Chapter Forty-four

The House, or rather, What's Left of It

James was running for all he was worth. He had to get Smee and Salem to safety! He hoped and prayed that the rest of his family had made it out but didn't have a clue as to where they were! Salem couldn't be dead, but he was so still!

James did not even realize that he was frothing at the mouth. He was more scared than he had ever been, even when the croc had chased him, wanting to eat him. There had to be a healer somewhere! He dared to glance over at Smee, afraid that Smee was also done for. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Smee's eyes were open. As he was gazing into his beloved's face, he heard Salem weakly muttering something. Thank the Gods Salem was not dead! "What . . . are you . . . talking about, Salem?"

Salem's head spun, and it was all he could do to hang on to the one fear that burned a great hole in his heart. He repeated the name, trying to draw strength and volume into his speech so that James would hear him. The world spun about him. Salem shook his head slightly, trying to clear his vision and mind, but pain screamed through his being. Why, oh why, did he have to be a cat?! If only he had his powers, his whole family would be freed and saved with but one spell!

Smee thought he heard Salem speaking a name, but he shook his head. It couldn't be! That Elf was long dead!

"You're delirious, Salem," James told him. "You know he died a long time ago!" He sighed in regret as he thought back to his old friend. "That golden Elf would definitely have been a great help to us on this day! He was one Hell of a fighter! Don't worry, Salem; I'll get you to safety!"

"NO!" Salem managed. He swung a paw and struck James' leg just strongly enough to let the man know he was demanding his attention. "He . . . He lives! Urian . . . !"

"Urian!?! It can't be!" He looked down incredulously at Salem. "You poor thing! You are so out of your mind! I am sorry, my poor friend! Goddess knows I wish he lived! It's okay if you want to imagine, although Urian might not like it too well . . . You can ask him later."

"NO!" Salem blasted, his desire to save Urian finally giving him some of the strength he'd been struggling to rise. This time, he outright slapped James' knee. "I tell you, James T. Hook, he lives and he is Urianotalon! The bastards made him human!"

James' mouth fell open. Why didn't Smee help him with Salem? Salem was surely out of his mind! "We'll ask him when we get out of there and find him again! If he says who he is, then we will welcome him back, but he sure didn't act like his old self!"

"For he is no longer his old self! Think, man! You know what Urian looks like! Think of his face, of his eyes, of his hair! I tell you: he is one and the same!" He began writhing in James' grip, struggling to get free.

"And be still, Salem! I will get you to safety! I don't know why you're getting so excited over Urian! He looks nothing at all like the golden Elf! Why are you trying to get down any way?! It's dangerous here!"

It was then that James heard another yell and turned just in time to see a gigantic Troll holding two humans as though they were tidbits heading straight for his humoungous mouth! One of the men was struggling fiercely, his feet flaying wildly while the other one hung limp. Poor Devil! Maybe he's unconscious? Won't know when he goes in there! He wanted to advert his eyes and was about to when he saw the struggling man kick the Troll in the nose. The Troll roared angrily and shook the man. James could hear his words clearly as he yelled about his food playing with him when it should lay still and be eaten. That was when he felt Salem's claws digging in yet again and yelled at him.


Urian watched the man in the Troll's other fist through bleary eyes. "You do not want him!" he spoke at last to the Troll. "He is only a skinny thing, barely any meat on his bones, nary a rare delicacy as I would have been had those blasted Wizards not cursed me so! I doubt their spell runs to my bones, though! You'll want to eat me first for none tastes as sweet as Elf!" As he felt his words confuse the Troll, Urian kicked out, but still he could not reach the other man nor the mighty hand that held him in its grasp.

He had saved Janeesa, the most beautiful lady he'd ever come across, and her sister would be safe, as well. He had failed the one who meant the most to him in all the world, however. He'd failed the only one who had ever truly loved him as a father would a son.

"Food lies!" Bloodwurst complained. "Food not Elf, food human!"

