The Giving-part 8
The ambush was well thought-out. It was a simple plan and was carried out to perfection. The fighting itself was brutal but short lived. When the conflict ended only the ones who made the plan and carried it out were left standing. The victims had had no warning of the onslaught and had no real chance of defending themselves until it was too late.
The light haired man groaned softly as he regained consciousness. Every part of his body ached and his leg felt as though it were on fire. He tried to remember what had occurred. He seemed to remember hearing the soft snap of a twig. He remembered turning toward the sound and then suddenly falling, as his leg no longer would support his weight and his head exploded with pain. After that he remembered only blackness. Slowly opening his eyes he looked up to see his attacker looking down upon him.
"This one is awake now." A dark haired man said to his companion.
"Good," replied the voice of another man. "Let's find out what he can tell us and quickly. We can waste no more time here."
"Now listen to me and listen well. You will have one chance to answer our questions. If we are not satisfied with your reply we will finish what we started. Do you understand?" said the first.
Though it caused him great pain the poor man lying in the dirt nodded his head.
The unseen man approached and asked, " Why were you waiting in hiding to attack us?"
"How did you know?" the injured man asked clearly shocked.
Tyr laughed condescendingly. "We spotted your pitiful excuse for a scout before he ever saw us. We then followed him back to you."
"Tell us why you were waiting to ambush us. And then tell me where the Hell Beka is." Dylan screamed.
Without waiting for an answer he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and dragged him up until they were face to face.
"Tell me!" he screamed again.
The injured man could barely breathe. His vision swam before his eyes at the sudden movement.
"Dylan, be calm." Tyr said while lazily sharpening a knife against a stone, "We will get no answers if you cause him to pass out again. And I do not believe that the only other living one will awake anytime soon."
Dylan took a deep breath and released the man who immediately fell back to the ground.
"You question him then Tyr but I will wait only ten more minutes. Then I am going after her with or without your help."
Dylan then turned his back to both men and walked a little ways down the path. He sat down on a large stone and dropped his head into his hands. He did not understand why he was acting this way. Always before when presented with a dangerous situation he had been able to keep his cool and react with wisdom or at least with a little knowledge and a lot of luck, assuring that he and his allies were on the winning side. Now he simply could not think straight. Imagine Tyr telling him to keep his cool. He almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of the situation.
"I don't understand what is happening." He thought to himself. " I mean I know Beka is a part of my crew but I have lost crew members or had their lives endangered before and been able to distance myself until I did what needed to be done."
"But she isn't just any member of your crew." Another part of him argued.
"No she isn't. She is a friend. A very good friend of course." He countered.
"And is that all she is? Just a friend? Or has she come to mean more to you after all this time?"
The other part of his brain remained silent. He simple could not answer that question. He simply WOULD not answer that question. Not even to himself.
Tyr approached Dylan, as he remained sitting deep in thought. Tyr understood what was going on in Dylan's mind. He had watched Dylan's feelings for Beka grow and change over the past months. He had also observed that Beka's feelings seemed to mirror Dylan's. But he knew they were both too stubborn to admit it. Too stubborn and too scared. Tyr didn't blame Dylan for falling for Beka. He had after all, harbored his own attraction for the feisty blonde first officer in the beginning. But after that ill-fated dinner he had realized that she would never be a match for him. Or rather that she was perhaps too much of a match for him. He laughed silently at the direction his thoughts had taken him. He only hoped they were in time to save Beka from whatever fate the Palorians had planned for her. He had seen what losing Sarah had done to Dylan. He was unsure if the man could recover from losing another love. Even a love he had so far refused to acknowledge, even to himself.
"We are about a half hour walk from the village." Tyr said startling Dylan out of his silent contemplation. "But they have already taken her to the royal palace to meet the ruler of this world. Our friend back there called him "God Tourk".
"And just where are we to find this "Tourk"? Dylan asked rising quickly.
"We must obtain horses from the village. After that it is a two-hour ride to the palace. But after that warm reception from the welcoming party, I do not believe getting the horses will be an easy task."
"Since when is anything we have to do, easy?" Dylan asked with a groan.
Beka watched the palace grow closer with each second. The trepidation she had felt earlier about being brought here had grown ten-fold. Something bad was going to happen to her at this place and she was unsure if she could handle it on her own.
"Please, Dylan," she pleaded silently, "If ever there was a time for you to play hero, I think this is it."
