Chapter Nine: The Strength to Fight Destiny
Cain sighed as the sounds of steel on steel came to his ears. In front of him, Josiah and Judas sparred; their blades flashing in the weak afternoon sunlight. Even though the next encounter with Delilah was just around the bend, they didn't pick up the pace of their training at all.
"Almost as though they aren't worried, when I know for a fact that they are. Even though Judas had been there at Butterfly Mansion, and had rescued Emile at the last possible moment, the incident made me realize that I am no match for my father….Will I ever be free of his curse?" Cain wondered, somberly; jumping when Judas called out to him.
"Keep frowning like that, dear cousin, and you'll start getting wrinkles well before your time!" Judas laughed, as he chanced a glance over his shoulder at his somber relative, and gave him a devil-may-care smile.
"You certainly seem to be taking this in stride, Judas." Cain replied, as he put aside his grim musings and stood up from where he had been sitting watching them until then.
"As much as it is disrespectful of me to say this, Milord, worrying about this problem isn't going to solve anything…..but being prepared for it will." Josiah stated, coolly; watching as Cain reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"True enough, Mr. Hargers…..But how else can I prepare? I don't have the prowess you and Judas have with those knives, nor do I have the time to learn." Cain said, disparagingly.
"Just use the weapon at your disposal that you are the most familiar with, Milord…that being your poison collection." Josiah murmured, when he'd heard the hopeless note in the young Earl's voice, and walked over to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "You have nothing to fear, save the fear he planted in you. Conquer that, and he'll have one less weapon to use against you, in the long run."
"I wish I had time to ask you how you could know so much, Josiah…..It would make the reason Judas trusts you so much even easier to understand." Cain stated; knowing that what the taller man had just touched upon was the bitter truth. At this, Josiah only smirked and offered him a slight shrug.
"Milord! The car is ready for your trip into town!" Riff called, before anything more could be said. With a resigned sigh, Cain turned to him and nodded.
"Judas, do you wish to come along with me?" Cain then asked, as he glanced at his cousin.
"Be with you in just a few minutes, Cain." Judas replied, as he sheathed his knives and prepared to return inside for a quick shower. Little did he or Josiah realize that they had been watched by yet another spectator….
…………………….
Evening shadows were falling, by the time Cain and Judas had finished with their business in town.
"You sure you're all right, Cain? You're looking pale again." Judas commented, as they walked along the cobblestones towards the car.
"I'm fine. No need to worry." Cain muttered, then irritably added, "Stop worrying so much!"
"Kinda hard not to worry, considering how sick you'd been until this morning….and even then your crabby old uncle wasn't givin' you a break!" Judas grumbled, his own mood souring when he remembered what had happened earlier.
"Don't let him hear you say that." Cain sighed, exasperatedly; perking up when some raised voices came to their ears.
"Hey! There's a gypsy girl singing over there!" a boy shouted, as he raced past the two teens.
"Really? Let's go and listen, then!" another cried, before taking off after his companion. After exchanging a glance, and nodding in silent agreement that they both needed a break, they discreetly followed the children to the place where the gypsy girl was. Almost immediately, Judas was taken aback by the beauty they could see before them. She was seated on the base of a fountain with a guitar in hand; soft brown skin and midnight hair glistening in the light of the full moon. A strong, yet sweet voice could be heard from her, singing a song of loneliness and unspeakable sorrow.
"You're drooling, Judas." Cain softly teased; snickering when his cousin took his eyes off of the dark beauty before them, and glared at him.
"Shut up, Cain." Judas retorted, then added, in a softer tone, "But her song sure sounds sad…..I wonder what it means?"
"Good question. They are a tribe of people who love their freedom, and live in harmony with the land and sky…..and yet…." Cain murmured, his eyes narrowing when some of those who had been jealously watching from the sidelines grabbed the gypsy girl; accusing her of 'stealing their audience' while they were at it. And yet, the bullies never expected to get driven off by a knife landing dangerously close to their feet.
"Wha…..?! Who the hell threw that?!" one of the men yelped, as he quickly backed away; angrily scanning the crowd for the guilty party as he did so.
