. “He's Vesuvian. What happened?”
“Pelasgians,” the soldier answered, “They had these huge monsters that tore through the wall like nothing. Fighting was nasty, but they eventually retreated. We're not sure where they are now.”
“Vesuvia,” said Leon. “They're going to wipe out my home if we don't do something soon.”
“C'mon, hurry,” Sara said, pulling at Leon as she tried getting into the city. With the amount of workers, she had to squeeze her way between people.
“Sara, up here,” Richard called from the top of the tower.
Once they were able to get past the construction site, Leon followed Sara into the passageways that led up through the wall and into the tower.
Sara was all smiles stepping onto the summit. “Richard, you're a sight for sore eyes,” she said, hugging him.
Richard's troubled demeanor was visible across his face. He looked nervously at Sara as tried to find the words.
“What?” Sara asked. She hadn't noticed the equinox Richard was holding until he held it out, and saw that it was Arthur's.
“Sorry,” Richard said.
Sara knew what this meant. Taking Arthur's equinox, she felt her body go numb, and an immense feeling of loss. Tears flowed as she tried sitting on a small crate, only to miss it and fall to the floor.
Leon and Richard quickly went over to help Sara. Both knew there was nothing they could do or say to console her.
It was hard for Leon to see Sara in such a devastated state. “I have to go.”
Richard shook hands with the Vesuvian. “Thanks for taking care of her.”
Leon hopped up to the edge of the summit. With one last look at Sara, he leaped down to the clearing and then dashed into the forest.
Richard grabbed another crate and sat next to Sara, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed. “We’ll make them pay.”
At the speed he was going, Leon was well into the woods when he began hearing odd noises again. It was the sound of breaking twigs and rustling of leaves. Coming to a stop, he was sure now that he was being followed not by one, but several people.
Leon drew his sword and waited as the noise came closer. Soon, directly ahead of and from both sides, a large group of Vesuvians from different Houses emerged.
A Doran male with spiky, red hair spoke. “We hear you have a ticket out of the apocalypse.”
“Leuk, you need to get back to the city now,” Leon said.
Some of the Vesuvians laughed. The fact that they were all able to follow Leon told him that they were sharing blood between them.
Leuk pulled a knife out. “I don't think so. Without you, the Pelasgians have no reason to be here.”
“You're making a mistake,” Leon growled.
With an evil grin, Leuk shook his head. “No, you're the mistake.”
The cost of blood in a drawn-out fight against numerous Vesuvians from all the Houses would be extremely high, especially if those Vesuvians were sharing blood.
Knowing this, Leon did the only thing he could think of. Run. It was easy to blow past the Vesuvians, but in less than a second he began to feel warm and uncomfortable.
The Doran used their powers to boil Leon's blood as they chased him.
If it weren't for the fact that he was made from the blood of the Council, Leon probably would have bled out. Instead, the immediate effect was minimal but caused him to expend more blood as he still had to resist the power trying to make him burst.
Leon made a hard turn. He was very familiar with the woods and knew that just ahead was his only chance of survival. Grabbing two glaives, he squeezed hard, filling his hands with blood.
In the middle of the woods, the trees suddenly opened up to a very massive gorge in the earth.
Leon jumped into the blackness with the Vesuvians diving in after him like rabid dogs.
The only way now was down.
As Leon fell, the blood from his hands lit up. At first, it was a soft glow, rapidly growing brighter and brighter.
With nowhere to hide, the Vesuvians exploded into cinder as they were engulfed by light that became so luminous, some of the people as far away as New Haven could see it.
Everyone in the city gaped in wonder.
Richard was certainly amazed. “Something tells me that wasn't a falling star.”
And as much as Sara wanted to believe it was, a single thought came to mind. “Leon.”
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~From the author~
Words can’t express how thankful I am of everyone’s support thus far. I hope you have found the story to be exciting and are looking forward to Vesuvian Starlight, now available!
Jose Rodriguez Jr.
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