We stayed there for… I’m not sure how long. Ti can be odd sotis. It felt like an eternity… but it also felt like no ti at all. I’m not very good at explaining this kind of thing. I’m sure Dacus could explain it better. It got dark, then it got light again. We never spoke to each other. I didn’t want to let go. Letting go ant that I had to face the world. I had to deal with everything that had happened. I just wanted to forget it all. I wanted to stay safe in his arms.
Alas, we cannot hide from reality forever. Eventually, we have to accept fate… we have to process… we have to do these things so that we can heal.
My tears had long run dry before I let go of Kiyui. It was then that I properly looked at my mother’s body. She was cold and lifeless. Covered in deep wounds, bites, and lacerations. Her blood had soaked into the bed sheets. Not as much blood as there should be though. She had clearly gone out fighting. I would have expected nothing less from her.
Lucas had similar injuries, with one notable exception. There were severe scold marks on all of his exposed skin. His face was barely recognisable. I went to move his sleeve and his skin ca away with it. It must have fused with the fabric. Not as much blood from him as there should be either. They bled out outside and were brought in here afterwards.
We took one of the spare bedsheets and covered the bodies. We should burry them on the farm. A lot of people died in the city. There won’t be space for all of them in the grave yard. Then again… I doubt Lucas’ family would allow that. And they will probably have the money to buy his way into the graveyard. We can deal with that later. We need to check on Svampe.
Svampe was still sat in the kitchen. He had not moved since we last saw him. His face still had the sa expression. He didn’t even look in our direction when we entered the room this ti. I sat down at the table opposite him and Kiyui started to make so tea. None of us said anything. Eventually, Kiyui brought the teapot to the table and poured us all a cup.
As the steam rose from the cups, Svampe finally spoke. His voice was weak, unsure, as though he was questioning whether everything that had just happened was real.
Svampe: “I couldn’t leave them outside.”
Kiyui sat down next to Svampe and held his hand.
Svampe: “Not with those things. I couldn’t leave them out there.”
Kiyui: “Honey, it’s okay. We understand.”
Dwynfel: “Svampe, who’s in the cocoons outside?”
Svampe: “Nomius and Derek… they got hurt… they got hurt really bad.”
Dwynfel: “Why was Derek here? It’s his day off.”
Svampe: “The mare was sick. He wanted to see if he could get her to eat sothing.”
He looked up at … he had fear in his eyes.
Svampe: “What if the cocoons don’t work? They were really hurt. I’ve never made a cocoon before. What if I was too late?”
Kiyui: “Don’t worry. We’ve seen what those cocoons can do. It may take a while, but they’ll be okay.”
Dwynfel: “Svampe…”
His gaze returned to the floor and his eyes sort of glazed over. As though he was staring into so great abyss.
Dwynfel: “Svampe… can you tell us what happened here?”
Svampe: “The mare was sick. If the mare wasn’t sick then it would have been fine.”
He's right. If the mare was alright then they could have all made it to the town. Two people on each horse and Nomius & Svampe running.
Svampe: “Indira knew we wouldn’t get to the city on ti. She said we should defend ourselves here as best we could. She told and Nomius that we should go to the city. But he wouldn’t leave her to defend herself. And I can’t die… so no way in hell was I leaving them to defend this place without . Lucas wouldn’t leave her either. So, he gave his horse to Olly.”
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
I may not have always been the biggest fan of Lucas. But he has always done right by the boys… and my mother.
Svampe: “We didn’t have much ti to prepare. Lucas set up a couple of trip wires and alarms. But they were here so fast. Those weird fish things… the frog people. There were so many. Derek tried to fight with a hay fork… but he’s not a fighter… he’s never been a fighter. He got jumped and it just kept stabbing him. I killed it, but it stabbed him so many tis.”
He looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood. Most of his body was covered in blood. His clothes were soaked in the stuff.
Svampe: “Indira… she shouted for to cocoon him. Told Lucas to cover while I did. But I’d never made a cocoon before. It took too long. By the ti I’d finished, we were being overrun. I returned to the fight and we were starting to take back so ground. That was when the serpent thing showed up… it had this creepy dragon-like head and these scythe-like arms.”
That must be the Wastrilith.
Svampe: “It saw right through Nomius’ invisibility. It stabbed one of its scythe things through his chest. When he reappeared, it cut off his arm… it just cut it off and ate it. One second it was attached… then it wasn’t. Next thing I knew he was flying through the air. He crashed against the house. There was blood everywhere.”
I knew those things were dangerous. But to be able to do that to Nomius… gods.
Svampe: “Indira shouted for to cocoon him. I objected, said she needed back-up, but she insisted that she could take care of the monsters. She started charging up a spell. I could see the flas forming around her as I worked on the cocoon. That… thing… it charged towards her and shot this stream of water at her. Lucas rushed over and stood in the way. He scread… he scread so loud as it hit him. He fell to the ground and Indira… she unleashed this spell… it burned everything… everything around them. The serpent thing collapsed. I thought it was over. I thought it was done. Then we heard it… that noise… that horrible skittering.”
Lucas was injured saving my mum. He took a stream of boiling water from that thing just to protect her. I know that I have questioned this many tis over the years. But I do genuinely think he loved her. For years, I thought he just had a thing for older won. But that was probably just not wanting anybody to replace my dad.
Lucas loved my mum. And I really wish that I had been more accepting of him from the start.
Svampe: “Indira was desperately spraying Lucas with cold water when they burst from the trees to the north. Hundreds… maybe thousands of the things. They looked like bugs… but they were way bigger. So goblin size… so bigger than Nomius. Indira… she cast another fire spell… burned so many of them… but they just kept coming. Lucas got back on his feet. He could barely move, but he drew his sword anyway. They were surrounded. I finished the second cocoon and tried to fight my way to them. But there were so many. I would kill one and five would show up in its place. I couldn’t… I couldn’t get to them.”
Tears started flowing down his cheeks and Kiyui pulled Svampe towards him. He cradled Svampe’s head and wiped the tears from his cheeks with a handkerchief.
Svampe: “I tried so hard… I did… I really did.”
Kiyui: “We know, honey. We know.”
Svampe: “I kept fighting… I kept trying to get to them. Those things ravaged the farm… there were so many. Then… they just left… like they had no reason to be here. And I was left here… on my own… I didn’t know what to do. They weren’t breathing. They weren’t like Derek and Nomius… I knew… I just… I could feel it… I knew I couldn’t heal them. But I couldn’t leave them out there… not with those things. So, I brought them in. I thought they should rest together… sowhere safe. Gods… I should have got to them sooner… maybe then I could have… I’m sorry Dwynfel… I’m so sorry.”
I reached out to him. I held his hands. I looked him in the eyes. I wanted to make it perfectly clear that I truly believed what I said.
Dwynfel: “Svampe, I need you to understand that none of this is your fault. I do not bla you for anything. You did everything that you could. You saved Derek. You saved Nomius. I am proud of you. What happened was awful and tragic. But it was not your fault. And I am so incredibly glad that you are alive and here with us right now.”
He engulfed in his arms. If I hadn’t exhausted my tear ducts earlier then I likely would have burst into tears myself. But that’s not what he needs right now. Svampe… Tadwick… Alexi… they need to be strong. I need to see them all through this. Clive said that it is all over and that we shape our own destinies now. Well, I am going to make sure that this family survives this. That we get back on our feet and that each of us lives out our lives in the best way that we can.
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