"Someone who doesn't particularly like clowns or mimes." Judas growled, as he stepped out of the crowd, and glared venomously at the men; eyes alight with an anger that seared the men's souls. He could almost hear it when Cain uttered an exasperated hiss under his breath that sounded distinctly like his name; smirking since he knew he was going to get an earful for it, later.
"Are you all right, miss…..?" Judas started to ask, yet trailing off in almost horror when he saw what the short scuffle had done to the girl. Her clothing had been torn, and her dark hair, now revealed to be a wig, was on the ground in front of her….revealing to them what appeared to be some serious burn scars. Down the whole right side of her face, and extending down her neck and chest, the remnants of a horrific event in her past could be seen.
"Dear God….." Judas muttered, yet, even with his stomach roiling in protest, closed his eyes, took off his cloak, and gently draped it on the girl's shoulders. Looking up in surprise, the girl made eye contact with both Judas, and an approaching Cain.
"We couldn't understand your words, but your song was so painful….yet beautiful all the same." Cain said, as he offered the girl a hand up, and helped her get to her feet before turning to leave (and motioning for Judas to do the same).
"Gadjudiro." The girl softly said, her voice causing both young men to pause and look back at her, "The name of the song means 'outsider' in the language of the Romani."
" 'Outsider' huh? Then it suits both Cain and me very well." Judas mused, then continued to listen to the girl as she explained the meaning of it even further.
"We've always been outsiders. But the air around one of you speaks of a different sort of isolation…..You've become Gadjudiro on purpose….." the girl stated, as she picked up her wig, replaced it over the short, flaxen hair that had been uncovered by it, picked up her own cloak, and handed Judas' back to him. Yet, even in those few short moments, Cain's mind was in a state of confusion. What did this girl mean?
"What did she mean by outsider? That I did this to myself?" Cain wondered, just barely hearing what was said next.
"Miss, you shouldn't walk around dressed like that. It'll just attract more lowlifes." Judas warned. This got a quiet, yet unreadable, glance over the girl's shoulder directed at him, before she spoke again.
"I don't mind, since the moon is my ally….The moon loves these scars and this soiled body, and accepts everything about me, thus gently lighting my way." The girl stated, bravely, before walking off and disappearing into an alley.
"Strange girl…..I wonder what she went through to arrive at that conclusion?" Judas murmured, subdued by the bitterness he had seen in the girl's eyes, even as she had said her parting remarks to them.
"I don't know….But what she has just said has reminded me of something….Remember that card that was in that box with the arm?" Cain questioned, as he gave Judas a grave look.
"Yes….What about it?" Judas in turn asked, confused by this change of subject for more than one reason.
"That card was a tarot card….but there were some odd things about it. For one, it had a red-clothed Virgin Mary on it, and it's numbers were wrong! Instead of being 'eighteen', it had 'seven' written in Roman numerals on it!" Cain said, as the proverbial alarm bells began to sound within both of their minds.
"And Joe had told me that your uncle had said something strange this morning, as well….Something about 'Henry the Seventh'." Judas added, noticing with some concern that Cain's face was now even paler than before.
"The Mary with the red garments on that card…..is a replica of the one in Henry the Seventh's tomb! And the ring that had been on that severed arm's hand had been the one I had seen in my dream…..the heirloom ring of the Hargreaves! If that package had indeed been sent by my father….." Cain started to say, before Judas quickly caught on and finished his thought.
"Then your uncle's in danger…..Where's the tomb located Cain? We've got to get there before that rat does something to harm your uncle!" Judas almost shouted, as they both started running; following Cain's lead, since the British teen knew where he was going.
"Westminster Cathedral!" Cain panted, as he pushed his still-recovering body to it's limits; knowing that if he wasn't fast enough, he would lose someone else important to him.
……………………..
The Cathedral's sanctuary was empty and silent, save for the two men who had come for a solitary meeting.
"So, you're still alive, Alexis." Neil growled, as he glared at the man who had sired Cain. In response, Alexis' smile only widened slightly.
