A/N: Same as before except with rain. And Dilandau rescues her (basically the next chapter combined, either too lazy to save it as something else, or thought I was getting too many chapters…you decide)
THIS IS DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND CLAUDIA
(yes the one to whom I refer to in the prologue and throughout the story)
Wish
Chapter twelve: Rainy day
Colubra was in the same dark room, her body ached from exhaustion, but more importantly, her mind. Her head felt like it wasn't there, it was a void of thought, just pain. She stared blankly at the men before her, they looked her down indifferently. She was, as they called her, the 'subject', and all she felt was numbness towards them. At first it was hate, but the testing had drained any energy left out of her so that she was too tired to feel, and in too much pain to care. The large machine began to whir again, she knew soon, like always, they would try the same tactics, she didn't know why they didn't kill her, this torture had no point for they didn't ask her any information, and that's what was so mentally challenging.
"Please…stop…"
Sara hadn't been feeling that great lately, so really needed to have some down time with her friends. Kickboxing was off for a while do to something she didn't care enough about to remember and her grades were slipping. When she arrived at Claudia's house, she was glad that she had friends to ease the pain. Lauren and Katie were already there and once she arrived they all set out to the tobogganing hill.
In a mock sentimental voice, one that often caused her friends to laugh, Sara belted out, "I love you guys!" then pretended to sniff and swung her arms around her two nearest friends, they all grinned and Katie said, "We know." It was fun being with them, time you could take your mind off the burdens of life, and just chill. Of course, as with all good things, it would be cut short unexpectedly.
Colubra had never wanted to do the bizarre take-over of another person's mind, but through the brainwashing and deeply rooted devotion to Zaibach, she never had a choice. She had found herself in someone else's body, and her instincts that had been drilled into her as a soldier and a pawn of the sorcerer's was to take over. Sara was too scared and too intimidated by the unknown to understand or fight back. Except for lately, she had tried often to get 'out', Colubra was better in controlling her, but still she managed to find times when for a few seconds she was back in control.
"Colubra…"
'My name is Sara.'
"Colubra!"
'Leave me alone!'
Colubra opened her eyes to the shiny silver metal of the tip of a sword. Her eyes grew wide as she followed the blade up to its owner, the sun was behind his head which made her squint, but she knew who it was. Her first instinct was to fight, but as she looked around, realized Allen Shezar's men surrounded her, and Dallet was being held captive by three blades to the neck. Damn that girl, Hitomi, she had told! Dallet had been the one calling her to wake up, how had they followed them?
Van rose his sword, forcing her to stand. She looked the dragon in the eye, he meant so much to Dilandau, though she didn't know why. She spit at him, getting him in the side. Dead silence surrounded them, not even the birds seemed to utter a sound. The grey storm clouds rumbled overhead and it began to rain. A man approached the king from behind, he was limping and using a cane - something seemed familiar about him. Van wiped the rain from his face on his sleeve, never letting his eyes stray from her rigid form, still wearing the same clothes she had come in yesterday. The rain had started to pour and her hair hung in her eyes, Van's too was soaked and their clothes clung to their body as thunder boomed above again. The man stood beside the king, and a flood of dread washed over her as her eyes grew wide. His wet hair hung over his eyes but she could tell it was Gadess. Zaibach must have released him far away from here, not realizing that he might catch up with Shezar before they were done. It was like a bad dream, and her death sentence had just been read, but this was real. Van sneered when he saw her reaction, Allen Shezar was close behind him, the three men holding Dallet close by. Dallet had a black eye and a bloody mouth, mixing with the rain rushing over his face. He had probably tried to fight them off, but the attack had been quick, and now she was paying for her carelessness.
"That's her." The man mumbled, his mouth still swollen but loud enough for everyone to hear, a low murmur followed, they probably all knew what happened. Colubra's eyes darted back to Van who now had the blade pressed against her throat.
"Kill her!" A voice rang out in the downpour, and soon all the men were shouting some such comments. She had no sword by her side, of course they had taken it and disarmed Dallet as well. She looked over to the boy who seemed terrified as well, if they killed her, the only chance he had was that maybe they might let him live to send a warning to Zaibach. Sara's heart went out to the boy as she blinked back the water in her eyes.
"Wait!" She yelled, "wait!" and Allen motioned his men to be quiet. Van stared at her, she had threatened Hitomi, and she knew that she meant the world to him, and would do anything for her. "Don't kill the boy, let him go, he had nothing to do with anything!" It was Sara's voice which rang through her throat. Van grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed the sword harder into her throat, drawing a thin line of blood which trickled down his sword still thick even though diluted by the rain.
