MagiStream

Chapter 15

Sierra groaned, her head was spinning and sore and her vision foggy. “Oh, what the hell hit me?” She shook her head, trying to clear her vision to see where she was. The last thing she remembered was the rustling of bushes and a strange fog rolling into the small clearing, everything after that was a blur and darkness. She went to move, only to find herself incapacitated; she was chained to the wall, her hands chained above her head. “The hell?” She tugged her arms, trying to move. “Hey, can anyone hear me?” There were no windows in the room, at least, none that opened above ground, and the only light in it came from a torch on the wall across from her.

“Oh would you relax?” asked a cool voice from the corner of the room. “So high strung and panicky.”

She froze when she heard the voice, a chill running down her spine. “You.” Her voice dripped with venom as she spoke. “What the hell are you doing here?”

There was a light tapping of feet on the stone floor as the speaker moved from the shadows and into the light. The speaker was a young man, a few years older than Sierra. His finely combed hair was the colour of honey, a soft golden brown and his eyes were a piercing green, even in the dim light of the room. In fact he was a very attractive young man, a sword at his hip and a coat of chain mail under his tunic. He had one hand lazily resting upon the pommel of the sword as he stood in front of her.
“Well, you don’t appear to have changed much from our last meeting, still sharp tongued as ever,” he said with a half smirk.

“And you’re still slimy as ever Gerard,” she growled back, trying to fight against her restraints.

“I wouldn’t try fighting them, it’s pointless. Even you can’t escape with your hands chained like that.” He strode towards her as he spoke, his hand falling to his side as he stopped, barely an arms reach from her. He reached his hand out and touched her cheek, brushing the tips of his fingers along it lightly. A shudder rippled through her body at his touch and she tried to pull away. He moved his hand to her neck, running his fingers down her neck lightly in an almost, teasing manner. She swung her foot up, trying to kick him, and nearly succeeded in kicking him in the chin till he caught her foot with his hand, inches from his head. “Should have chained your feet too,” he said as he released her foot.

“What do you want with me?” she asked through gritted teeth, trying to hold back the urge to spit at him.
He lowered his hand, the smile fading from his face. “Unfortunately, you and your friends are becoming a bit of a nuisance to me, and I can’t have that.”

“What are you talking about? You know I only travel with Nuada and no one else, I don’t trust anyone else. And how am I being a nuisance to you? I haven’t seen you in years.” Sierra shook her head, trying to play dumb about knowing Darren in the hopes that he would leave him alone.

“Really? That’s not what my scout told me. Said you were travelling with another young man.” There seemed to be a hint of jealousy in his voice when he said this.

“Then your scout lied or saw wrong. It’s just me and Nuada, like it’s always been.”

“Really?” he raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Well then, what am I going to do with him?” He walked over to the metal door and banged his hand on it, the sound echoing loudly down the hall. There was a clanking of someone walking before the door was wrenched open and someone shoved into the room. He stumbled before falling to the floor, blood dripping from his nose and mouth, sporting a bruise on his cheek and numerous smaller cuts and bruises on his arms. His hands had been bound behind his back and he was trying to tuck his knees up to his chest, in obvious pain. “After all, if you don’t know him, what am I going to do with him?” he asked, kneeling beside the boy.

She blanched inwardly, it was Darren, but severely beaten up and barely conscious. What had happened to him? And more importantly, what had happened to Nuada? Despite her discomfort she hide her emotion as best she could and continued with her ruse.

“Very well, since you clearly don’t know him, I suppose I’ll just kill him.” He reached back and unsheathed the blade attached to the back of his belt. He gently brushed hair away from his neck with his other hand as he moved the knife to his throat.

Her gut clenched, the sudden image of the floor being stained with his blood filling her mind. “Stop!” She couldn’t pretend anymore, not if it was going to get Darren killed.

Gerard looked up, “Excuse me?” he asked.

“I said stop. Don’t kill him,” she said, hanging her head.

He raised and eyebrow and drew the knife back, “And why not? Since you don’t know him it shouldn’t matter if I kill him or not. Unless, you do know him.” She gulped and nodded her head slowly. He smirked coldly, “Well, if that’s the case,” There was a flash of steel and a strangled sound. She whipped her head up in time to see him withdraw knife, the blade now stained with blood as it flowed across the floor from his throat.

She screamed and tugged against the chains, tears rolling free, “What have you done? Why did you kill him?” she asked, her whole body shaking in trapped sobs. If her legs could have given out for her to collapse they would have.

“Why not, any friend of yours isn’t going to survive long around me,” he said as he stood up. He snapped his fingers and the door opened again and someone came in to remove the body. “Besides, he was no good for you anyways.” He touched her face to brush the tears away, blood still on his hand.

“Don’t you touch me!” she snarled, spitting at him right in the face.