"I guess this won't be quite the touching reunion that I'd imagined, eh, Neil?" Alexis asked, coolly; unfazed by the anger he could hear in his cousin's tone.
"The only time I see you is when someone dies….Like your father, your wife Lenora, and your older sister Augusta! Am I next?!" Neil questioned, yet received no answer from the madman before him. Only a cruel smile.
"I now have someone I need to protect…." Neil murmured, as he remembered what Judas had said, and knowing that the other teenager shared his desire to protect Cain from Alexis, "I can't allow myself to be killed so easily….for the Hargreaves Family, and for Cain, I must survive!"
"Interesting…..I'd always thought that your style of protecting your loved ones was from the shadows….." Alexis finally said; his words causing Neil to look at him in confusion, and his pistol's aim to waver.
"What do you mean?" Neil asked, unnerved by what Alexis said next.
"You think that I don't know? The reason you're so protective of him isn't because of the Hargreaves…..It is because you see her." Alexis sneered.
"What are you talking about?!" Neil shouted, not realizing that two more people had just arrived on the scene.
"You were in love with my sister, Augusta!" Alexis almost laughed, as he watched Cain emerge from the shadows, with Judas right beside him.
"Now that the light is somewhat better, it's uncanny to see how much that other lad looks like him! Another child with the same cursed blood……" Alexis mused, as he gazed at the American, and felt some surprise when he met his gaze with an iron-willed courage and determination.
"Wh….why are you two here?!" Neil yelped, when he had turned to look at the pair, and saw how pallid Cain now was, upon hearing his father's words.
"Of course, what you have just heard is true, Cain. Thus, you should be grateful to Neil. When Augusta was pregnant with you, the family wanted you erased, gone. But when he realized what that would do to my already fragile sister, Neil convinced the entire family to let you be born….That's the only reason you were allowed to live. Because of Neil's love for Augusta." Alexis explained, then drove the verbal knife in even deeper, "Or did you think you were the one who was loved?"
"Shut up." Judas snarled, as he unsheathed two of his knives, and prepared for a fight.
"Jude, did you know you have a brother?" his mother's voice echoed in his mind, and memories of a bygone time emerged for the briefest of moments.
"Really Mama? A brother? Where?! Where is he?" Judas had asked, eagerly; wanting to meet the sibling he didn't even know had existed until then.
"Every person on earth has a twin. Some people call them 'dopplegangers' or 'body doubles'…..Yet, though they share your appearance, they may have different personalities. That is why, if you ever do meet your twin, treat him as your brother. And, if he's alone, love him as your brother…..even call him your brother, if you wish. Just to let him know that he isn't as alone as he might think!" his mother had gently, and almost knowingly, said. And it was in that moment that Judas finally understood what his mother had been trying to tell him, all those years ago.
"Cain is my 'brother'…..Even more reason to protect him, than before!" Judas thought, then looked back at Cain. The other teen looked almost as though he was feeling ill again and was about to faint, but was somehow managing to stay on his feet.
"You have no right to talk to Cain like that, Alexis! Look at this ring you used to lure me here!" Neil growled, as he leaped to Cain's defense; also having noticed how weak Cain now looked, and realizing that what Josiah and Riff had tried to tell him earlier had been the truth.
"This ring had belonged to your father, the previous Earl Hargreaves….He lost it once, and it had caused a huge mess. A few days later, it turned up again, just like that. You found the body of the maid who had supposedly stolen it, but, just days later, after he had put the ring back on, the Earl collapsed and withered away! Did you poison the ring and kill the Earl?!" Neil questioned, yet only got a derisive laugh from Alexis as a response.
"Did you ever find any evidence of poison on the ring?" Alexis asked.
"No…..but you took it after the Earl died!" Neil responded.
"Of course. I became the Earl, as was my right….and anything that had belonged to him belongs to me, now. Your imagination and jealousy are confusing you, Neil." Alexis sneered, as he took one step towards them, yet paused when Judas got in front of both Neil and Cain.
"Stay back, if you value your perverse life, bastard." Judas growled; his tone of voice and choice of words stunning Cain and his uncle to no end.