"Is he not one of the dragonslayors? One of the men from Zaibach that made Fanelia burn to the ground?" Colubra's eyes were wide, she didn't know if they had found the guymelef, if she lied, he might have a chance, but if they already knew, they'd kill them both anyway. In her silence Van forced the edge of the blade farther into her skin, she winced at the pain.
"No! No, he was my manservant. He had no choice in coming, it's not his fault!" Van withdrew his sword from her throat, letting the blood cascade down her neck and onto her drenched clothes. She immediately raised her hand to her neck to stop the bleeding. Van nodded to Allen, who made his men release Dallet, the boy hesitated for a second, not sure what to do, but then immediately ran off, in the direction of the guymelef. No one followed him, which was an answer to prayer, maybe he could get the melef and save her. But that was a false hope, it was still over two miles to the caves entrance, there was no way he could get there and back in time in the rain. Van turned back to Colubra, she spoke. "You know, only a coward would capture a girl, with no weapons, while they were asleep. This could be means for a war." The fact that Dallet was out of harms way and she thought she'd die anyway gave her an attitude. Might as well go out with a bang, right?
Van slammed his fist into her side before she could react. Immediately she doubled over from the pain. The stitches held, but she knew the blood must be pooling inside. Van lowered his head to her ear,
"Cowardice is kidnapping little girls and not fighting like a real soldier," he whispered, then louder, standing up but still bent over her. "Cowardice is attacking a country while staying hidden." Colubra clenched her teeth as rage overcame the pain in her side. The dragon was talking about the slayers and Dilandau's attack on his country. Colubra stayed where she was, resisting the urge to stab him – wait, the dagger in her boot! She still had it! Colubra lowered her hand to hover around her knee. "Cowardice!" Van yelled, standing tall for all to hear, especially Allen's men, "is torturing a man for information he didn't know!" Gadess stepped forward.
"Wait," everyone quieted, Colubra raised her eyes to meet him, "let me." Gadess walked forward, stopping only hairs from her head, she stared forward. "So," he said, she closed her eyes - ready for his fist. "things sure have made a 180 degree turn haven't they?" Gadess raised his leg and lashed it across her face. She rolled, then curled into a small ball. I think he broke a tooth. She thought as he stood above her. Then delivered another swift kick into her side. She cried out in pain, feeling the blood exit her side. Colubra spat blood into the muddy ground, her hair masking her face. The rain hit so hard it splashed back up to her face so close to the mud. The Shezar crew cheered, they obviously liked Gadess, and hated the idea of him being tortured. Now she was at there disposal. The tall man came over to her again and pushed her face into the ground with his foot which seemed to excite the men even more.
'Never give up. Never surrender.'* Those words echoed in her head, Zaibach training camps, the drill sergeant had always reminded them of a dishonourable death. Colubra raised her weak body to her feet, wincing as the motion stretched her side. She had the dagger in her hand.
"I never hurt Hitomi." She sputtered, Van paid special attention to the mention of that name. He stared her hard in the eye. She was serious, but he couldn't know. He didn't stay long enough after hearing Hitomi's cry that the attackers had left to find out what had happened. He had just assumed. "From the Mystic Moon is she not?" The grumblings of the men started to quiet as Allen began to listen. "This is a war." She turned her head to Gadess. "If any of you were real soldiers, you'd know not to take it so personally." With that Gadess kicked her in the back of the shins knocking her to her knees. Colubra took this opportunity to ram her dagger into his side, the young man yelled in pain, but it was too superficial of a cut. Soon she was on the ground again, her dagger having been knocked from her hand and the blood from her side opening quickly weakening her.
'What's happening to me?' Colubra thought as she found she lost the coordination to stand, all the images in her head swimming together.
'The internal bleeding is killing me,' Sara thought, her tears mixing with the mud and water on her face. 'why can't Dallet come sooner?' She fell to the ground, a few men letting her alone including Van and Allen, who didn't consider her a threat anymore. But Gadess still hadn't had his fill so set a kick to her head which made her world pool into darkness.
***
Dilandau felt sick, he didn't know why, but there was intense pain in his side and head. He walked into the hanger, where a few of his dragonslayors were working on their guymelefs. They were so dedicated, so completely devoted to him and Zaibach, Dilandau didn't know what he would do without his slayers.
