40. THIRTY-NINE

THIRTY-NINE

" W e just came back from checking on the islands. Raven set troops of Main Predators by every single one of the Bridges," Ron informed as he tried to catch his breath.

Davina turned to him with her arms crossed. She let her fingers rip off the dry pieces of skin over her lips, a bad habit she picked up over the years whenever she was anxious.

As much as Raven attacked, she never set foot on Castellum. The attacks at the beginning of the war always occurred past the Bridges or inside the other islands. And it must've been because the King's presence resided on Castellum island.

"Are the Main Predators bothering anyone?" Davina asked.

"Only those who try to enter or leave the islands," Caleb answered.

"What are they doing?"

"They loot whatever goods they deem fit to take or give a heavy beating to the people," Beacon replied.

"We could only observe the garrisons from above one of Beacon's clouds," Ron explained.

"This woman thought of everything," Val uttered while biting her fingernails.

"How are we supposed to get back into our islands if the Main Predators are impeding our passage?" Cara questioned.

"How many Predators are stationed on each Bridge?" Snow asked.

"About fifty near the Bridge and around thirty surround the walls of Castellum," Beacon explained.

"How so?" Leilani asked.

Caleb explained, "They use their shadows to float above the water."

"And it seems like more keep joining at every minute," Ron finalized.

An idea had already come to mind. Now, she had to be brave enough to make it happen. She was determined to be the brave Captain her friends needed her to be.

Davina nodded. "I know what to do."

Cara, Leilani, Snow, and Valerie neared the group, their eyes affixed on Davina. Whatever happened, she had to be courageous enough to sacrifice what was necessary to win this war. Even if it was her own life.

"I'm going to fly above the islands, attack them, and lead them to Obsidian Canyon."

Their eyes widened, each of them protesting, "No!"

"Vivi, no," Ron whispered.

"As they follow me, you can bring your families from the islands into Castellum. Raven is incapable of entering so she won't be able to hurt them here. They'll be protected while you head out to battle. And as you bring your family, bring as many Bellatormans as you can." Davina glanced at each of them, savoring each skin tone, each eye color, each distinct hair strand, and each shape of their faces.

"Davina, you won't survive that," Valerie said softly, her eyes glossed.

The probability of her dying would be high, but all she could imagine was the pain of all those families because of the Predators. Their pain was now hers, she understood it because her siblings were living at the mercy of Raven.

"They're Main Predators, D, they're not Lowlys. They know how to fight and use their shadows. Imagine all of them coming after you," Caleb questioned.

"Ron and Beacon, you are to go to Mistral. Leilani and Caleb to Basalt. Cara, you will help Snow with the Neptulans. Valerie, find Master Abigail and ask her to help you oversee our island. Take troops with you according to their insignias," Davina ordered, her eyes examining their battered and ripped uniforms.

"Davina, let one of us go with you. Let me; your fire powers with my earthquakes combined we'll be able to get through to them," Cara offered.

Davina shook her head. She was not going to allow Cara to face that kind of danger. "You need to go with Snow."

So much had happened since the moment that Davina first stepped foot on Castellum Island. Davina understood that she had to stop being a scared little girl and become a fighter. True warriors had honor and that honor came from their bravery. Right now, she had to be brave, brave enough to face hundreds of Predators at once.

Her heart pulled her eyes to face Ron who seemed to be straining against himself from saying the same words he had repeated to her constantly all those months ago. His eyes begged her to stay, to not fly away and call the Predators to come after her.

"Obey my orders and we shall win this war," she commanded.

Davina turned to Leilani, she turned to each of her friends, a defiant look on their faces. Ron… she couldn't even describe his expression.

"What will we do after we bring the people to Castellum?" Beacon asked.

Good. He was being rational.

"Most likely, Raven will start a rampage. Return to the islands I assigned to you with your troops, and have the Leaders help you organize the companies. There's going to be way too many Predators at the center of the islands than there would be in the outward regions so start from the shores and work your way in."