"Judas!" Cain almost yelped, in shock; yet managed a look of further consternation when Judas glanced over his shoulder at him, and said the words that he never thought he would hear from the feisty American.
"We may not have been born from the same mother, Cain, but we're still brothers, despite that…..And brothers defend one another, no matter what." Judas murmured, in a tone low enough so only Cain and Neil could hear.
"Judas…..You're claiming me as your brother?! Why?! Don't you realize just how dangerous that decision is?!?" Cain's mind cried, as he numbly watched as Neil threw the ring back at Alexis, had his gun knocked from his hands, and as someone else arrived in a swirl of white.
"Cover your eyes!" Judas shouted, just moments before a blinding flash lit the Cathedral's sanctuary, and as Alexis and his accomplice vanished right before their eyes.
"You will regret ever pointing any weapons at me. And you, my accursed son, Cain, as long as you're alive, I'll destroy your world…..Until one of us draws his last breath. I will become the Lord of Flies that feeds upon this world." Alexis' voice said, echoing as he retreated from the building.
"Then I'll just have to find a bigger fly swatter." Judas retorted, as he re-sheathed his knives again, and turned to help Neil (who had fallen to his knees when the flash had temporarily blinded him) get back to his feet.
"Judas….What you had said just moments ago…..What in Heaven's name made you come to that decision? Don't you realize how much danger you will be in, once word of that reaches my father's ears?" Cain asked, shakily.
"I remembered something myself just a few minutes ago….Call it an 'epiphany', if you will….It was something my mother had told me, when I was still fairly small….That everyone on earth has a twin….and that I was to regard you as a brother, when and if I found you…..So, whether you like it or not, Cain, I'm your brother, now. Better just live with it." Judas stated, smartly; his usual smile returning when he saw a hint of chagrin appear on Cain's face.
"You calling me your brother I can handle somewhat better….than hearing Oscar say it…." Cain muttered; fighting the urge to snicker when he remembered what Judas had said and done when he'd first met the dimwitted redhead. Riff had been quite upset with having to repair so many small holes in the wall, from where both Judas and Josiah had pinned Oscar to it with their knives…..So much so that he had threatened to take the knives from them himself! At this, Judas only smiled.
"Judas Hargreaves…..it seems you live up the family name even better than I had thought….I am sorry for acting so harshly towards you earlier. But you understand why, I am sure." Neil murmured, as they quietly left the sanctuary and went to find some way of getting home.
"You have only Cain's safety in mind….Keeping him safe from that nutcase is a good enough reason to be uptight." Judas quietly agreed, yet could sense that his social standing in the older man's eyes had changed dramatically from what it had been. When they had finally located a barge that would take them at least part of the way back, they got on it and at least two of them were finally able to sit down.
"What I wouldn't give for a glass of brandy, right about now!" Cain muttered, and got a solid agreement from both his uncle and 'brother' for a response to that.
"Looks like you could definitely use it, Cain. Riff will have my head on a platter when he finds out I've let you exhaust yourself again." Judas joked, feeling some relief when Cain chuckled and shook his head.
"As different as night and day…." Neil murmured, as a slight smile appeared on his weary features, as well.
"Are you all right, Uncle Neil?" Cain asked, worriedly; ignoring his own exhaustion to make certain the older man was all right.
"I'm fine. That flash of light had blinded me for a moment, but I am otherwise all right." Neil replied, in an effort to reassure the fearful young man before him.
"When we land, we'll need to call a hansom cab to take us home." Cain said, as he made an effort to stand, wavered a little bit when some dizziness threatened to topple him, and reluctantly allowed Judas to steady him and help him sit back down.
"Don't be in such a rush. I know we're not out of the woods yet, but you need to take things slow, this time. Otherwise, you might pass out." Judas warned, worriedly, then added, "And if that happens, Mary will be the one to chop off my head!"
"You'd be right about that….especially since you're her brother now, too." Cain retorted; inwardly laughing when Judas' expression deadpanned.
