Part 15
Isabel blinked awake late the next morning.
They had gotten very little sleep during the night. When Max had returned from seeing Lady Elizabeth he had informed them that they had to move the bodies of the men Michael had killed. Isabel had shuddered at the idea of digging up the bodies, but the look of guilt and fear that had appeared on Michael's face had calmed her down. She had to be strong for him.
Isabel had been most impressed by Alexander and Mary. They had insisted on accompanying them, although Isabel had been worried that they would notice that there was no marks on the men explaining how they had died. Their two new friends had made no comments, however, had just helped to move the bodies until Isabel could see they both needed to fall over in exhaustion. While Max could covertly heal his sisters and Michael, helping them to work through their tiredness, he could not go near Alexander or Mary, for fear that they would discover the truth about them.
She had been curious enough at their unquestioning aid to broach Mary about it when they had returned to the camp. While Alexander, Max and Michael erected a shelter for the girls, with Tess alternating between ordering them around and demanding that Max tell her what he and Lady Elizabeth had talked about, Isabel had pulled Mary aside. "Why are you helping us? I don't understand...after you saw those bodies. For all you know we could all be murderers."
Mary had replied breezily. "Lizzy trusts you. That's good enough for Alexander and I."
Isabel had crinkled her brow. "That's it?" Mary had arched an eyebrow at her.
"Well, let's just say that we have all been very lucky in our positions in life. We like to help people in need." Isabel had followed Mary's gaze across the clearing, where Michael was arguing with Max about the roof of the shelter. "Besides, I don't think that messy-head over there would be capable of killing anyone for no reason. I believe that you were in danger and that he had no choice."
Isabel had nodded. "That is the truth milady." Mary had smiled back.
"Anyway, please do not continue with the miladying. Call me Mary. Everyone close to me does." She had reached out and squeezed Isabel's hand. "And it appears that you, Tess and I are going to be very close in a few days, by the looks of that shelter."
Now, as Isabel climbed to her feet in the shelter, she noticed that she was the last of the girls to rise. She passed a hand over her dress, sweeping away the wrinkles, and quickly rebraided her hair. When she felt satisfied that she was as neat as circumstances would permit, she ducked her head and stepped out into the sunny morning.
She was surprised to see only Alexander in the clearing. He was sitting near the fire, sharpening his sword. Isabel watched him quietly for a moment, admiring the way the sunlight filtered through the trees brightening his kind face.
Isabel admitted to herself that she found Alexander DeLucie extremely attractive. Not only had he saved her yesterday, he was the first boy she had ever met who was open and unassuming - who said exactly what he meant. Max and Michael had never had that luxury, due the fact that they had to keep their secret. She found the trait in Alexander extremely refreshing.
Alexander heard her as she stepped forward. He looked up, a grin breaking across his face. "Good morning to you. Did you sleep well?"
Isabel grimaced. "As well as can be expected. I am unused to the ground." She told him wryly. "Where are the others?" She suddenly felt self-conscious being alone in his presence. He was gazing at her admiringly. It wasn't that she was unused to that - Isabel knew she was beautiful - but it was the first time she cared what the person admiring her thought of her.
She realized that she did not want Alexander to like her only for her beauty. Isabel wanted him to like her for who she was.
"Michael and Mary have gone hunting. They were arguing about who was better with the bow and Mary challenged Michael to a competition to see who could bring back the most game." Alexander replied, shaking his head. "I don' t think your brother has any idea what he's gotten himself into. Tess is off searching for berries with Maxwell." He continued. He patted the log beside him. "Join me. We have some rabbit left over from last night. Would you like to break your fast?"
Isabel approached him warily, sat beside him, very aware that his arm was only a foot away from hers. "Thank you." She said, taking a piece of meat from the dagger he proffered. She smiled at him shyly. "Thank you - and not just for this."
Alexander smiled at her. "You are most welcome Lady Isabel." Isabel felt herself blushing. I never blush! She reflected, indignant. "Are you new to the shire?" Alexander asked, clearly trying to lengthen their conversation.
Isabel paused, not sure what to say. "Not particularly." She replied carefully. "Our guardian is very protective." She explained. Alexander nodded.
"I see." Any further comment was cut off by the appearance of Michael and Mary on the far side of the clearing. Isabel smiled when she heard Michael bickering with her new friend. She had never heard Michael speak as much as he had over the past day. Everything Mary of Whitfield said seemed to annoy him. Isabel was glad. Arguing with Mary seemed to keep his mind off of the catastrophe that had happened yesterday. She knew that he would only brood about the men he had been forced to kill if left to his own devices.
Not to mention, Isabel had noticed the way Michael looked at Mary, when he thought no one was looking. His eyes had been bright with admiration. It made Isabel more comfortable facing the feelings she was developing for Mary's brother.
