A/N: Okay...ok...I know you guys are really mad at me. I'm so sorry for not
updating at all for like...months? * cowers fearfully* I just had this huge
writer's block and I was thinking whether I wanted to continue or just
stop. But I realized that I really love this story a lot. Heehee....just
like you guys. So, I'm continuing. But of course, more and more reviews are
still the driving force behind my determination to churn out a superb
story. After all, how long can sending me a review take? Well, just enjoy.
Chapter 12:
Blood gushed out from Jonathan's wound and pain surged through his body. His vision blurred and he swayed unsteadily. Liza screamed when she saw this. She hurriedly helped him down from the horse. Weak from loss of blood, Jonathan slumped against Liza. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she inspected his wound.
"Oh gosh, you're losing so much blood," she pointed out worriedly.
"Don't cry," he whispered. "I'll be fine. Moreover, you're here to help me, aren't you?" he added cheekily.
"How can you still joke at a time like this," Liza cried out.
Suddenly, shots rang out from around them. A gunshot whizzed past them. Burly looking men appeared from the forest, riding hard on their horses. They had wild hair and one had a thick moustache. Judging from their clothes, Liza could tell they weren't from Tora. No matter what, Liza didn't like the looks of these men.
"I think we're in hot soup," Liza confided.
"If only I wasn't hurt, I guess I'm not that good a protector, huh," Jon replied.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" one of the barbarians sneered. Liza figured he had to be the leader of the gang. What with his confident tone and the swagger in his walk. He wore finer garments and had a cross-patch over one of his eyes. Amidst her fear, Liza couldn't help but be fascinated by what she was seeing, since it wasn't everyday that she got to see this stuff.
"Why..it seems we've gotten ourselves a little treasure, eh boys?" he snickered. His statement struck a chord of fear in Liza. Her grip on Jonathan tightened, partly out of fear and partly out of anger. "The boss did say there'd be a reward. A damn fine one too. Din know Debus to be one to keep his word."
The other men sniggered and jostled each other. Some leered at Liza, staring openly at her, igniting the anger within her. Jonathan felt her body stiffening. He laid his hand on hers. "Stay calm. Think before you act," he cautioned her.
Liza nodded curtly. She got up and demanded, "What do you want?"
The leader pretended to look surprised. "Whoa...a temper.." he laughed. "Come with us, lil' lady. We sure can protect you a lot more better than your buddy down there," jeering at Jonathan. Liza realized that his gang of barbarians was probably the ones who had shot Jonathan. Her anger mounted steadily but she fought the urge to lunge onto that low-lying piece of scum. Only her clenched fists gave her away.
The man grew impatient and strode over to Liza. He boldly stroke her cheek, "Look honey, let's not waste anymore time. We've got to hurry," he urged. Pulling her hand, the barbarian dragged her towards his horse, but not without kicking Jonathan. Hard. Jon groaned in pain and Liza felt her heart being wrenched. That was the last straw, she thought.
Liza summoned her strength and closed her eyes. Using her inner strength, her mind transformed into that of a wolf's. Her senses sharpened. Instantly, she was aware of the different smells and sights around her that she had missed out as a mere human. She noticed the revolting smell of dirt clinging onto the clothes of the barbarians. The smell of human blood was tempting but she had to restrain herself from pouncing onto the bleeding human. She had more important matters at hand to attend to. She howled out loud and clear mentally. Immediately, wolves from all corners of the forest howled back, sensing the urgency in her call for help. Images of the barbarians, the arrow and Jonathan sprang to mind. She transmitted those to the wolves. They agreed to help and came charging. Here and there, she sensed the lust of revenge in the wolves, heard the pitter-pattering of their paws, saw their jaws dripping with saliva and felt their bodies tensed with excitement. They gathered. Finally, she sensed that almost all were there waiting for her instructions. Attack, her mind ordered. Immediately, the wolves sprang into action, leaping ferociously onto the barbarians.
Howls of pain from the men and howls of delight from the wolves echoed throughout the forest. The men swung their swords around blindly, their minds paralysed with fear. With saliva dripping from their fangs, the wolves pounced onto the men eagerly.
Liza slid to the ground, too weak to move. Jonathan scrambled to her side and tried to help her get up. "This is the perfect opportunity for us to escape. Come on," he urged. Liza battled dizziness as she forced her legs to support her weight. Jon got up his horse and pulled Liza up. The horse galloped away, much to the outrage of the barbarians.
Liza leant against Jon, breathing deeply to regain her strength. She tore a piece of cloth from her dress and wrapped it around Jon's arm. "That should stop the blood flow for a while," she said.
