Chapter 12 - Reunion

1/28/2020 --:--

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling someone gently shaking her. Taking a moment to reorient herself after her dreams, she saw Emma’s kindly smiling gaze looking upon her. To Lucy the smile was strangely familiar. The feeling quickly passed as she heard Emma say “Time for us to go find your brother.”

Emma swiftly gave Lucy a packed backpack as she shouldered her own. After fastening her belt and sword in its scabbard to her waist, she handed a pair of daggers to Lucy saying, “There are some dangerous creatures out there, you may need these.” She also handed Lucy a belt equipped with sheathes for the daggers. Once fully equipped, Lucy and Emma left the cave and headed north to Fort Stalwart.

Meanwhile, Rob and Ryan had set out down to the Lake of the Lost. The pair was silent as they trekked across vast grassy fields gently rolling in the breeze. Ryan quietly contemplated whether his sister was likely to still be alive. He tried to think about living with the knowledge that she was dead, and that it was entirely his fault. I don’t think I can live with that knowledge thought Ryan. His eyes blurred with tears as he tried not to choke on the sobs rising in his throat.

Spotting the sparkle of the Lake of the Lost up ahead, Robert suddenly said “We will stop to rest and camp there.” Striding to the shore of the Lake, Robert began gathering weed to make a campfire under the spread of a tree by the lake.

Lucy and Emma arrived at the Lake of the Lost by the time it got dark. In the advancing gloom, Emma spotted the orange flicker of firelight. Emma then said quietly, “I see a fire up ahead. It could be Eviscerators, follow me quietly.” Lucy and Emma stealthily began making their way towards the fire. Heart pounding, Lucy felt the tension build in her like a coiled spring until she felt like she would burst.

“Hey Rob, who is that?” Ryan quietly asked, pointing to a couple of cloaked figures approaching their fire.

“That,” Robert said pointing at the figures with his sword, “is why we set up a decoy fire. At least they are not Eviscerators, but let’s go and see what they want. Be careful though, as we don’t know what their intentions are.”

Arriving at the edge of the firelight, Emma cautiously approached the two forms sitting by the fire. Reaching out timidly to touch them, she found they were cloaks put over packs. “A decoy!” she hissed. Hearing Emma’s exclamation, Lucy felt the cold shivers of fear skitter down her spine.

Suddenly, they both heard a low voice say, “State your business.”

Whirling around, Lucy found herself at the end of a dark figure’s sword. Squinting, she could barely see another figure deeper in the shadows pointing a crossbow at her and Emma. “We are looking for someone.” Emma said briskly. As she spoke, the two people she was addressing stepped into the circle of light cast by the fire.

Lucy saw the man with the sword was tall, with a broad chest, and sported a bright had of fiery red hair. But it was the figure holding the crossbow that caught her attention. It was Ryan, her brother. “Ryan?” Lucy gasped softly as the removed her cloak hood.

Ryan was shocked to see his sister alive and well. With an expression of total surprise on his face, he dropped his crossbow and took a couple of stumbling step forward. Lucy however, squealed in delight, and rushing forward, she threw herself against Ryan, flinging her arms around him. Ryan, still shocked into silence, leaned into Lucy’s embrace and wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly.

Ryan’s eyes filled with warm tears of joy and content that warmed his soul and erased the cold numb of loneliness. This thawing released a flood gate of emotions as Ryan found his voice and started sobbing heavily. “I’m so sorry.” He spewed out in a torrent of shame and sorrow for bringing his sister into this world.

Ryan sank to the ground on his knees as his tears and words spilled out together. “I’m so sorry I got you into this and I-I am so sorry I just left you I was se-selfish, just so selfish, and n-now you are here and it is all my fa-fault I’m just so very sorry.” Lucy knelt down and grabbed both of Ryan’s hands.

“Ryan, please look at me.” Lucy said, gently raising Ryan’s chin with her hand to he was looking into her eyes. “It is all okay.” She said with her eyes full of compassion and tears for Ryan’s sorrow. “I wanted to find you to tell you that you have been forgiven by me even as I found your note. I would rather be in danger in a dark world then be safe and without you. I love you, and that has not, and will never change.”

Hearing these words, Ryan hugged Lucy tightly saying, “Thank you, Thank you so much.”

Emma looked on these events with tears of joy in her eyes. Even Robert, the tough warrior’s eyes filled with tears of joy. “Get a grip.” He muttered to himself while smiling at such a happy result.