"Food was Elf," Urian growled, his blue eyes flashing with one last bit of defiance. "I have failed the mighty Salem, however, so perhaps I deserve this form and . . . " He shuddered. " . . . this fate." He wondered if the Council members who were supposedly the only evil ones upon the Council were watching them now. He would not be surprised if they were nor would he have been surprised if they had been the ones behind this massive attack. His eyes rolled heavenward. He'd let them know what he thought of them one last time, he decided, and as the Troll started to open his hand to drop him into his mouth, Urian shook his fist at the heavens and raised his voice into a bellow. "LONG LIVE SALEM SABERHAGEN!"

Smee had already been beginning to believe Salem when he heard Urian's shout. "James, we have to save him!"

Even before the words had died from Urian's mouth, James had dropped Smee and Salem and had turned, with his hook raised, to face the Troll. He ran at the mighty Giant and buried his hook into the Troll's big toe. He flayed away, slime, blood, and flesh flying off at all angles, until the toe was completely severed.

The Troll was shocked at the sudden attack. He had just been about to eat the stupid human who thought he was an Elf when all the pain in the world had erupted into his big toe. He made a gurgling sound even as he dropped his snacks and felt himself falling forwards. What was attacking him? His beady eyes glanced downward even as he felt himself falling. His arms flailed wildly, trying to catch on to something to keep from going down, but he knew he was going and nothing was going to stop his fall! He screamed out as he fell.


Delvira's eyes flew open at the bitch's words. She had tried to block out her pain and fear, fear that was more for her subjects than for herself, and pain that came more from realizing that she had not been the only true great love of her husband's life than from the pain Melinda thought she was wrecking her body with. She had done just that and had searched deep within herself to make contact with spells she hadn't used fully for a very long time. When her eyelids flew open, her eyes were no longer black. Now they were filled with swirling fire. She screamed in words unknown to all the others. Fire blasted from the very center of her body and slammed into Melinda. The great, scorching torrent of fire that coiled out from Delvira like a huge snake shoved Melinda steadily back toward Jareth and continued to eat away at her flesh.

Kitty Pryde sailed up through the floor in front of the Troll. Her hands went immediately to Didymus, and she phased the dog Knight, allowing the Troll's claws to pass harmlessly through his body just in the nick of time. The Troll grunted in confusion and slashed out again even as Kitty gathered Didymus to her. She glared at the Troll and then leapt upwards, kicking him with both feet straight in the face.

Trina's foot slammed into a skeleton, sending its bones shattering to the floor. She turned swiftly, leapt into the air, and began raining a series of kicks onto a Troll. Sam pounded both his fists into a different Troll while Lex came running in from another direction and slammed a board into the first ugly face he saw.

With a series of roundhouse kicks, Chong laid out some of the enemy. Others jumped upon him before he could react to them, however, and no amount of punches would make them release him. It was as though his hands were going through some kind of ooze and coming back to him, having no affect upon the enemy yet feeling as though they were full of something slimy.

His enemies seemed to be solid enough, but he wasn't sure what they were. He was only sure of one thing: He was not affecting them, but they had affected him. His hands were glowing green! Chong glared at his hands in amazement. It was then for the first time, that he heard Derek's mouth calling his name. Chong realized that he was drowning underneath the enemy, his oxygen cut off, and his hands raised in supplication toward Derek as though pleading for help.


Dean tumbled downward, but even as he did so, he couldn't help smiling. The fairy tale had come to his rescue! Oh, if only his beloved Sam could see it now! Dean had just been rescued by his hero, James Hook, the one Sam had declared to only be a fairy tale! What would his beloved have to say now?

It then occurred to Dean that he was falling and that he'd best grab for something. His arms began to flail, and as the floor came even closer to him and he imagined himself as a hotcake, he was suddenly stopped in mid-flight as he landed on something soft. He closed his eyes in a silent thankful prayer even as he reached beneath him to find out what he had fallen on.

James was still busily attacking the Troll. He was now so covered in blood and guts that one would have trouble recognizing him, yet he continued to flay away at the Troll, who couldn't get off of the floor but continued to try to rise, swiping at James, who barely stayed out of his reach.