"Not very encouraging, Cain….." Judas said with a sigh, as he looked up and around at their surroundings. An area that had once been bathed in brilliant moonlight, was now obscured by dense fog.
"I guess there isn't much worry about being assassinated in plain view, now, is there?" Neil asked, as he looked at the wary young American.
"Don't put it past them, Lord Neil. They might just try something…so keep your guard up." Judas replied, calmly, yet gripped the belt that held his knives almost nervously as he said that.
"True enough." Neil agreed, then added, as he glanced at Cain, "You're a different person when it comes to your father, though I don't blame you. He'd raised you that way…..But do you believe what he'd said? About how I see Augusta when I look at you?"
"It shouldn't matter." Judas mentally sighed, as he watched Cain withdraw into himself again; the pain of his past making his bright green eyes look almost dull. They all perked up when they heard what sounded like a violin in the distance.
"Zigeunerweisen? Where is it coming from?" Neil murmured, when he'd recognized the melody.
"From some rooftop, perhaps?" Cain added, quietly.
"Seems unlikely. But that violin is being played with amazing skill!" Neil said, admiringly; not noticing when a disturbed look appeared on Cain's young face.
"This song is from my dream….." Cain mused, darkly, then said, "It's the song that was played at my grandfather's deathbed…."
"Indeed! You have a good memory." Neil commended, then said, "That was the Earl's favorite song. 'Zigeuner' means gypsy. It's a song about those freedom-loving people."
"Gypsy…." Judas and Cain both thought, as they exchanged glances with one another, and listened as Neil began to speak again.
"Delilah is based on a club that had been founded by that same Earl. At the time, it didn't even have a name; it was just an organization that would shed light on the mysteries of life through science." Neil said, softly.
"And that all changed when that nutcase joined it, right?" Judas asked, boldly; getting a grave nod from Neil as an answer.
"Yes. He dabbled in inhuman experiments, the occult, and magic….Before long, the organization had become a secret society. As he began to conduct even more experiments, the organization was named 'Delilah'. The last report I had received from that investigator I had hired had said and confirmed as much." Neil replied.
"I almost feel as though we're about to get in way over our heads, here." Judas thought, edgily, not liking where this was going in the slightest.
"Even his stepchild is among his ranks…." Neil added, and as Judas gave Cain an unreadable look.
"That man you had met in the harbor that night, when you first arrived in England….That is my half-brother…..and the one I compared Josiah to when he appeared." Cain said, answering the unspoken question, and getting a widening of eyes from his 'twin' for that.
"Damn…." Judas muttered, then silently added, "Definitely way in over my head!...A nutcase father/son tag-team!"
"They were supposedly involved in many recent crimes, but even the police can't track them down. And….if Alexis is controlling things from the shadows, then they must be plotting something terrible!"
"Then, sir, instead of worrying about what they might be planning, make plans of your own! Be ready for them before they can get off the first strike!" Judas said, almost repeating what Josiah had told Cain earlier in the same day. With a rueful nod, Neil agreed; watching from his seat as Cain slowly stood alongside his cousin, and remembering what it had been like when he had first laid eyes on Cain.
"In truth….I did love my cousin Augusta….but I never once saw her in you, Cain. That wasn't why….it was just that, when you were born, you never cried. It was then that I saw the life in those shining eyes of yours', and, almost on a whim, reached out to touch you….." Neil murmured, as he remembered the tiny, feather-soft hand grabbing his fingers, and the innocent curiosity and confusion in Cain's wide green eyes as he looked up at him…..and could only imagine what Judas had looked like at that point in his own life.
"That was all it took….I just wanted to keep holding that little hand of yours'….nothing more." Neil said, finishing his thought, and then glancing up at the pair in front of him. He could see what could have been a look of warmth in Cain's eyes, and the almost envious expression in Judas'; sensing somehow the loss the other teen had suffered before coming to England, and then standing and embracing them both.
"Lord Neil?" Judas asked, confused by this turn of events, to no end.
"That's 'Uncle Neil' to you, Cain, and Mary-Weather, Judas." Neil said, as he looked fondly at them; the acceptance in his eyes telling both that Judas had, if not officially, been adopted back into the family.