"I told you a snare would work better than a bow." Mary was saying as they joined Alexander and Isabel at the fire. She held up three rabbits and a quail for their perusal. Michael tossed his own lone rabbit on the ground in disgust. He stomped off in the direction of the stream. "Come back here Michael. I need to show you how to clean them properly." Isabel giggled as Michael slammed his hands over his ears and kept walking.
Mary looked at Bella, perplexed. "Was it something I said?" She asked. Alexander and Isabel exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
Elsewhere in the forest Max was trying to ignore Tess, who had been lecturing him all morning. He was fiddling with his bow as Tess picked berries.
"I just don't understand what you were thinking Max." She was saying for what seemed like the hundredth time. "We cannot trust anyone. Why did you allow those two twits to stay with us? If they were to discover the truth about us..."
Max cut her off abruptly. "They will not find out Tess. We are used to being careful." He frowned at her. "I would prefer that you stop referring to our new friends as twits, by the way. They have been nothing but helpful and you should be grateful."
Tess snorted, tossed her head and turned her back on him. Max stared at her, unsure what to say. He did not feel bad that he had defended Alexander and Mary.
But Max did feel bad - and guilty - for wishing Tess away from him. It was not Tess's fault that they found themselves in the predicament in which they were currently embroiled, nor was it Tess' fault that she was not Elizabeth. He had realized quite quickly that his annoyance with Tess derived from the resentment he felt that he was tied to her, a girl he loved as a sister, but nowhere near did he feel for her what he felt for Liz.
Which in many ways was ridiculous. He knew that he could not be with Lady Elizabeth, for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that he was not even from this world. There was also the not insignificant fact that she was betrothed to the Sheriff of Nottingham's son, the same Sheriff who was currently hunting he and Michael.
Yet, Max could not help the hope that existed in his heart. The time that he and Liz had spent together the previous night - it had demonstrated to him even more clearly how lucky they had been to find each other. Something that felt so right to both of them...it could not be wrong.
Could it?
Max was snapped out of his reverie by a shrill screech from Tess.
"What's wrong?" He demanded impatiently. He immediately felt horrible when he saw his betrothed across the clearing, clutching her ankle, her face white. Max hurried to her side. "What did you do?" He asked gently, dropping to his knees at her side.
Tess blinked, clearly trying to hold back tears. "I fell over that rock." She told him, pointing at the offending piece of the landscape. "Is it broken?" She asked fearfully as Max pushed aside her skirts and felt the joint carefully. Tess flinched, clenched her lips together.
"I believe so." Max told her. "Don't worry Tessie. I can fix it." Tess pushed aside his hand quickly.
"But Max, it hurts you to heal." She stared at him. "I do not want you hurt in any way." Max smiled at her.
"It is all right Tess. I have these powers for a reason. I have to get used to the bad part." He told her. Max gently placed his hand on his betrothed's ankle, raised his head to look into her blue eyes. "Concentrate on making the connection Tessie." Tess stared back at him.
Max was instantly in Tess' mind. Images assailed him.
Flash*
He had an image of Isabel, Michael and himself - along with Tess' fright that she could lose them.
Flash*
An image of Elizabeth - along with a feeling of suspicion and budding hatred.
Flash*
An image of Max and Elizabeth together yesterday at the fair, jealousy and fright accompanying it.
Max tore his gaze away from Tess's, stared down at her ankle. His hand was beginning to glow. Max concentrated on knitting together the molecules that made up the bone, healing the crack that he could not see, but could feel.
Max could feel Tess's pain entering his own consciousness. He tightened his jaw, tried to ignore it...he was almost done.
Max lifted his hand from Tess's ankle, helped her to her feet, stumbling a bit. Tess grabbed his arm.
"Max, are you all right?" She asked worriedly. Max blinked, tried to clear his head of the images from Tess that had become HIS memories.
He raised his head, stared at her, for the first time wondering if he knew her at all. The hatred he had felt in her - it was terrifying. The way she had felt about Liz - Max KNEW that Tess would have no qualms about doing whatever was necessary to keep Max away from Elizabeth. "I'm fine Tess." Max quickly stepped away from her, feeling slightly ill.
Tess narrowed her eyes, watched him assessingly. Max knew that she would have no idea what he would have seen when he made the connection. She can never know, he thought now. It might push her over the edge.
Max and Tess both turned around when a snapping twig in the bush caught their attention. "Max?" Tess grabbed his arm, fright apparent in her voice. It took all Max's strength not to shake her off in revulsion. He frowned when he realized that his sword was back at the camp and that his bow was about ten feet away, where he had dropped it when he had come to Tess's aid.
Max decided that the best defense was a good offense. "Come out of there!" He called menacingly. "We know you are there."