He drew his hand back to wipe his face, then, before she could react the palm of his hand connected with the side of her face in a loud slap. He went to speak again but stopped, the sounds of a fight from upstairs reach the lower levels. There was cursing and running and the dull thuds of things, bodies perhaps, hitting the ground. “What the hell?” he hissed. “What is going on?” he looked back at Sierra, having been momentarily distracted by the sound and been trying to figure out what was going on.

“It looks like the cavalry is here,” she said to him with a smirk. “I think you should start running, now.”

Gerard cursed under his breath and shook his head before storming out of the room, leaving Sierra alone once again. She looked up quickly, a flash having caught her attention as he left the room, like light off metal. Was he holding something she hadn’t noticed before?

She exhaled heavily once he’d left and stared at the pool of blood on the floor. She had to suppress the urge to throw up. Despite having killed before, and having used this method before, the sight of the blood, of having seen Darren murdered in front of her was making her feel physically ill.
“Darren I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I let this happen. I swear, I will make him pay,” she said through gritted teeth, tears stinging her eyes. She’d never cried for anyone before, not like this. She’d never lost anyone like that before either. The tears in her eyes splashed to the ground, her hair hanging in her face as she let her head hang.

There was a loud squealing of metal as the door swung open and someone came into the room. The next thing she knew she was on the ground, her hands having been freed from their chains. Her rescuer pulled her to her feet, draping one arm over their shoulder. She looked up, legs shaking and sore. She couldn’t tell who her rescuer was, their face was hidden from view by their garb, thought she could tell it was a man.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked. She got no response, just led from the room by her saviour and up the stairs. She could still here the fighting, though now she could put names to the voices. Gerard was barking orders as his men were being felled by a sole opponent, Nuada. She couldn’t help but to smirk, these people had never fought Nuada before; if they had they’d have known he was a one-man army.
Her shaking legs carried her quickly across the floor as she leaned her rescuer, who hadn’t said anything the entire time. “I hope you’re going to tell me who you are,” she said as she looked at him.

“Stop them!” yelled Gerard, having just then noticed an escaping Sierra.

“Oh, I think not,” said Nuada as he stepped in front of several of his men, using himself as a barrier so Sierra could escape.

“Be careful,” she thought as she ran, her legs regaining their strength the more she moved. The wood and stone under her feet turned to grass then mud as she ran, holding on tightly to the man beside her.

Tree whipped passed them as they ran into the forest, the mud becoming harder than before and covered in leaves and grasses. She wasn’t sure how they ran, she wasn’t paying attention, but the next thing she was aware of were her legs giving out as she sunk to the ground.

“S-stop, I can’t run, anymore,” she panted. “Let me, rest.”

The man stopped and nodded, “Alright, we’re probably far enough away by now,” he said, his chest heaving with each breath he took.

Her head shot-up as he spoke, she knew that voice however muffled it may have been. “It, can’t be…” she watched as he removed the coverings and gasped as she found herself looking into the eyes of a very familiar face.

Oh. Em. Gee. I LOVE THIS BOOK! Can't wait for the next chapter! I think I know who the rescuer is. But... but... I don't wanna say who I think, cuz it'll spoil it if I'm right! Must... contain... info!
HAY, by the way, do you want an editor? I'm really good, so if you want one, I could do it. I think everyone needs one. If you do, let me know!!! I'm not gonna boast, but I was editor for my school yearbook the past two years, so I have some experience. I'm way better at editing than writing, anyway!

Thank you for the offer, but I'm good as far as an editor goes. I self-edit as I go- before I post each chapter, sometimes twice for good measure.

Glad you like it so far.

Oh, okay... Whatevs. And yes, your work is amazing.

And now, with a single sentence I will make that last chapter absolutely unsettling for all for you.

Chapter 16

“Darren!” She covered her mouth in shock as she stared at him.

He gave her a crooked smile; there were a few cuts and bruises on his face but nothing major. The next thing he knew he felt her arms wrap around him tightly, her face buried into his chest. Her body shook, her shoulders heaving as tears rolled free, soft sobs wracking her body.

“I thought you were dead, I thought he killed you,” she said. “But you’re alive, thank gods, you’re alive.”

Once the shock and surprise of her actions wore off he found himself returning the hug, arms around her middle. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I didn’t expect him to, do that.” He smoothed her hair gently with one hand as they stood there, an overjoyed Sierra weeping into his arms, almost reluctant to let go, as if he’d vanish if she did.

She looked up at him, “I saw him kill you though, how are you standing here? You died right in front of me.”

“Actually, I didn’t. That wasn’t really me,” he said.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

He sighed, “It was, a doppelganger of a sort. Did you know that Nuada could use magic?”

Sierra nodded, drying her eyes with one hand, “I knew he could use it, but he never does, not around me anyways. Why?”

“He said there was no way we could just walk right in without first knowing who we were up against and who else might be in there. So he created that, doppelganger thing. I was, able to see what it saw and, to a degree control its movements. We let it get caught, so we could see who was there. I-we didn’t expect them to kill me, it.” He looked at her with apologetic eyes, “I’m sorry you had to see that, I didn’t mean to worry you so.”