They all nodded. Davina faced Beacon who was watching his own shaky hands.

"Beacon, if I don't come back… Please, find my siblings and save Bellatorm from Raven's wrath."

At that, he raised his eyes and shook his head. "Don't say that, D."

Her lip quivered before hugging Cara and Ron, slowly they each embraced one another and lowered their heads. The tension of battle weighed over their bones.

"You'll get through this. I promise that you will," she said to them, but part of her felt like she needed to tell herself those words, even though there was little to no hope for her surviving this.

Davina's chest hurt once she heard Caleb sniffing, she sighed with despair. Snow, who always held her poise, was shaken as well. It seemed like she wanted to say something but was holding herself back, her blue eyes were widened. Cara's beautiful face was saddened. Valerie and Beacon held tighter onto each other, with their heads against each other. Leilani seemed upset, her jaw was clenched as she stared at the stoned floor.

Davina couldn't bring herself to look at Ron.

The Island Protectors remained in silence, taking in the moment, enjoying the warmth of each other's embrace before having to face the Predators. She would allow herself to enjoy their company in these next few seconds because they could be her last. She listened to their breathing. Valerie's breath, along with Cara's and Caleb's, was shaky. Beacon's was calm although his rosy eyes and his trembling fingers betrayed him.

"We'll be fine, guys," Beacon reassured them.

Ron rubbed her back.

Time was running out. She had to leave. Davina sniffed before breaking the hug.

"You're all dismissed," she said softly. Davina was going to leave it at that. No more had to be said, except. "If this is the last time I see you guys, then I feel the need to say that it's been an honor to serve Bellatorm with you all."

Davina laughed through her tears as Cara was the first to jump into her arms.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," Cara cried into Davina's ear. Davina's lips quivered as she nodded into Cara's shoulder before they let go.

Valerie let go of Beacon and embraced Davina. "Thank you for renewing my faith in the King."

Davina sobbed as she tightened her grip around Valerie. Val, the girl of sunlight, was the one who invited her to come inside the castle. The only one, besides Leilani, whoever did. Valerie kissed Davina on the cheek and then headed back to Beacon.

Snow came and reached for Davina's hands. Their friendship was never easy to handle, but any memory of their distasteful past disappeared when Snow muttered, "Give them hell, Davina."

Tears slipped from her beautiful turquoise eyes before Snow pulled Davina into a deep hug. Davina nodded then Snow let go.

Leilani came with regret filling her eyes. "I wish you didn't have to do this."

"I don't have a choice, Lani," Davina whispered.

"I know," Leilani said.

Leilani wrapped her arms around Davina and said, "Thank you for being my friend."

"Thank you for giving me a chance."

Leilani put a hand on Davina's cheek before walking away to stand next to Cara and Snow.

Beacon walked to her, stared at her for a long second, then hugged her. He squeezed so tightly that she almost couldn't breathe. "Please, come back. Who am I going to fight with if not with you?"

Davina chuckled into his chest before tapping his arm. "Don't be a baby."

Beacon then ruffled her hair, before returning to Val. Caleb neared her.

"Thank you for being another big sister for me," Caleb croaked.

Davina chuckled which sounded more like a sob. She would most probably never again hear their jokes, their banter, their disagreements, and never again see their wonderful abilities.

But they would have a future if she did this. They would be able to grow in their powers. Beacon and Valerie would have the possibility of having children; her siblings would live, and they would grow up, free from danger. There was no other choice, she had to do this.

Caleb let go and walked to Leilani.

One by one, they headed for the staircase. She watched as they all stood on the steps with beady eyes, looking at her with remorse before they stepped into Castellum.

The only one that was left to bid goodbye was Ron.

Davina clasped a ripped piece of her uniform as the pain in her heart worsened. Ron, the only one who believed in her, even after everything she'd done to him. Even after breaking his heart, he believed in her. And now, she would have to say goodbye. This time, the chances of them meeting again were low. She looked into his glossy eyes.

