Somewhat frantically trying to pump as much as I can out before examinations strike me.
"Hawk!"
Jessica rapped on Hawk's door again, grimacing. "Hawk, there's iced tea with lunch. It'll be hot tea if you don't come now!"
Nothing. Not even a "yeah, I'll be there."
"Hawk, just because you saved the world, doesn't mean you can act all high and mighty for the rest of your life!"
No response.
"Okay, I don't care if you're busy or not, I'm coming in," Jessica scolded, opening the door. "Honestly - "
Jessica's screams brought Nikita straight to Hawk's room. "Jessica, what's - Holy Goddess!"
Hawk's body was crumpled on the floor, his hands gripping a dagger in his chest. Jessica was still screaming, frantically trying to soak up the blood with her skirt.
"Jessica, wait!"
Jessica stared at Nikita, half-crazed. "WAIT? Hawk tried to kill himself, and you're telling me to wait?" she shrilled.
Nikita held back Jessica long enough to examine Hawk's wound, quickly checking for vital signs.
"He's still alive," he told the girl. "It's barely a minute old. Get some healers - I'll take care of him."
Barely able to do anything else, Jessica ran out of the room.
Grabbing one of Hawk's shirts, Nikita frowned as he began to staunch Hawk's wound. He gently peeled away Hawk's hands, his brow furrowing.
"Hey, bro, you still there?" the cat asked. He didn't really expect a reply. "Someone went through a hell of a time trying to make this look like a suicide."
Riesz stiffened when she heard the news.
"He tried to kill himself?" she asked, stunned.
Eliza shook her head.
"No. At first the thought it was suicide," she explained. "But Nikita said that there was some blood on the dagger, showing that he tried to pull it out."
Elliot, sitting on the throne next to his sister, asked, "Did anything weird happen? There was an earthquake at the Temple of Light - "
" - that the rest of Wendel didn't even hear," Eliza finished, "and no."
"Eliza, there's something you're not telling me," Riesz said after an awkward silence.
The Amazon took a deep breath. "Miss Riesz, we want to form a guard for you. We thought that, well, it might help defend you, and with you always guarded it might thwart this...killer."
"You know, I think Carlie's the one trying to kill people," Elliot said. "It's always the innocent kid no one suspects."
Riesz and Eliza raised their eyebrows at the young prince.
"Maybe I'll just shut up now."
Eliza turned to make a comment to her regent, then frowned. "Riesz?"
The princess was slowly standing up.
"When was the last time this place was dusted?" she asked quietly.
"Just yes..." Eliza's voice trailed off as the three of them watched dust motes swirl in the air.
Suddenly the long red carpet whipped up, flying towards Eliza!
Eliza gasped for breath, trying not to hyperventilate. Pressed against her back was Elliot, following Eliza's example and not panicking.
The carpet had wrapped them up tight, and Eliza knew that something or someone had attempted to suffocate them. Fortunately the Amazon had been holding her spear, giving her some space to breathe.
"Are you all right?" she asked the prince. "Can you breathe?"
"I've got my arms in front of me, but they're starting to cramp up," he answered.
Eliza wriggled a little, plotting out the situation. By the sensation of weightlessness, she figured that they were hanging somewhere. They were also running out of air, so screaming for help was out of the question, and Miss Riesz could be in trouble.
She wormed her hand down to her waist, and in a burst of strength grabbed her hunting knife and slashed part of the thick carpet.
Good. They were just above the floor. A few deft slashes and she and Elliot were on the floor.
"Where's Miss Riesz?" Eliza yelled.
"RIESZ!"
Eliza looked where Elliot was pointing and gasped. Riesz, unconscious, was hanging from a high beam by a noose around her neck.
Without thinking Eliza pitched her knife at Riesz. It sliced the rope that held Riesz and the princess plummeted to the floor, hitting it with a dull thud.
Eliza and Elliot frantically tore off Riesz's bonds. She seemed to be alive, but she was hardly breathing and the fall had broken her arm. The Amazon immediately started CPR, sending Elliot to find help.
"This is all - getting a little - annoying," Eliza muttered in between breaths. "I mean - why go through - so much trouble - when you can - kill instantly?"