His heart stopped when Elizabeth stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes wide. She was staring at him, her face white.
"Liz?" Max could tell by her face that something was very wrong. She opened her mouth to speak, seemed to be searching for the words.
"I saw you Max." She fumbled with her skirt, which was clenched in her fists. "I saw you heal her." Liz continued. "What are you?"
Part 16
Elizabeth had set out early from Nottingham Castle. She had dressed in a pair of hose and a tunic that she had filched from Alexander's chamber. They were much too long, so she had taken her dagger and chopped both down to size. She knew that Alexander would not care, and although she looked ridiculous, it was better than trying to sneak out of the Castle in her "Lady Elizabeth" attire. She completed her disguise by braiding her long dark hair into two plaits and binding it around her head. The hood of her cloak shadowed her face effectively.
She had wanted to leave before the troop of the Sheriff's guard that were going in search of the bodies. She hoped to find Max before to make sure that they had disposed of the corpses. Elizabeth was not foolish enough to try and find her way through Sherwood alone. She had invited her servant Parkyla to accompany her. She knew that Parkyla had grown up on the edge of the Forest in the small village of Hathersage. Parkyla assured her that she had several ideas about where her friends could be hiding.
The girls had enjoyed their early morning ride. Parkyla was an amusing companion, telling Elizabeth several local ghost stories about the Forest. They had stopped once to allow the animals to rest, not only their two horses, but a donkey laden with supplies to make the fugitives more comfortable for what could be a lengthy stay in the Forest if the Sheriff decided to pursue the matter.
Elizabeth was eager to see Mary and Alexander and, of course, Max. She knew that he was going to be a little peeved at her for breaking her promise to him, but it couldn't be helped and she had a feeling that he would be happy to see her anyway.
Parkyla and Elizabeth had left the King's Highway by late in the morning. Their horses were picking their way along the deer trails. They had already tried two potential sites that Parkyla knew had been used as outlaw camps in the past. They were now discussing how Parkyla knew so much about the Forest.
"But I don't understand." Elizabeth was saying. "Why can the Sheriff not root out the outlaws if these camp sites are so well known?" Parkyla looked embarrassed.
"They are not well known my lady." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"My father is an outlaw." Her servant finally muttered. Her head snapped up and she glared at Elizabeth challengingly. "He was caught poaching a deer milady. He had to flee to the Forest or they would have taken his hand." She explained defensively. "We were starving milady. He had no choice."
Elizabeth smiled at her, sympathetic. "It is all right Parkyla. I certainly understand. Queen Eleanor has told me many times that she is going to speak to the King about the antiquated hunting laws in the country. No Englishman should go hungry just so that the nobles can have their hunt uninterrupted."
Parkyla smiled at her, relieved. "Anyway, my father's band stayed at the Great Oak many times in the past. I visited there many times as a child."
"How long has your father lived in Sherwood?" Elizabeth asked concerned.
"For ten years milady." Elizabeth blinked, felt her heart sink. What if Max, Michael and the others were never pardoned? Would they have to live in the Forest for the rest of their lives?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard voices. "Are we there?" She asked Parkyla.
The servant looked confused. "Not yet." She looked around carefully. "It would not do to run across real outlaws milady. We had better take care." The girl quickly swung herself down off her horse. "I will go check this way, while you go that way. We will meet back here in five minutes." Elizabeth nodded, dismounted and carefully made her way into the green wood.
She heard the voices more clearly as she moved. She paused once to unhook her cloak, which had become entangled on a branch. The moment was enough for her to recognize the voice carrying through the Forest.
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. It was Max. They had found them.
"Concentrate on making the connection Tessie." He was saying.
Elizabeth stopped abruptly, frowned. Suddenly she felt the need to stay hidden. She carefully hid behind a tree, gradually peeking her head out through the branches.
Max was kneeling beside his sister, his hand on her ankle...and his hand was glowing.
Her eyes flew to his face. It was white and pained. He was staring straight into Tess's eyes, a grimace beginning to form on his visage.
"By all that is holy." Elizabeth breathed.
"Max, are you all right?" Tess was asking. She was standing, testing out her ankle, which had apparently just been healed.
"I'm fine Tess." Max replied wearily. He was moving away from her, looking slightly ill.
Just then, Liz set her foot down on a dry twig. It snapped, sounded like thunder in the still Forest. She froze.
"Max?" She heard Tess say in a frightened voice.
"Come out of there!" Max barked. Elizabeth jumped. "We know you are there."
She stepped out from behind the tree in a daze. She could barely breathe. She did not understand any of this.
"Liz?" Max sounded surprised, happy and panicked all at once. He took one look at her face, knew instantly that something was wrong with her.