"Come back to me," he begged. "Fight them, give them everything you got. But please don't let them overpower you. I need you, I want to share my life with you. There's still so much we haven't lived."

He was asking for something that she wasn't sure she could give.

Ron wrapped his hands around her waist. His stare followed the shape of her lips before he looked back into her own. She wouldn't deny herself the gift of the moment. She would give in, and she would enjoy it.

His gray-flecked gaze pulled her in, closer and closer. Until at last, they closed the space between them. Davina wrapped her arms around his neck while his fingers tangled in her curls.

She would no longer be foreign to how sweet and soft his lips were. This could very much be their first and last kiss. So, she would savor it, enjoy it, and keep it locked in her memory until she took her last breath.

His lips tasted of honey and tears. The perfect representation of how sweet and sour love could be at times. Davina's fingers brushed his neck before she let him go. And she felt undone by the brush of their lips.

She had to tell him. He could not go an entire life without knowing what she felt for him, without him knowing how much she loved him. It wasn't an infatuation, and she certainly would never forget about the magnificent being that was wrapped in her embrace.

With her hand over his cheek, she said, "Ron, I—"

"I don't want us to say it until after we survive this."

She wanted to say, if we survive this .

Her last memory with Ron would not become an unpleasant one, so she nodded.

"You're not going to try to convince me to stay?" she asked.

"No matter how much I tried to fight you in the past about this, I realized that I can't. This is what you must do, I've come to terms with that, even if I wish you didn't put yourself in danger for us like this," he began. "So go, do what you must."

"Ron." She wanted more time with him.

Ron removed his hand from her waist. "Go."

Davina looked into his eyes, strikes of lightning ran inside of them. "I don't wanna go yet."

"Go before I change my mind and force you to stay." He brushed his fingers across her hand. Davina stumbled as she took a few steps back.

"Go!" he yelled.

She split into a run, still facing him as she pulled out her wings of fire. Her wings stretched wide across her back before they threw her into the air. His figure grew smaller as she floated higher into the dark sky, Ron never breaking her gaze.

I don't want to go, she cried in her mind .

The air whipped across her cheeks, causing her curly hair to flap around her. She sighed then turned, heading for Neptulus. Even as she neared Neptulus, she couldn't help but think what he told her.

Come back to me.

How was she going to come back? She was about to force hundreds of Predators to come after her. She was determined to bring as many as possible to Obsidian Canyon, freeing the way for the others to transport as many people as possible onto Castellum.

Castellum being a large enough island, capable of harboring almost all Bellatormans. With the death tolls having risen in the past couple of months, perhaps all the citizens would fit into the castle.

Davina made her violet fire fall over the Predators that stood near the Neptulus Bridge. A great pleasure rejoiced her knowing that she was making them suffer the way that her people had suffered for centuries. Davina laughed loudly for the Main Predators to hear.

Their heads whipped up, immediately spotting her shining wings of fire surrounded by the night. Davina sent more piles of fire to descend upon them. She aimed for their feet, their weapons, and their heads. If she was going to die, she might as well die having fun.

These Predators were not controlled by Raven, only by their greed for power. These Predators had a mind of their own, they hadn't been possessed by Raven's control. They served Raven out of free will. So, she allowed herself to delve into being able to hurt them for hurting Bellatorm.

"After her!" they yelled. Davina snapped her stare toward the next Bridge and aimed dozens of fireballs to land over the Main Predators. "Get her!"

Davina then made fire rain upon Basalt Bridge, careful not to cause too much damage to the already cracked stone Bridges. Angry shouts filled her ears, and a pang of fear hit her as she saw the hundreds of Predators flying atop their dark clouds after her. Davina scanned the islands, hoping that there weren't any other Predators by the Bridges.

The majority was already after her, her friends could take care of the others before Raven sent another set of garrisons to the Bridges.

