Book 2 Season's Change Spring's Revenge

Part 34 The Rescue

She had never experienced anything like what was happening all around her. It was terrifying yet honestly intriguing. Where had the wind and the rain come from? The sky was just clear a moment ago. What was that loud sound that hurt her ears and rumbled in her heart? Was that the river? How could that be? Was it getting louder? What was that loud sound thundering through what Avriel had called a ravine like a herd of Elk running through a clearing? That must be the river! She ultimately decided that where it all came from did not matter. It was terrifying. Was it some kind of magic? Whatever it was, it was very strong. It caused the wind to tear at her face as it attempted to steal her cloak. She was having a very difficult time trying to keep her feet and her wits about her. Avriel was not far away but he may as well have been on the other side of the world for all the movement she could make against the wind. She looked at him as he struggled against the wind and rain. She wanted to be where he was. It seemed a safer place, but she could not convince her feet to move from the spot they had frozen in. He was saying something; it seemed serious. He looked scared. She was scared. She wanted to hear what he was saying but the roars around her were just too loud. She tried to read his signs, but he was too far away in the gloomy dark for her to understand the urgent movements of his hand and fingers.

She felt the power in the air. She was familiar with the sense; she had witnessed a sorceress shock her lover into submission. But what she felt was not magic pulled from the air and controlled. It was magic for sure, but it was far from being controlled. It seemed as if the air itself wielded the magic; wild and chaotic. She tried to brace herself for what she was certain was coming but there was nothing that she could do. It happened suddenly, in a flash. The sky exploded with sound and light. She was knocked nearly senseless, thrown from her feet and into the overflowing swollen raging river behind her. The swift little river had swollen with a sudden increase in volume to fill the little ravine. Barely conscious, Katana was thrust into the wildly chaotic churning water violently by a bolt of lightning that narrowly missed her.

The rush of the water threatened to consume her and steal her breath away. She was pulled under, twisted and turned around before she could come up for air. As her body tumbled out of her control along with the volatile current she was struck by debris and thrown against rocks. Her cloak was heavy with water. It became a burden and weighed her down. It must have caught and snagged on something well under the surface of the water because Katana's head and shoulders stopped while the rest of her body tried to keep going and she was jerked to a choking halt by her neck. The water rushed over Katana's face. She felt panic touch her for a moment then released the cloak's clasp. She was once again thrust into the clutches of the violently flowing river and left to the mercy of the water. Her armor was light and not much of a hindrance until it got caught on some debris as well. And like her cloak, it trapped her against a log with water running over her face. She started to remove her armor piece by piece struggling to keep her head above the water as she was carried along

She was doing fine until her shoulder struck a large rock in the middle of the raging river. A sharp pain shot through her body as it separated. She screamed and got a mouthful of muddy water to choke on. She sputtered and coughed. As the river carelessly tossed her about it threw her nearly headfirst into a large log. She felt pain so intense she was barely able to get through it. She struck another log and darkness finally consumed her.

"Who is this Avriel that you have been calling for? Can you move? Do you even understand me?" It was a question that he thought he needed to know the answer to. Katana said nothing. She did not agree. "Very well. You know, I was very surprised when the scouts brought you to me. Most would kill a Dark without thought, incapacitated or not. Not them, no. They packed you up as carefully as they could and carried you back to camp. You're even more beautiful than you were when you were here before. How long has it been? I thought you were dead, thought that bastard killed you when he couldn't break you. You are so strong. I guess he failed at that too." The man brought a bowl of food with him as he moved toward her. She tried to hide her emotions, but her fear and anger must have been all over her face. "Don't worry. I will never hurt you." She kept her thoughts to herself, but her mind screamed 'but you will watch others and do nothing!'

Katana moved away from the bars of her cage and hissed at the pain that violently shot through her body. Her back hit the bars behind her and knocked the breath from her lungs. Little motes of light danced before her eyes. "Be careful now, Girl. Our healer looked you over and healed what he could, but you're still injured. You should not be moving much." She pulled her shirt around her and drew her legs up. Every movement she made took more effort than it should have. Moving hurt but she wanted to cover as much of herself as she could and make herself a smaller target. "Don't worry, Honey. I won't do that to you. If you'll have me, I'll take you, but otherwise, no."

Katana wanted to throw up, she may not have responded to him, but she understood every word that he said. And those words disgusted her. She tried not to snarl and snap at him and give herself away. He said he would never hurt her. Well, he never helped her either. "Listen. I don't have much time. Thalion, he's gonna lose his schite when he realizes you survived him. The very idea of you living will remind the arse of his failure. I don't know what he'll do when he discovers you. He inspects the cages daily. I can't hide you from him. I want to, trust me" He pushed the bowl of steaming food through the bars. "Please."

Katana did not trust him at all. She recoiled as much as she physically could. He had never been a help to her. Why would he start now? "You must eat. You are not completely healed. You need to and fast. I should just let you go." She hid her emotions effectively. "But he'd find out about you anyhow. Then maybe he'd decide he didn't need me anymore. I don't wanna die out here any more than I want you to." He pushed the bowl further in and stepped away. "Please, Girl. Eat."

He returned to the fire and took a bowl of food for himself from the same cook pot and sat down so he could watch her. "So, he won't be back until the morrow. That gives us tonight. I know. I know." he held up his hand and waved it. "I already told you. I'll not take what you won't give." He looked at her over his food. If he felt an ounce of remorse for what he failed to stop it was not written on his face. She was filled with hatred and loathing. He continued, "I can't imagine that you are out there alone. You mustn't be. Who is this Avriel? Avriel. You do know this name. It is a man's name, a human name. So, you have a male companion. Where is he now?" She looked at him as she slowly reached for the food. After her ordeal with the river and the injuries that she had sustained that were healing she was starving. "I see. He'll be coming for you. How do I know?" He smiled a smile that was not unattractive to her and raised a brow. "He didn't leave you. You were taken from him by the storm. I don't know why, but I know he will come for you. I just hope that he doesn't get here too late. I'm so sorry." She did not believe him. "I wish I could let you go but you are in no condition to survive on your own. You'll die out there. I don't want to give you to him, but I must. I can keep you safe from harm tonight. I do not know what tomorrow night will hold for either of us, Princess. Rest. I'll call the healer for you again in the morning.