She shook her head, “I’m just glad you’re alright.” She touched the side of his face as she stared at him, “I’m glad you’re alive and alright.”

He placed his hands over hers and smiled, “Me too. Dying right now would be a real pain.”
They both laughed as they stood there, the tears now no longer running down her cheeks. Sierra was shaking with joy, Darren was alive, slightly scathed, but unharmed for the most part. The next thing he knew a pair of lips touched his cheek as she kissed him. He blushed deeply, a surprised look crossing his face.
“W-what was that for?” he asked.

She blushed slightly as she took a step back, “A thank you, for saving my life,” she said. “So don’t get any ideas, I’m not getting fresh with you or anything.”

He chuckled weakly, “Alright then.”

“And one more thing, don’t ever do that again, understand?” she asked. “I was really scared that you were dead, that I’d gotten you killed, so don’t pull a stunt like that again.”

Darren just ginned, “Oh trust me, I don’t plan on it.”

She hit him in the shoulder playfully, “Good.” Sierra glanced around the small clearing as Darren sat down on a rock. “Where’s Nuada, shouldn’t he be here by now?”

“He’s probably making sure none of them follow us when he leaves,” said Darren. “And that man is vicious when he’s mad,” Darren shuddered, “So remind me never to get on his bad side.”

“He’s my body guard, it’s his job to keep me safe, of course he’s going to be vicious when I’m involved,” said Sierra. “After all, if I die, it means he failed to duty of protecting me.”

Darren just nodded; it still didn’t make the fact that he’d seen such a cruel side to Nuada any easier. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask, who was that? That guy in the cell with you who, killed me as it were.” he asked. “You two seemed to know each other.”

Sierra bit her bottom lip a she held her arms around herself nervously, “Of course we knew each other. Gerard is my brother.”

Darren looked at her in disbelief, “Your, brother? I thought you were an only child.” He shook his head, “How come you never said anything?”

“Because I don’t want to be connected to, him. You saw him; he’s not a pleasant fellow. He’s barely my bother anyways. We didn’t grow up together. My mother couldn’t look after both my brother and me alone, it was too much for her, so she sent him to live with her parents. Because of how far away they lived, we didn’t often see each other. He only visited a couple times, it wasn’t till he left their place that I saw him more often, but by then he was this way, cold and cruel.” Sierra shivered and shook her head, clearly not wishing to talk any more about this.

Darren still had plenty of questions he wanted to ask, but manners got the better of him and he decided not to badger her any more. There was a shaking of the brush and they both looked up in time to see Nuada stumble through the bushes, one arm around his middle. He leaned against the tree before sliding down it.

“Nuada!” Sierra screamed as she ran over to his side. “Oh god, what happened?”

“I’ll be ok,” he said as he looked up at her, “Are you alright? Darren.”

“I’m fine, a little roughed up but fine. And Sierra seems no worse for wear. But you definitely don’t.”

“You people worry to much, I’ll be fine-“ he gasped in pain, the rest of his sentence getting cut off as he double over in pain.

“Oh you idiot, stop acting like your health is nothing, you’re hurt.” Sierra put her hands on his shoulders, shaking fearfully as she tried to help him sit up. There was a growing red stain under his hand as the blood seeped through his clothes. “Now hold still so I can see how bad it is.”

“I said I’ll be fine…” he trailed off as he collapsed, arms falling away from the wound as he hit the ground.
Sierra trembled as she covered her mouth, “Nuada, Nuada! Darren, help me deal with him.” She choked back tears as she tried to roll him over.

He knelt down beside her bodyguard and helped her to roll him onto his back. He could see the blood stain through the fabric; he could only wonder just how deep it was.

“Can you, see if there’s any bandages or cloth in there?” she indicated to the small pack a few feet away. While Darren looked for those she loosened his shirt and rolled it up. She uttered a small gasp at what she saw, his body was covered in bruises, in various stages of healing, as well as a large, deep nasty cut in his stomach. She pressed her hands over the wound tightly in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. “Darren hurry up!” she screamed. “I can’t do this forever.”

“I’m hurrying I’m hurrying,” he said, digging through the bag furiously. “Here,” he pulled out a small roll of fabric and stumbled over to his side. With shaking hands he began to unroll lengths of the fabric, which he pressed over the wound, and cut with the knife to detach it from the roll. With shaking hands they somehow managed to wrap up the wound, though the blood was quickly soaking through. “Are there any other injuries on him?” he asked.

“I-I don’t know.” She shook her head, trembling. She didn’t dare move him to check in case she made his wounds worse. She rolled his sleeves up to check his arms, nothing there but bruises and minor abrasions. The lack of blood on his legs, save from what had dripped on them from his stomach wound, suggested they were as unscathed as his arms. “I don’t think so, I think this is the worst.” She choked back tears, “Oh god, Nuada, don’t die on me.”

