Love Through The Ages

Eight

"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire."

--Charles Bukowski

"No!" I screamed and with incredibly fast reflexes I turned to snatch the dagger from the body I dropped throwing it end over end at the man coming toward us. With a nearly silent 'thwamp' the dagger hit its mark and the man dropped to the ground in the same moment Lachlan's knees gave out under him. I fell to my knees before him and braced his body with my own cupping his face with shaky hands. "Lachlan, look at me!"

"A-Aquira..." He stammered coughing up blood and gasped for air as his body slowly started to fall back.

"No, Lachlan...no, I need you stay awake." I said and gripped him tighter to me ignoring the feel of his warm blood making my shirt stick to my skin. "I-I can't get you on the horse by myself! You have to stay awake."

"I-I'm dying and you're still ordering me about." He said, a grin on his face despite his pain and his head dropped down to his chest.

"No, don't sleep!" I urged and shook him urgently slowly helping him lay back on the ground putting his hat under his head as I quickly lifted his shirt to find the musket ball went in just under his left nipple. "Lachlan, please! You have to stay awake."

"Stop yelling, bhean." He muttered his emerald eyes meeting mine briefly before I ran off to saddle his horse, Obsidian grateful for its larger size. I led it over to where Lachlan laid and knelt down to take him by the arms using all my strength to help him get back to his feet. I pressed my hand against his wound hating myself for increasing his pain but he jolted straight up with a grunt looking at me in surprise and I led him to the horse. I managed to get him up on the horse with quite a lot of encouraging words and physical labor—that was painful for both him and me—on both of us. I led the horse over to the bottom of the ridge and ran up to where we made camp to get my cloak grabbing my bag that has majority of our more important items in it. I leave the fire and food we had barely started to even cook as it was knowing that it will be signal enough for Titus to let him know something is very wrong.

I grabbed Lachlan's tartan left on the ground by his sleeping mat and ran back down to the horse. "Keep talking to me, husband."

"H-Hurts..." He grumbled out and I tossed the bag over the back of the saddle quickly swinging his tartan over his back before I get up on to the horse in front of him.

"Lean into me." I told him as I pulled one of his arms around my waist to hold the pommel of the saddle in hopes that it will stabilize him and urge the horse forward. "Stay awake though. Don't go to sleep."

"Hmph." He grunted out, the usual flippant tone of voice with that grunt gone because of his pain. I dug my heels further into the horse to urge him to go faster glad for my enhanced vision in the growing darkness and hope that we are going in the right direction to the nearest town. As we continue to ride, I felt Lachlan's strength waver even further and his weight leans more against me by the minute. I forced the horse into a faster gallop and my eyes picked up the. Flickering of light toward the west turning to guide the horse in that direction.

"Stay with me, Lachlan." I said earnestly as I felt his head droop to my shoulder and even though I knew he would be fine in the matter of a few short hours, my heart squeezed in panic at the thought of him dying. I rode the horse even faster ignoring its protests at being worked so hard after riding all day and slowed down upon entering the village. I quickly looked around in search of an inn and nudged the horse forward but stopped when I felt Lachlan's body go limp falling to one side. I gasped as he fell to the ground almost in slow motion and laid still his body now splattered with mud. I swung my leg over the horse to drop down beside him just as a light rain began to fall and laid a shaky hand on his chest to feel for his heartbeat but I didn't feel anything but his warmth fading.