Davina swooshed enroute to Auris Island. Her flames crackled brighter, melting the skin of the Predators who stood near. She watched as they fell and crashed into one another. Some of them fell dead to the floor as those who received minimal burns flew after her.

She slowed, twirling in the air, her wings pushing her further into Auris.

She'd been nearing Obsidian Canyon when metal objects swooshed past her peripheral. She turned her gaze to find daggers slicing past her and falling. Davina spun in the air, dodging their arrows and knives.

Hissing when the sharp blade hit one of her wings, only to find it melting against her violet flames.

Davina's shadow cast upon the ashy mountains.

A shriek ripped from her throat. Davina looked down and found her blood pooling at her torso, covering her lavender tunic with a deep scarlet. She began to wobble, losing her balance in midair. She felt herself beginning to fall, alarm filled her mind as she saw the steep mountains nearing her vision. Her fall was inevitable, but it would cause more damage to her than what the Predators had done. Despite the sharp pain along her torso, she prepped herself for a harsh landing.

Davina put her wings away, she flew faster and closer to the rocky plane beneath her. Then she curled herself inward. As she made it to the mountain, she rolled onto her back. Her bones hurt from the contact with the rough mountain.

She groaned.

She had to get up, the Predators were close. Before she had even made it to the Canyon, she had been almost certain that she was going to die, but now it felt too real.

As her skin ripped open from having scraped so harshly against the stones beneath her, she couldn't help but hear Ron's voice in her mind.

There's so much we haven't lived.

The only life she knew was one of war. War against her parents, against her mind, and war against Raven. That wasn't life. It couldn't be. Life couldn't just have been troubles and more problems. Life was meant to be more.

That was when she realized that she hadn't lived at all. She wanted a life of peace and happiness, and she wanted a taste of it.

She wanted to truly live. No more surviving. No more pessimism. No more of the weight of the world over her shoulders. She wanted to live. Davina wanted to see her siblings grow into successful Bellatormans. She wanted to be a part of their lives.

As much as she knew she was around for most of their childhood, Davina felt like she hadn't been a part of anything. She wanted to meet Val and Beacon's future children. She wanted to see Cara flourish in her new business. She wanted to keep seeing Leilani and Caleb fight for the dumbest reasons ever. Davina even wanted to hear Snow's snarky comments.

Life shouldn't just be about suffering. It was about enjoying. It wasn't about surviving, it was about living.

And then Ron. Ron had so much good that he wanted to offer to her. The only way to get to that point in her life was by getting out of this Canyon. So, she made her choice.

And she chose to live. Davina struggled against her heavy bones as she crawled to her feet. Her muscles strained and her wound throbbed. She applied pressure against the gash at her side.

"Davina!"

She'd heard that voice before. She frantically searched for an escape. The Predators were getting close and in her state, she wouldn't be able to fight them off.

"There you are," a voice snarled.

Davina snapped her gaze at the ten Predators standing around her. She needed to heal, and fast.

Right now, she had to find a way to regenerate her strength to fight off the Predators. She had to go back to him. She couldn't give herself over now. Not yet. Not ever. If she could only figure out how to heal then she would be able to hold them off long enough for the others to get the Bellatormans into Castellum.

Davina closed her eyes and searched within her mind to find the ability to heal. What could it be? Where is that power?

In the darkness of her mind, a lilac sphere appeared. It had been so small that she had to give all her focus to the approaching light.

A purple ball of energy danced among the walls of her mind, she reached for it. Perhaps, that was the power that she was desperately searching for. A tingle spread across her torso as energy rushed back into her blood.

Davina opened her eyes, flared with flames.

Her hands filled with fire, and she ignited those nearest to her as the others approached her swiftly. She refused to deflect them, so she brought her flamed hands to their sticky gray jaws. Despite them being the Main Predators, their appearance was just as horrible as the Lowly Predators.

Davina turned and lit up the next incoming Predator.

Another brought out his large sword, swinging almost immediately. Davina dodged each one of the Predator's slashes. She blocked with her forearm, then grabbed his arm. She smirked as she watched him disintegrate into ash. She took his sword and flipped it in circles while she set her eyes on the last standing Predator.