Darren placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, “He’s strong, he’ll pull through, I’m sure of it,” he said.

“I hope you’re right,” she said, curling her hand around his, “I can’t lose him, not like this, not now.” Darren knelt beside her as she spoke and she leaned on him, tears glittering in her eyes. “What am I going to do?

He moved his arms to hold her close, letting her cry on him once again, “I don’t know. All we can do is wait I suppose. Wait and pray.”

Hope he lives
Great story though glad i came back to read it again. Will be waiting for the next chapter

This is very interesting, and I too hope that he lives. It's nicely written and done.

So, it seems there are in fact people still reading this xD I know I'm overdue for a chapter, I just got caught up in lots of things, as well as trying to figure out how to end the darn story.
So without further ado, here's the next chapter(I'll try to update more regularly I swear)

Chapter 17

They built a small fire to keep them warm once it started getting dark, and huddled near it. Sierra stayed close to Darren, head on his shoulder as she stared into the warm flames. They’d found a small log that they’d managed to roll over to the fire to sit on so they didn’t need to sit on the ground.

Timidly, Darren placed one hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. She smiled weakly for him and sighed. They glanced over at Nuada, the man was still asleep, one arm draped across his chest, which rose and fell in rhythmic breaths. Sierra looked away, on the verge of tears again.

“He’s been with me my whole life, I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to him,” she said as she gazed into the dancing flames. “He’s like, family to me.” Darren didn’t know what to say to her, nothing seemed right. “Oh Darren, I’m scared. I don’t want to lose him, I can’t lose him.”

He raised his other hand up gently and touched her cheek, bringing her gaze to his, using is thumb to dry her tears, “Please don’t cry. I don’t like seeing people cry, and you’re too pretty to be crying.”

She blushed deeply at this, swallowing back tears, “Sorry, it’s just, he’s really all I have left.”

“I’m sure he’ll make it. Like I said, he’s strong, and very determined.” Even as he said this, Darren wasn’t sure if he believed the words he was speaking. Nuada was badly wounded and seemed to be hovering at the edge of life and death, he could easily go either way. “Have faith in him and I’m sure he’ll pull through.”

Sierra smiled weakly and used the back of her hand to dry her tears, sniffing slightly to try and keep from crying any more. “Do-do you really think I’m pretty?” she asked, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Now it was Darren’s turn to blush, he hadn’t even realized what he’d said; he’d just said it. “Yes,” he admitted, hands falling to his lap and twisting together awkwardly. “I think you’re very pretty.”

A silence hung in the air around them; Darren to embarrassed by what had happened to say anything and wishing he’d just kept his mouth shut and Sierra seemed to be thinking of what to say. He was staring at the ground and muttering under his breath as he shook his head. Sierra reach a hand out and touched the side of his face, the movement startling him and causing him to turn to face her.

“You know, when you’re not acting like a jerk, you’re pretty good looking yourself,” she said with a slight smile.

He was slightly startled by this, no one had ever called him good looking, aside from his parents when commenting how he’d grown, but this was different. This was a compliment from a girl, and while he’d gotten looks from some of them, he’d never actually been told that he was good looking.

“I, am?” he finally managed to ask.

“Yes you are. You’re very handsome. I’m surprised that you don’t have a lady friend yet.” She paused and then asked, “You don’t have a lady friend do you?”

“N-no I don’t.” he said. “I’ve been so busy in training and everything I, haven’t really had time. Er, why do you ask?”

She shrugged, “No reason, I was just curious,” she said. “It’s surprising though, I mean, with your good looks you’d think you would. Besides, ladies love a man in armour, especially knights.” She walked her fingers playfully up his arm towards his face, causing him to blush even deeper. “Means he’s strong and can keep her safe,” she batted her eyes at him playfully and he tried to tear his gaze away from her before he did something he would regret, but couldn’t.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked, unable to discern just what this teasing was about.

“I am not doing anything, at least not yet,” she purred, her fingers twisting around the collar of his tunic and drawing him closer. Her other hand had snaked up behind his head and was running slowly through his hair as it came to rest against the back of his neck. Leaning closer she brought her lips up to his, her hand loosening its grip on his collar as it slid up his chest to the neck as she kissed him.

He froze in surprise as her lips touched his, of all the things he expected her to do, this was not one of them. The light movements of her hands on his skin sent shivers down his spine, having never been touched in that manner before. Her lips were soft as they pressed against his. As the feeling was sinking in he felt her lips leave him, the warmth replaced by the cool night air. She was smiling at him, her hair framing her face gently in the soft firelight.

It took him a few seconds to finally find his voice, having momentarily lost it when she’d kissed him.

“W-what was that?” he asked.

She giggled, “That was a kiss you silly idiot. I’m sure you know what that is.”

“Yeah but I mean, w-why?”

She rolled her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Are you really that thick? Isn’t it obvious, I like you,” she poked his chest with a finger as she spoke.

