by Robe
“Go!” she commanded and scrambled aside so that Auric could continue the process.
“Come on, Ziem!” Joan screamed. “Come on!”
Auric could feel Ziem’s heart was not beating as he carefully pressed on the boy’s chest. After persistently pumping for the better part of the minute, he knew that it was lost, and he stopped.
“What are you doing!” Joan cried and shoved him out of the way before taking up the pumping again. Auric looked up at Veese who watched overhead, and he felt his heart in his throat as Veese closed his eyes. Joan didn’t stop trying to revive Ziem, even after several minutes had passed.
“Joan,” Auric said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Joan, he’s gone.”
She shook his hand away. “No! He’s not dead!”
Auric wrapped his arms around Joan and pulled her back, trying to snap her out of the shocked state.
“Get off of me!” she screamed, and her strength surprised him. He held her tightly until she cried, “Get off of me! This is your fault! You killed him!”
Auric, stunned by her words, let her break from his grip, and she threw herself back down at Ziem’s side, crying on his body.
The sea washed up against the ship as Reon stood at the railing, looking out over the great expanse. The sun was setting along the horizon, and it turned the greenish sea water orange in the evening glow. Beautiful, he thought, and he knew he and his friends had to stop Argain at all costs. He wondered where they were, how they had fared on the sea, and if they had caught up to the Evil God.
“A fine day to be sailing,” a Martin sailor said as he strolled up beside Reon, “especially away from where we left. Too much horror, too many bad memories.”
“You won’t miss Oluld?” Reon asked him.
“No,” he said. “It’s a nice place, but after the black raiders, I’ll never want to return.”
“The world is full of nice places,” Reon said. “You’ll find somewhere to call home.”
The sailor nodded before returning to his duties. Reon watched the waves slide gently along the ocean surface as he thought to himself. The world is full of nice places, and it’s our duty to protect them. Our duty as the Spiderhunters. He grinned and chuckled to himself before turning to help the sailors pull up the sails.