Chapter 14
Glalda cackled with glee. "One down, one to go." He chuckled darkly.
Larten wheezed a little and whispered, "Maria…"
I hushed him gently. "It'll be alright, Larten. I'll take care of it."
"Wh-what?" He questioned. But I ignored him, taking up his fallen knife and my own, rage boiling in me as I turned to Glalda.
Glalda laughed at me. "What's the matter, sweetheart? You look a little mad."
I rushed at him as fury energized my vengeance. I brought up my hands, knives in each, and lashed out. I fought as dirty and harshly as possible. Biting, kicking, scratching, slashing. I despised Glalda and everything he did to me and Larten, and as I reminded myself more, the more I hit him and the harder I hit.
Glalda, of course, fought back, but he was caught off guard and having a hard time recovering. In fact, I had him on the floor, ready to kill him, when the window near him was smashed and in jumped Gavner.
"Gavner! Help Larten!" I shouted at him. Glalda kicked up at my ribs and sent me flying back, but Gavner listened and headed straight to Larten.
Glalda got up, but instead of finishing me off, started for the window. "This won't be the last of me, Maria!" He cackled, then climbed the window and ran off. And if I knew vampaneze as well as Larten told me, that was a promise he'd keep. Larten…
I ran towards Larten and Gavner. Larten was barely holding on. I looked to Gavner, who just shook his head. "I've tried everything. But there's nothing we can do."
Tears laced my eyes as I said the words almost automatically. "There's something I can do." I let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Trisha. But I choose Larten."
A tap on my shoulder came, and I turned to see Desmond there. He grinned at me. "Good choice. Put your hand on his wound." He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
I set my right hand gently over the wound on his chest. I could feel the power rushing from my fingers to him. I could feel all energy I had going to him, too. He started coming to life. His breathing became normal again. He was regaining consciousness. Just as I was starting to lose mine. But I held on for his sake. I stayed awake until all the power seeped from my fingers, and he sat up abruptly, as if woken from a bad dream. All I remember was falling forward into his arms before blacking out.