Chapter 9
Maeve awoke panting harshly. She had been dreaming - visions of death and pain had surrounded her. She glanced to her right where Sinbad lay, still asleep. She silently stood and walked to the trees in front of her.
She could feel that they were being watched - how she knew that, she couldn't say - yet she felt cold because she knew that what watched her was inherently evil.
She considered awaking Sinbad, but she refused to rely on the sailor for yet another thing in this horrible adventure that they were having.
She picked up the long, intricately carved sword that Sinbad had told her belonged to her and proceeded into the woods.
Sinbad awoke with a feeling of disaster about to happen. Instinctively, he reached for Maeve and was jolted into full awareness when he realized that she wasn't there. He jumped up and grabbed his sword.
Following his instincts, he made his way towards where the woods were the thickest. There, he found a piece of Maeve's clothes that had gotten snagged on the grasping branches.
Satisfied now that he was on the right track, he followed the trail, praying that he was not too late.
**************************************
Dermott awoke gasping in terror. "Maeve!" he cried out in fright.
Bryn reached out and touched his hand. "What is it?" she asked in alarm.
He struggled to his feet. "Maeve's in danger. We have to go NOW!"
Bryn got up as well. "But how do we find her?"
"Don't worry," was the grim reply. "We will."
**********************************************
Maeve was berating herself for being dumb enough to go into the woods by herself. Everywhere she turned, there seemed to be a pair of red eyes staring at her from the darkness.
She constantly scanned her surroundings, looking for any sign of hostile creatures. She had lost sight of the campsite a long time ago and she was beginning to think that it was about time she turned back.
Her mind turned to Sinbad and how he had looked while he was asleep. In slumber, he looked almost boyish - with all other stress erased from his features. It was her last thought before something slammed into her from behind, flinging her against a tree.
Dazed, Maeve got up shakily, raising a hand to her head. The place went black for a few seconds and she realized that her memories had come rushing back!
She was overjoyed but was aware that now was not the time to celebrate. She raised her sword to the ready and prepared to face whatever it was that had attacked her.
What she saw stopped her dead. There were five black, taloned beasts that were at least seven feet tall. They stared at her, malice gleaming in their glowing red eyes.
She swallowed and prepared to create a fireball. As the first attacked, she hit it with the glowing ball of magic, squarely in the eyes. It emitted a ghastly scream and disappeared.
She smiled triumphantly. "Still want more boys?" she taunted the other four.
They charged her.
Igniting her blade, the way she had taught Bryn and Dermott, Maeve proceeded to hack and slice her way through her attackers.
Five minutes later, it was all over.
She stood, panting over the bodies of her enemies and raised a victorious fist to the sky, laughing.
That was how Sinbad found her moments later as he burst upon the scene, drawn by the sounds of a battle.
Maeve turned sparkling amber eyes to him. "Sinbad!" she cried joyously. "I remember everything!"
She saw his beloved silver-blue eyes light up as he began to reply, then the horror that overtook his features.
She felt a sharp pain in her back and as the blackness came down on her, the last thing that she heard was his voice calling her name.
**************************
Sinbad had been trekking through the woods with no sign of Maeve. Then, to his left somewhere, he had heard a scream that chilled his blood. It had sounded unearthly, inhuman.....
He had quickened his pace, hoping that Maeve was all right. As he got closer, he heard the sounds of fighting and he had broken into a run.
As he burst onto the scene, he saw his sorceress standing over the bodies of some monsters, looking for all the world like an avenging angel.
She had seen him and smiled. "Sinbad!" she had called to him. "I remember everything!"
He had started to smile and move towards her, when he noticed the figure garbed in a long, dark robe behind her.
As if in a dream, he saw the person raised a dagger and plunge it viciously into her back. As his beloved fell, Sinbad cried out her name in anguished disbelief.
The assailant emitted a triumphant laugh and disappeared.
************************
Dermott cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Bryn was next to him in an instant.
"What is it?" she asked, concerned.