"I saw you Max." Liz grabbed her cloak between her hands. "I saw you heal her." Liz continued. "What are you?"
She did not take her eyes from his face. She watched it tighten. Max swallowed convulsively. "Tess, leave us." Max said abruptly.
Tess grabbed his arm. "NO Max. Let me stay with you." She glared at Elizabeth. Liz felt her heart stop. "We have to take care of her. NOW!"
Max shook her off. "I mean it Tess. Go back to the camp." Tess sniffed, obeyed though. She walked past Elizabeth, brushing against her, almost knocking her over.
Elizabeth was surprised that she was not at all frightened. Rather she was numb. She realized that she was in shock.
But she knew that, no matter what, Max would not hurt her.
Max took a step toward her, clearly expecting her to back away from him. She stood rooted to the spot. "Max? Please..."
Max stopped, smiled tentatively. "Liz, it's not what you think."
"What do I think?" She asked confused. She didn't think anything. She didn't know what to think.
"That I'm a demon." Max said simply. Liz smiled at that.
"I could never think that Max. Are you an angel?" She asked, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy her logical brain. She knew that angels existed. She had been told so her entire life.
"Well," Max said wryly "That might be one way of putting it."
"Why can you heal people Max? The only person I have ever heard capable of doing that was our Lord." Liz asked him. Max blinked.
"I am not Christ Liz." He paused, clearly searching for words. "What I am, I do not know whether you will be able to understand. Your world is not at the point that what I am would even seem possible." He trailed off, watching her face.
"MY world? What do you mean? Please, just tell me everything." She smiled at him. "I know you Max. Whatever it is cannot be bad."
"No, it's not bad." Max took another step towards her. This time Liz did step back. He stopped abruptly, looked hurt. "Are you frightened?" He asked sadly.
"Not frightened," she replied. "I just cannot think straight with you so close to me." Max smiled at that, looked pleased. "Now stop changing the subject. Tell me the truth."
"Liz, I've never told anyone this before." He explained. "It is most difficult." He gestured to a large boulder. "I think you should sit down milady."
Elizabeth sat down carefully, watching Max pace, clearly trying to get his thoughts in order. "Liz, have you ever looked at the stars before?"
"Of course,"she said, confused. What by heaven was he talking about?
"Well, the sun is a star." He continued. "And your world revolves around it." Liz blinked, nodded. She had always been told that the Earth was flat, but after seeing Max do what he had just done, she was willing to believe anything at this point. "I am from another world that revolves around another star many millions of miles away."
She stared at him, perplexed, feeling incredibly stupid. She hated to feel that way. Max smiled at her, watched her digest what he was telling her. "Why are you on my world then?" Elizabeth asked finally.
"My world is at war." He replied. "I was killed, but my soul was sent to Earth to be reborn." Max stopped when he saw her eyes beginning to cloud over. "Never mind, it's not important. The point is, I am here."
"Mmmmm." Liz replied, bringing her hand to her forehead and rubbing. She suddenly had a splitting headache. Max was watching her with concern.
"Are you all right my love?" She nodded. He moved towards her again, put his hands at her temples. She looked at him worriedly.
"Don't worry. I can take your pain away." Max told her. "Just look into my eyes and take deep breaths."
Liz did as she was told, finding it quite easy to lose herself in the depths of Max's beautiful dark eyes.
And then something very peculiar happened.
Flash*
She had an image of a small boy, breaking out of a strange glowing egg. He had dark hair and eyes and she knew it was Max. She could feel his fright and then his relief as he found three other children: two small blonde girls and a messy-haired boy.
Flash*
An image of a stern looking man, his eyes cold, saying "You must never leave the Castle. You are in danger here. You can trust no one, only me."
Flash*
An image of Max on a horse, flying through the forest, Isabel hot on his heels. A feeling of complete liberation.
Flash*
An image of herself, coming towards Max, a small smile on her face. A feeling of awe...and love.
Max removed his hands from Elizabeth's head, stared at her. "What was that?" She whispered to him.
"We connected." He replied, sounding equally as dumbfounded. "I don't know how it's possible. We are not supposed to able to do that with humans." His eyes were shining at her in amazement."I saw you Liz...as a little girl."
Elizabeth smiled at him, felt tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I saw you too Max. It was amazing." They continued to stare at each other, in a daze.
Then, suddenly, Max grabbed her, brought his mouth down on hers. Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all her soul.
"I love you. I love you." He was murmuring into her hair. "I don't understand how I can feel this way about you, but you are my heart Liz." His lips trailed gentle kisses down her face to her neck. Elizabeth threw her head back, craving something she had never dreamed of wanting.
"What the hell is going on here?" They were snapped out of their private world, by a very displeased Michael. "Maxwell, what have you done?"
To be continued...
