Author's Note: The French in this chapter was found through the help of
family and friends. I speak no French, only Spanish and Japanese, so if
there are any errors found by people who DO speak French, please leave
corrections in a review or e-mail and I will seek its immediate correction.
Thank you!
"Ah, Ms. Noel so good to see you again. She's right over here." Stg. Powell led Tessa over to where Rylan sat handcuffed to a wooden bench.
"Well?" Rylan asked expectantly of Powell as he fit his key into the lock.
"I've already told you, I'm not wasting my time on another one of your wild stories."
"It's not a story, I'm serious."
"Ryan was serious about his swordsmen until he changed his mind."
"Look at me." Rylan said angrily. "Do I look like Richie to you?"
"You two tend to blend together when you start running at the mouth."
"Tessa!" She whined.
"We'll talk about this later. Right now, Duncan is waiting." Rylan immediately closed her mouth upon hearing Tessa's tone.
"I'm telling the truth." She said softly as they stepped out onto the street.
"What happened to staying out of trouble?" Tessa demanded.
"I can fix the car."
"That's not the point."
"I know, the point is there is a potentially dangerous situation at the bank, and nobody believes me!"
"Rylan, I don't want to hear it. Get in the car."
"But Tessa- - -"
"Rylan, ferme la bouche!"
"I thought Duncan- - -"
"Rylan!"
"What's going on? Why are you so pissy?"
"Rylan, obtiennent dans la voiture!" Tessa yelled. Rylan silently opened the passenger door and got in.
. . . . . .
Richie shifted away from the point of the blade that was threatening to dig into his ribs. He felt the man's body stiffen, and the grip across his shoulders tightened. Duncan entered the cathedral and silently regarded the man behind Richie.
"Richie, are you alright?" He asked looking at the gash across the boy's cheek.
"Oh yeah, just thought I'd stir things up a little." Richie answered with a half-hearted smirk.
"Leave him alone, he has nothing to do with the Gathering." Duncan told the man.
"Not yet." The man held the blade of his sword at Richie's throat.
"Hey, this is a church!" He protested.
"He's right, this is Holy Ground. You can't do anything here."
The man laughed, "That's the funny thing about Holy Ground. You and I can't do anything, but" he traced the tip of his blade from Richie's sternum to his navel "there's nothing in the rules about mortals."
Richie's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. . . a second too late. He let out a frantic cry to Duncan for help. And stared in horror as Duncan made no move to respond. He felt everything happen in slow motion. He felt the cool steel slide beneath his skin and into his body. He felt his blood ooze out of his side, over his arm, and down his leg. The edges of his vision began to blacken and he leaned more and more heavily against the man behind him. He was vaguely aware that someone was talking to him. He tried to respond, but he couldn't form any words. He made no move to protest as he felt somebody pick him up.
'Funny,' He thought 'I don't remember falling.' Then he lost consciousness completely.
. . . . . .
Rylan sat stiffly on the couch with a book in her hand.
"Rylan, will you listen to me?" Tessa tried to get her attention.
"Tessa, ferme la bouche." She said not looking up.
"Okay, I deserved that. But I can explain. I believe you. And I shouldn't have been so hard on you, you thought you were doing the right- - -" The phone interrupted her, "Don't move." She picked up the receiver. "Hello?. . . Duncan! What's wrong?" Rylan looked up. "He's where?. . . Oh my God, we'll be right there." She hung up the phone. "Come on." She picked up her purse and headed for the door.
"What's going on?" Rylan asked getting up to follow her.
"Richie's in the hospital."
"Ah, Ms. Noel so good to see you again. She's right over here." Stg. Powell led Tessa over to where Rylan sat handcuffed to a wooden bench.
"Well?" Rylan asked expectantly of Powell as he fit his key into the lock.
"I've already told you, I'm not wasting my time on another one of your wild stories."
"It's not a story, I'm serious."
"Ryan was serious about his swordsmen until he changed his mind."
"Look at me." Rylan said angrily. "Do I look like Richie to you?"
"You two tend to blend together when you start running at the mouth."
"Tessa!" She whined.
"We'll talk about this later. Right now, Duncan is waiting." Rylan immediately closed her mouth upon hearing Tessa's tone.
"I'm telling the truth." She said softly as they stepped out onto the street.
"What happened to staying out of trouble?" Tessa demanded.
"I can fix the car."
"That's not the point."
"I know, the point is there is a potentially dangerous situation at the bank, and nobody believes me!"
"Rylan, I don't want to hear it. Get in the car."
"But Tessa- - -"
"Rylan, ferme la bouche!"
"I thought Duncan- - -"
"Rylan!"
"What's going on? Why are you so pissy?"
"Rylan, obtiennent dans la voiture!" Tessa yelled. Rylan silently opened the passenger door and got in.
. . . . . .
Richie shifted away from the point of the blade that was threatening to dig into his ribs. He felt the man's body stiffen, and the grip across his shoulders tightened. Duncan entered the cathedral and silently regarded the man behind Richie.
"Richie, are you alright?" He asked looking at the gash across the boy's cheek.
"Oh yeah, just thought I'd stir things up a little." Richie answered with a half-hearted smirk.
"Leave him alone, he has nothing to do with the Gathering." Duncan told the man.
"Not yet." The man held the blade of his sword at Richie's throat.
"Hey, this is a church!" He protested.
"He's right, this is Holy Ground. You can't do anything here."
The man laughed, "That's the funny thing about Holy Ground. You and I can't do anything, but" he traced the tip of his blade from Richie's sternum to his navel "there's nothing in the rules about mortals."
Richie's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. . . a second too late. He let out a frantic cry to Duncan for help. And stared in horror as Duncan made no move to respond. He felt everything happen in slow motion. He felt the cool steel slide beneath his skin and into his body. He felt his blood ooze out of his side, over his arm, and down his leg. The edges of his vision began to blacken and he leaned more and more heavily against the man behind him. He was vaguely aware that someone was talking to him. He tried to respond, but he couldn't form any words. He made no move to protest as he felt somebody pick him up.
'Funny,' He thought 'I don't remember falling.' Then he lost consciousness completely.
. . . . . .
Rylan sat stiffly on the couch with a book in her hand.
"Rylan, will you listen to me?" Tessa tried to get her attention.
"Tessa, ferme la bouche." She said not looking up.
"Okay, I deserved that. But I can explain. I believe you. And I shouldn't have been so hard on you, you thought you were doing the right- - -" The phone interrupted her, "Don't move." She picked up the receiver. "Hello?. . . Duncan! What's wrong?" Rylan looked up. "He's where?. . . Oh my God, we'll be right there." She hung up the phone. "Come on." She picked up her purse and headed for the door.
"What's going on?" Rylan asked getting up to follow her.
"Richie's in the hospital."