Derek rushed in beside Hansel and began to punch the things that held Chong. Hansel paused, staring at his seemingly helpless hands, even as Derek yelled at him that their efforts were doing no good as their hands only continued to pass harmlessly through whatever these monsters were. Could it be? he wondered. He'd carried it for years now but never had an excuse to use it. He reached into his shirt, brought out the necklaces he wore, and shifted quickly through them with nimble fingers before finding the one he sought. She had told him he'd one day need this; he had thought her nuts but agreed to it out of their unsteady friendship. He yanked the small seashell-shaped canister off of its cord, broke it open, and threw the salt at the green beings that were now rushing over not only Chong but Derek as well.

Sizzling, popping, and crackling noises with loud screams reverberated through the area as the glowing beings began to vanish. Chong was beginning to breathe again. His baby had saved him! "Beloved, you have saved me!" he called to Hansel. "And you, you fought for me!" His voice contained surprise as he gazed at Derek in a new light. "I thought you were my enemy?" He glared for a moment into Derek's eyes before he smiled at him. "Thank you, my friend."

"Well, I couldn't have you up and dying on Hansel," Derek told him sheepishly. "That's not a fair way to get rid of the competition, but I didn't really do anything. My hands were going through them, just like yours were! Our baby saved the day!" he exclaimed proudly, smiling again at Hansel.

They were about to pull Hansel into a group hug when two massive arms wrapped around Hansel from behind and began squeezing. Hansel dropped the canister and kicked out, but the monster that held him only laughed. "Huh . . . Guys?!" Hansel managed to squeak out as the Troll squeezed ever more tightly. His blue eyes bulged. His air was already cut off, and he was quickly beginning to turn blue.


Jack had almost made it to the door, carrying Will, when the crap had hit the poop deck with the Troll. Now the Troll had fallen, blocking the door entirely. He laid Will gently beside the pile-up that was on Smee, who had valiantly attempted to catch Urian, and began to pull the guys off of Smee. He hoped the man was all right. He got hit in the back of the head with something and shrugged it off, afraid to look lest it be a part of the Troll. As it fell to the floor, it made a disgusting, squishing sound, and Jack cringed inwardly as he knew he had been right. "Smee?" he called.

"James!" Smee's voice squeaked up from underneath Urian. "Help my James!"

"Let me help you up, and then we'll both help James!"

Dean felt himself roughly rolled to the floor. He opened his eyes, checking himself for injuries, and was surprised how few there were. He looked down at the one who the Pirate laid next to him. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern.

"I . . . " Urian closed his eyes, centering himself, and nodded his head. He was all right. He had to be all right. The fight must continue! As long as he had breath left in this feeble human body, the fight must continue! For Salem! For the others! He opened his eyes and forced himself to begin to get to his feet.

Smee, meanwhile, took Jack's hand gratefully. He then wasted no time in running toward the Troll. He flew in to the heel on the Troll's other foot with the only weapon he had at his disposal: his gut. He continued to bounce his stomach against the Troll. The impact threw him repeatedly off, but he maintained standing and went right back again.

Dean got to his feet and looked for the bo staff. Finding it, he began to beat on the Troll, as well. They had to kill this bastard, or they'd never get out alive!

Drawing his sword, Jack charged bravely forward and began to cut the Troll into bite size pieces. He'd make fine food for the dragons later!

With a chilling battle yowl, Salem ran at the Troll. He flew into the monster right beside Urian, his claws and teeth slicing away at every piece of Troll they came into contact with. A smile lit up Urian's face as he saw Salem was all right, after all, and he redoubled his own efforts. Daniel cheered the group on from where he kept watch over Will and kept the Book of Shadows held carefully within his own pages.

The sounds of battle brought Will around. He blinked as he sat up and looked groggily towards the fight. His eyes flew open when he saw the enormous size of the Troll the group had downed and that his beloved Jack was hacking steadily away at the monster. The world spun so as he got to his feet that he almost fell back down immediately. "Careful there, mate," the Book called, but Will took no notice for his eyes were solely upon his beloved and the Troll. Shaking off his grogginess and aches as best he could, Will grabbed his hatchet and sword and headed in with a yell that sounded much like Jack's battle cry.

