Undying Will

The water had finally begun to settle down as the scary winds abruptly stopped. The thick and oppressive fog seemed to clear somewhat as all the Yuda stopped.

Their eyes grew dull, as an almost human look of emotion came over their predatory yellow eyes. The creatures that had been giving them so much trouble stooped with the rest, then in unison gazed up at the moon.

Then with a synchronized hiss that had Roma shivering they began to roar. There was no sorrow in their eyes for the death of a fellow serpent, only the sorrow of losing the apex of their own race.

A low thrum sounded in the air as their tongues lolled out of their fanged mouths. The creatures stared in solitude for a few minutes, then they streamed to the ruined island. All of them uncharacteristically silent in their approach.

"Quick Hurry to that side!" Roma growled as she motioned to the alcove where some Yuda still stood gazing around carefully. She had not forgotten the reason for her arrival here, after all of this she at least wished to strengthen the bond between the lily and the island.

The fact that some Yuda still listened to them more than enough reason for the relationship.

"Roma, what about them?" Iwa motioned with her eyes, motioning towards the solitary boat that stood idly diagonal to the entrance.

The sea kings that guarded the ship seemed to slump forward somewhat as what resembled a sigh of relief arose from their bellowing chests. Still they stood protectively however, each one of them glaring down with a menacing look at the retreating Yuda, shooting them and the group of survivors dirty looks from time to time.

The people on the boat seemed to deflate, the women with the sword leaning down kneeling on the wooden flooring as she breathed deeply. Her face was downcast as she tried to catch her breath, her hands still clasping her sword harshly.

The man with the rope sat beside her, his hands shaking so overtly that Roma could see them move from where she was on the deck of her boat.

His eyes were closed as his face stood pale and glistening. Blood streamed through his hands, though if it was his own or that of the creatures that he had slain Roma could not be sure. His black hair fell mop like on his forehead as it seemed to drip with sweat.

With shaking hands he tapped his neighbor on the shoulder shooting her a look of inquisition before flopping on his back breathing deeply.

The three at the very edge of the boat however, Roma could guarantee that she related the most with. For they sat side by side whimpering and moaning, glaring at everything around them with a level of paranoia that Roma knew she would forever have when she looked at a Yuda after this debacle.

As the boat neared the catchment of survivors Roma could see the fog at the center shifting as the Yuda clout parted. From the very center where the beast had fallen the gray haired man from earlier walked out, deliberately calm as he stepped on the tired water.

In his left hand he held the plump man from before, holding him by the scruff of the neck with his hands hooked through his still somehow in proper shape shirt. In his other hand he held limping man that Roma had not seen before.

The man had his arm slung over the grey one"s shoulder as he limped along, his feet dipping into the water as he tried to maintain his level.

How the gray haired one walked on water Roma was unsure, if they had met under any other situations she would have asked him how he did it. Now, she only felt a level of reverence as she gazed at the man that had walked head first into disaster to stop it.

A dull thud brought her from her thoughts as the survivor"s Yuda b.u.mped against their ship warningly. They glared at them seemingly a.s.sessing them for any danger, before seemingly satisfied they moved aside letting them proceed towards the small cave like structure that existed.

"Who goes there?" A raspy voice called out as a haggard man walked out. He limped forward leaning over the shoulder of a b.l.o.o.d.y women. His vest torn and his hair in such a mess that it reminded her of rat carca.s.s that had been eaten into for days by a group of crows.

By the way that the people around him looked at him, Roma was sure that he was the group"s leader.

"Islander, I come from the Lily." Roma began as she walked to the front of her crew, putting on a face of motionlessness as she tried to suppress her jittery insides.

"Amazonian. Speak, to what do we owe this visit?" He asked back. His voice measured and his gait straightening as he looked at her.

"We had arrived in the beginning for our annual quota of serpents, though now I quite feel that we have had too much of them.." Roma said as she tried to measure the man before her.

She had made her tone ambiguous on purpose, trying to scout the man for information. She wanted to know the state of this group of people, if for nothing else, then to pressure them into a new bargain.

"Islander, I am sure." He remarked dryly as he looked around. " Aye these beasts may even manage to scare a veteran like me, let alone soft foreigners such as yourselves.

Unfortunately I must ask that you wait for your annual shipment. At least till such a time that we get our island back on track and deal with the menace that that creature caused." And with that he glared at the wreckage of the island.

His eyes steeled as he made out the figure of the trio that had exited the wreckage.

"Better yet, why don"t we negotiate this now. We have to welcome those guests too you see." The man concluded, as a small tinge of shock ran through her spine.

"They knew each other!" That meant that any change to the earlier pact would be impossible! Especially if the two groups were as chummy as they seemed. The invite right now was a blatant threat and a show of force to boot! And there was no way that Roma could refuse, for if that group were only guests to the islanders, that meant that they could be brought over to support the Lily!

The presence of the men on that side would prove to be troublesome but Roma was sure that her queen would make something out of it.

"Then I suppose that I must accompany you."