The Silent War

Chapter Five

We reached the Entrance to the village and he abruptly stopped.

'Damn it!'

'What? What's the matter?'

Thane turned a few times, backing away from the entrance towards a nearby tree. His eyes fixed on the main hall, he spoke without moving his stare.

'I need to put ya down, can you stand now?'

'Yes, my ankles are a little tingly still but I should be fine. What's the matter?'

I tried to follow Thanes gaze as he looked at something in the distance, but couldn't see anything.

He glanced around once more before letting go of my legs and propping me up as I steadied myself. I gripped onto his shoulder, waiting for my feet to send me some sort of sign they were awake and could hold my weight and then I felt it, what Thane had been looking at. As I looked up I saw a flash of blue before Thanes arms were ripped from my side, the force of the movement knocked me backwards into the tree. I watched in horror as Ben stood in front of me, his strong arm unflinching as it gripped tightly around Thane's neck.

I launched forward to try and pull Ben off but was caught before my feet left the ground and quickly restrained by Jay, his arm tightening around my waist like a vice.

'Let them work it out themselves Evie, don't get in the middle of it.'

Even though I knew it was useless I fought against Jay's arm, stomping on his foot a few times, desperate to break free and stop Ben from hurting Thane.

'Ben stop it!'

Ben ignored me as he zoned in on Thane, bellowing at him as he strengthened his grip. 'She's with you for two seconds and comes back injured, what did you do to her!'

Thane kept his cool, unruffled by Ben's best attempts to scare him.

'Ben, I'm not gonna' fight you.'

'What, you're going to do your little magic trick and disappear on me again?'

Thane yelled back at Ben, his voice growing raspy under the pressure being placed on his throat though he was still calmer than Ben whose anger intensified as the seconds ticked past.

'Ben, I am not gonna' fight you!'

Ben glared over at me, the energy radiating off him like a hot fire fuelled by fury. He stared, saying nothing as he waited for what I thought was confirmation that I was unharmed. I stopped struggling against Jay, looking over at Thane as he coughed for air then back at Ben, my eyes pleading with him as I whispered. 'Ben, please. Don't hurt him.'

For a split second Ben's intensity ceased as he looked at me with a hurt expression, in his eyes I had once again chosen Thane over him and by the time I realised what I had done Ben's anger was back and he was ready for a fight. He looked back at Thane, dragging him in closer so they were now face to face, Ben's hand still gripped tightly around Thane's neck. Thane glared at Ben, speaking one last time – his words sounding more like a warning that a plea for safety.

'Ben, I don't wanna fight you.'

A small smile cracked in the corner of Ben's mouth, the confidence in his abilities embarrassingly clear as he exchanged his final words to Thane.

'You have no choice.'

With that he lifted Thane up in the air and threw him across the other side of the path, sending him crashing into the trunk of an old tree. Thane let out a pained groan as he fell to the ground on all fours, looking up to see Ben braced and ready for retaliation. Thane slowly rose to his feet, coughing a few times as he tried to recover. He dusted his jeans off then looked straight at Ben. 'That's your free shot Ben, you take another I'll have no choice but to defend myself and trust me, I'm more in-tune with my powers. You will lose.'