Daniel watched the boy, making sure that he could handle his own back, before heading in himself. He had no weapons to speak of, but he'd be damned if he'd simply sit on the sidelines and let the others do all the fighting! He hobbled in and then set to beating the Troll's tree-trunk-sized legs with the Book of Shadows.

Dean paused a moment before hitting the Troll again with the bo staff. Where had the book come from, and how was it . . . alive, . . . actually beating the crap out of the Troll with another book, who had an eye that kept blinking?! He'd have to find out later. For now, he gave his sole attention back to destroying the Troll.

Jack glanced up once, grinned at Will, inwardly giving a sigh of relief that his beloved was able to fight again, and continued to hack away at the Troll. He grinned even wider as he watched the Book beating the Troll's legs with the Book of Shadows. When did it get an eye, he wondered even as the eye glanced at him one time, and did the girls know? Jack held perfectly still, hoping the Book didn't notice him. Did his sisters know that the Book was alive? He then resumed his fighting.


Outside The House

Piper fought to be brave even as her sister's death continued to play over and over again in her mind. She would have never, in a million years, thought that a floor could be used to kill some one, but it had been the floor, a floor they had walked on Gods only knew how many times, that had risen up, caught Phoebe, and cut her head off of her shoulders. It was the frightened look that had remained shimmering in Phoebe's big eyes as her head had bounced across the floor before exploding into a million bits of blood, brain, and ooze that haunted Piper the most, and though a few who came out paused to pat her shoulder reassuringly, no one could truly offer her consolance for no consoling in the world could ever take away the grief that losing her little sister caused to eat away at her heart.

So it was that, while her one remaining sister received comfort from her man and Piper's own beloved did what they both knew he must, Piper stood alone, the wind raking fingers through her loosened hair and her hands briskly rubbing her arms against a cold that came not so much from the outward as the inward. She was glad for the distraction when Kurt brought two injured and went eagerly to help him, though hardly speaking a word. She did not ask what had happened. She did not ask who nor what the strange beastie one was. She hardly spoke to Andrew when he joined her in trying to revive Carlos, and she moved silently away when Hank, having finally convinced Spike not to run back into the house and trusting Angel to handle him should he change his mind, came to offer his medical services.

She gasped loudly but did not scream when a gigantic Troll fell through what had been the entrance way to the house. She did, however, turn to it with a strange bit of gladness and started throwing her hands out at the monster. She could only explode one bit of it at a time as her powers still had far to grow, but she did so whilst thinking to herself that each blow she gave their enemies was one in honor of Phoebe and of Paige, whose survival she wondered and feared for.

Hank kept a wary eye on Jack's cook. He knew the woman was one of the four Halliwell sisters but did not know her name. He knew, too, from the way her sister cried that the shock that was beginning to set in to the lass was not simply because of the battle and the strange monsters they were made to wage war against but because she had lost one of her own. He wanted to go to aid the others in the fight against the Troll but knew he could most help where he currently was. He grinned sadly, the tips of his fangs showing, as he watched Spike take out his frustrations on the Troll before turning back to Carlos.

One of the nearly dead Troll's arms began snaking out to where Prue and Brendan were standing. Prue saw it coming and screamed, wishing she had a weapon of any kind instead of only her telekinesis. She could pick him up and throw him, but then that would only take him out of the reach of the rest, so she moved out of the way, allowing Brendan to go for it.

Connor reached for his sword only to find it missing. "I have nothing!" he cried in dismay, looking down at his bare hands, and then part of him that he had never before embraced completely kicked in and took over. His fangs snarled seemingly of their own accord, and his face shifted, welcoming the form of the Vampire within the boy. He almost flew forward and began gnawing on the jugular vein of the Troll. Oblivious to all others around him, Connor worked desperately to chew through that jugular vein.

Angel joined Connor, chewing the jugular of the Troll. As powerful as he was, he could not feel the vein giving way yet, and he doubled his efforts, chewing desperately.

Katrina had been sitting on the ground, noisily commenting about Tom leaving her behind, when the Troll had crashed through the door and one of his hands had almost fallen upon her sister, Celina. Unsheathing her claws, she went to work on that one arm, ripping that Troll and making every stroke count.