Jonathan nodded and smiled his thanks. He was still very pale, Liza noted with worry. Once they reached the North, Liza immediately asked for a healer to heal Jonathan. His wounds were too serious for Liza to heal him, despite how much she wanted to help. After spending hours with Jonathan, the healer came out of her hut.
"He fainted right after you brought him in. There must be something poisonous in that arrow which struck him but I cannot detect it. Powerful magic at work. You mark my words, young lady," she warned Liza.
Liza dashed into the hut. Jonathan was writhing about on the bed. His arms were thrashing about everyway. He had broken out into cold sweat and was burning up a fever. He was mumbling something incomprehensible. Liza gasped. She knew he was in bad shape. But never did she realize it would be that bad. She placed a cool cloth over his forehead and set about trying to bring down his fever. Hesitantly, she unbuttoned his clothes and wiped his body with a wet cloth. Please don't die, Jonathan. Don't die on me, she prayed.
Day and night, she looked after him, never leaving his side. She slept in a stiff, uncomfortable chair, ate her meals by his side. Although his fever had broken, he was still delirious. One night, Jonathan was thrashing about constantly, waking Liza up. She checked his forehead, making sure the fever had gone. Then she soothed him down. After a few minutes, he calmed down and was sleeping peacefully again. Liza heaved a sigh. Suddenly, a hand shot out and gripped Liza's and pulled her onto Jonathan's bed. She gasped and tried to pull back but he was too strong for her. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered.
"Don't ever leave me again, Elizabeth. You haunt my dreams every night still, you know that? Stay with me," he begged. He kissed her hair.
Liza struggled but to no avail. "Listen, I'm not Elizabeth, you block- headed twit. So let me go," she demanded angrily. Silence. Liza looked at him closely. He's not awake, she marveled. Slowly, she eased herself out of his grasp and scrambled back to the safety of her chair.
Who was this Elizabeth he was talking about? Liza couldn't help feeling jealous. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Jonathan's warm arm around her. Then, it struck her. Elizabeth! The mysterious girl at the ball. It was actually Liza herself! She grinned at the irony of being jealous of herself. But she sobered quickly. She didn't know how she should feel. Elated because Jon did have feelings for her or sad that they had no chance together. Feeling confused, she had a sleepless night.
Days followed and soon, Jonathan had recovered. His grogginess was the only trace of his illness.
"If you're going to be so grouchy, I won't feed you anymore," Liza teased.
"I don't care. Is it my fault? Why don't you go away, I can't stand your cheerfulness," he growled.
Liza responded with a laugh but obediently went out of the room. Jonathan was finally awake and that was all that mattered. Jonathan, on the other hand, was in a bad mood. He thought he had seen Elizabeth again. He was so sure. He remembered breathing in her rose-scented hair and taking her into his arms. Surely it wasn't just a dream. He sighed and reminded himself to forget about her entirely.
Having delivered her food in the North, Liza was ready to head back home. "Let me give you a ride back, as a token of my appreciation," Jonathan offered. Liza reluctantly agreed. After a long and uncomfortable silence, Jon finally asked.
"So, you're one of the People, huh?"
Liza nodded," Yeah...I can heal and summon animals."
"Isn't that great? I mean, you don't sound too happy about your Gift," he pointed out.
Liza drew in a sharp breath and stiffened. "It's none of your business."
Jonathan paused. "Do you always do this to everyone? Once somebody treads into something personal, you clam up?"
Liza remained silent, looking away into the distance.
Jonathan refused to give up. He persisted, "So you think remaining silent is going to make the problem go away, huh? Well, think again, because it won't. It's still going to be nagging at the back of your mind."
"I....I just want to be your friend. No matter what you think, I do care about you," he added.
Well, if you really care about me at all, you would think about my feelings. So you'd better shut your god-damned mouth and stop interrogating me," she snapped back.
"I'm not...it's you. You're feeling pressurized," Jonathan answered.
Liza stared stonily ahead. "Fine! Since you really want to know. I inherited my Gift from my father who left us for a prettier and younger woman. When I knew about my Gift, my father wasn't there to guide me. I had to learn everything myself. Discover new things all by myself with no father to share the joy of discovery with. And I had to remind my mother daily of Father, thanks to my cursed Gift. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Jonathan was shocked into silence. He could hear the plain bitterness and pain in her voice. How much he wanted to console her, but he just couldn't find the right words. "I'm sorry," he choked out.
Liza blinked back tears and waved aside his apology, "Whatever."
When they've finally reached the tavern, Jonathan stopped her. "Just remember that I'll still be your friend despite our background differences."