"I have a family again…..I'm no longer an outsider…." Judas thought, ironically, as he blinked back the unexpected tears in his eyes, and found the strength to smile again…..Yet jerked in startlement when the moon again shone through the clouds, and a shadowy figure appeared from the mists.
"Down!" Judas cried, as he shoved the both of them behind him, unsheathed two knives, and just barely shielded them from an arrow that came screaming in from a certain gypsy girl's crossbow. Yet that wasn't the end of the danger; for, almost as soon as the arrow had struck the two blades, the tip of it exploded, sending shards of metal into Judas' abdomen and arms.
"JUDAS!!" Cain cried, as he caught and held the wounded teen in his arms….his brave cousin who had dared to call himself his brother.
"Hang on, son. We'll get you to a doctor as fast as we can. Just hang on." Neil urged, as he picked Judas up, had Cain hastily moor the boat, and they both dashed down the street as soon as their feet had hit the ground; desperately hoping that they could get him to a doctor in time.
"Please, hang on. Don't die, Judas!" Cain thought, ignoring the dizzying feeling that his previous exhaustion and the sudden adrenaline rush were wreaking in his own body, when he saw blood beginning to soak Judas' shirt and coat.
"That gypsy girl was the one Judas and I had met….and the same hooded figure that had saved my father! So she's an agent of Delilah and one of their cards! The Moon Card!" Cain silently said, as his mind frantically put the pieces together, then glanced at Judas again. His cousin was pale, and his face was drawn with pain….but his eyes were open. When he saw his worried expression, he gave him a vague smile.
"Don't worry…..It'll take more than this to keep me down." Judas softly reassured.
"I'll hold you to that promise." Cain replied, then desperately thought, "I don't care if it's God or the devil…..Someone, just help us!"
"Hey! What the bloody hell happened to you lot?" a man's voice asked, as it's owner appeared from the doorway of a shop. Startled, Cain and Neil both turned to look, and were relieved to see that it was a policeman that had just called out to them.
"Is there a phone in this establishment?" Cain asked, urgently.
"There should be. Why? What the devil has just happened?" the cop asked, his eyes widening when he saw what kind of shape Judas was in.
"There's no time to explain, aside from the fact that this young man has just risked it all to save our lives, tonight." Neil explained, calmly; doing his level best to keep the anxiety out of his voice.
"Then you'd better hurry and make your call, then. This poor lad is bleeding pretty badly." The cop said, as he carefully took Judas from Neil's arms and carried him into the shop, with both lords worriedly following after him.
……………………..
In the perpetual mists of a semi-unconscious mind, Judas could swear that he wasn't alone.
"Who's here?" he called, as he 'stood' and glanced warily around him.
"Just a fellow American." A feminine voice replied, as its' owner sauntered over to him; seemingly appearing from nowhere. He was taken aback by the woman's looks, despite himself; she was tall, had long, blue-black hair and eyes that weren't really one color or another. A graceful tattoo could be seen along the side of her lovely face, and, interestingly enough, had more than one piercing in both ears and even in her nose!
"What? My nose isn't growing, is it?" she quipped, catching Judas off guard, since he had almost been staring.
"Erm……No….It's just that I've never met a beautiful woman in my mind before…." Judas said, with an embarrassed laugh, and even a hint of a blush. At this, the woman smiled warmly in return.
"Why, thank you for the compliment! You're a sweetie despite who you look like!" the woman said, and was rewarded with a look that was a cross between insulted and bewildered.
"Despite who I look like? What do you mean by that?" Judas asked; wondering if she was going to make any cracks about his name, as well.
"You look like Cain Hargreaves, but you have the opposite of his personality. I could sense your good heart even from where I was, in the next 'universe' over!" the woman stated, then added, "My name is Raven Nightwing, by the way. Just call me 'Small Lady'."
"Judas Hargreaves, or 'Jude' as my closest friends call me. Pleasure to meet you, Small Lady." Judas greeted, warmly, with his usual low bow and smile.
