Author's Note: Wow! Bribery really works more reviews. Thanks to all of you
who review you make it really easy for us to post the next chapters. Now
that I've bribed you I hope you'll be happy with the way it turns out. Keep
reading. (
Ch. 10 See what happens when you play with sharp objects.
Nessos and a group of five warriors stepped out from the pitch black shadows. "Stop! Return my children to me at once," he commanded as the warriors spread out to form a semi-circle. "You have no right to take them."
"We have not been taken against our will," Ned answered as he cautiously watched their movement. "The strangers have made some claims that we would like to check for ourselves. We will go with them for now."
Nessos narrowed his eyes and changed tactics. He looked at Marguerite and smiled. "Sweet Mirra, come here. Come home with me," he coaxed as he opened his arms. "My dearest heart, you would not abandon your father, your people, would you?"
Marguerite cringed behind her human shield, gripping Ned like he was a life- line. "I...I cannot Father," she said shakily as she fought the urge to run to him. "I cannot. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She willed herself not to burst into tears as he dropped his arms with a angry scowl.
Furious, Nessos turned his attention to his enemies. "You cannot take my children! I will have them return with me, willingly or not!" he howled, his expression twisted by rage. He made a sharp gesture and three of the warriors knocked arrows in the bows they carried. The remaining two readied what appeared to be blow guns.
"You don't have to do this Nessos," Roxton reasoned as he and Challenger slowly brought their rifles to bear. Veronica had slipped her knives from their sheaths and settled them comfortably in her hands.
"You will not take them from me again! They are mine," he screeched. "I warned you to stay away! Give them to me now! Give them to me or I will take them by force!"
"We're too exposed here. If we can make it to the jungle, we can probably lose them," Veronica advised. Roxton mentally measured the distance. It was only several hundred yards. He nodded in agreement, never taking his eyes off the obviously distraught man.
"On three, everyone make for the trees. One, two...three!"
The explorers wheeled and sprinted for cover. Seconds later, they heard the first round of arrows fly past. The arrows cut off Ned and Marguerite, driving them away from the others. Narrowly avoided the next shower of arrows, Ned grabbed Marguerite and roughly angled them towards a break in the tree-line. She skidded for a moment, losing precious momentum in her effort to maintain her balance.
Just as he hit the tree-line, Roxton heard Marguerite grunt. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her fall in a hail of arrows. Nessos cried out as Ned pivoted and ran back to Marguerite. Another wave of projectiles flew past, and he too went down. Everyone froze for a second as they looked at the fallen pair.
Roxton's cry for Challenger and Veronica was drowned out by the chilling wail from the opposite end of the clearing. Nessos stared at his fallen children, dropping to his knees in shock. "No...no..not again!" Aware only of his own grief, he began rocking back and forth, muttering to himself.
The trio raced to their friends, terrified by the sequence of events. Fearing the worse, they were greatly relieved to see Ned and Marguerite moving about, uninjured. With a relieved laugh, Veronica dropped down on the ground next to them. "You're both okay," she happily exclaimed.
"More or less," Marguerite groused from her sprawled position under Ned. She rested her forehead on the grass before craning her neck to glare at him. "Any time you're ready to get off me." She punctuated the sentence by futilely attempting to slide out from under him.
Ned favored her with a sheepish grin as he climbed to his feet, careful not to step on her in the process. "Sorry about that." His grin turned into a grimaced as he awkwardly plucked a blow dart from his left shoulder. Now that she was free, Marguerite gingerly removed a similar dart from her right hip before sitting up.
Challenger looked at the projectile, a concerned frown etched on his face. "May I?" he asked, holding out his hand expectantly. Marguerite looked startled but wordlessly passed it to him. Roxton frowned as Challenger silently studied it.
"It's not poisonous, is it George?" he questioned, unable to keep the worry out of his voice. Roxton looked down into Marguerite's intense eyes and saw his own distress mirrored there. He desperately wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her.
"I don't think so, but I can't be sure. There is definitely a solution of some kind coating the tip," Challenger said, examining the dart as best he could in the moonlight. "I need to examine this in my laboratory. We need to get them home and run some tests. The sooner the better."
His statement was punctuated by another cry from Nessos as he grieved for his lost children. One of the warriors was attempting to talk to him, pointing in the direction of the explorers and emphatically motioning at Marguerite and Ned. "Yes, the sooner the better," Roxton echoed as Ned helped Marguerite to her feet. Veronica put Ned's dart in her bag and the group fled into the safety of the jungle.
The small band had nearly made it to their destination when the effects of the dart's mysterious substance took hold. Ned and Marguerite became increasingly unsteady on their feet and easily distracted. As the group reached the windmill clearing, they both passed out. The remaining three heaved a sigh of relief when the treehouse came into view. "Well, at least we didn't have to carry them very far," Roxton joked as he cradled Marguerite.
Veronica snorted and smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood as she slipped out from under Ned's arm to open the gate. Challenger grunted and shifted Ned's unconscious form in an attempt to get a better grip on him. "I'm not going to relax until we get them upstairs and checked out," he said as Veronica latched the gate and they headed for the elevator.
Roxton stood by as they went up first. Once the others were out of earshot, he lovingly gazed down at the serenely sleeping beauty in his arms. "You know, I'm not going to be able to relax until you open those beautiful eyes and grant me one of your dazzling smiles," he whispered against her hair. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead, taking comfort in the feel of her resting against him. "Don't make me wait too long, Marguerite."
