I don't own any of the Tamora Pierce characters.
=Dazed=
George held his breath as four more guards past by. Grinning softly, he stealthily moved toward them. The first part, which was the hard part, was to separate them.
Picking up a rock from the ground, he tossed it in an unseen direction. There was a soft noise, alerting the guards to look in that way. One of the guards sighed, turned, and headed in that direction. George followed him.
When he was sure he was out of hearing distance, he lashed out with his fists. Taking the guard by surprise, George knocked him out with a few choice hits. "Nine guards down, a few more to go."
George stuck his hands deep into his pockets and moved on, looking for his next target.
===
Alanna swung her sword, making sure to use that flat end. It made contact and the guard fell to the ground in unconsciousness. Alanna smirked. "Six guards down. I wonder if I'm beating George…"
===
Cedric heard the baby coo. He bent over her crib, and stared at the small child. She was so small and so pretty. He stuck his hand in the crib, caressing her cheek. Soft, too, he thought to himself. He wondered why he had to watch over this child. She never caused problems…at least with him. Certainly, she was too small to cause any havoc, right?
The child grabbed his finger in one fist and Cedric grinned slightly. His mind flashed back to when he was three or four. It was one of his first memories, grabbing Cedar's hand in his while an army of people surrounded them.
"WITCH!" one of them cried as they threw something at them. Cedar turned to block the object from hitting him.
Cedric looked up into his sister's face and saw the pain mingled with hatred at the crowd. Suddenly, her eyes flew down and landed on her brother. Her eyes softened and she ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, Cedric, I'll protect you."
Cedric had nodded as he was nodding now. He stared at the little baby in front of him and whispered those words. "Don't worry, child, I'll protect you like my sister protected me."
"CEDRIC"
Cedric jumped at that booming voice. He turned around and stared at the Master. He was standing in the corner of the room, for how long, Cedric didn't know. "Yes, sir?"
"Bring the child to the main building. The ceremony is ready."
Ceremony? Cedric stared blankly at the Master. He only heard small parts of the ceremony and didn't know what it truly was. But the Master wouldn't do anything cruel… Cedric nodded and picked the child up. "Yes, sir."
===
Kel snuck closer to the building. Her eyes glanced left and right, making sure that no one would see her. She was careful, barely breathing. If she messed up, then not only she would be in trouble, but everyone in the "jail" would be as well.
Finally, she was clear. She placed her back against the building and inched toward the corner. She peeked over the edge of the building and stared hard. Damn! She could see a dark shadow moving away from the building, Cedric and the child behind it.
Kel turned away and looked back at the "jail." She grabbed the pocket knife that Dom had given her and let it shine against the moon's light.
At that "jail," Dom watched the reflecting light and read what Kel was saying out loud. "On the move. Going after them."
Neal jumped up and bit his lip. "Damn, she's doing it again."
Yuki nodded, understanding all too well. "She does have that habit of doing things on her own."
"We should go after her," Neal said slowly, a bit of his old humor coming back. "She also has that habit of getting into trouble."
===
Akane was breathing heavily. Her bones ached so much from the fight, but she wasn't done. She stared at her nemesis with anger and pain. "WHY!" she screamed for the nth time.
Cedar looked worst. She had fallen to her hands and knees and was struggling to breathe. The entire time, she had spent trying to avoid Akane's attack, which was very hard. Akane was a great fighter and had a lot of stamina.
When Cedar finally regained her breath, she sat back on her heels. "Because he would have suffered."
Akane leapt, her hands encircling Cedar's throat, and forcing Cedar to fall back. "What gives you the right to judge if he should suffer or not--!" Akane bit back a sob. All the adrenaline that was powering her up, was leaving her body. Her grip on Cedar's throat loosened and she let go. "Damn it, Cedar!"
Cedar struggled on the ground, not wanting to feel Akane's pain. "I didn't want to."
"BUT YOU DID. THAT'S ALL YOU ARE! YOU'RE A KILLER! IT'S PART OF YOUR NATURE!"
Cedar stopped struggling, those words ringing in her ears. Killer. That's what I am. A useless body. A witch. A killer. Her original plan was just to get that child that Cedric had grown fond of away from this place…and maybe a few of the children that deserved a second chance. She would then leave with Cedric and stop anyone who would get in her way. But… I'm a killer…If I go out into the world, would I just continue to kill? Would I hurt everyone?
With the little strength that she had left, Cedar pushed Akane off of her and stood. She began to walk away, leaving Akane by herself. Suddenly, Cedar stopped. She turned her head slightly to Akane and said, "Promise to watch Cedric for me."
Before Akane could answer, Cedar disappeared into the night.
=End Chapter=
Author's Note: This chapter is called Dazed because that's how I feel at the moment. HEHEHEHEHEHEHE. Anyway, there are about two more chapters to go before this is done. I hope you liked it, and even if you didn't, thanks for reading it…although I don't know why you'd still be reading it up to here if you didn't like it a little…AHHHH! I'm so tired!