The ambush was well thought-out. It was a simple plan and was carried out to perfection. The fighting itself was brutal but short lived. When the conflict ended only the ones who made the plan and carried it out were left standing. The victims had had no warning of the onslaught and had no real chance of defending themselves until it was too late.
The light haired man groaned softly as he regained consciousness. Every part of his body ached and his leg felt as though it were on fire. He tried to remember what had occurred. He seemed to remember hearing the soft snap of a twig. He remembered turning toward the sound and then suddenly falling, as his leg no longer would support his weight and his head exploded with pain. After that he remembered only blackness. Slowly opening his eyes he looked up to see his attacker looking down upon him.
"This one is awake now." A dark haired man said to his companion.
"Good," replied the voice of another man. "Let's find out what he can tell us and quickly. We can waste no more time here."
"Now listen to me and listen well. You will have one chance to answer our questions. If we are not satisfied with your reply we will finish what we started. Do you understand?" said the first.
Though it caused him great pain the poor man lying in the dirt nodded his head.
The unseen man approached and asked, " Why were you waiting in hiding to attack us?"
"How did you know?" the injured man asked clearly shocked.
Tyr laughed condescendingly. "We spotted your pitiful excuse for a scout before he ever saw us. We then followed him back to you."
"Tell us why you were waiting to ambush us. And then tell me where the Hell Beka is." Dylan screamed.
Without waiting for an answer he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and dragged him up until they were face to face.
"Tell me!" he screamed again.
The injured man could barely breathe. His vision swam before his eyes at the sudden movement.
"Dylan, be calm." Tyr said while lazily sharpening a knife against a stone, "We will get no answers if you cause him to pass out again. And I do not believe that the only other living one will awake anytime soon."
Dylan took a deep breath and released the man who immediately fell back to the ground.
"You question him then Tyr but I will wait only ten more minutes. Then I am going after her with or without your help."
Dylan then turned his back to both men and walked a little ways down the path. He sat down on a large stone and dropped his head into his hands. He did not understand why he was acting this way. Always before when presented with a dangerous situation he had been able to keep his cool and react with wisdom or at least with a little knowledge and a lot of luck, assuring that he and his allies were on the winning side. Now he simply could not think straight. Imagine Tyr telling him to keep his cool. He almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of the situation.
"I don't understand what is happening." He thought to himself. " I mean I know Beka is a part of my crew but I have lost crew members or had their lives endangered before and been able to distance myself until I did what needed to be done."
"But she isn't just any member of your crew." Another part of him argued.
"No she isn't. She is a friend. A very good friend of course." He countered.
"And is that all she is? Just a friend? Or has she come to mean more to you after all this time?"
The other part of his brain remained silent. He simple could not answer that question. He simply WOULD not answer that question. Not even to himself.
Tyr approached Dylan, as he remained sitting deep in thought. Tyr understood what was going on in Dylan's mind. He had watched Dylan's feelings for Beka grow and change over the past months. He had also observed that Beka's feelings seemed to mirror Dylan's. But he knew they were both too stubborn to admit it. Too stubborn and too scared. Tyr didn't blame Dylan for falling for Beka. He had after all, harbored his own attraction for the feisty blonde first officer in the beginning. But after that ill-fated dinner he had realized that she would never be a match for him. Or rather that she was perhaps too much of a match for him. He laughed silently at the direction his thoughts had taken him. He only hoped they were in time to save Beka from whatever fate the Palorians had planned for her. He had seen what losing Sarah had done to Dylan. He was unsure if the man could recover from losing another love. Even a love he had so far refused to acknowledge, even to himself.
"We are about a half hour walk from the village." Tyr said startling Dylan out of his silent contemplation. "But they have already taken her to the royal palace to meet the ruler of this world. Our friend back there called him "God Tourk".
"And just where are we to find this "Tourk"? Dylan asked rising quickly.
"We must obtain horses from the village. After that it is a two-hour ride to the palace. But after that warm reception from the welcoming party, I do not believe getting the horses will be an easy task."
"Since when is anything we have to do, easy?" Dylan asked with a groan.
Beka watched the palace grow closer with each second. The trepidation she had felt earlier about being brought here had grown ten-fold. Something bad was going to happen to her at this place and she was unsure if she could handle it on her own.
"Please, Dylan," she pleaded silently, "If ever there was a time for you to play hero, I think this is it."