Liza nodded and turned to go but he stopped her yet again. "Wait. I don't know your name. I'm Jonathan Westley. You are?"
Liza looked up at him contemplatively, wondered if he remembered.
"Liza . Liza Wellson."
Chapter 12:
Blood gushed out from Jonathan's wound and pain surged through his body. His vision blurred and he swayed unsteadily. Liza screamed when she saw this. She hurriedly helped him down from the horse. Weak from loss of blood, Jonathan slumped against Liza. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she inspected his wound.
"Oh gosh, you're losing so much blood," she pointed out worriedly.
"Don't cry," he whispered. "I'll be fine. Moreover, you're here to help me, aren't you?" he added cheekily.
"How can you still joke at a time like this," Liza cried out.
Suddenly, shots rang out from around them. A gunshot whizzed past them. Burly looking men appeared from the forest, riding hard on their horses. They had wild hair and one had a thick moustache. Judging from their clothes, Liza could tell they weren't from Tora. No matter what, Liza didn't like the looks of these men.
"I think we're in hot soup," Liza confided.
"If only I wasn't hurt, I guess I'm not that good a protector, huh," Jon replied.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" one of the barbarians sneered. Liza figured he had to be the leader of the gang. What with his confident tone and the swagger in his walk. He wore finer garments and had a cross-patch over one of his eyes. Amidst her fear, Liza couldn't help but be fascinated by what she was seeing, since it wasn't everyday that she got to see this stuff.
"Why..it seems we've gotten ourselves a little treasure, eh boys?" he snickered. His statement struck a chord of fear in Liza. Her grip on Jonathan tightened, partly out of fear and partly out of anger. "The boss did say there'd be a reward. A damn fine one too. Din know Debus to be one to keep his word."
The other men sniggered and jostled each other. Some leered at Liza, staring openly at her, igniting the anger within her. Jonathan felt her body stiffening. He laid his hand on hers. "Stay calm. Think before you act," he cautioned her.
Liza nodded curtly. She got up and demanded, "What do you want?"
The leader pretended to look surprised. "Whoa...a temper.." he laughed. "Come with us, lil' lady. We sure can protect you a lot more better than your buddy down there," jeering at Jonathan. Liza realized that his gang of barbarians was probably the ones who had shot Jonathan. Her anger mounted steadily but she fought the urge to lunge onto that low-lying piece of scum. Only her clenched fists gave her away.
The man grew impatient and strode over to Liza. He boldly stroke her cheek, "Look honey, let's not waste anymore time. We've got to hurry," he urged. Pulling her hand, the barbarian dragged her towards his horse, but not without kicking Jonathan. Hard. Jon groaned in pain and Liza felt her heart being wrenched. That was the last straw, she thought.
Liza summoned her strength and closed her eyes. Using her inner strength, her mind transformed into that of a wolf's. Her senses sharpened. Instantly, she was aware of the different smells and sights around her that she had missed out as a mere human. She noticed the revolting smell of dirt clinging onto the clothes of the barbarians. The smell of human blood was tempting but she had to restrain herself from pouncing onto the bleeding human. She had more important matters at hand to attend to. She howled out loud and clear mentally. Immediately, wolves from all corners of the forest howled back, sensing the urgency in her call for help. Images of the barbarians, the arrow and Jonathan sprang to mind. She transmitted those to the wolves. They agreed to help and came charging. Here and there, she sensed the lust of revenge in the wolves, heard the pitter-pattering of their paws, saw their jaws dripping with saliva and felt their bodies tensed with excitement. They gathered. Finally, she sensed that almost all were there waiting for her instructions. Attack, her mind ordered. Immediately, the wolves sprang into action, leaping ferociously onto the barbarians.
Howls of pain from the men and howls of delight from the wolves echoed throughout the forest. The men swung their swords around blindly, their minds paralysed with fear. With saliva dripping from their fangs, the wolves pounced onto the men eagerly.
Liza slid to the ground, too weak to move. Jonathan scrambled to her side and tried to help her get up. "This is the perfect opportunity for us to escape. Come on," he urged. Liza battled dizziness as she forced her legs to support her weight. Jon got up his horse and pulled Liza up. The horse galloped away, much to the outrage of the barbarians.
Liza leant against Jon, breathing deeply to regain her strength. She tore a piece of cloth from her dress and wrapped it around Jon's arm. "That should stop the blood flow for a while," she said.
Jonathan nodded and smiled his thanks. He was still very pale, Liza noted with worry. Once they reached the North, Liza immediately asked for a healer to heal Jonathan. His wounds were too serious for Liza to heal him, despite how much she wanted to help. After spending hours with Jonathan, the healer came out of her hut.