Celina leapt in beside her sister, her claws flaying away at the monster. She feared for her beloved Morph, who had bravely gone back to save Connor's fathers but whose mind she could no longer find, and she took every bit of her fear, anxiety, and heartache out on the slimy monster beneath her.

Spike roared as he struck the Troll again and again. His hands were as busily ripping at the Troll's oozing flesh as his fangs were. He peeled away chunk after chunk and kept on blindly tearing at the monster, thinking to himself that each blow he laid on this critter was a blow in honor of his beloved Kyna.

Brendan paused only to kiss Prue's hand and tell her to stay safe before plowing into the Troll. He had already changed back into his Werewolf form by the time he leapt onto the fallen Giant. He joined Connor and Angel around the neck, biting and clawing away at the massive throat.

Theodora grasped Kurt's arm as he turned toward the Troll, the first sign that she had already been conscious. She spoke first in Spanish, but when she received a blank look in return, she told him, "Help . . . ", and pointed at the house.

The reddish brown of her fur caught the sunlight, and for the thousandth time, Kurt asked himself what kind of Were she was. He'd never met a Were like her. Did he trust her enough to take her back into the house now that they were in danger? He knew they'd be in even more danger by returning to the inside of the house, yet she seemed almost eager to go. Was it because she wanted to attack others, or did she really want to try to rescue their remaining family? "What . . . are . . . you?" he asked her in halting language.

For just a second, hurt reflected in Theodora's eyes, but then she hardened her gaze. "An ally," she told him. "There are others in there who need help. If you will not go with me, I will go myself." Perhaps she should have simply done so? It wasn't as though she couldn't get over or around the Troll; the agility of her current form allowed her to do that and much more. She had only lain still so long while she had been reeling in her animal instincts. Part of her had wanted to taste the blood she smelled while another part had screamed at her to run away. Perhaps she should have done just that? Nao, she told herself. Nao. They had helped Roxanne and her jaguars, and one of the three who had done so was still inside. Did the woman even know, she wondered, that they had been rescued?

She looked again at the Demon before her, wondering about him. He looked just as strange as she did, but he was a man. That alone should have told her that he could not be trusted, but had not Carlos and his friends proven themselves to her and Roxanne? Had they not risked life and limb to save them, to even save Roxanne's beloved pets? Ah, well, there seemed to always be an exception or two to every rule, but perhaps this man, though he had saved them -- out of duty? she wondered --, did not appear to be one of those rare examples. Releasing his arm, she turned to flee back into the house.

Before she had gone very far, Kurt had reached out and touched her. He wondered why she had taken such offense to his simple question and why it seemed so hard for her to trust them. Yet she was determined to help? Why?


Inside the House

Chong and Derek attacked at the same time, kicking, stomping, biting, and hitting. Finally Derek made connection with the rear end. His foot was almost swallowed by the Troll's bum, but it let go of Hansel. Chong snatched Hansel before he could hit the floor, at the same time kicking the Troll in the groin. The Troll's bum released Derek's foot, and Derek fell on his bum. He started to get up again but found his hands sticking to the floor. His face paled as his big eyes turned to look down at the green hands that held him glued to the floor. "Huh . . . Guys?!" his nervous voice called even as Chong, having steadied Hansel on his feet, delivered a roundhouse kick to the Troll's face.

Hansel ran around the Troll and was just in time to see two ghostly feminine hands beginning to inch their way toward Derek's groin. "Hansel!" Derek cried. "Get this thing off of me!"

"Not my man, you don't, bitch!" Hansel exclaimed, shoving a talisman he'd broken off another cord into the ghostly hands. The ghost screamed and disappeared into the flooring. Hansel grabbed Derek and yanked him to his feet, his hands quickly checking his baby over. Derek grabbed Hansel's face and kissed him firmly on the mouth.

Not to be outdone, Chong whirled Hansel around and kissed him soundly upon his lips. "We've still got to save Jareth!" he said after reluctantly parting.

As Derek regretfully allowed Chong to have his moment with Hansel, he looked down at the Troll Chong had finished taking down. He knew his foot had not done much as it had sank up to his ankle into the Troll's rear, but Chong had taken the monster down. Just what kind of man was this Chinese man his beloved had fallen for? he wondered for the first time.