Isabel blinked awake late the next morning.
They had gotten very little sleep during the night. When Max had returned from seeing Lady Elizabeth he had informed them that they had to move the bodies of the men Michael had killed. Isabel had shuddered at the idea of digging up the bodies, but the look of guilt and fear that had appeared on Michael's face had calmed her down. She had to be strong for him.
Isabel had been most impressed by Alexander and Mary. They had insisted on accompanying them, although Isabel had been worried that they would notice that there was no marks on the men explaining how they had died. Their two new friends had made no comments, however, had just helped to move the bodies until Isabel could see they both needed to fall over in exhaustion. While Max could covertly heal his sisters and Michael, helping them to work through their tiredness, he could not go near Alexander or Mary, for fear that they would discover the truth about them.
She had been curious enough at their unquestioning aid to broach Mary about it when they had returned to the camp. While Alexander, Max and Michael erected a shelter for the girls, with Tess alternating between ordering them around and demanding that Max tell her what he and Lady Elizabeth had talked about, Isabel had pulled Mary aside. "Why are you helping us? I don't understand...after you saw those bodies. For all you know we could all be murderers."
Mary had replied breezily. "Lizzy trusts you. That's good enough for Alexander and I."
Isabel had crinkled her brow. "That's it?" Mary had arched an eyebrow at her.
"Well, let's just say that we have all been very lucky in our positions in life. We like to help people in need." Isabel had followed Mary's gaze across the clearing, where Michael was arguing with Max about the roof of the shelter. "Besides, I don't think that messy-head over there would be capable of killing anyone for no reason. I believe that you were in danger and that he had no choice."
Isabel had nodded. "That is the truth milady." Mary had smiled back.
"Anyway, please do not continue with the miladying. Call me Mary. Everyone close to me does." She had reached out and squeezed Isabel's hand. "And it appears that you, Tess and I are going to be very close in a few days, by the looks of that shelter."
Now, as Isabel climbed to her feet in the shelter, she noticed that she was the last of the girls to rise. She passed a hand over her dress, sweeping away the wrinkles, and quickly rebraided her hair. When she felt satisfied that she was as neat as circumstances would permit, she ducked her head and stepped out into the sunny morning.
She was surprised to see only Alexander in the clearing. He was sitting near the fire, sharpening his sword. Isabel watched him quietly for a moment, admiring the way the sunlight filtered through the trees brightening his kind face.
Isabel admitted to herself that she found Alexander DeLucie extremely attractive. Not only had he saved her yesterday, he was the first boy she had ever met who was open and unassuming - who said exactly what he meant. Max and Michael had never had that luxury, due the fact that they had to keep their secret. She found the trait in Alexander extremely refreshing.
Alexander heard her as she stepped forward. He looked up, a grin breaking across his face. "Good morning to you. Did you sleep well?"
Isabel grimaced. "As well as can be expected. I am unused to the ground." She told him wryly. "Where are the others?" She suddenly felt self-conscious being alone in his presence. He was gazing at her admiringly. It wasn't that she was unused to that - Isabel knew she was beautiful - but it was the first time she cared what the person admiring her thought of her.
She realized that she did not want Alexander to like her only for her beauty. Isabel wanted him to like her for who she was.
"Michael and Mary have gone hunting. They were arguing about who was better with the bow and Mary challenged Michael to a competition to see who could bring back the most game." Alexander replied, shaking his head. "I don' t think your brother has any idea what he's gotten himself into. Tess is off searching for berries with Maxwell." He continued. He patted the log beside him. "Join me. We have some rabbit left over from last night. Would you like to break your fast?"
Isabel approached him warily, sat beside him, very aware that his arm was only a foot away from hers. "Thank you." She said, taking a piece of meat from the dagger he proffered. She smiled at him shyly. "Thank you - and not just for this."
Alexander smiled at her. "You are most welcome Lady Isabel." Isabel felt herself blushing. I never blush! She reflected, indignant. "Are you new to the shire?" Alexander asked, clearly trying to lengthen their conversation.
Isabel paused, not sure what to say. "Not particularly." She replied carefully. "Our guardian is very protective." She explained. Alexander nodded.
"I see." Any further comment was cut off by the appearance of Michael and Mary on the far side of the clearing. Isabel smiled when she heard Michael bickering with her new friend. She had never heard Michael speak as much as he had over the past day. Everything Mary of Whitfield said seemed to annoy him. Isabel was glad. Arguing with Mary seemed to keep his mind off of the catastrophe that had happened yesterday. She knew that he would only brood about the men he had been forced to kill if left to his own devices.
Not to mention, Isabel had noticed the way Michael looked at Mary, when he thought no one was looking. His eyes had been bright with admiration. It made Isabel more comfortable facing the feelings she was developing for Mary's brother.
