Wings of Paper - Chapter 18

I woke up to a delicious smell wafting into the bedroom from the kitchen. I climbed out of bed, finding Hiro, Kenzie, and Alex were already awake and probably in the kitchen. 

They were, in fact, already in the kitchen. Sadie had laid a blanket across the floor and they had moved the table aside so we had a place for a picnic breakfast. Kenzie had cooked us a meal from her grandmother’s stash to preserve food from her actual house. 

The group was chatting amicably as I made my way into the room. Once again I felt like I was out of place. 

“Good morning,” Alex smiled at me as I walked in. Her hair was messy from sleep, but she looked peaceful. “Would you care to join us?” She patted the blanket beside her where a plate of still steaming food was placed. 

I took a seat, devouring the food and listening as Hiro and Kenzie described their adventures back before the Darkness. 

“And then I slayed the giant, right then and there,” Hiro was saying. 

Kenzie laughed. “As if. I had to rescue you, remember?” 

Hiro shrugged. “I was just getting to that part. Anyways, first the giant cornered me and I had no idea Kenzie had followed me to the cave. It raised its bat to kill me but she stabbed it in the leg and saved my life.” 

“How sweet,” Sadie cooed. 

Kenzie snorted. “I just wanted my jewels - which Hiro never actually returned to me, by the way.” She sent a pointed look at him. 

“Hey, the Darkness hit before I could find the fourth one,” Hiro argued. 

“Wait,” I interrupted. “I already finished your story - or at least the first part of it. I already wrote you finding all four jewels for Kenzie.” 

“Really?” Kenzie raised an eyebrow at me. “I told him where a fourth one was, but on his way down there Hiro found the ancient texts and then the Darkness struck. We never finished the quest or the story.” 

“You keep saying the ‘ancient texts’, but what does that mean?” Alex asked, setting down a mug of warm tea. 

“The ancient texts are a collection of dusty scrolls up in the deep mountains,” Hiro explained. “There’s hole in one of the mountains, but you have to be ‘worthy’ to see it. The scrolls tell of a Creator, a person who created the entire world. It said the person would be a savior to us all.” 

“Do you know the exact words?” Alex asked, sounding excited. I didn’t know why the ancient texts made her so happy. 

Hiro sighed and shook his head. “As soon as I finished reading them they crumpled to dust in my hands. I reached for another scroll but my hand passed straight through it. One can only read one scroll - and only once.” 

“Darn,” Alex muttered. “I was hoping maybe we could find a clue to defeating the Darkness in the words.” 

“Sorry,” Hiro apologised. I felt bad for him - if he had known that the scroll would be a big deal he would have tried hard to memorize it. But now we were stuck with a plan full of flaws and a weakening team. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Sadie reminded him. “You did the best you could in the given situation. For now, the best we can do is help Luke get to Dee’s castle. Which means we should leave soon. We’re losing daylight.” She stood abruptly, brushing off her skirt onto the blanket. 

Sadie was right, unfortunately. We cleaned up the cabin the best we could, though Kenzie reminded us that her grandmother was most likely dead if her cabin was abandoned. 

Still, it felt nice to make things better for a change. 

We dressed up as much as we could, wrapping ourselves in coats, gloves, hats, and scarves. I tried to imagine some hand warmers or backpacks that would better fit our supplies, but my imagination was still down. The hot chocolate had completely drained me. 

Then we set out into the white winter wonderland, hoping maybe we could defeat Dee. 

Because if we didn’t, this white wonderful would turn into a dark doom for everyone in the kingdoms. 

We were about halfway down the mountain when Sadie found a cluster of rocks big enough to shield us from the harsh winds of the bitterly cold mountain. 

The snow melted a few miles back, meaning it was warm enough to take off our puffy coats. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any more room in our bags for the coats so we had to leave them behind. Sadie insisted we leave them in a tree so animals could grab them if needed. 

No one reminded her that the animals were all dead. 

My imagination was still burnt out and I was beginning to wonder if it would ever come back. 