“Yeah but you, you kissed me,” he said, still clearly confused and unsure what she was doing.

“I guess I wasn’t clear enough last time,” she said, placing her hands on either side of him as she leaned towards him.

“Eh?” he moved back, only to move to far back and fall off the log. “S-Sierra what are you…” He heard her giggle and found himself face to face with her once again, Sierra practically sitting on him.

“Let me explain it for you again,” she said she leaned down and kissed him. Unlike the first kiss, this one was firmer and a little more forceful, though there was still gentleness to it. Using his arms he pushed himself into a sitting position, pressing his lips back to hers, drawing it out as long as he could. He wrapped one arm around her waist as they sat there, her arms draped over his shoulders. As their lips gently slid apart she smiled at him, running her fingers down his cheek.

“You get it now?” she asked.

He smiled, “I understand now.”

…

Darren groaned and rubbed his head, beams of sunlight filtering through the treetops shone right in his face, nearly blinding him as he opened his eyes. He dropped his arm over his face, shielding it from the sun. Eventually he worked up the strength to roll over and sit up so the sun was no longer right in his eyes.

“Had a good sleep?” asked Sierra, who was sitting next to him, hair loose around her shoulders in a slightly ruffled mess.

“Maybe, it depends on whether or not I dreamed it all last night,” he said as looked at her through half-lidded eyes, still trying to wake himself up completely.

She grinned playfully, “I don’t think you imagined it.”

He stretched his arms over his head, “Well, no one seems to have followed us, so I guess we’re safe here for now.” He looked around the small clearing, the fire had smoldered itself out, now nothing but a pile of ashes, it wasn’t even smoking. Nuada was still asleep, but the white bandage was now a deep, muddy red.

“We should probably change the bandages, so it doesn’t get infected,” he said, indicating to Nuada.
Sierra stood up and pulled him to his feet, “We probably should. Hey, where did you even get that bag anyways?”

“Hmm?” He looked down at the bag they’d used the night before, “This? I took it from one of the guys who told us where to find you,” he explained. “Figured we’d need it more than they would.” He picked up the bag and followed her to Nuada’s side, where he dropped the bag as he knelt down. He took out the small knife and carefully cut off the bandages. The bleeding seemed to have finally lessened, the wound no longer gushing out blood as it had been before. He placed the soiled bandage aside and set about unrolling a length of fresh cloth. It was easier to bandage this time and they were done in a shorter amount of time.
“Once he’s conscious and able to move, we should try to get him to a doctor of some form, they’ll be able to help him better than I can,” said Darren.

“I don’t know, you seem to be doing a pretty good job,” said Sierra.

“I kept him from bleeding to death, that’s about all I can do. A proper doctor will actually have all the medicine and supplies to help him heal. I’m a squire not a doctor. Bandaging him up is all I can do.”

She smiled and him and touched his hand, “But it’s enough to have saved him. He is still alive after all. If it had just been me, I wouldn’t have know what to do, or been able to bandage him up as well as you did.” She held her hands palm up, “These are hands that take lives, not save them. Yours are the hands of someone who saves lives. I mean, you saved mine, and now you saved Nuada’s.” She held his hands in hers as she spoke.

“He’s not out of the woods yet,” said Darren, “So to speak. He could go either way right now.” He linked his fingers with hers, “Come on, let’s let him rest some more.”

They rose to their feet and moved off a bit so Nuada could continue to rest, the man now covered in a blanket to keep him warm. Darren placed the bag back down with the rest of their stuff before sitting Sierra down beside him on the log, their fingers still entwined.

“What is it you want to ask?” asked Sierra. “I can see it on your face, you have questions.”

“Well sort of, I just don’t know if you’ll answer them,” he said.

“Ask anyways and I’ll tell you.”

He sighed, “The other day I was talking with Nuada and I asked him why you do what you do, he said, you do it to punish the people who hide behind their power or wealth to avoid the arm of the law.”

She nodded, “Yeah, that’s what I told you.”

“I asked him why you, I mean why did you chose to do this, er-job? You couldn’t have just woken up one day and arbitrarily decided that was what you wanted to do with your life.”

The smile on her face faded quickly and she let go of his hands, hers falling back to her lap as she looked away. “It’s, not quite that simple,” she said, her voice oddly quiet.

“Did, something happen?” he asked, reaching across for her hand. She tensed up under his touch and he pulled his hand back till she grabbed his hand. “Sierra…”

“I was 14 at the time. I was, having one of those days when I just wanted Nuada to leave me alone. I know he’s my bodyguard, and he takes his job seriously, but sometimes I just need time to myself without him, but trying to get away from him is, hard. I’d managed to get away from him, but I got lost. This city was not a place I’d been before.” She squeezed his hand tightly as she spoke, growing nervous as she spoke. “I don’t know where I ended up, but it was a rather, deserted part of the city. I was trying to find my way out when I ran into a man. I explained my problem and he said he could help me find my way back,” she began to tremble and continued on, “He pulled me into an abandoned building and he, forced me to the ground. I tried to fight back, but he was so much bigger than me all I could do was scream, but there was no one around to hear me.” She clenched her eyes shut, pained tears rolling free. “I-I don’t remember much, I think I blacked out trying to fight him off. The next thing I remember Nuada had me wrapped up, my legs and thighs were bruised, I hurt all over.” She buried her face into her hands, tears slipping free.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to say anymore if it’s to hard,” said Darren reassuringly, not wishing to make her relive this anymore.

