The Doors To Arabeth (Post #3 Chapter #10)

Secrets Revealed

“Nazirithia is a dangerous kingdom. As good as the Penicilian army is, Nazirithians are better. If they get to us unprepared, we could be in some serious trouble. ” Cole reminds me.

Near death experiences seem to follow me everywhere I go in this land. I hope we are at least prepared for battle this time. “Cole, how many days do we have left?”

“Eight, including today. Based off the compass, it is about a three days trip. We have to get moving,” Grahndle bellows. “When do we leave?” Grahndle asks Cole and I. Ever since the battle with Grolaham, Cole has stepped into a leadership position. That is great for him, but I am afraid he will buckle under the first sign of danger, and become that scared, little coward he was when I met him. We have to be able to rely on him. I guess I am not ready to trust him with that kind of authority yet.

“We can leave now. That is, if it is okay with you,” Cole responds as I continue contemplating his trustworthiness.

“Oh. Yes, of course. Sontani, could you hand me the compass?” Sontani is an old man with white hair and hazel eyes. He must not have had much wealth before this journey because he is so thin, his skin is molded around each bone of his ribs. The sight is sickening

I hold the compass in my ice cold hands and watch the thin, silver arrow teeter totter until it focuses on one direction, northwest. “The compass is pointing northwest. It appears as though the kingdom of Penocilia is on the way to the gems. Let us head out.” The formality of their speaking has certainly worn off on me.

Cole and I lead the way. I navigate with the compass as he checks up on the rest of the men. We travel through thick forest land and leaf covered ground. The forest is silent, other than the talkative men in the back of the group. I remind the men to remain as quiet as possible, and Cole tells Grahndle to keep an eye out for any predators.

“William, I think it is time for us to rest.” Cole shouts to me as I continue following the compass to Penocilia.

“It has only been a few hours. We shall not rest yet. Our time is limited.” I say as we travel through the starlit night. “It is important that we continue moving forward.”

“Our men are exhausted! I truly believe it is in our best interest to take a break,” Cole continues to argue. I swear this guy does not shut up anymore! Does he not understand the urgency of this quest?

“Cole. Listen to me. I know what I am doing, you do not. You are just a coward. A now misunderstood coward that had one heroic moment! You do not see Romulus running around like he owns the place.” That is probably an expression that he does not understand, but it still applies to the situation. “That does not make you the leader!” As soon as these venomous words are finished spewing from my mouth, I wish I could take them back! Maybe I should apologize. We do not need any more traitors around here.

“Then what does that make you? You are just like me! You destroyed Marina, but that is all you have done! Nobody made you the leader either! We are here to help you, and you cannot offer us the slightest bit of respect!Can anyone else think of a time William has helped us? A time other than defeating Marina?” Where did all of that come from? We all look around at one another, but nobody speaks up.

“If it wasn’t for me, you would still be pretty little ice sculpture in Marina’s collection. So, I suggest you remain silent. Do you understand?” He does not respond. Cole turns around and continues riding without saying a word.

We are all silent, but at least we keep moving. I sense a lot of tension in the group. Nobody wants to disrupt the painful silence, yet we know it is the only way we can work together. After losing Zeusion, we cannot afford to lose anyone else. Keeping us all together is vital to our survival. As much as I hate to say it, Cole and I need to forgive and forget.

~~*~~

There is an obvious barrier between us as we eat. The silence appears to be never-ending, just like this journey. I really hate this situation because I know how stubborn Cole is, and it is as clear as the night sky that I will have to apologize first.

What am I supposed to say? He clearly intended to insult me! Am I expected to go up to Cole, bend down on my knees, and beg for his forgiveness? That is not going to happen! But the truth is, I have to do something.

I need to find a way to apologize, but not make it seem like I am begging. My image in front of these men is of the utmost importance. Showing strength rather than weakness is crucial. But how do I go about this?