Ch. 10 See what happens when you play with sharp objects.
Nessos and a group of five warriors stepped out from the pitch black shadows. "Stop! Return my children to me at once," he commanded as the warriors spread out to form a semi-circle. "You have no right to take them."
"We have not been taken against our will," Ned answered as he cautiously watched their movement. "The strangers have made some claims that we would like to check for ourselves. We will go with them for now."
Nessos narrowed his eyes and changed tactics. He looked at Marguerite and smiled. "Sweet Mirra, come here. Come home with me," he coaxed as he opened his arms. "My dearest heart, you would not abandon your father, your people, would you?"
Marguerite cringed behind her human shield, gripping Ned like he was a life- line. "I...I cannot Father," she said shakily as she fought the urge to run to him. "I cannot. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She willed herself not to burst into tears as he dropped his arms with a angry scowl.
Furious, Nessos turned his attention to his enemies. "You cannot take my children! I will have them return with me, willingly or not!" he howled, his expression twisted by rage. He made a sharp gesture and three of the warriors knocked arrows in the bows they carried. The remaining two readied what appeared to be blow guns.
"You don't have to do this Nessos," Roxton reasoned as he and Challenger slowly brought their rifles to bear. Veronica had slipped her knives from their sheaths and settled them comfortably in her hands.
"You will not take them from me again! They are mine," he screeched. "I warned you to stay away! Give them to me now! Give them to me or I will take them by force!"
"We're too exposed here. If we can make it to the jungle, we can probably lose them," Veronica advised. Roxton mentally measured the distance. It was only several hundred yards. He nodded in agreement, never taking his eyes off the obviously distraught man.
"On three, everyone make for the trees. One, two...three!"
The explorers wheeled and sprinted for cover. Seconds later, they heard the first round of arrows fly past. The arrows cut off Ned and Marguerite, driving them away from the others. Narrowly avoided the next shower of arrows, Ned grabbed Marguerite and roughly angled them towards a break in the tree-line. She skidded for a moment, losing precious momentum in her effort to maintain her balance.
Just as he hit the tree-line, Roxton heard Marguerite grunt. Looking over his shoulder, he saw her fall in a hail of arrows. Nessos cried out as Ned pivoted and ran back to Marguerite. Another wave of projectiles flew past, and he too went down. Everyone froze for a second as they looked at the fallen pair.
Roxton's cry for Challenger and Veronica was drowned out by the chilling wail from the opposite end of the clearing. Nessos stared at his fallen children, dropping to his knees in shock. "No...no..not again!" Aware only of his own grief, he began rocking back and forth, muttering to himself.
The trio raced to their friends, terrified by the sequence of events. Fearing the worse, they were greatly relieved to see Ned and Marguerite moving about, uninjured. With a relieved laugh, Veronica dropped down on the ground next to them. "You're both okay," she happily exclaimed.
"More or less," Marguerite groused from her sprawled position under Ned. She rested her forehead on the grass before craning her neck to glare at him. "Any time you're ready to get off me." She punctuated the sentence by futilely attempting to slide out from under him.
Ned favored her with a sheepish grin as he climbed to his feet, careful not to step on her in the process. "Sorry about that." His grin turned into a grimaced as he awkwardly plucked a blow dart from his left shoulder. Now that she was free, Marguerite gingerly removed a similar dart from her right hip before sitting up.
Challenger looked at the projectile, a concerned frown etched on his face. "May I?" he asked, holding out his hand expectantly. Marguerite looked startled but wordlessly passed it to him. Roxton frowned as Challenger silently studied it.
"It's not poisonous, is it George?" he questioned, unable to keep the worry out of his voice. Roxton looked down into Marguerite's intense eyes and saw his own distress mirrored there. He desperately wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her.
"I don't think so, but I can't be sure. There is definitely a solution of some kind coating the tip," Challenger said, examining the dart as best he could in the moonlight. "I need to examine this in my laboratory. We need to get them home and run some tests. The sooner the better."
His statement was punctuated by another cry from Nessos as he grieved for his lost children. One of the warriors was attempting to talk to him, pointing in the direction of the explorers and emphatically motioning at Marguerite and Ned. "Yes, the sooner the better," Roxton echoed as Ned helped Marguerite to her feet. Veronica put Ned's dart in her bag and the group fled into the safety of the jungle.
The small band had nearly made it to their destination when the effects of the dart's mysterious substance took hold. Ned and Marguerite became increasingly unsteady on their feet and easily distracted. As the group reached the windmill clearing, they both passed out. The remaining three heaved a sigh of relief when the treehouse came into view. "Well, at least we didn't have to carry them very far," Roxton joked as he cradled Marguerite.
Veronica snorted and smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood as she slipped out from under Ned's arm to open the gate. Challenger grunted and shifted Ned's unconscious form in an attempt to get a better grip on him. "I'm not going to relax until we get them upstairs and checked out," he said as Veronica latched the gate and they headed for the elevator.
Roxton stood by as they went up first. Once the others were out of earshot, he lovingly gazed down at the serenely sleeping beauty in his arms. "You know, I'm not going to be able to relax until you open those beautiful eyes and grant me one of your dazzling smiles," he whispered against her hair. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead, taking comfort in the feel of her resting against him. "Don't make me wait too long, Marguerite."