She shook her head, “I might as well finish,” she said, choking back tears. “Nuada took me to report it, but when we got there, we knew it would be useless. He was one of them; he was one of city guards.”

“Did, you even try?” asked Darren.

“Of course I tried!” she snapped, “We came back later, when he wasn’t there and tried to report it, but they laughed, they said I had to be mistaken, that there was no way that he would do something like that. They laughed at me and called me a liar.” There was a sharpness and bitterness to her voice as she spoke. She shook her head, “I couldn’t let him get away with it. I, I asked Nuada to train me, to teach me how to better defend myself and how to use a weapon. It took a long time, several years, and even then I still had a lot to learn, but eventually I went back, he’d gotten away with it for to long.”

“So, it was a revenge mission?” asked Darren.

“It was at first, but I soon found out that I wasn’t the only one he’d hurt, and that he wasn’t the only one using his status or his money to protect himself.” She shook her head, “How could they do this people, how could they live with themselves knowing they’ve ruined lives? I just, I didn’t want it happen to anyone else, in any form. It’s not right, and the law couldn’t, and in some cases wouldn’t, do anything.”

Darren was silent as he listened to her, plenty of times he’d heard his father complain about corrupt officials and how they couldn’t anything, but it wasn’t till now that he actually understood what he was talking about.

“But, you probably just think I’m like any common criminal don’t you?” she asked as she looked over at him.

“That is not true!” he said. “I mean, I did at first but now, hearing your story, I’m not so sure. Your intent is clearly noble, and I can see where you’re coming from. My father, he’d talked about this sort of thing before, but I never fully understood it. I always sort of thought that, if you broke the law you got put in jail and punished, but it’s not as black and white as I thought. There are all sorts of politics involved when the accused is someone with status or has connections.” He met her gaze, “It’s the job of the knights to uphold the law and make sure those breaking it are punished,” he took her hand in his, “So I promise to keep you safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

She giggled, “But you’re not a knight. You’re still a squire.”

“I know, but I’ll be a knight one day,” he said. “And I’m still going to protect you.”

“Even though by all accounts you should be putting me behind bars?” she asked coyly.

He just smirked, brushing his fingers along her cheek, “Now why would I want to do that?” They both broke into a fit of light, twittering giggles.

I think this would be a good book to read, it's adventure and has many interest characters and plot. I hope things will be okay for them or leave many unexpected surprises for us to see.

Sorry about the delay.

Chapter 18

It was late in the day when it happened, Darren and Sierra had been curled under a tree, dozing off in the heat of the day; Sierra snuggled against his chest when a noise woke them both. It was a soft, muffled grumbling sound coming from across the clearing. Sierra sat bolt up right and made a move for her knife but stopped and was on her feet in a flash. Her movement bumped Darren, who woke up shortly after. “What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s Nuada!” she cried. He was on his feet in an instant, fearing the worst. What he was when he got to the man’s side was not what he was expecting at all. Although duller than normal and cloudy, Nuada’s unmistakable blue eyes were open and looking back at them. Tears of joy watered Sierra’s eyes as she covered her mouth in surprise.

“Aw, don’t start crying for me,” he rasped, his voice weak and whispery.

“I’m just so glad that you’re, alive,” she said, “I was so scared that you were going to die.”

His mask creased as he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, “You really thought that this would be enough to get rid of me?” he asked.

“Nuada you were stabbed in the stomach, you were practically eviscerated. Of course I was scared,” she said, shaking her head. “You have to stop dismissing your health so much, you’re health is just as important as mine.”

“Speaking of, are you alright?”

She nodded, “I’m aright, my wrists are little bruised and sore for where they were cuffed up, but that’s it. You got the worst, what happened?”

He exhaled deeply, “One of them got in behind me and when I turned around I got stabbed in the gut. I didn’t think it was that bad at the time.”

“Nuada you collapsed and didn’t wake up, it’s been almost two days. You could have died.” Sierra shook her head, tears glistening on her cheeks as they rolled free. “You almost did.”

“But I didn’t.” he said, reaching a hand up to touch hers.

“Only because Darren was here! Your injury was so bad; I wouldn’t have been able to bind it myself. If Darren hadn’t been here to help you’d have bled to death. You owe him your life.”