"I told you a snare would work better than a bow." Mary was saying as they joined Alexander and Isabel at the fire. She held up three rabbits and a quail for their perusal. Michael tossed his own lone rabbit on the ground in disgust. He stomped off in the direction of the stream. "Come back here Michael. I need to show you how to clean them properly." Isabel giggled as Michael slammed his hands over his ears and kept walking.
Mary looked at Bella, perplexed. "Was it something I said?" She asked. Alexander and Isabel exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
Elsewhere in the forest Max was trying to ignore Tess, who had been lecturing him all morning. He was fiddling with his bow as Tess picked berries.
"I just don't understand what you were thinking Max." She was saying for what seemed like the hundredth time. "We cannot trust anyone. Why did you allow those two twits to stay with us? If they were to discover the truth about us..."
Max cut her off abruptly. "They will not find out Tess. We are used to being careful." He frowned at her. "I would prefer that you stop referring to our new friends as twits, by the way. They have been nothing but helpful and you should be grateful."
Tess snorted, tossed her head and turned her back on him. Max stared at her, unsure what to say. He did not feel bad that he had defended Alexander and Mary.
But Max did feel bad - and guilty - for wishing Tess away from him. It was not Tess's fault that they found themselves in the predicament in which they were currently embroiled, nor was it Tess' fault that she was not Elizabeth. He had realized quite quickly that his annoyance with Tess derived from the resentment he felt that he was tied to her, a girl he loved as a sister, but nowhere near did he feel for her what he felt for Liz.
Which in many ways was ridiculous. He knew that he could not be with Lady Elizabeth, for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that he was not even from this world. There was also the not insignificant fact that she was betrothed to the Sheriff of Nottingham's son, the same Sheriff who was currently hunting he and Michael.
Yet, Max could not help the hope that existed in his heart. The time that he and Liz had spent together the previous night - it had demonstrated to him even more clearly how lucky they had been to find each other. Something that felt so right to both of them...it could not be wrong.
Could it?
Max was snapped out of his reverie by a shrill screech from Tess.
"What's wrong?" He demanded impatiently. He immediately felt horrible when he saw his betrothed across the clearing, clutching her ankle, her face white. Max hurried to her side. "What did you do?" He asked gently, dropping to his knees at her side.
Tess blinked, clearly trying to hold back tears. "I fell over that rock." She told him, pointing at the offending piece of the landscape. "Is it broken?" She asked fearfully as Max pushed aside her skirts and felt the joint carefully. Tess flinched, clenched her lips together.
"I believe so." Max told her. "Don't worry Tessie. I can fix it." Tess pushed aside his hand quickly.
"But Max, it hurts you to heal." She stared at him. "I do not want you hurt in any way." Max smiled at her.
"It is all right Tess. I have these powers for a reason. I have to get used to the bad part." He told her. Max gently placed his hand on his betrothed's ankle, raised his head to look into her blue eyes. "Concentrate on making the connection Tessie." Tess stared back at him.
Max was instantly in Tess' mind. Images assailed him.
Flash*
He had an image of Isabel, Michael and himself - along with Tess' fright that she could lose them.
Flash*
An image of Elizabeth - along with a feeling of suspicion and budding hatred.
Flash*
An image of Max and Elizabeth together yesterday at the fair, jealousy and fright accompanying it.
Max tore his gaze away from Tess's, stared down at her ankle. His hand was beginning to glow. Max concentrated on knitting together the molecules that made up the bone, healing the crack that he could not see, but could feel.
Max could feel Tess's pain entering his own consciousness. He tightened his jaw, tried to ignore it...he was almost done.
Max lifted his hand from Tess's ankle, helped her to her feet, stumbling a bit. Tess grabbed his arm.
"Max, are you all right?" She asked worriedly. Max blinked, tried to clear his head of the images from Tess that had become HIS memories.
He raised his head, stared at her, for the first time wondering if he knew her at all. The hatred he had felt in her - it was terrifying. The way she had felt about Liz - Max KNEW that Tess would have no qualms about doing whatever was necessary to keep Max away from Elizabeth. "I'm fine Tess." Max quickly stepped away from her, feeling slightly ill.
Tess narrowed her eyes, watched him assessingly. Max knew that she would have no idea what he would have seen when he made the connection. She can never know, he thought now. It might push her over the edge.
Max and Tess both turned around when a snapping twig in the bush caught their attention. "Max?" Tess grabbed his arm, fright apparent in her voice. It took all Max's strength not to shake her off in revulsion. He frowned when he realized that his sword was back at the camp and that his bow was about ten feet away, where he had dropped it when he had come to Tess's aid.
Max decided that the best defense was a good offense. "Come out of there!" He called menacingly. "We know you are there."