The cluster of rocks formed an almost cave-like opening underneath where the ground was blanketed in soft grass. And though the air was chilly, it wasn’t unbearable. The sun was very small now - smaller than the moon and providing little light. In fact, Sadie and Sammy had to form orbs of light for each of us to use in order to see. The tiny ball floated beside me, illuminating the rocky ground. 

Kenzie passed us some fruit, but none of us ate. We weren’t hungry, in fact we were itching to move on. It’s just to catch our breath, I told myself. 

Though it did take quite some time for the Fictionals to be fit for travel again. They were weakening. 

No, I told myself. It’s just that the path is steeper than normal. 

But I wasn’t fooling anyone. Especially not myself. Just a little further. Just kill Dee - it’s the only way. 

“Everyone ready?” Kenzie asked, slinging a bag over her shoulder. 

“One minute,” Hiro panted, his face especially pale and slick with sweat. We all pretended that this was normal, but it wasn’t. 

“Hiro, are you…” I began. He gave me a look. One that I could tell only meant sorrow. 

Hiro met my eyes as he crumpled backwards, leaning against a rock for support. His expression was pained as he met my eyes. “I guess I can’t hide this anymore.” 

He rolled up his shirt and I sucked in a breath. 

Where he had been stabbed by Dee the skin was blackened. Thick, purplish blood dripped from the wound, soaking into the sloppily tied bandage. But the blackened skin hadn’t stopped at the wound. It had spread outwards. I realized that Hiro had been wearing long sleeves and had never shown much skin. 

His arms were dark as pitch and blackness was creeping up his neck to his chin. 

“You stupid heroic idiot,” Kenzie cried out, her voice cracking as she flung herself at Hiro. He pushed her away, his whole face looked like he was in pain. 

“Please, Kenzie, I didn’t let you help me because I didn’t want you to get infected with this too. Keep your distance and leave me, I’ll be fine,” Hiro pleaded. His voice was breaking my heart. “I’ve always joked about death, I’ll be fine.” 

No, he wouldn’t. I had never planned for Hiro’s death. I wanted him to live through the stories, to become king. Hiro was my first hero. My first success. And the first person to believe in me. But this was proof that I was helpless. Hiro was dying - partially because of me - and there was nothing I could do. 

“This isn’t the end,” Kenzie whispered. “Luke can help you. C’mon, Hiro, get up.” 

“Kenzie, it’ll all be okay,” Hiro promised, wincing as Kenzie settled down beside him, wrapping her arms around him as she sobbed into his shoulder. All I could do was watch. 

“Hiro, please,” Kenzie begged. “We can help you.” 

“It’s fine,” Hiro argued, forcing a smile. “I’ll finally get to see my rotten dad again. And one day you can join me too - though not too soon, I hope.” 

No one laughed at that and Hiro’s smile flitted away. Sammy and Sadie were at a loss for words, both of them deathly silent. Tears were forming in Sadie’s eyes and she took a step backwards. 

“Luke, think of a cure. Imagine one,” Alex suggested beside, her voice panicked. 

I tried. I pictured Hiro healthy and well, but the image kept getting replaced by frail and injured Hiro. The boy I knew too well. 

“Take care of the others for me, will you?” Hiro asked Kenzie. She shook her head and pressed herself tighter to him. 

“You aren’t dying,” Kenzie said forcefully. “You won’t.” 

“What is done is done.” 

“Hiro!” Kenzie cried. “This isn’t about you. What about the rest of us?” 

“Do you think I haven’t thought about that?” Hiro asked, suddenly angry. He seemed startled by his own outburst and sank back into the rock. “I’m not asking you guys to leave, I’m telling you to. Don’t make this harder for me.” 

“Hiro, we can help you…” I began, but the words died on my tongue. We couldn’t help him. Hiro was already mostly consumed by the Darkness. We were only putting ourselves in danger. 

“You know, I’ve always joked about dying,” Hiro said bitterly. “But I don’t think it’s funny anymore.” He met my eyes. “I’m scared, Luke. I’m scared of what Dee will do with my body. I’m scared to not be here. And I’m scared that it’s going to hurt. Will it hurt, Luke? Tell me honestly.” 

