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@joelle-stone

Ha ha, actually, she’s not even in my story yet (soon, very soon). I love her so much I’m starting to think I need a side-book fully from her POV.   Honestly, though, she fits better here in the castle than in VaSerBo at the moment. XD

Riure totally deserves her own book!

Gavril

“I’m sorry, but I believe it’s best if I stay. I know where my assurance lies, and he won’t fail me. I don’t seek to escape death.” Riure said, her voice strong and clear. She clutched the scruff of her dog’s neck, her small hand disappearing in the thick black and white fur.

“Riure-” I began. I couldn’t let her go with the knowledge that I might have stopped her.

“No, Prince Gavril. I can’t let someone else who doesn’t know or who has rejected the Redeemer die. I… it’s happened before, and I am still haunted by that.”

She looked in my direction.

“You asked me to pray. I did, and this was my answer.”

I let out a long breath. My eyes were burning and I blinked the tears out of my eyes. I was crying and I didn’t care. It was the only thing I couldn’t argue with.

After a long silence, I finally said,

“I can’t stop you. You’re right,” My voice sounded hoarse and I cleared my throat.

Liorah had gone quiet and stiff. I pulled her into a hug and it almost hurt. I knew it was the last one. It was our last few moments together.

I knew the Lehabim blessing by heart, I’d heard it hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It felt familiar, hopeful, and strong. It made me feel a little stronger for saying it.

“May the blessing of Elohim be upon you, and upon all your descendants. May they be as numerous as the sands of the western deserts, may your reputation of righteousness reach across the northern seas, may safety and peace follow you to the east, and may He give you the strength to stand as the southern mountains. May you be a light to the nations around us, and may Elohim be with you in your darkest hour,” I whispered to Liorah, in Lehabim.

She gave a little shudder and clung to me tighter. I couldn’t bring myself to push her away.

I collected myself and raised my voice as I said,

“Gavril, Klein, Gwendolyn, Dancrow, and… Riure,” my voice broke on the last name. Out of all of us, why did she have to stay?

The castle trembled, responding to the list of names. Slowly, slowly, the door at the far side swung open, revealing another platform with a spiraling staircase on the other side. Who was going to help Liorah up it? I hoped someone would remember.

The other four trickled out. I disentangled myself from Li’ah and pushed her toward the door.

“Go on, I’ll be waiting for you,” I said, trying to sound hopeful. I only sounded scared.

She shot a look back, her golden eyes full of regret and pain. She would be alright. She was braver than she knew.

“Wait, you forgot your boots,” I said, holding them out.

I’d never thought about my last words to my sister, honestly, what sane person did? But I hadn’t expected them to be about boots, of all things. It was rather a letdown, but I could live with it. Or die with it, rather.

Liorah took them and limped outside. The door slammed shut behind her, with a detached, final sound. I winced. The light went out and we drowned in the darkness.

I reached out and took Riure’s hand. Mine was hot and clammy, but hers had gone ice cold.

A block of stone, like a loose wall, thudded down on the far side of the room. Dancrow leaped back, barely dodging it. It slowly moved toward us. A shudder ran up my spine and scorching fear burned through me. So this was how we were going to die, crushed to death by a wall. It was the worst of all my fears combined.

Riure made some small noise, reminding me of her.

“What’s going on? What was that?”

I strongly considered lying to her. What was the greater commandment here, ‘treat others as you would like to be treated’ or ‘do not bear false witness ‘? I settled for a compromise.

“A wall fell down. Everyone’s alright.” That was hardly comforting, but it was the best I could do for now.

The wall slowly closed in, pushing us closer to the far door. I pulled Riure backward with me. The quiet grating of the stone was far too quiet for the horrible death coming closer to us. Somehow, it felt insufficient.

“Can I tell you a secret?” I whispered to Riure. I needed to distract her. I’d much rather die trying to help her than die while giving in to my fear. I tried to keep my voice even, but it wasn’t much use.

“I’m scared of the dark. Silly, I know,” I whispered. She was the first person I’d ever confessed that to. Liorah and my family knew, because, well, they were my family.

I closed my eyes, trying to control the terror twisting inside me. Was this what it was like for Riure? Was this what it was like to be blind? For a second, I was afraid that I’d never be able to see again.

The far wall pressed into my back, too soon. The moving wall was so close I could reach out and touch it. There was a shallow niche in the wall in front of the door and I guided Riure there. It might buy her a few seconds, it might save her. Who knew? I wouldn’t survive long enough to find out.

Death was right in front of me, practically pinning me to the wall. My breath came in short gasps. Death was so close. All I could think of was all the things I would never do.

I’d never see my family again. Or my friends, Abidan, Ferran. I would never tell Keturah I loved her. I hadn’t been sure of it before, but I was now when it was too late. I wouldn’t see Kinneret, my mare, again. I would never go on early morning rides with Liorah again, or midnight rides when we’d sneak out, saddle our horses, and gallop under the stars. I wouldn’t be able to embarrass Liorah the first time a boy asked her out. There were so many things I would never do, they overwhelmed me.

The stone finally reached us and I felt the rough red rock. I gave the door a desperate shove, but it didn’t move.

I closed my eyes. I was scared. Would it hurt, when the wall finally crushed me? Of course, it would. I was numb with fear. I breathed a quiet prayer.

It was over. But it had been worth it. I was dying for the right thing.

The door sprang open and Riure and I, who were closest to the door, fell outside. I hit the hard rock, a sharp pain shooting through my shoulder as it absorbed the impact.

The others stumbled after us, just as the wall struck the other with a shuddering impact.

We were alive. It was a miracle. I breathed a prayer of thanksgiving, though I was still quivering with fear.

Liorah spun around. They were all here, we were all here, and we were all alright.

I scrambled to my feet and Liorah collided with me, almost knocking me over again.

“It’s alright, I’m okay, we’re all okay, it’s fine,” I wasn’t making any sense, but I was still reeling from the near-death experience.

Liorah drew in a long, shuddering breath, then spun around and glared at one of the castle walls.

“What was that all about!? You idiotic pile of bricks, what made you think that was a good idea?! I swear I’ll strangle you with your own intestines!!” She shouted,

I was laughing, almost hysterically. It was so terribly real, and it was so good to be alive.

Liorah limped toward the railing, entirely forgetting her fear of heights. I pulled her backward by her collar, afraid she’d forget herself in her anger. She was well beyond livid.

“Li’ah, it’s a castle. It doesn’t have intestines,” I said,

Liorah wasn’t interested in logic, she glared at the castle, more than ready to carry out her threat, if at all possible.

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I must admit I stretched out the ‘deaths’ a bit for drama XD It was awfully fun to write though! I shouldn’t be saying that about a scene where one of my characters almost dies, but well, it was fun.