Both Darren and Nuada looked at her in surprise when she said this, “What?” they exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s true,” she said, “I wouldn’t have been able to save him alone, it took both of us, one to keep pressure on the wound and one to bandage it. You’d have bled to death without Darren’s health. You owe him.”

Nuada closed his eyes and laughed, “Who’d have thought, I’d ever be in someone’s debt, and especially not like this.”

She smoothed his hair with one hand, his hood actually down, though the mask over his face remained. “Just rest, you need it.”

“At least everything worked out, we rescued Sierra, all got out alive and figured out who the murderer was,” said Nuada.

They looked at him blankly, “I know the first two are true, but we didn’t learn anything, aside from the fact that Sierra has a brother,” said Darren.

Nuada opened one eye and looked at them, “Did you not pay attention? His left hand, it was gloved in a black metal gauntlet, and I don’t remember him ever having anything like that.”

Something must have snapped in Sierra’s mind as a look of realization crossed her face. “You remember something?” asked Darren.

“I didn’t notice it at first, I wasn’t really looking at his hands, but when he left, I saw a glint of metal in, or on his hands. That must have been it. Also, he said that I-we were interfering, going to become a nuisance for him.”

“How come you don’t seem surprised about this?” asked Darren with a frown.

She just sighed, “Because Gerard, I wouldn’t put it past him to do this. If he did do it.” She just shook her head, “It wouldn’t be a surprise one bit.”

“Great, so we know who did it, most likely, how are we supposed to prove it and clear my name?” asked Darren, sounding rather frustrated.

Sierra smiled at him and ran her fingers along his hand in a teasing manner, “You need to relax. We’ll find a way,” she said.

His cheeks flushed slightly at her touch, “I hope so,” he muttered.

“Come on, let’s let Nuada rest.” Sierra pulled him to his feet and led him away from the resting man, her fingers twisting through his.

He looked down at his hands; they were stained with dirt and blood, having been unable to properly wash them for the past couple of days. The only water they had they were saving for drinking till they reached town or village. They sat down by the fire pit again, Darren rifling through the bag in the hopes of finding a map of some sort. Sierra sat beside him, head resting on his shoulder.

“So, what all’s in there?” she asked, “I know there’s bandages and water, but what else is in there?”

“Hopefully a map, or we’ll be stuck out here for a while.” There were a few pieces of rope left over from when they’d tied up a couple of Gerard’s men; there was a small compass, it’s glass face cracked but the needle still spun; there were a couple small water skins, each half full of water; there were a couple pieces of hard bread, just like in Sierra’s bag. “Aha!” Darren pulled his hand out, a rolled up piece of paper in his hand, “This better be a map.”

Setting the bag down at his feet he unrolled it in his lap, the worn paper almost, soft and wrinkled. He grinned, they were in luck, it was a map of the surrounding area. He wasn’t sure how old it was, or if it was even accurate anymore, but it would have to do for now. The river was a faded blue smudge across the map, a red circle marking a spot near it; he guessed that was where the mill was. Small trees marked the forest and its borders, thin black lines for the roads and foot paths that were well travelled, none of which seemed to cross into the forest. Then he noticed a small, almost washed off, dark smudge in among the tree marks, it was blue, though water had darkened it with the nearby black inks.

“What do you think this is?” he asked, pointing to the mark.

Sierra looked over, “A body of water perhaps? A small lake?”

He tapped it, “Well, it looks like one of the roads goes down to it, we may be able to find our way to a town that way. But, first we have to get there.” He drummed his fingers as he thought. Then, he reached into the bag and pulled out the compass and watched as the needle wobbled before pointing north.

“What are you doing?” asked Sierra curiously.

“Well, I know which direction we came from, so if I can find north I can orient the map so it’s north-south and then I can figure out where we are,” he explained, “Because I’ll be able to know which direction we went, I’ll know which direction we need to go.”

“Impressive,” said Sierra with a nod. “But that still leaves one problem, how are we going to get Nuada anywhere? Moving him would be to dangerous, at least at the moment.”

“I know, but at least we’ll know where we’re going.” He stood up, “You stay here, I’m going to check up ahead a little ways and see if there’s any ponds, or something I can wash my hands in,” he said, “My hands are filthy.”

“You aren’t going to be long are you?” she asked.

“Of course not,” he said with a smile. He tucked the compass into his pocket as he began walking, as long as he stayed in a straight line he’d be able to find his way back.

The brush of the woods was thick, and it didn’t seem to matter where he went, if there wasn’t a path the plant life was thick and hard to get through. The ground under his feet was hard and very solid and the only sounds he could hear, aside from his own tramping through the brush, was the chirping for crickets and other small insects. The farther he walked the softer the ground went, slowly squishing under his feet. He wrinkled his nose; he could smell the mud and wet earth.

