SWNOVELS Chapter Eddie XIV
They’d been pulling the wolf’s body back to the camp since dawn. The two children waited for the enemy to leave before they approached the wolf.
And they knew that they couldn’t leave him there like that. So, they used the ropes that bound him and pulled his body.
Octavia couldn’t stop crying. And he couldn’t blame her. Her heart was too pure for the world she was born into, let alone the world that she was sent to for her afterlife.
They were covered in the great wolf’s blood. Which only upset the dark-haired girl further. “I can’t do this anymore,” she wept. “I can’t look at him anymore.”
She let go of the ropes. Her hands shook, it’s no doubt that her hands were cut from the ropes as well. Eddie let out a sigh as set his side of the wolf down and approached her. They were both mentally exhausted. The loss of Omdrus was a great one. “We’re almost there,” he assured her. “Once we get him back to camp, he can be put to rest. And you won’t have to look anymore.”
“But I’ll always know what they did to him,” she spoke. “I’ll always know what that witch has done.”
“That’s even more reason to get him back to camp,” Eddie told her. The words had to climb over the lump in his throat. He had to force the words out which made his voice sound hoarse. “The battle begins tomorrow and they can’t win without us. And... that’s what Omdrus sacrificed himself for. We’ll have time to grieve at camp, come on.”
She nodded reluctantly and sniffled before picking up the ropes. And they both carried their weight despite the wolf being almost twice their size.
They carried Omdrus’s corpse all the way back to the camp. Once they stopped, they were surrounded by their army.
The army that whispered out of fear. The army that felt great sadness at the wolf’s untimely demise.
Alex and Aria burst through the crowd, clad in armor. Armor that was as black as the wolf’s fur and as red as his eyes. Octavia immediately ran to her brother who embraced her tightly, she cried her tears of grief. And it was all the black-haired boy could do not to cry as well.
Somberly, Aria approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You did well, young Edward.”
“Did well?” Eddie questioned. “I could do nothing to save him. I merely thought that he was going to do something magical, but instead, he sacrificed himself... for me. When I wasn’t even worth it.”
“He did do something magical, Edward,” Aria assured him. “He sacrificed himself out of the goodness of his heart. He sacrificed himself for the battle that will change the lives of so many. That will save the lives of so many.”
“But he’s dead,” the redhaired boy persisted. “And I’ve let it happen.”
“Move along!” Ghostdrum shouted, to keep the prying eyes off the two kings and the two queens. “Back to work!”
Aria got down to Eddie’s level. “I know what you are thinking, Edward,” she paused. “But it is not your destiny. I know that you believe yourself to be so far from redemption that it is but a mere dot. But you’re not.” she sighed. “Killing Seraphina won’t do anything to help you. It is a path not meant for you.”
“But it will help you?” the boy questioned. “That path is meant for you? You are her sister.”
“Yes,” the auburn-haired girl told him. “But it is not by choice. I’ve been blind to her evil for too long. Had I not been so, Omdrus would still be alive now.” Aria sighed. “Your path lies with Octavia. You, Edward, are good-hearted, though you might not yet see it. But I pray that one day you will.”