As Captain Pryde held her own against two Trolls, divvying her time equally between the two, another moved in from behind her. It screamed in pain as Lockheed flew in from above and coated it in fire. It began wildly beating at itself and fell into another, catching that one on fire, as well.


Kurt released Theodora as they entered the scene. He took in, at a glance, everything that had been going on. He saw the fire coming from Delvira and burning Melinda, yet even though the woman was burning, he could see no signs that she was dying. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Kitty rescue Sir Didymus. He immediately bamfed to the dog Knight's side. A Troll lunged for the spot that Didymus was standing in, but Kurt managed to snatch him out just in time. He carried him to safety, despite the little guy's fussing and fighting to go back to his King. Kurt bamfed back to the scene, hoping to get a chance to get Delvira.

Kurt looked in confusion from Delvira to Jareth. There was no way he could touch Delvira in her current condition. Should he remove Jareth, who Delvira's fire was sending Melinda straight at? The man seemed stunned. Kurt bamfed in, removing Jareth from the circle, but did not carry him outside as he knew Jareth would not thank him for removing him too far from Delvira.

Why didn't the bitch die?! Jareth asked himself for the thousandth time. She was burning up, yet not dead! What power had she tapped into to keep herself alive like this? He had to break Delvira's concentration. They had to get out of there! He silently thanked Kurt for taking him out of the circle and for carrying Didymus to safety. He didn't figure Didymus would stay safe very long and could even now hear his mouth. Despite the dog Knight's injuries, he was still fighting.

Jareth attempted to talk to his beloved wife through their mindlink. He was slammed back as he hit an invisible barrier. She had blocked herself off from him. He had to reach her, but he could no more touch her than Kurt could without being consumed with the living fire that still streamed from her body. He moved to where he could stand within her vision and tried yet again to contact her. "Delvira, beloved, release her and let us be away from here!" Yet again he was repelled. He had to make eye contact with her. Sweeping his cape from his back, he threw it over his beloved's head, but she burned a hole right through it! "Damn, that didn't work!" He watched forlornly as his favorite cape went up in smoke, knowing he could never truly replace it. "Delvira, please!" he pleaded.

Sam ducked, a blow swiping just over his head and plowing into the face of the Troll he had been fighting. He slipped out from between the two as the first Troll returned the second one's punch and was about to leave them to fight when another charged him. He had no time to run from this one, but another being came to his rescue. Fur, slime, flesh, and blood flew as the Werecreature and Troll traded punch for punch, scratch for scratch, and bite for bite. Sam caught movement behind another fighter's back. He hit him and hollered in pain for the punch only hurt his hand and did not even slow the Troll down in the slightest.

Lex, who had just laid another Troll out, looked up at a human's yell of pain. The glance came just in time to see a Troll charging him. Sam shook his head but ignored the pain and pulled a manuever his brother would have thought only himself capable of doing. He jumped the Troll from behind, his arms wrapping around the monster's neck and squeezing with all the strength he had left. Lex ran forward and slammed the board he weilded straight into the Troll's groin.

Trina screamed as a Troll caught her by her hair and nearly yanked her bald. Kitty flipped upwards, ran over the heads of some of the shorter Trolls, and slammed her feet straight into the tusked face of the Troll who held Trina. As she kicked him, she caught Trina and phased her but was careful not to phase the Troll along with them. The women flew through the Troll.

Lockheed circled the group, breathing fire on all their enemies and wondering why the Sorceress' fire wasn't working better than it was. Should he add his to it?

Jareth, Kurt, and Lockheed were not the only ones who wondered why Delvira's fire was not succeeding in killing Melinda. Delvira wondered the same but, though she was aware of Jareth's efforts to disrupt her concentration, remained determined not to let the bitch win. Ancient words spilled from her black lips, and the fire began to scream as what looked like wailing faces raced along with the flame and slammed into Melinda.

Though he had always suspected she had hidden strengths and tricks, Jareth had thought he had known his wife's power limitations until she added to her attack on Melinda. As screaming, wailing faces began flying through Delvira's fire, Jareth almost fainted. What kind of power did his Delvira have access to? He prayed she'd never use any of it on him! He turned to look at Melinda to see what this latest attack would do.