"Maeve," he gasped. "Something's wrong. I can't feel her anymore."
Bryn felt the cold fingers of fear touch her heart. She knew that although Dermott and his sister no longer shared the mind link, some residue of it remained, allowing them to keep each other close to their hearts. If Dermott no longer felt his sister then Maeve was either grievously wounded or......
She shook her head. NO! Maeve must have just been knocked unconscious or maybe she had found a way out of the world that they were in.
She brightened and suggested it to Dermott. He shot her a quelling glare. "And what about my pain?" he asked. "It was in my lower back. Some coward stabbed my sister in her back." His green eyes blazed. "I'll kill the son- of-a-bitch."
"Can you stand now?" she asked.
He nodded and got to his feet. He scanned the area and turned to her. "It's not far again. Come on."
*******************************
Sinbad ran to Maeve's side and knelt next to her prone body. He cradled her head in his arms and smoothed her hair away from her pale face.
One look at her still features confirmed his worst fears. She was dead. Gone from his life, this time forever.
He cried out his anguish as the heavens opened unexpectedly and the rain poured down on them. It seemed as if the entire world wept with him for the loss of the beautiful redhead.
He buried his face in her soft, fragrant curls and sobbed heartbrokenly. That was how Dermott and Bryn found him as they came to the spot twenty minutes later, soaked and miserable.
Dermott cried out in denial as he saw the still form of his sister and Bryn's hand flew up to her mouth in horror.
Dermott ran to the two figures and pushed Sinbad aside, gathering the body into his arms. He raised his face skywards and yelled in anger, pain and frustration.
He turned to Sinbad, his emerald eyes afire with the need for vengeance. "Who did this?"
Sinbad was inconsolable. "I-I don't know. It was a tall man in a dark cloak."
"I will find him," Dermott swore. "I'll carve out his heart."
Suddenly, Maeve's body was awash in a soft golden light. It grew and grew until the three mourners had to shield their eyes. When the glow faded, she was gone.
**************************
Maeve awoke panting harshly. She had been dreaming - visions of death and pain had surrounded her. She glanced to her right where Sinbad lay, still asleep. She silently stood and walked to the trees in front of her.
She could feel that they were being watched - how she knew that, she couldn't say - yet she felt cold because she knew that what watched her was inherently evil.
She considered awaking Sinbad, but she refused to rely on the sailor for yet another thing in this horrible adventure that they were having.
She picked up the long, intricately carved sword that Sinbad had told her belonged to her and proceeded into the woods.
Sinbad awoke with a feeling of disaster about to happen. Instinctively, he reached for Maeve and was jolted into full awareness when he realized that she wasn't there. He jumped up and grabbed his sword.
Following his instincts, he made his way towards where the woods were the thickest. There, he found a piece of Maeve's clothes that had gotten snagged on the grasping branches.
Satisfied now that he was on the right track, he followed the trail, praying that he was not too late.
**************************************
Dermott awoke gasping in terror. "Maeve!" he cried out in fright.
Bryn reached out and touched his hand. "What is it?" she asked in alarm.
He struggled to his feet. "Maeve's in danger. We have to go NOW!"
Bryn got up as well. "But how do we find her?"
"Don't worry," was the grim reply. "We will."
**********************************************
Maeve was berating herself for being dumb enough to go into the woods by herself. Everywhere she turned, there seemed to be a pair of red eyes staring at her from the darkness.
She constantly scanned her surroundings, looking for any sign of hostile creatures. She had lost sight of the campsite a long time ago and she was beginning to think that it was about time she turned back.
Her mind turned to Sinbad and how he had looked while he was asleep. In slumber, he looked almost boyish - with all other stress erased from his features. It was her last thought before something slammed into her from behind, flinging her against a tree.
Dazed, Maeve got up shakily, raising a hand to her head. The place went black for a few seconds and she realized that her memories had come rushing back!
She was overjoyed but was aware that now was not the time to celebrate. She raised her sword to the ready and prepared to face whatever it was that had attacked her.