His heart stopped when Elizabeth stepped out from behind a tree, her eyes wide. She was staring at him, her face white.
"Liz?" Max could tell by her face that something was very wrong. She opened her mouth to speak, seemed to be searching for the words.
"I saw you Max." She fumbled with her skirt, which was clenched in her fists. "I saw you heal her." Liz continued. "What are you?"
Part 16
Elizabeth had set out early from Nottingham Castle. She had dressed in a pair of hose and a tunic that she had filched from Alexander's chamber. They were much too long, so she had taken her dagger and chopped both down to size. She knew that Alexander would not care, and although she looked ridiculous, it was better than trying to sneak out of the Castle in her "Lady Elizabeth" attire. She completed her disguise by braiding her long dark hair into two plaits and binding it around her head. The hood of her cloak shadowed her face effectively.
She had wanted to leave before the troop of the Sheriff's guard that were going in search of the bodies. She hoped to find Max before to make sure that they had disposed of the corpses. Elizabeth was not foolish enough to try and find her way through Sherwood alone. She had invited her servant Parkyla to accompany her. She knew that Parkyla had grown up on the edge of the Forest in the small village of Hathersage. Parkyla assured her that she had several ideas about where her friends could be hiding.
The girls had enjoyed their early morning ride. Parkyla was an amusing companion, telling Elizabeth several local ghost stories about the Forest. They had stopped once to allow the animals to rest, not only their two horses, but a donkey laden with supplies to make the fugitives more comfortable for what could be a lengthy stay in the Forest if the Sheriff decided to pursue the matter.
Elizabeth was eager to see Mary and Alexander and, of course, Max. She knew that he was going to be a little peeved at her for breaking her promise to him, but it couldn't be helped and she had a feeling that he would be happy to see her anyway.
Parkyla and Elizabeth had left the King's Highway by late in the morning. Their horses were picking their way along the deer trails. They had already tried two potential sites that Parkyla knew had been used as outlaw camps in the past. They were now discussing how Parkyla knew so much about the Forest.
"But I don't understand." Elizabeth was saying. "Why can the Sheriff not root out the outlaws if these camp sites are so well known?" Parkyla looked embarrassed.
"They are not well known my lady." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
"My father is an outlaw." Her servant finally muttered. Her head snapped up and she glared at Elizabeth challengingly. "He was caught poaching a deer milady. He had to flee to the Forest or they would have taken his hand." She explained defensively. "We were starving milady. He had no choice."
Elizabeth smiled at her, sympathetic. "It is all right Parkyla. I certainly understand. Queen Eleanor has told me many times that she is going to speak to the King about the antiquated hunting laws in the country. No Englishman should go hungry just so that the nobles can have their hunt uninterrupted."
Parkyla smiled at her, relieved. "Anyway, my father's band stayed at the Great Oak many times in the past. I visited there many times as a child."
"How long has your father lived in Sherwood?" Elizabeth asked concerned.
"For ten years milady." Elizabeth blinked, felt her heart sink. What if Max, Michael and the others were never pardoned? Would they have to live in the Forest for the rest of their lives?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard voices. "Are we there?" She asked Parkyla.
The servant looked confused. "Not yet." She looked around carefully. "It would not do to run across real outlaws milady. We had better take care." The girl quickly swung herself down off her horse. "I will go check this way, while you go that way. We will meet back here in five minutes." Elizabeth nodded, dismounted and carefully made her way into the green wood.
She heard the voices more clearly as she moved. She paused once to unhook her cloak, which had become entangled on a branch. The moment was enough for her to recognize the voice carrying through the Forest.
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. It was Max. They had found them.
"Concentrate on making the connection Tessie." He was saying.
Elizabeth stopped abruptly, frowned. Suddenly she felt the need to stay hidden. She carefully hid behind a tree, gradually peeking her head out through the branches.
Max was kneeling beside his sister, his hand on her ankle...and his hand was glowing.
Her eyes flew to his face. It was white and pained. He was staring straight into Tess's eyes, a grimace beginning to form on his visage.
"By all that is holy." Elizabeth breathed.
"Max, are you all right?" Tess was asking. She was standing, testing out her ankle, which had apparently just been healed.
"I'm fine Tess." Max replied wearily. He was moving away from her, looking slightly ill.
Just then, Liz set her foot down on a dry twig. It snapped, sounded like thunder in the still Forest. She froze.
"Max?" She heard Tess say in a frightened voice.
"Come out of there!" Max barked. Elizabeth jumped. "We know you are there."
She stepped out from behind the tree in a daze. She could barely breathe. She did not understand any of this.
"Liz?" Max sounded surprised, happy and panicked all at once. He took one look at her face, knew instantly that something was wrong with her.
