Alone...

Chapter 6

My brain works overtime as I try decide what to do. Should I try to tackle this unknown assailant, or scream for Angus, or do what they say - don't I deserve it after everything I've done? 

Within 2 seconds of feeling the gun, I have decided. I move my foot around, effectively causing him to lose his footing, I duck out of the way of the gun and it goes off, firing into the distance, I move back to give myself some space before charging at him, a ferocious growl tearing from my very soul. He stumbles and we both go tumbling down a previously hidden hill. We hit the bottom and my attacker loses his mask as he struggles to stand, but I am too distracted to notice. My entire being has started to hum, I look up and realize too late that I am standing in the moonlight. The last thing I see before is Angus' shocked face looking down at me from the top of the slope.

Next thing I know, my attacker, a tall man (although from down here it's a little hard to tell) with dark hair and defined eyebrows towers above me. The recovered gun pointing at my face. Again. I dodge to the right and the gun fires again, but he's just too slow. I leap and dig my teeth into his thigh. Blood rushes and dirties my muzzle, and a fierce wave of blood lust courses through me. He stumbles backwards and I launch my small but heavy self against his stomach. The thrill heightens as he falls. He hits the ground, his head bashing a rock. His eyes go dull and I know without checking. He's dead. And I'm grinning.

The rest of the night is a blur. I remember checking if Angus had remained at the clearing, but found no trace- his scent headed back to the farm.

Sometime later I am distracted by the smell of deer, everything else is lost in a blur of shock and scarlet.

I killed a man. And I enjoyed it.

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I wake hollow full of decaying leaves, my hair is a mess and I can smell dead meat nearby. I ate last night but everything about me feels hollow. What am I? I killed a man, I feel no guilt, I feel nothing...  I look around me, the sun is just visible through the trees, making it at least 9 o'clock. I'm by the river, so I get up, wash and take a drink. 

I need to go back to the farm, firstly because I need to know if they're all okay - because I owe it to them, because I need  to know if they will turn me in, and because I have nowhere and no one else to turn to.

I arrive at the barn at around 10, I slip inside and change into some decent clothes, tuck my diary and purse into the waist band of my leggings and head out again. I go around the back of the cottage, just as a precaution, and knock gently on the kitchen door. "Hello" I murmur, almost hoping no one will hear me. "Is anyone there?" Just then, the door opens a crack, revealing Cassy's face, but it is streaked in dark clay mixed with tears. Something is wrong. 

I wait for her to speak, to tell me what happened but her face only crumples, the next thing I know, she has her arms wrapped around my waist, her tears staining my shirt. I hug her tight, instinctively burying my face in her beautiful hair.

 I nearly jump out of my skin when I look up and see Angus towering above us, holding a rifle.

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"Get in!" he says harshly, gesturing with the weapon. "Now!" Cassy and I scurry inside, into the dinge of the cottage. We are in the main room, but the windows have been covered. Suddenly Cassy is hauled from my side by a previously unseen person, I am shoved to the wall and there is again the barrel of a gun pressed against my temple. If I get shot now, I won't make it to sunset. If I get shot now, this is it.

Angus takes hold of the gun and grabs my arm, I wince. Partially at the look of pure disgust on his face and partially because he is gripping me so hard I know I will have a hand shaped bruise printed into my arm. 

"Who are you!"He growls, towering above me. What I say now is crucial, and, I think I have to tell him the truth. It's impossible he'll believe another story about me being a  run-away farm girl now. He saw me change. I have to assert my authority now, and come out of this a strong, capable and fierce enemy if you make me one. 

I stand up straight, yanking my arm from his startled grip, I take a deep breath. "I am Saphira of Falkirk and" I say, softening my voice "I am not your enemy. Put the gun down and I will do everything in my power to help you." He takes a step back startled, but retains his composure quickly. He sits me down in the chair and, for the first time ever, I tell my real story.

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Angus and his associate (who I now recognize as someone I have occasionally seen Angus with)  do not seem even slightly surprised by the scandals I come out with about the Supernaturals of the whole central belt. The heirs that will never reach 20, creatures of nightmares that are result of inbreeding. It takes about an hour for me to tell them everything, and through it all, Cassy sits patiently in the corner. Her face now like stone. I can see her clenching her lip, doing her best to stop it from wobbling, letting her emotions pour out.

I tell them of how I was brought up, I tell them of how my feeble attempts of rebellion were squashed every time. I tell them of Cormac, and lastly, I tell them of Ewan, my fiance.

When we finish, Angus gets up, out of his chair, picks up the gun he had put down maybe a half hour ago, and removes the bullets. The house is deadly quiet, he has decided not to kill me himself -not now. But what will he do? We sit in silence for perhaps 3 minutes before I can wait no longer.

"What happened to your parents Angus?" I say it softly, but it breaks something inside of Cassy. She falls to the floor, sobbing. Angus' friend goes to her, but Angus stands frozen in front of me. 

"You didn't come in around the front, did you?" He says it so quietly I barely hear him.

"No..."

"Then you missed the bodies. They're dead." He says it so bluntly, so matter-of fact..

"There used to be six of us," He continues "and my parents. My parents were part of the resistance. My father would pass information into the city, my mother worked in the castle kitchens, feeding the rebels information. Then came the coup attempt."

I think back, it occurred a year or so ago, only in Edinburgh. And it almost succeeded. But the tide turned on them. It was a bloodbath, the authorities hung hundreds, the rebellion was quashed.    

"My father was caught, but instead of hanging him, they made an example of him. They murdered 4 of his children in front of our whole community." Angus looks right at me. "And now, he's dead, they're both dead. Accused of harbouring a fugitive."