Forever Knight

Trust

Charli slipped between a cluster of trees trying to ignore the tingling that lingered from Wayde’s breath against her neck.  She had a job to do.  Going boy-crazy was not part of the ROK code.

She moved slowly and quietly, keeping her own breathing even, her ears trained to every sound.  She couldn’t see far in the dense foliage but she kept her eyes wide and alert anyway for signs of movement. 

The voices of the four men could still be heard drifting in starts and fits towards her but she couldn’t make out the specifics of the conversation.  She paused to listen again, reaffirming her initial count and had just lifted a foot to keep moving when a new sound caught her ears.  It too came from the left but farther back, closer to the point where she had left Wayde.

She swiveled silently, her eyes trying to sort through the shadows, but nothing shifted or changed.  The noise came again and she knew without a doubt that someone else was in the trees with them.  Whether it was a fifth member of the group or someone else, she didn’t know.

She hesitated, wondering if she should continue on her course or fall back.  Wayde knew how to take care of himself, but if this was a fifth person tracking him, he may not realize it until too late. 

They were parabatai.  Part of her ROK duty was to watch her partner’s back.

Abandoning the original plan she moved swiftly back the way she’d come to follow Wayde’s course.  Every now and then she could hear sounds of movement in front of her.  Whoever this was had not been trained as well as the ROK.  They made too much noise.

Wayde had to know someone followed him.

Still, Charli pressed on, doing her best to gain on this person without them hearing her.  She slowed as the voices of the group got louder and clearer and eventually she could see a small light glowing in the distance.  She stopped then, scanning the area with her eyes and ears open, and that’s when she saw him.

He stood only yards in front of her, oblivious to her presence, as he leaned against a tree and aimed his gun at Wayde’s back.  A jolt of fear shot like ice through her heart and she had to resist the urge to shout.

They’d been given orders not to engage unless absolutely necessary.

She didn’t know the man’s intentions but in her eyes, Wayde’s life was on the line.  Without another thought she pulled her own weapon and with a deep breath crept quietly and quickly up behind the man.  She placed her gun against his neck, rasping, “Drop your weapon.”

The man’s body stiffened and his grip on his gun slackened, but he hesitated and Charli knew he was wondering if he could overpower her.  From the corner of her eye she saw Wayde draw his own gun and turn towards them.

“Don’t even think about it.  I’ll put a bullet in your brain before you can blink.”

The man’s body sagged and he dropped the gun before raising his arms in surrender.  By now Wayde made his way toward them, his gun still trained on the man.  “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Don’t shoot.  We’re here to help you, not hurt you.”

Charli pressed the gun a little harder against his flesh and he winced.  “Then why were you tracking my partner and taking aim?”

“I wasn’t gonna shoot!  I didn’t know if you were friend or foe.  It was my job to be lookout.”

Wayde jerked his head in the direction of the voices.  “You mean for them?”

The man nodded.

“You know anything about the scouts that came through here?”

The man nodded again.  “Lower your guns.  Please.  We’ll explain everything.  Like I said, we’re here to help.”