Dilandau expertly jumped up to his guymelefs cockpit. It was red, that was how his was different from all of the others. This girl, Colubra, Sara, whatever her name was, had been on his mind a lot lately. He had been jealous of all the time Folken had been with her, and now Dallet. Both of them had slept with her, no sex (supposedly, though the other slayers wouldn't let him live his little assignment with her down), but still, he wished he could be with her. Dilandau slid into the controls, them engulfing his body and conforming to his arms and legs. He walked to the edge of the hanger, below was the sprawling countryside of Austuria. Though they couldn't see the huge black and red fortress in the sky, it had the same technology that allowed their guymelefs to go invisible. Dilandau wondered if he could see her, if they were still on schedule, they would be in the forest outside the cave exit. The rain was pouring down, he didn't intend on going out. He had been the only other person other than Folken, Colubra and Dallet that knew of the plan. He increased the magnification of the telescopic lens on his viewfinder. He scanned the forest until he saw a clearing, he increased it again, there were people down there, he put the maximum magnification on and saw a small huddled shape in between a large amount of men. He glanced around, moving his head ever so slightly to look at the different faces, he didn't recognize any of them, until he came upon one. It was…it was that man! Shezar's first hand man who had been released only a day before! How had gotten into Austuria so quickly? Dilandau twitched his head to look at some of the others there, Allen Shezar! And Van Fanel right beside! Dilandau's blood burned at the face, but he had strict orders from Strategos not to leave the ship. Then he noticed the people moving, they were being told to back off. The body in the center, Dilandau almost felt sorry for it. The pain in his side had long since gone away, but when he focused in on the face, he choked. In a huddled mess of hair and blood, there lay Colubra, her clothes stained with blood and drenched with dirty water. Dilandau didn't think twice before jumping off the edge of the hanger and in flight mode descending as quickly as he could to the forest below. The rain made flying incredibly dangerous but he didn't care – all that was running through his head was Colubra's name, and his ever-growing hatred towards the dragon.
***
The heat, it's so hot, the heat, it burns, get it away…Sara murmured. She opened her eyes, blinking away the droplets aimed at her eyes. The rain, the mud – the fire - where was she? She looked around. Lifting her head painfully to scan her surroundings. This is where Colubra was last, just before – Sara remembered the devastating blows the girl had received to her head that sent coloured lights dancing out through her eyes before she blacked out. Am I, am I back? Sara tried to pull herself up from the horizontal view but pain shot up through her spine. She wiggled her toes. Good, no spinal damage.
Déjà vu.
Sara tried once again to hoist her upper body onto her arm, finally she was able to. The heat was so close - the fire - it burned the forest everywhere! She looked for the men or the source of the fire and saw nothing. They had left her, left her to die. Sara regretted every action that Colubra had ever committed. Where was Colubra anyway? Sara could sense her, but she wasn't in control or thinking. Unconscious.
Suddenly a large form engulfed her sight, if she could breathe deep enough to scream she would have, but she soon recognized the large guymelef, its red figure blocking her sight. The rain still poured down her face she smiled, Dilandau. The love and admiration Colubra had for the boy fell onto her as he jumped out of the cockpit of the huge machine. He ran to her side, kneeling down beside her and grabbed her around the shoulders. She collapsed in his arm, fatigue overcoming her. "Colubra, Colubra, talk to me!" He brought his face close to hers, the rain soaking his silver locks. She smiled, her bloody lips still beautiful. "Hey Dil." She mumbled. Then before she passed out, My name is Sara. *** Dilandau hoisted the girl in his arms and over the slippery metal casing of the guymelef managed to carry her into the cockpit. There it was dry but incredibly cramped. He draped her body around him, her legs around his waste and her arms around his shoulders, he tried to ignore the obvious fact that her body was cooler than it should be yet her side leaked hot blood. He had to get her to the fortress, they would know what to do. As he took off from the burning landscape he had causing below he leant his head on hers. She still smelt of that perfume she used, her scent mixed in with smoke enticed him, despite the blood in her hair and mud still wet on her face. He closed his eyes and prayed a silent prayer for the girl he had only grown to know a few days before, and yet love. *** Sara kept her eyes closed, if she had wanted to, maybe she could have talked to him, she did have control of her body, more than most people did. She knew it was unconscious and yet she could wake up if she put her mind to it. Mind over body. She smiled as she felt Dilandau's warm body against hers. But she was also painfully aware of the pain in her side that had caused her to slowly feel the life being drained from her.
I hope you like this. I worked pretty hard thinking up of this stuff. It's weird, now I wanna drown someone (I know I know, seek help) I have a cool idea for that actually in the upcoming chapter. That is if I get any reviews! You guys gotta review my stuff, no more hit counter, so I don't know if anyone reads these unless I get reviews!!
*where's that from? Sounds like star trek or something…I dunno