"He fainted right after you brought him in. There must be something poisonous in that arrow which struck him but I cannot detect it. Powerful magic at work. You mark my words, young lady," she warned Liza.
Liza dashed into the hut. Jonathan was writhing about on the bed. His arms were thrashing about everyway. He had broken out into cold sweat and was burning up a fever. He was mumbling something incomprehensible. Liza gasped. She knew he was in bad shape. But never did she realize it would be that bad. She placed a cool cloth over his forehead and set about trying to bring down his fever. Hesitantly, she unbuttoned his clothes and wiped his body with a wet cloth. Please don't die, Jonathan. Don't die on me, she prayed.
Day and night, she looked after him, never leaving his side. She slept in a stiff, uncomfortable chair, ate her meals by his side. Although his fever had broken, he was still delirious. One night, Jonathan was thrashing about constantly, waking Liza up. She checked his forehead, making sure the fever had gone. Then she soothed him down. After a few minutes, he calmed down and was sleeping peacefully again. Liza heaved a sigh. Suddenly, a hand shot out and gripped Liza's and pulled her onto Jonathan's bed. She gasped and tried to pull back but he was too strong for her. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered.
"Don't ever leave me again, Elizabeth. You haunt my dreams every night still, you know that? Stay with me," he begged. He kissed her hair.
Liza struggled but to no avail. "Listen, I'm not Elizabeth, you block- headed twit. So let me go," she demanded angrily. Silence. Liza looked at him closely. He's not awake, she marveled. Slowly, she eased herself out of his grasp and scrambled back to the safety of her chair.
Who was this Elizabeth he was talking about? Liza couldn't help feeling jealous. She drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Jonathan's warm arm around her. Then, it struck her. Elizabeth! The mysterious girl at the ball. It was actually Liza herself! She grinned at the irony of being jealous of herself. But she sobered quickly. She didn't know how she should feel. Elated because Jon did have feelings for her or sad that they had no chance together. Feeling confused, she had a sleepless night.
Days followed and soon, Jonathan had recovered. His grogginess was the only trace of his illness.
"If you're going to be so grouchy, I won't feed you anymore," Liza teased.
"I don't care. Is it my fault? Why don't you go away, I can't stand your cheerfulness," he growled.
Liza responded with a laugh but obediently went out of the room. Jonathan was finally awake and that was all that mattered. Jonathan, on the other hand, was in a bad mood. He thought he had seen Elizabeth again. He was so sure. He remembered breathing in her rose-scented hair and taking her into his arms. Surely it wasn't just a dream. He sighed and reminded himself to forget about her entirely.
Having delivered her food in the North, Liza was ready to head back home. "Let me give you a ride back, as a token of my appreciation," Jonathan offered. Liza reluctantly agreed. After a long and uncomfortable silence, Jon finally asked.
"So, you're one of the People, huh?"
Liza nodded," Yeah...I can heal and summon animals."
"Isn't that great? I mean, you don't sound too happy about your Gift," he pointed out.
Liza drew in a sharp breath and stiffened. "It's none of your business."
Jonathan paused. "Do you always do this to everyone? Once somebody treads into something personal, you clam up?"
Liza remained silent, looking away into the distance.
Jonathan refused to give up. He persisted, "So you think remaining silent is going to make the problem go away, huh? Well, think again, because it won't. It's still going to be nagging at the back of your mind."
"I....I just want to be your friend. No matter what you think, I do care about you," he added.
Well, if you really care about me at all, you would think about my feelings. So you'd better shut your god-damned mouth and stop interrogating me," she snapped back.
"I'm not...it's you. You're feeling pressurized," Jonathan answered.
Liza stared stonily ahead. "Fine! Since you really want to know. I inherited my Gift from my father who left us for a prettier and younger woman. When I knew about my Gift, my father wasn't there to guide me. I had to learn everything myself. Discover new things all by myself with no father to share the joy of discovery with. And I had to remind my mother daily of Father, thanks to my cursed Gift. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Jonathan was shocked into silence. He could hear the plain bitterness and pain in her voice. How much he wanted to console her, but he just couldn't find the right words. "I'm sorry," he choked out.
Liza blinked back tears and waved aside his apology, "Whatever."
When they've finally reached the tavern, Jonathan stopped her. "Just remember that I'll still be your friend despite our background differences."
Liza nodded and turned to go but he stopped her yet again. "Wait. I don't know your name. I'm Jonathan Westley. You are?"
Liza looked up at him contemplatively, wondered if he remembered.
"Liza . Liza Wellson."