I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to say or how to react. Hiro was fading now, fluttering in and out of consciousness. 

“Someone will need to run the kingdom,” Hiro mumbled absentmindedly. His eyes gained clarity again and he looked straight at me, his dark eyes meeting mine as they welled with tears. “It hurts, like something is eating away at me. Don’t let it take me.” 

“Hiro,” Kenzie began, but the boy began to shake, racked with silent sobs as his body contorted in pain. The Darkness was fighting him. And it was winning. 

“Kenzie, please don’t make this any harder.” 

“I’m not leaving you…” 

“Please.” The word was filled with anguish and pain. “Make it stop.” 

I turned away but Alex grabbed me and held me there. I couldn’t just run away from this. 

“It hurts,” Hiro repeated, the Darkness creeping up to his cheeks now. 

Kenzie scrambled away from him, suddenly overcome by emotion. She sobbed by the rocks, running her hands through her hair as tears poured from her eyes. 

“I’m scared,” Hiro kept saying like a broken record. “Don’t let her take me. Please, Luke, make this stop.” I couldn’t. I wanted to run from Hiro and the Darkness and from this fictional world I had created only to turn around and destroy. I wanted to hide. 

Hiro suddenly began to gasp for breath, his body spasming as the Darkness began to take hold of his mind. 

He whispered something under his breath, something I couldn’t make out but it made Kenzie sob harder.

 And then without a word, he crumbled to a black dust. The dust floated away on the wind, leaving nothing behind. 

Hiro was gone.

I felt hollow, like someone had carved out my heart with a knife. 

What I didn’t see was the black mist that had also come from Hiro’s body. It flew straight towards the nearest people - which happened to be Sadie and Sammy. The bodyguard leapt in front of the princess, absorbing most of the Darkness. Some of it still hit Sadie dead on and they both fell to the ground like puppets. 

My knees buckled. My head swam. Tears blurred my eyesight. All I knew was Alex’s warm presence beside me but even that couldn’t dull the pain filling my stomach. 

Hiro was gone and he wasn’t coming back. Even my imagination couldn’t bring people back to life. He was a soldier now, a Dark Warrior under Dee’s control. None of us would be able to harm him, which Dee would use as an advantage. 

But all I could focus on was Hiro’s terrified voice, his repetitive statements. And over and over again I saw him crumble away. My mind searched for a way that it wasn’t real. Some way he had escaped. Some way that maybe he lived instead of died. But the truth was there in cold, hard stone. 

Sadie and Sammy were still in shivering heaps on the ground. The Darkness would take them next. I didn’t know if I could face another loss. 

And Kenzie… she was curled up in a ball, asleep with a frown stretching across the extent of her face. Hiro was her best friend in the entire world, I was sure the pain for her was so much worse. 

But Hiro had been my only supporter. No matter what, I couldn’t shake the feeling of hopelessness that was overwhelming my senses.

I was a coward. I had watched Hiro die and done nothing to stop it. 

Alex was still beside me, a light for me. I clutched her hand as I kind of just collapsed into a puddle of sadness. And then I let sleep take me. 

The mood was solemn, the air between us all heavy. I was at a loss for words. And I couldn’t speak. I felt like I was broken. 

Alex was the only one of us who hadn’t cried themselves to sleep. Her cheeks were tearstained and her eyes red, but she led us onward, reminding us not to let Hiro’s death be in vain. We couldn’t control what was done. 

The Darkness from Hiro had also taken its toll on Sadie and Sammy. A large, dark blot had appeared on Sammy’s chest. He assured us that he was fine, though he also seemed to be lost in thought as we walked. Sadie, however, had been struck in the head with the Darkness. Her lovely blonde ringlets were darkening at the roots to a deep burnette. 

She also didn’t remember who Hiro was and had no idea why we were crying so hard. Her memory loss was taking her and Sammy wasn’t thrilled. Sadie was terrified as well. 