He was standing still. She noticed his bright auburn hair, she could recognize it anywhere. "Sadoc."

"Davina, I-I'm not here to hurt you." He held his hands up.

"Really? Is that what you've been doing this entire time? Not trying to hurt me?"

Sadoc sighed. Other Predators, shouting from a distance, appeared behind him.

"I know that I have not given you reason to trust me but believe me when I say that I'm so sorry for everything that I've done. I'm not here to fight but to warn you," Sadoc began, keeping his hands where she could see them. "Leilani is on her way to tell Raven what you're planning. Raven's going to make the force field close in on the islands. You need to leave, now. I'll hold them off."

No.

"You're a liar! Shut it with your lies!" Davina yelled.

"I may be. But right now, I am speaking the truth. You need to go," Sadoc panted.

"Why would I believe you?" Davina asked. "It's Leilani we're talking about. My best friend. She may have been foolish to allow you into her life but she's not a traitor."

"You don't have to believe me. But if you stay here, you'll have much more to lose," Sadoc said, turning back to the incoming Predators.

But Leilani… No, it couldn't be Leilani.

"Lani wouldn't do that to me," she whispered. Sadoc had to be lying. Leilani was her best friend, since the very beginning. Leilani taught her everything she knew about offense and defense, she held onto Davina whenever she had to cry, and Leilani cleaned her wounds. No, the traitor was Isaiah. Just Isaiah.

"Yes, she would. It's my fault that she has betrayed you, I used her greatest weakness against her. Leilani has always been the best at everything. And for once, she wasn't," Sadoc said.

"What does that even mean?"

"She wanted to be the Captain of the Protectors but the King chose you. She said that you were not stable enough to be a good fit to be the Captain. And then, on top of that, you didn't consider her to be your commander and instead you chose Beacon Levina."

Davina shook her head.

"I am ashamed of exploiting her weaknesses. I regret clearing the pathway for Raven so she could have another advantage over you, but you knew that already. I saw you that night, hiding on my rooftop with Ron, and months later you were hiding behind the bushes. I was hoping you'd tell Leilani, and you could warn her about me from the very beginning. The day you went to my house and threatened me, she was already falling into the trap. I know you tried to speak to her about me but that only convinced her even more because she hates being told what to do. That is why for a while she was distant and then it was like nothing had happened," he confessed. "But it was until today that she has decided to strike a deal with Raven. At this moment, I have chosen to be truthful with you because I admire your compassion and your strength. Which is something I have lacked my entire life."

Davina continued to shake her head. The wind escaped her lungs. Not Leilani. The Predators were getting closer with their weapons raised.

"How long have you served Raven?"

Heartbreak and shame flashed through his green eyes.

"My family has been loyal to Raven's cause for generations," he explained.

Her eyes glossed.

"You have to hurry, they're coming."

If Sadoc was right, then that made Leilani a traitor, a traitor of Bellatorm. She lost Isaiah as an alley, she lost Amir, and now she'd have to lose Leilani.

For Isaiah, she couldn't care less that he was no longer a part of her life. Her only regret had been allowing him to be in her life for so long. It had been the longest months of her life.

But Leilani, her best friend. The first Bellatorman who accepted her. Her first true friend, or so she had thought. This couldn't be real. She wouldn't. She wasn't an envious person, she was kind, friendly, and funny. No.

But then, if it was true what he said… Leilani was the best at everything and she loved that about herself. Leilani loved that she was beautiful, competent, and fierce.

There was nothing she could do now, she had to go back to the islands. "Where is Raven headed?"

"She's in Basalt, planning to meet Leilani at your house."

The Predators were near, Sadoc stepped closer to Davina. She took a step back, his hands wrapped around her shoulders as he looked deeply into her brown eyes.

"Do what I was too afraid to do, stop her," he whispered before pushing her off the precipice.