Kurt watched as the Werecreature attacked the Trolls. He didn't know why she had taken offense to his question, but part of him had kept a constant vigil on her, lest she charge and attack some of their people. After having seen her attack on the Troll who had threatened one of the Winchester boys, he no longer feared what she might do, and his attention whipped back to Delvira and Melinda. The Witch must have some kind of power, he thought, that keeps her from burning up.

He was not surprised when faces began to appear in the fire. How many Demons had he seen in his lifetime? These Demons were not the same kind that he was used to seeing. What kind of power must Delvira possess to be able to use what she was now doing? What had she dabbled in to give her this power? He continued to watch, waiting to see what Melinda's reaction would be. Would her power be greater than Delvira's this time, or would Delvira at last win out? Unfortunately, he could not continue to watch as he was suddenly attacked by another Troll. He bamfed out, holding on to the Troll and taking him to a place where the Troll would not return from.


Outside The House

It was a struggle to ignore the noises of battle as she flew. Her mind continued to flip between the sweet, beautiful woman she held tightly in her arms and those she was leaving behind, those she was leaving to die, much like she herself had been left to rot . . . NO! she screamed inwardly. She was not leaving them behind to die! She would return! Unlike her so-called family, she would fight with all she had to protect those she cared about!

Strangely, instead of dimming, the sounds of battle seemed to grow louder the nearer she flew to the beach. Rachel continued to tell herself it was only her frantic imaginings and scold herself for being too hard on herself when she had no choice but to flee at the moment if she was to save Tessa. Another loud explosion of gunfire had her fearfully wondering who was being killed until something large and hot soared just narrowly past her. The heat singed her skin, and she finally turned her eyes downward.

Her green eyes grew as round as dinner plates, and a scream broke from her mouth before she could stop it. She threw up a telekinetic barrier just in the nick of time. The horde of cannonballs struck the barrier and then, with Ray's mental directions, turned around and headed back to the armada of ships from whence they'd come. Rachel pulled Tessa unconsciously closer as she surveyed the lagoon below her. Thunder rumbled in the darkening sky, and chilling winds whipped at her clothes and hair. Her heart pounded. Her mind raced, desperately seeking an answer.

There were countless enemies behind them, Ray knew, enemies they had been lucky to thus far escape from, enemies she would go back to fight against once she found a safe haven for Tessa to recuperate in, enemies who, if they should happen to survive, would follow them here, enemies of all sorts of sizes, strengths, and powers who were Hellbent upon their destruction and had already taken several lives of their own people. Yet, ahead of them, in the one place she and the others had thought to be the answer to their prayers for aid, lay possibly even more enemies. Even if they were not as numerous, the redhead thought frantically as tons of cannonballs pelted her invisible shield, their guns surely were. They were caught with nowhere to go and no one to save them . . .

She took another look and, through the sizzling steam from the cannonballs, was startled to find one ship higher than all the others. Her eyes grew even larger as she realized that the ship was actually flying! It floated in the air above the other ships, firing cannonballs at their shared enemies. As she watched, the flying ship took a hit, but when her emerald eyes flashed in anger in the direction from whence the accosting cannonball had come, a flapping flag caught her attention. She stared at the flag whose colors flew proudly in the breeze, her horror slowly becoming replaced with relief and joy, her frown of doubt and furrowed brow of concern being overtaken by delight until her mouth opened and she screamed . . .

"MOTHER!!!" It was the most glorious of sights that awaited the young woman, and in a heartbeat, Rachel knew she and Tessa were saved. "MOTHER!!!" she called again as she flew swiftly toward the ship and began opening her shields, granting a pathway only between the Black Pearl, whose normal flag flew, in respect for those who owned the ship, underneath the brilliant colors of Winchester Isle. "MOTHER!!!" So intent was Rachel upon the most welcome face of her beloved mother that she never saw the direction in which Jean Summers pointed her cannon nor did she see the cannonball until it blasted into her and sent her falling from the sky . . .

To Be Continued . . .