"I saw you Max." Liz grabbed her cloak between her hands. "I saw you heal her." Liz continued. "What are you?"
She did not take her eyes from his face. She watched it tighten. Max swallowed convulsively. "Tess, leave us." Max said abruptly.
Tess grabbed his arm. "NO Max. Let me stay with you." She glared at Elizabeth. Liz felt her heart stop. "We have to take care of her. NOW!"
Max shook her off. "I mean it Tess. Go back to the camp." Tess sniffed, obeyed though. She walked past Elizabeth, brushing against her, almost knocking her over.
Elizabeth was surprised that she was not at all frightened. Rather she was numb. She realized that she was in shock.
But she knew that, no matter what, Max would not hurt her.
Max took a step toward her, clearly expecting her to back away from him. She stood rooted to the spot. "Max? Please..."
Max stopped, smiled tentatively. "Liz, it's not what you think."
"What do I think?" She asked confused. She didn't think anything. She didn't know what to think.
"That I'm a demon." Max said simply. Liz smiled at that.
"I could never think that Max. Are you an angel?" She asked, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy her logical brain. She knew that angels existed. She had been told so her entire life.
"Well," Max said wryly "That might be one way of putting it."
"Why can you heal people Max? The only person I have ever heard capable of doing that was our Lord." Liz asked him. Max blinked.
"I am not Christ Liz." He paused, clearly searching for words. "What I am, I do not know whether you will be able to understand. Your world is not at the point that what I am would even seem possible." He trailed off, watching her face.
"MY world? What do you mean? Please, just tell me everything." She smiled at him. "I know you Max. Whatever it is cannot be bad."
"No, it's not bad." Max took another step towards her. This time Liz did step back. He stopped abruptly, looked hurt. "Are you frightened?" He asked sadly.
"Not frightened," she replied. "I just cannot think straight with you so close to me." Max smiled at that, looked pleased. "Now stop changing the subject. Tell me the truth."
"Liz, I've never told anyone this before." He explained. "It is most difficult." He gestured to a large boulder. "I think you should sit down milady."
Elizabeth sat down carefully, watching Max pace, clearly trying to get his thoughts in order. "Liz, have you ever looked at the stars before?"
"Of course,"she said, confused. What by heaven was he talking about?
"Well, the sun is a star." He continued. "And your world revolves around it." Liz blinked, nodded. She had always been told that the Earth was flat, but after seeing Max do what he had just done, she was willing to believe anything at this point. "I am from another world that revolves around another star many millions of miles away."
She stared at him, perplexed, feeling incredibly stupid. She hated to feel that way. Max smiled at her, watched her digest what he was telling her. "Why are you on my world then?" Elizabeth asked finally.
"My world is at war." He replied. "I was killed, but my soul was sent to Earth to be reborn." Max stopped when he saw her eyes beginning to cloud over. "Never mind, it's not important. The point is, I am here."
"Mmmmm." Liz replied, bringing her hand to her forehead and rubbing. She suddenly had a splitting headache. Max was watching her with concern.
"Are you all right my love?" She nodded. He moved towards her again, put his hands at her temples. She looked at him worriedly.
"Don't worry. I can take your pain away." Max told her. "Just look into my eyes and take deep breaths."
Liz did as she was told, finding it quite easy to lose herself in the depths of Max's beautiful dark eyes.
And then something very peculiar happened.
Flash*
She had an image of a small boy, breaking out of a strange glowing egg. He had dark hair and eyes and she knew it was Max. She could feel his fright and then his relief as he found three other children: two small blonde girls and a messy-haired boy.
Flash*
An image of a stern looking man, his eyes cold, saying "You must never leave the Castle. You are in danger here. You can trust no one, only me."
Flash*
An image of Max on a horse, flying through the forest, Isabel hot on his heels. A feeling of complete liberation.
Flash*
An image of herself, coming towards Max, a small smile on her face. A feeling of awe...and love.
Max removed his hands from Elizabeth's head, stared at her. "What was that?" She whispered to him.
"We connected." He replied, sounding equally as dumbfounded. "I don't know how it's possible. We are not supposed to able to do that with humans." His eyes were shining at her in amazement."I saw you Liz...as a little girl."
Elizabeth smiled at him, felt tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I saw you too Max. It was amazing." They continued to stare at each other, in a daze.
Then, suddenly, Max grabbed her, brought his mouth down on hers. Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all her soul.
"I love you. I love you." He was murmuring into her hair. "I don't understand how I can feel this way about you, but you are my heart Liz." His lips trailed gentle kisses down her face to her neck. Elizabeth threw her head back, craving something she had never dreamed of wanting.
"What the hell is going on here?" They were snapped out of their private world, by a very displeased Michael. "Maxwell, what have you done?"
To be continued...