"Hawk!"
Jessica rapped on Hawk's door again, grimacing. "Hawk, there's iced tea with lunch. It'll be hot tea if you don't come now!"
Nothing. Not even a "yeah, I'll be there."
"Hawk, just because you saved the world, doesn't mean you can act all high and mighty for the rest of your life!"
No response.
"Okay, I don't care if you're busy or not, I'm coming in," Jessica scolded, opening the door. "Honestly - "
Jessica's screams brought Nikita straight to Hawk's room. "Jessica, what's - Holy Goddess!"
Hawk's body was crumpled on the floor, his hands gripping a dagger in his chest. Jessica was still screaming, frantically trying to soak up the blood with her skirt.
"Jessica, wait!"
Jessica stared at Nikita, half-crazed. "WAIT? Hawk tried to kill himself, and you're telling me to wait?" she shrilled.
Nikita held back Jessica long enough to examine Hawk's wound, quickly checking for vital signs.
"He's still alive," he told the girl. "It's barely a minute old. Get some healers - I'll take care of him."
Barely able to do anything else, Jessica ran out of the room.
Grabbing one of Hawk's shirts, Nikita frowned as he began to staunch Hawk's wound. He gently peeled away Hawk's hands, his brow furrowing.
"Hey, bro, you still there?" the cat asked. He didn't really expect a reply. "Someone went through a hell of a time trying to make this look like a suicide."
Riesz stiffened when she heard the news.
"He tried to kill himself?" she asked, stunned.
Eliza shook her head.
"No. At first the thought it was suicide," she explained. "But Nikita said that there was some blood on the dagger, showing that he tried to pull it out."
Elliot, sitting on the throne next to his sister, asked, "Did anything weird happen? There was an earthquake at the Temple of Light - "
" - that the rest of Wendel didn't even hear," Eliza finished, "and no."
"Eliza, there's something you're not telling me," Riesz said after an awkward silence.
The Amazon took a deep breath. "Miss Riesz, we want to form a guard for you. We thought that, well, it might help defend you, and with you always guarded it might thwart this...killer."
"You know, I think Carlie's the one trying to kill people," Elliot said. "It's always the innocent kid no one suspects."
Riesz and Eliza raised their eyebrows at the young prince.
"Maybe I'll just shut up now."
Eliza turned to make a comment to her regent, then frowned. "Riesz?"
The princess was slowly standing up.
"When was the last time this place was dusted?" she asked quietly.
"Just yes..." Eliza's voice trailed off as the three of them watched dust motes swirl in the air.
Suddenly the long red carpet whipped up, flying towards Eliza!
Eliza gasped for breath, trying not to hyperventilate. Pressed against her back was Elliot, following Eliza's example and not panicking.
The carpet had wrapped them up tight, and Eliza knew that something or someone had attempted to suffocate them. Fortunately the Amazon had been holding her spear, giving her some space to breathe.
"Are you all right?" she asked the prince. "Can you breathe?"
"I've got my arms in front of me, but they're starting to cramp up," he answered.
Eliza wriggled a little, plotting out the situation. By the sensation of weightlessness, she figured that they were hanging somewhere. They were also running out of air, so screaming for help was out of the question, and Miss Riesz could be in trouble.
She wormed her hand down to her waist, and in a burst of strength grabbed her hunting knife and slashed part of the thick carpet.
Good. They were just above the floor. A few deft slashes and she and Elliot were on the floor.
"Where's Miss Riesz?" Eliza yelled.
"RIESZ!"
Eliza looked where Elliot was pointing and gasped. Riesz, unconscious, was hanging from a high beam by a noose around her neck.
Without thinking Eliza pitched her knife at Riesz. It sliced the rope that held Riesz and the princess plummeted to the floor, hitting it with a dull thud.
Eliza and Elliot frantically tore off Riesz's bonds. She seemed to be alive, but she was hardly breathing and the fall had broken her arm. The Amazon immediately started CPR, sending Elliot to find help.
"This is all - getting a little - annoying," Eliza muttered in between breaths. "I mean - why go through - so much trouble - when you can - kill instantly?"