"Good to meet you, too. I must say, that you'd held up very well against 'Delilah' in this go-round." Raven commented, and succeeded in getting an abashed look from Judas in response.
"I did what I could…..But it isn't over yet. Not by a long shot. I just hope I still have the strength to fight alongside Cain, despite my injuries." Judas said, honestly and a bit concernedly, as he fingered his knife belts thoughtfully.
"I can help you, you know." Raven offered.
"I couldn't ask that of you….." Judas replied, quietly; his politeness unwittingly earning him a few more points in the mysterious woman's book.
"Think of it as a gift, from one friend to another." Raven said, gently.
" Then I will have to give you something in return, won't I?" Judas asked, rhetorically. She again flashed him a winning smile.
"No, you don't." the woman argued, again getting a blush from the other American for her words.
"Yes, I do. Is one of these knives good enough?" Judas asked, as he cautiously unsheathed one of the knives, and held it thoughtfully in his hand. At this, she only gave him a gentle smile.
"If you insist, but I don't have any real need for a throwing knife….but a sword would do just nicely. " Raven replied; no sooner saying the word 'sword' when the blade in Judas' hand suddenly seemed to grow, and become the size and length of a great-sword!
"Incredible…..How did you…..?" Judas began to ask, yet was stopped from saying anything more, when she placed a hand to his lips and she smiled enigmatically at him.
"Sorry. Trade secret." Raven simply said, as she gently took the now-sword from Judas' hands, then added, as she pointed out one direction in particular, "You'd better return to consciousness, now. That way will return you home. And, so you will know that this was not a dream, your body alone will be proof of my promise to you."
"Thank you, Small Lady!" Judas yelped, as he dashed away from her, and in the direction he somehow knew to run in. He therefore didn't hear it when the mysterious Raven Nightwing ever-so-softly answered him, as she held the new blade tightly in her hands.
"No, Jude. Thank you"
……………………
Judas uttered a groan, as he slowly returned to awareness.
"Hey! He's waking up! Judas!" Emile's voice shouted; his raised voice getting a flinch from Judas, since his ears were now strangely sensitive. Upon opening his eyes, Judas found that he was surrounded by those dearest to him. Mary-Weather and Emile were kneeling beside the bed, relieved smiles appearing on their childish faces when he looked at them. Cain was seated in a chair beside his bed; trying not to look as though he'd been there the entire time he'd been unconscious. Riff and Josiah were standing close at hand; both with worried (and, in Josiah's case, minutely angry) expressions on their faces.
"How are you feeling, Judas? You've been unconscious for two days, now." Cain stated.
"Aside from having a headache that feels like Oscar had kicked my head? I'm feeling all right." Judas replied, as he slowly sat up; feeling some surprise when he didn't feel any pain from the wounds that should have been there.
"Your wounds had closed at such a miraculous pace after we removed what remained of the arrowhead, that you're almost ready to get out of bed." Josiah stated, with notable shock in his voice, as he told the teenager this.
"Yet you were still extremely fortunate that those metal shards hadn't injured any of your internal organs….It seems as though your knives had indeed saved your life, that night." Riff murmured; sounding equally as amazed by this turn of events as Josiah had.
"In any case, this event has made me even more determined to break free of my father's spell…..and to not let him take any more people I love away from me." Cain said, as he reached over and gripped Judas' shoulder, and gave him a look filled with newfound strength, "Will you help me, Judas? Will you fight by my side and help erase the presence that has been causing our uncle such grief?"
"What made you think I wouldn't, Cain?" Judas replied, as he in turn reached up and gripped Cain's shoulder, as well. The battle lines had been drawn, and neither one was about to back down from the challenge Alexis Hargreaves had issued. The war within the Hargreaves family had begun.
Author's Note!
First off, BIG thank you to MagicalGirl23 for allowing me to use her character Raven Nightwing! (Hopefully I got her somewhat in character...If not, then please let me know how to improve my writing about her!)
Also, if everybody reading this story hasn't read 'Letters from Nowhere' then I highly recommend it!
Thanks for reading and please review!
Gemini14
