Chapter 4: The rescue
Van sighed again as he stonily watched the advisors continue to argue with the ambassador. They had finally agreed on the majority of the accord, but minor details were still being thrashed out. Despite the calm façade he was presenting, his mind was whirling with possibilities about the flash from the pendant. He wished Allen and Celena would return from their tour of the countryside so he could discuss his concerns with the knight. Turning his mind back to the matter at hand, he focused on Lord Giata, who was getting quite red in the face.
"This is stupid," he thought to himself. "The fool refuses to compromise on anything and this is a waste of time." He thought briefly and longingly of the cool woods where he could practice his swordplay and think of Hitomi undisturbed, then called the room to order. But before another word left his mouth, the door at the far end of the room crashed open and reverberated against the stone wall. The advisors leapt up, startled at the sound. The eyes of the figure in the doorway flashed green with the sunlight streaming in from the window.
"Hitomi" he gasped, recognizing her and cursing himself that he had not immediately guessed the significance of the pendant's earlier flash. Hitomi paused briefly in the doorway to adjust her sight to the room that was bright with the light from the setting sun, then, as Van took a step towards her, she dropped her bag and screamed, "Van! Watch out" and sprinted across the room, throwing herself at him. As her body collided with his, she heard the tinkle of broken glass and felt a sharp pain under her right shoulder. She gasped with the sudden pain and slumped against Van.
Van lay stunned on the cold stone floor, Hitomi's weight pining him down. The silence of the room was broken by triumphant howls as Theenan announced his capture of the sniper.
"Hitomi," whispered Van. When she did not respond, Van said a little more loudly and urgently, "Hitomi." He sat up and turned her onto her back, only then noticing the red stain spreading up the shoulder of her uniform. Her face was pale and her eyes closed, her breathing ragged and painful to hear.
The advisors in the room stood as if frozen, but jumped as another figure came sprinting though the door as Merle arrived. "Lord Van, are you all right?" she panted, as she jumped over the broken glass littering the floor.
Van did not respond, as he frantically unbuttoned Hitomi's jacket to isolate the wound and apply pressure where the arrow had pierced. Merle crinkled her nose at the smell of blood and gave a sob as she saw the arrow projecting from Hitomi. She bent to lick Hitomi's face, and anxiously whispered Hitomi's name as the men in the room began to stir and call for guards. Van broke the feathered shaft off close to the arrow's entrance and stood, picking up and gently cradling Hitomi in his arms.
"Merle," he said urgently, "Fetch the doctor as fast as you can. I will take her to my room."
Merle nodded through her tears and turning, ran out of the room. The advisors parted to let her through, and then, shrinking back from the fierce look on Van's face, made a wider pathway as he strode by.
Van sighed again as he stonily watched the advisors continue to argue with the ambassador. They had finally agreed on the majority of the accord, but minor details were still being thrashed out. Despite the calm façade he was presenting, his mind was whirling with possibilities about the flash from the pendant. He wished Allen and Celena would return from their tour of the countryside so he could discuss his concerns with the knight. Turning his mind back to the matter at hand, he focused on Lord Giata, who was getting quite red in the face.
"This is stupid," he thought to himself. "The fool refuses to compromise on anything and this is a waste of time." He thought briefly and longingly of the cool woods where he could practice his swordplay and think of Hitomi undisturbed, then called the room to order. But before another word left his mouth, the door at the far end of the room crashed open and reverberated against the stone wall. The advisors leapt up, startled at the sound. The eyes of the figure in the doorway flashed green with the sunlight streaming in from the window.
"Hitomi" he gasped, recognizing her and cursing himself that he had not immediately guessed the significance of the pendant's earlier flash. Hitomi paused briefly in the doorway to adjust her sight to the room that was bright with the light from the setting sun, then, as Van took a step towards her, she dropped her bag and screamed, "Van! Watch out" and sprinted across the room, throwing herself at him. As her body collided with his, she heard the tinkle of broken glass and felt a sharp pain under her right shoulder. She gasped with the sudden pain and slumped against Van.
Van lay stunned on the cold stone floor, Hitomi's weight pining him down. The silence of the room was broken by triumphant howls as Theenan announced his capture of the sniper.
"Hitomi," whispered Van. When she did not respond, Van said a little more loudly and urgently, "Hitomi." He sat up and turned her onto her back, only then noticing the red stain spreading up the shoulder of her uniform. Her face was pale and her eyes closed, her breathing ragged and painful to hear.
The advisors in the room stood as if frozen, but jumped as another figure came sprinting though the door as Merle arrived. "Lord Van, are you all right?" she panted, as she jumped over the broken glass littering the floor.
Van did not respond, as he frantically unbuttoned Hitomi's jacket to isolate the wound and apply pressure where the arrow had pierced. Merle crinkled her nose at the smell of blood and gave a sob as she saw the arrow projecting from Hitomi. She bent to lick Hitomi's face, and anxiously whispered Hitomi's name as the men in the room began to stir and call for guards. Van broke the feathered shaft off close to the arrow's entrance and stood, picking up and gently cradling Hitomi in his arms.
"Merle," he said urgently, "Fetch the doctor as fast as you can. I will take her to my room."
Merle nodded through her tears and turning, ran out of the room. The advisors parted to let her through, and then, shrinking back from the fierce look on Van's face, made a wider pathway as he strode by.
