Seasons in the Abyss (Book 4 EptaBorromean Realms)

Chapter 4.3

Angeline could see movement out of the corner of her eye, but couldn't afford to take her sights off the threat before her. Although the wound in her abdomen was not fatal, she was still bleeding rather profusely. Running all out the way she had, and then fighting the two bastards, had created an adrenaline rush and increased heart rate. She was now trying to stop the accelerated blood loss. Before Master Lee could make another move at her, four figures had emerged from the fog.

Lee began shouting as soon as he saw them. "She killed Tovar! You all know she threatened him in front of so many witnesses already! She lured him here, and sliced him open before breaking his neck!"

Though she wanted to sneer and laugh at his theatrics, Argos told her to make it convincing. "You're a damned liar!" she screamed back instead. "YOU ATTACKED ME FIRST!" She decided to stagger for added effect, ensuring that she inched ever closer to the precipice.

"SILENCE!"

Angeline recognized Grindahl's bellowing voice. She had heard it enough over the past months during their many sparring sessions. Grindahl was saying something else, but she could not listen as she focused on the fire ball forming in Lee's hands. He would attack before the others could ever hope to reach her.

She was prepared for his eventual attack. She had seen this very scene in her dreams for the past three nights. Angeline willed and pulled the miasma to her chest to protect herself. No matter what, it was going to hurt like hell when it landed. However, at least this way, when Lee launched it at her, she would be ready to jump backwards with the impact. She lifted her weight onto her toes as the fireball was cast.

"WATCH OUT!" Magnus yelled as Lee threw his attack at her.

There were but a few seconds to blink before the fireball would hit Angeline. She took a deep breath and readied herself. Just as the energy should have impacted, her vision was covered. She gasped as a tall figure appeared suddenly in front of her and wrapped her into his arms. As if possessed, she wrapped her arms around him. When the fireball hit the man's back, Angeline leapt into the Abyss, still holding tightly to the man in her arms..

Lee's panicked and enraged voice became muffled above as Angeline plunged into the darkness. As the pair fell, the man in her arms whispered words so soft she wasn't sure she had even heard them. That wasn't entirely accurate. Her mind just could not process what he was saying, even though he repeated them over and over like a mantra.

Who was this man? Why did he move to block Lee's attack? Why did Argos allow him to get close to her, while keeping everyone else away?

As Angeline held tightly to him, this man who had thrown himself in front of her as a shield, she willed the miasma around them to brace their fall and slow their descent into the deepest depths of the Abyss.

It should be noted that jumping into the Abyss was not like falling from a cliff at all. Although the miasma had significantly decreased the speed of their descent, it was more precise to say that time was slowing down, the further they fell. This allowed Angeline infinitesimal seconds to observe this young lord she had avoided. Still holding tightly to his waist, her other hand came up to pull away the golden mask and let it fall. The man stared back at her, his eyes glowing red in the darkness. "I won't let them hurt you," he whispered softly, caressing her cheek.

Stunned for a moment, Angeline felt like she had heard these words before. She had heard these words before. Did he know who she was? As she tried to recall the wisp of recollection, her head was suddenly hit with a mind altering pain. Like a great vise squeezed from the outside while a tremendous pressure began pulsing out from the inside.

She wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she gripped the man tighter, burrowing her face into his chest as she struggled to breathe.