He sighed, his mind wandering back to Sierra and the way she’d been acting around him recently, part of him was confused. She’d acted like he was a nuisance, something tolerable but that she wished she could get rid of, and now, after he’d rescued her, she was a completely different person. His fingers brushed his lips, remembering the kiss they’d shared the other night, her lips had been so soft and warm against his and her touch made him shiver. He’d enjoyed it, there was no doubt about that, and she was a highly attractive young woman, but he couldn’t tell if she hated him or not. It was as if she was trying to confuse him.

He pushed his way through some more branches and soft ground as he came to a small, weedy pond. Crouching down beside it he stuck his hands in the water and set about scrubbing the dirt off.


Back at the camp Sierra sat on the log, lost deep in thought. Her mind had wandered back the incident several nights ago, when out of the blue she’d up and kissed Darren, and to her modest surprise, he’d kissed her back. Why had she even done that? She hadn’t even thought about it till that evening when they were sitting together, when she’d look at him and was over come by the desire to kiss him right there. Her cheeks warmed slightly, she’d always thought he was good looking even when they’d first met, even if had been from a distance, but she’d never thought about him in a manner other than just another person she knew. But in that one instant, when she thought she’d seen him killed right in front of her she realized how much she did care. The thought that he was dead, that she’d never see him again had caused her heart to ache, it made her cry, and she never cried for anyone. And when she realized he was alive she had been over come with a joy she’d never felt in her life.

She looked up at midday sky and sighed, for the first time in her life she was finding her confused about something, her feelings for the young knight. For as long as she could remember she had never trusted anyone, certainly not knights with how they’d failed her in the past, but then she’d met Darren, twice, it was as if they couldn’t escape each other. He’d seemed to be a half decent person, unlike the other men she’d encountered who seemed to think it was their right to sleep with her, he treated her like a person. He acknowledged that she had a will of her own and that she wasn’t a stupid female like everyone seemed to assume she was, in fact, he’d never even tried anything till other night when she’d kissed him.
Sierra twisted her fingers through loose strands of hair as she let her mind wander. There was something about the way he held her, something about being in his arms sent a chill down her spine, she just wanted to curl up in his arms and stay there. She felt, safe when he held her. Sure, she felt safe when Nuada held her close for protection, but this was, a different feeling.

“Why do I trust him so easily?” she wondered, “I barely know anything about him, yet, I feel like I trust him almost as much as I trust Nuada.”

A hand on her shoulder made her jump out of her daydreaming and she looked up, Darren had come back, his hands a little colder but free of mud and blood. Her cheeks suddenly warmed, the memory of their kiss flooding her mind, the heat of his lips on hers, strength of his arms as he held her to his chest, a memory she didn’t want to forget.

“You ok?” he asked, looking a little confused when he was met with silence and a blush.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Have a good trip?”

“Would have been better if the forest wasn’t trying to scratch my skin off.” He sat down beside her, his hand slipping gently off her shoulder, the brushing movement sending a shiver through her spine.

She brought her hand up to his shoulder, before moving to touch his cheek. Her touch startled him and he looked over at her. She felt him lean into the touch slightly and blushed, quickly withdrawing her hand. Or she would have if he hadn’t caught it in his.

“Hey, is something bothering you?” There was a hint of worry in his voice when he spoke.

“Why would something be bothering me?” she asked.

“Just the way you’re acting, you seem, bothered.” His fingers gently brushed along her hand as he held it in his.

“It’s nothing,” she fibbed.

He didn’t appear to believe her as he let go of her hand. He cupped her face gently so she was looking at him, “You can tell me,” he said.

Her heart did a beat skip, his hands, although rough and calloused felt gentle against her cheeks and neck. “It’s nothing.” She shook her head, half laughing. “Stupid stuff.” As he drew his hands back, either satisfied with the answer or figuring he wasn’t going to get anymore from her, her own reached out, wrapping around the back of his head. She pulled his head towards hers and pressed their lips together. Her hands relaxed and came to rest on the back of his neck as they kissed, her whole body relaxing. Darren cupped her face softly; pressing his lips back to hers as they drifted apart. His hands moved to her sides, holding her around the waist. As his hands touched her waist she pulled back swiftly, her whole body tensing up at his touch. Darren looked surprised, and confused, “Did, I do something wrong?” he asked.

She was silent, an almost uncomfortable look on her face till he removed his hand, setting them back in his lap. “I’m sorry,” she said, bowing her head.

A silence hung in the air around them, Darren still confused, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong.

“Why are you apologizing?” he asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I did, I think.”

She trembled slightly, “It wasn’t you Darren, it was me. We you touched me, all I could remember was that time…” she shook her head. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me, but I can’t help it, it just happens.”

He sighed gently and touched her hand, “That’s not your fault Sierra. Don’t blame yourself. Come on, let me see you smile, you’re pretty when you smile.”

“You’re sweet when you say things like that Darren,” she said, cracking a small smile for him.

“What are ya two doing over there?” asked a sleepy Nuada.

“Nothing you’d care about,” shot Sierra. “Now go back to sleep already.” She shook her head, “God, you’d think I was his mother.”