But Kenzie was possibly the worst of us all. Her dark hair was pulled around her face, masking her eyes and expression. She slumped over like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. She refused to speak to any of us. 

We made it off the mountain and into a large valley filled with meadows of various colored flowers. The sight would have been beautiful if it weren’t for the heavy sense of dread hanging over us like a lead jacket. 

Alex led the way and I could actually make out Dee’s castle in the distance. It welled up dark feelings inside of me. 

Eventually the hollowness inside of me found something to fill it. 

Anger. 

I was still grieving for Hiro, but I was also disgusted with Dee. How cowardly of her to kill our best fighter slowly. I was angry at her for being an attention hungry sorceress. 

I was made at Hiro for not telling us about his injury. 

But most of all I was mad at myself. I had created this mess - whether subconsciously or not. And I had wasted my imagination on hot chocolate when I could’ve saved Hiro. 

The white sword hung at my waist, begging to be used. I ignored the pull. The next Dark Warrior that got in my way would have to face my wrath. And also a field full of sickeningly sweet scented flowers. 

Alex apparently knew where we were going because she led the way confidently and set the pace as brisk. We were running out of time. 

As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait a super long time to find the next group of Dark Warriors. We were almost through the field of flowers when Alex took a step back, pressing me against a large boulder. We were at the base of a mountain look down over a large hill crested with random houses.

Alex pressed a finger to her lips, bright blue eyes meeting mine. I peered around the boulder and nearly leapt out of my skin. 

A group of Dark Warriors was dining around a campfire, they were protected from the elements by a rocky cave, though it wasn’t deep. The Dark Warriors looked like normal people, each one carrying dark colored weapons. I didn’t spot anyone I recognized among them - which was good. 

“How are we supposed to get past them?” I whispered to the others. Just because Hiro wasn’t here didn’t mean we couldn’t formulate a plan. 

“Kill them,” Sammy suggested, though he sounded bitter about it. 

“We can’t just murder everyone we see,” I protested. “Maybe we can sneak around or something. I mean, how good can a Dark Warrior’s hearing really be?” 

Very good. 

There was a loud voice, one that I couldn’t make out the words from. All I could understand was, “Shh, there’s someone here.” 

“Go check,” a gruff voice ordered. “Actually make Lucille do it. She’s the most expendable.” There was a round of laughter and a huff of someone arguing quietly. “Go on, Lucille, do our Master’s bidding.” 

Lucille made another attempt to get someone else to check, but apparently everyone hated her because I heard footsteps soon after. 

“Run,”Alex whispered. But I was rooted on the spot because at that moment a little girl appeared from behind the boulder. Alex grabbed my shoulder but she was frozen too. I heard the rush of Kenzie exhaling behind me - like she had already accepted her death. 

Lucille’s eyes widened as she took us in. She opened her mouth to speak but Kenzie pressed a sword to her throat. Lucille gasped. 

“Tell them there’s nothing here or I kill you,” Kenzie hissed, all mirth gone from her voice. Lucille seemed to debate what to do for a minute, her eyes darting between us and the sword. Her dark skin gave her an evil appearance. 

“There’s nothing here,” Lucille called at last. “I mean, besides a cow.” 

“Kill it, I’m hungry,” one of the men called back. “If you let it get away we’ll eat you instead.” Lucille shuddered. 

Kenzie lowered her blade slightly, as if she was feeling sorry for the girl. 

Lowering her blade meant lowering her guard which was a mistake. Lucille suddenly screeched and darted away. “Help! Help, there’s people!” 

Kenzie cursed under her breath and unsheathed her sword. I removed my own white sword as well, prepared to face the Dark Warriors. Lucille darted away, into the flowers of the field and far away from us. 

Laughter sounded from the Warrior’s camp as they cheerfully gathered their weapons. 

We would fight, and I would kill all of them. Kill them for Hiro.

Author's Note

*SPOILERS* I wrote what was supposed to be a really emotional scene, but I never get emotional during my own writing so if you could just let me know how emotional it is I would greatly appreciate. I did get distracted while writing the scene, so that might affect how it sounds as well.