Ok only one more chapter to go after this! Vince is on the edge of survival :O How cruel am I?
Enjoy :) x

Tia the healer

Bella clutched at the man in her arms and gripped at the reins of her horse at the same time, the young girl behind her had handfuls of the warrior's cloak in her little hands as she held on for her life, tears streaming down her face at the sight of her new friend in pain.

"Will he be ok?" She asked through choked sobs.

"Do not fear little one, he will be fine." Bella called back as she glanced down at the mod who was breathing rapidly, his eyes had rolled upwards into their sockets.

She whipped at the reins and Sadie gained speed, they approached the town, which appeared livelier. The townspeople were going about their business as normal, children were playing in the streets throwing snow at each other while parents were shopping.

Sadie blundered into the town making people dart out of the way, Bella was not afraid of her horse hitting anyone, Sadie could do no damage. She was a skilled horse and was as fast as Bella was with a sword.

The animal skidded to a halt outside a small house made of ice, smoke was coming from the chimney and a light was flickering in the window. Bella jumped off her horse and helped Zeeka down while cradling the wounded Vince then hammered at the door, which opened suddenly.

"Inside." A woman ordered with a single look at Vince, she grasped him from Bella and led the way into her home. The walls were decorated in strange charms; wind chimes hung from the ceiling and chimed noisily as Zeeka shut the door behind her. The young girl dashed to her friend as soon as he was lay down across the table "What happened, Bella?"

"Stabbed by the dagger of an Ice Assassin." The woman tore the jacket apart almost breaking the zip and pulled Vince's t-shirt up; she ran a hand above the wounds on his stomach and shut her eyes "What is it, Tia?"

"The poison. It is seconds from his heart." She dashed across the room to a cupboard and threw the doors open knocking a vase of green liquid over in the process. She ignored it and pulled a small yellow bottle out and a couple of sticks that looked like sparklers "We must draw the poison back." She lit one of the sticks with the flame from a candle by the window and lay it on Vince's stomach with the tip touching the wound, he whimpered in pain making Zeeka grip at his hand. Tia lit the other sticks in her hand and rested them in different places then retrieved a beautiful charm that was hanging from a wall in the room. The charm consisted of four beads the colour of tiger fur with a brown spotted feather hanging on a ribbon; she lay it over Vince's chest where his heart lay "Do not touch the black." She warned as she searched for a cloth in one of the draws, she started dabbing at the poison that was dribbling out of the wound, a smile spread across her face slowly "He will survive child." She looked at Zeeka "You are not from this little town are you?"

"Neither is she from the Assassins." Bella interrupted.

"Ah, an orphan." Tia pulled a small empty glass vial out of her pocket and pressed it against Vince's skin catching some of the poison, once it was full she corked it and set it aside then unscrewed the cap on the yellow bottle. She poured the liquid over the wounds making them sizzle; the blood boiled around the wound and the last of the poison was pushed out. Vince wriggled in pain and Zeeka only watched in horror. The skin healed over and formed a purple scar in the shape of a 'v', Tia brought another bottle to Vince's nose. It was filled with colourful stones that sent him to sleep straight away.

Tia offered a cup of tea to Bella and to Zeeka who accepted the offer kindly, she brewed a red tea in a teapot and poured it into wooden mugs. Bella drank hers quickly while Zeeka sipped at it and starred at Vince while he slept.

"Who is he?" Tia asked glancing sideways at the mod.

"I do not know him. He is a friend of a man who calls himself the Doctor." Bella replied "A traveller. They came from another world, no one knows how they got here."

Outside there came the noise of horses, then there was a knock at Tia's door. She opened it swiftly to a man dressed in a suit with a worried look on his face.

"And who might you be?"

"The Doctor, that's my coat." He smiled striding past the woman who closed the door behind him. He grabbed his jacket from the hanger by the door and entered the lounge where he saw Zeeka sat looking tired "How is he?"

"He is resting, Doctor." Tia replied as she sat down beside the table "The poison is gone, all that remains is the scar." The Doctor examined it closely.

"He always told me he got that scar from falling asleep with hot straightners on his stomach." He muttered to himself with a slight smile on his lips "Tia…Can I call you Tia? Yes good…" He lifted her from her seat with a hand on her arm and took her to the opposite end of the room "I was wondering…Do you have anything that will make someone forget something?"

"How many days do you want him to forget?"

"A day…Day and a half? I want him to forget ever meeting me."