Echoes of Valor: A Love Remembered

CHAPTER 10

The wind howled as Terry approached the crumbling castle, darkness swallowing the path ahead. He drew a sharp breath, steeling himself against the memories of Reya, both comforting and haunting.

It was almost as if the whole world had gone silent, with his head whipping in each direction trying to locate the voice again. Droplets of sweat were falling from his forehead, and his heart hammered in his chest. And then he heard it.

"Let go of me ... .let go now!....let go of me you bastard" The rough echo of her voice pierced through the stone walls, igniting a surge of urgency within Terry. He raced toward the sound, each step pounding against the ground like a war drum.

"Reya!"

He propelled himself through the castle doors, the dim light revealing a hall cluttered with debris and shadow. Her cries echoed anew, filled with pain and defiance. Driven by the urgency coursing through him, Terry plunged deeper into the castle, his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

She stood there struggling to get away from a man he knows as Dante himself. He has a determined look on his face. She continued to struggle against him, shoving against him as hard as she possibly could. But he was stronger, he had almost completely submerged her.

Within seconds Terry's brain had taken in everything in front of him, and he was almost behind Dante. The man was as tall as him but was heavily built. Dante slammed Alesandrea against the floor. The back of her head painfully hit the cold floor and her eyes began to water. "Just stay still," Dante hissed, pinning her down with all his weight.

Terry now stood behind him. His hands curled, ready to beat this man bloody. Over Dante's shoulder, Alesandrea's eyes connected with Terry's eyes, and a flash of relief shot across them. Had we been in any other situation, the change in her eyes would have warmed his heart, but now he only felt anger knowing that Rey had felt so much fear. "Get off her!" Terry's voice broke through the tension, commanding and fierce.

Terry grabbed Dante's shoulder and pulled him off of her and his fist connected with Dante's face, throwing him backwards into an adjacent wall. As he fell backwards Terry quickly grabbed Alesandrea's waist and pushed her behind him. Still in the shock of the moment and from the force of Terry's pull, she stumbled behind him colliding into his back. Even with adrenaline rushing through his veins, Terry was very aware of how she was leaning into his back. Dante pushed himself off the ground, shaking off the daze. "You think you can save her?" he sneered, wiping his mouth, blood mixing with the grime on his hands.

Not moving his eyes from Dante, who was now beginning to pick himself up, Terry puts his overcoat around Alesandrea's bare back and she quickly tied the rope to cover her upper body. Dante was now approaching them, and Alesandrea remained behind him. Terry pushed her into the right direction, and charged towards Dante. Still distracted by whether or not Alesandrea had begun to move, thankfully she had, He was caught off guard, as a fist painfully intersected with his lip. The impact had caused his face to turn downwards, with him not looking at the ground. Terry raised his hand to his lip to find it bleeding. He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and glared at Dante, determination searing in his blue eyes.

"I'll make you regret ever laying a hand on her," Terry growled, every muscle in his body taut with readiness.

"Is that all you've got?" Dante sneered, wiping blood from his own mouth. "You've always been a show-off, General."

Terry couldn't help the growl that escaped his throat. "And you've always been a coward, hiding behind the pain you inflict on others."

Dante chuckled darkly, positioning himself like a predator sizing up his prey. "You really think you can come in here and play the hero? This isn't some fairytale, Terrence. You, of all people, should know your limits."