What she saw stopped her dead. There were five black, taloned beasts that were at least seven feet tall. They stared at her, malice gleaming in their glowing red eyes.
She swallowed and prepared to create a fireball. As the first attacked, she hit it with the glowing ball of magic, squarely in the eyes. It emitted a ghastly scream and disappeared.
She smiled triumphantly. "Still want more boys?" she taunted the other four.
They charged her.
Igniting her blade, the way she had taught Bryn and Dermott, Maeve proceeded to hack and slice her way through her attackers.
Five minutes later, it was all over.
She stood, panting over the bodies of her enemies and raised a victorious fist to the sky, laughing.
That was how Sinbad found her moments later as he burst upon the scene, drawn by the sounds of a battle.
Maeve turned sparkling amber eyes to him. "Sinbad!" she cried joyously. "I remember everything!"
She saw his beloved silver-blue eyes light up as he began to reply, then the horror that overtook his features.
She felt a sharp pain in her back and as the blackness came down on her, the last thing that she heard was his voice calling her name.
**************************
Sinbad had been trekking through the woods with no sign of Maeve. Then, to his left somewhere, he had heard a scream that chilled his blood. It had sounded unearthly, inhuman.....
He had quickened his pace, hoping that Maeve was all right. As he got closer, he heard the sounds of fighting and he had broken into a run.
As he burst onto the scene, he saw his sorceress standing over the bodies of some monsters, looking for all the world like an avenging angel.
She had seen him and smiled. "Sinbad!" she had called to him. "I remember everything!"
He had started to smile and move towards her, when he noticed the figure garbed in a long, dark robe behind her.
As if in a dream, he saw the person raised a dagger and plunge it viciously into her back. As his beloved fell, Sinbad cried out her name in anguished disbelief.
The assailant emitted a triumphant laugh and disappeared.
************************
Dermott cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Bryn was next to him in an instant.
"What is it?" she asked, concerned.
"Maeve," he gasped. "Something's wrong. I can't feel her anymore."
Bryn felt the cold fingers of fear touch her heart. She knew that although Dermott and his sister no longer shared the mind link, some residue of it remained, allowing them to keep each other close to their hearts. If Dermott no longer felt his sister then Maeve was either grievously wounded or......
She shook her head. NO! Maeve must have just been knocked unconscious or maybe she had found a way out of the world that they were in.
She brightened and suggested it to Dermott. He shot her a quelling glare. "And what about my pain?" he asked. "It was in my lower back. Some coward stabbed my sister in her back." His green eyes blazed. "I'll kill the son- of-a-bitch."
"Can you stand now?" she asked.
He nodded and got to his feet. He scanned the area and turned to her. "It's not far again. Come on."
*******************************
Sinbad ran to Maeve's side and knelt next to her prone body. He cradled her head in his arms and smoothed her hair away from her pale face.
One look at her still features confirmed his worst fears. She was dead. Gone from his life, this time forever.
He cried out his anguish as the heavens opened unexpectedly and the rain poured down on them. It seemed as if the entire world wept with him for the loss of the beautiful redhead.
He buried his face in her soft, fragrant curls and sobbed heartbrokenly. That was how Dermott and Bryn found him as they came to the spot twenty minutes later, soaked and miserable.
Dermott cried out in denial as he saw the still form of his sister and Bryn's hand flew up to her mouth in horror.
Dermott ran to the two figures and pushed Sinbad aside, gathering the body into his arms. He raised his face skywards and yelled in anger, pain and frustration.
He turned to Sinbad, his emerald eyes afire with the need for vengeance. "Who did this?"
Sinbad was inconsolable. "I-I don't know. It was a tall man in a dark cloak."
"I will find him," Dermott swore. "I'll carve out his heart."
Suddenly, Maeve's body was awash in a soft golden light. It grew and grew until the three mourners had to shield their eyes. When the glow faded, she was gone.
**************************