Chapter 13: The Starblade

"Alice!" I yelled, already running to get to her, as she was on the opposite side of the lake. I didn't stop running till I reached her, quickly laying my staff down on the grassy bank as I went down on my knees. I leaned over her, observing, as it looked like, a fairly recent wound on her upper arm. I lifted her head lightly so that her face was facing mine. Her eyes were closed, and it was almost impossible to tell if she was breathing...

"Alice, wake up... Come on Alice, it's me Tom! Your safe now, come on, wake up. Please Alice..." My fears were already high and my hopes were low, so this only concluded the very worst... My eyes began to water and tears began to flow endlessly down my face. I couldn't help it... I didn't want Alice dead at all, life without her would be tremendously different... I didn't like nor want life without Alice. I sat there, Alice's lifeless body resting in my arms, depression washing over me. I gently laid Alice's head back on the ground as I stood up. I picked up my staff, almost feeling like falling over with deep emotions. It was then that I herd footsteps. I turned, expecting to see Grimalkin. But to my disappointment, it was Lukrasta with a nasty smile and evil spark in his eyes.

I beat him to speak, no trace of a tremble in my voice, just anger.

"You shouldn't have done that. I've already warned you not to mess with me. You've made me angry, Lukrasta, and this time I won't let you off so easily." Though I said this with much authority, what chance did I have against him? All I had was my staff, and last time he'd try to use his magic against me the Starblade had protected me. I didn't have the Starblade right now, and he was way more powerful due to Alice's additional power within his use. Not to mention this would be the first real fight after my injuries. I wasn't confident on that note either, because although Alice had helped me so much with a major improvement, I still walked with a slight limp. If anything interfered with the wound's stitches, it could come undone, couldn't it? It all depended on how tight they were. If the cut was reopened, I wouldn't be up to any fight.

"Your really hard to get rid of, aren't you?" He asked me. Of corse he didn't intend for an answer, but he was walking a thin line considering my patience.

"More difficult than you are, that's for sure. You need a good begging for your life to be spared." I told him, my hand tightening its grasp on my staff. I knew I'd made him angry. He probably would have laughed at my first sentence, thinking it humorous that I could beat him. Well, I didn't see what was so funny about that because I've done it before, and I could do it again. But, very suddenly, he muttered something under his breath causing almost a invisible forcefield to push me back a few feet and slam backwards on the ground, after that he pulled out a sword, the same sword from our last battle. He came at me fast, once close, he thrust his sword down fast to be encountered with my staff, redirecting his aim, I sprung up from the ground than quickly ducked and missed his swing toward my head. I jabbed at his chest, only for him to take a large step back and come back swiftly with another jab, which went right in front of my chest as I had pivoted sideways. The next hit I wasn't so lucky to miss. He pierced me quite deeply in the left leg. I'd had it, the pain was terrible, but it was more anger that washed through me than pain. I wasn't going to let anymore blades inject me. I was determined to focus and come back hard, even though my leg felt unless as ever.

I looked back up at him as he pulled out the tip of his sword, me gasping in pain while he did so. I shot him a thrust toward his chest, upper arm and neck, all to which he blocked. Gradually I began to draw in close on him, forcing him to back up. My leg was feeling worse but, recently being pierced in the abdomen, made it a little better in comparison. I noticed Grimalkin running silently toward us, without Lukrasta's notice. At the last moment Grimalkin griped a blade, still running, and made aim quickly and accurately.

"Duck!" She yelled, throwing the knife with great force and, as I had ducked, impaled Lukrasta in the right shoulder. As I went to stand I used my foot to trip him while he was distracted. He fell to the ground, muttering again, as the ground seemed to move and me and Grimalkin fell as well. We got right back up, along with him, now yanking the blade out of his shoulder. It had pierced him deeply. Grimalkin went forward, drawing in for another attack. I quickly planned how to work my way back in to help her when I herd someone.

"Take this!" It was Jenny! I turned to see what she was holding out to me. The Starblade! I wondered how she got it and where but quickly thought better to ask because of time.

"Thank you Jenny, now please, go on!" At that, after looking worriedly at my leg, she turned and ran rather quickly out of site. I turned, bent down and dropped my staff, then went back over to where Grimalkin was facing Lukrasta. She made the slightest of glances in my direction toward the sword. She ducked to a last attempt as I ran up to him, as fast as I could from behind and thrust the blade into his back, which although disturbingly, came out through his chest. I pulled it out with a great force as I watched him fall to his knees and fall utterly silent.

We stood there breathing hard, I limped over to my staff, and picked it up so I could lean on it. I looked at Grimalkin, who came forward. She paused and then looked past me, brushing past me to get by. I turned around and saw she was heading to Alice, still laying helplessly on the ground just like before. I followed her slowly. She was already bent next to her, examining her closely.

"This is a bad wound, I wouldn't be surprised if this alone killed her. But It is also all the power drainage from Lukrasta that's made her weak." She talked, and I herd her clearly, but the only thought was what Grimalkin had just confirmed, Alice was dead.

"She can't be dead Grimalkin! Check again, maybe we over looked something..." I knew that was highly unlikable, but, I guess I wasn't ready to hear that Alice had died...

Grimalkin looked at me, as if thinking the same thing. She knew it would make me feel better, so she nodded doubtfully.

Grimalkin looked at her mark, then she examined her hair and skin. Lastly, Grimalkin sniffed Alice's body, and then froze. She opened her eyes and looked straight at me.

"We need to get her back inside, quickly." She picked Alice up almost effortlessly and started to run back toward the house.

"Wait, what's happened? Grimalkin!" I shouted after her. She kept on running though, but I knew that something was different. Had something changed? Was Alice really dead? When I had saw her earlier it has certainly seemed so, she wasn't breathing for all I knew...

There was only one way to find out, but I was filled with knew hope, and as fast as I could with my staff for balance, limped my way back toward the house to find out what was going on.