Maybe I should just wing it. Thinking about this too much is going to make my head explode, and I cannot afford that right now. There is a mission at hand and I have to get these men moving again. I guess it does not matter what world you are on, you can never escape drama.

“Cole, can I speak to you for a moment?” He sits by the fire and looks up at me, but his expression is not what I had expected. I assumed I would see rage, a face full of fury. But instead, he looks wounded and hurt. He probably only insulted me because that was his natural defense. Now I feel bad. I swear if I get all emotional and sappy, these guys are going to put up with my rage and fury!

Cole hands his left over food to Grahndle and walks towards me. “What is it?” he mumbles. Oh great, here we go.

“Cole… I--I wanted to... apologize,” I manage to stutter. His expression does not change. “I did not mean what I said. As of now, I am under a lot of pressure. I am sure you can understand the circumstances. However, I am obliged to say what I did was wrong. No matter the circumstances.” He finally glances up and makes eye contact with me. He looks innocent, tears welled up in his eyes. His face is red and puffy. He does not hold himself together very well. That only makes my job that much harder.

This is the first that I have realized how much I truly hurt him. That was the first time Cole has ever felt confident and important, and I am the one who just ruined it all. My heart sinks. How could I have been the one to do this to him?

“I guess what I am trying to say is that I am sorry. You are like a brother to me and I do not want to hurt you. If there is anything I can do to make that up to you, let me know.” I turn around and start walking towards the logs of wood we have engulfed in flames, and head to sit with the others. As I move in that direction, something freezing grabs my arm!

A shiver runs down my spine and I turn to see what has grabbed me. Cole stands before me with a freshly sharpened dagger in his other hand. I glance over the knife with a look of examination as it heads towards me. When did he do this? He has been with us this entire time.

He looks completely different. Even his eyes are glowing red. He stands with an abundance of confidence and eyes that indicate he is seeking revenge. But why would he need revenge? I have already apologized. Has something possessed him? How could that even be possible? He looked perfectly normal two seconds ago!

I watch the knife near my throat and I lift my other arm up to push him back. It does not matter how mad Cole is, he would never do anything even remotely similar to this. Something is wrong.

“Cole? Are you okay?” I ask as I struggle to keep the blade from piercing my skin and cutting my throat. A disturbing grin slowly creeps onto his now pale face and he pushes the knife harder. “Cole?”

Cole spins around so he stands directly behind me with the knife brushing up against my neck, and laughs diabolically “Cole, you have to tell me what is going on! Cole! Can you hear me?” He keeps fighting against me, growing stronger with every passing second. I grab the blade of the knife and try to turn it the other direction, but fail to do so. My blood runs down the blade, and pain courses through me, but I cannot let go. For if I do, I fear a far worse fate awaits me.

I continue to fight, but move my hands back to the base of the knife. Quickly, I duck beneath the blade and face him head on, barely strong enough to keep the blade from piercing me.

Cole looks me in the eyes again. This time, the light fades and his eyes widen. Suddenly, he stops in his place. The struggle to keep his dagger away has ended and I sense that his smile has diminished. “Cole? What the heck is going on?” He is still frozen in place, the knife dangling in front of me. Within a few minutes of petrifying silence, he drops the blade and it slices my hand with the tip the blade. My wound is bleeding out, but all I can do is stare at the dagger lying on the ground by my feet.

I shout to the men without removing my eyes from the sight of the knife covered in my blood. Cole tried to kill me. Why? Something is wrong. We cannot have him coming along with us if we cannot figure out what it is.

“William! You are bleeding!” Mathewno announces as they run to help me. Really? I did not know that! Why do people have state the obvious? Honestly, I had forgotten about the wound though. It was not really hurting me until I started thinking about it. “Cole? What happened?”

He just stands there, silent. As I walk up to him, I notice he looks normal again. Although, something is on his mind. I stand a few feet across from him, but he also continues to stare at the knife.

Cole’s body is going limp. “Somebody catch him!” His body falls in slow motion. It is too late. Cole has fallen.