Okay, I'm sorry that this fic is late and all, but I have an EXCELLENT excuse!! I had a horrible stomach virus!! It was just awful!! I never want to be sick again!! UGH! I had a fever, throwing up, and the whole enchilada!!! And I don't believe I will ever eat cookie dough again for as long as I live!!! But that's a different story! So please forgive the lateness, but it was necessary! I have this little code I guess you could say and this is how it is:
Work complete=free time=fanfics/stuff
Now since I was sick, I didn't get much work completed, so you guys understand what I mean!!!
Well, thanks for all of the reviews! I love all of them!! I really do!!
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Blessed
Chapter Seven
Author: Tevrah
Email: kmw852yahoo.com
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Chapter Seven
Night had fallen fast. Fires were lit in the camp and once again the air became freezing cold. Hitomi wrapped Aidan in the jacket that she had worn that morning and waited for the right moment.
The guard to the tent had changed twice. One guard in the morning, and one guard at midday. Hitomi figured that another guard would be stationed for the night. She was right. She watched as the shadows of two men hung together for a moment, then one shadow walked off and the other took his place by the tent entrance.
Hitomi took a deep breath and closed her eyes in concentration. She grasped the pendant tightly in her joined hands and waited for the burst of energy. It came slowly at first, and then steadily grew until Hitomi felt it flowing through every part of her body.
She let out the breath she had been holding and searched the atmosphere for the guard's mind. She slowly entered it and shuddered at the images she found. He was wondering how he could have her without his boss finding out.
In one swift push, she immobilized him. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't think. She opened her eyes and sighed in relief. It had worked.
She picked Aidan up and silently walked to the tent flap. The man didn't even blink. She saw a dagger at his waist and reached over and grasped it tightly in her fist. Fear made her heart pound loudly and she was afraid that someone might be able to hear it if they were quiet enough.
Holding Aidan tightly, she crept in the shadows of the camp. Some men were around campfires, playing games of chance and gambling. Their laughter was loud and seemed to echo in the night. She made it to the edge of the forest and stopped to catch her breath.
Her arms were shaking as shifted Aidan into a better position. She took a deep breath and it turned into a puff of air when she let it out. Slowly, cautiously she crept into the forest and began to run. She ran and ran, branches hitting her in the face and arms, leaving cuts on her delicate skin.
She didn't know where she was, and didn't care. All she kept hearing was her mind telling her to run and to not look back. It was a while before her legs gave out and she fell to her knees in weariness. She panted heavily and cold sweat poured off her skin. Her arms were had numbed long ago, but somehow Aidan had remained in her hold.
A snap sounded behind her and she turned blindly. She looked around in a slight panic, but there was nothing. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and silently berated herself for scaring so easily. The rebels couldn't have known that she had left yet. Could they?
She bit her lip as her mind wound itself around that worry. She couldn't remember how long ago she had left the camp, but it didn't seem like that long at all. Cautiously, she turned and began to move again at a more sedate pace. She just couldn't keep running. Her legs were shaking from the strain as it was.
She traveled for as long as she could, but it was not more than a few minutes later when she had to sit against a tree and force herself to breathe. She set Aidan down beside her and saw by his peaceful face that he was sleeping. She closed her eyes and thanked the gods for that small mercy.
She came awake with a start. She looked around, her eyes darting every which way wildly. Something was wrong. She shouldn't have stopped. She glanced at Aidan and saw that he was still sleeping. She slowly stood up, having to brace her weight against the tree trunk for support.
Strong arms wrapped around her middle and she was pulled against a hard chest. "Hello, Majesty," a slimy voice said.
Hitomi struggled, but the man didn't budge. She brought her heel down as hard as she could and cried out in pain as she connected with a hard shinbone. She was thrown to the ground as the man gave a grunt of pain. She was slapped hard against the face and saw spots.
"Yer a high-an'-mighty bitch, ain't cha?" the voice spit out hatefully. "Ya wouldn't even give a fella' such as meself nothin' but a dirty glance, would ya?"
He grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her to his face. Her lips were crushed against her teeth painfully as his mouth descended upon hers. He threw her back and the breath was knocked out of her. She felt hands groping along her chest and began to struggle again.
She wavered into unconsciousness and back as she was rewarded another slap. Not really thinking, but completely panicking as she heard her dress being torn, she brought her knee up as hard as she could and was immensely satisfied when she heard him give a loud cry of pain as she connected with his groin.
He rolled off of her and staggered to his feet. Hitomi knew she only had precious seconds and frantically groped for the dagger in her dress. Her hand clasped the hilt as man drew his own knife. She looked at it in fear, then up to the man's face that was twisted with hate and rage.
He lunged at her and she sidestepped as quickly as she could, but not fast enough as she felt a slice of pain at her side. Almost blindly, she raised the dagger in the air and brought it down. It buried itself into the man's back. He arched back and shouted in pain. She jerked the dagger out and brought it down again and again until the man fell to the ground and didn't move.
She left the dagger buried in his back as she stared numbly at his body. Bile rose in her throat as her mind comprehended what had happened. An agonized cry escaped and tears fell down her cheeks. A small whimper sounded through the haze surrounding her and she turned to find Aidan's terrified eyes looking at her.
She reached out to him, but saw the blood on her hands and stopped. She wiped the blood on her dress as best she could and crawled over to him. He immediately buried his face in her chest and began to cry. Tremors overtook his small body and Hitomi wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could and tried to absorb his pain and fear as best she could.
Her mind began to work. If this man had found them, did that mean there were others on the way? How much time did they have for Hitomi to find a hiding place before the rebels found them? Fear spurred her into action and she picked Aidan up once more and took off running.
Her side was burning where the man had cut her and her face hurt as well. She had to find a hiding place. She had to get her and Aidan to safety. It was their only chance. She ran for an hour before she collapsed. Aidan cried out as they fell and Hitomi tried to cushion his fall. She landed on her back with Aidan clutched to her chest.
She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the pain. Her legs were cramping and she felt completely paralyzed. Aidan crawled to her head and sat beside her.
"Mama?" he whispered fearfully. When she didn't answer he cried out, "Mama!"
"Hush, baby," she whispered painfully. "Reach into my dress and get the stone."
He did as he was told and stared at the stone in fear.
"I want you to concentrate really hard," she told him. She felt tears well up in her eyes at what she was going to ask him to do, but if she could get him to safety, then all would be well. "I want you to make your wings come out," she said.
"But it hurts, Mama," Aidan whimpered. He never wanted to feel that kind of pain again.
"It won't hurt this time," his mother promised. "Trust me, Aidan. It won't hurt this time."
Aidan nodded warily. He didn't want to let his wings out again, but he would do it for his mama. He felt a hand on top of his and saw his mama's hand covering the stone he held.
"Concentrate," she whispered.
Aidan closed his eyes and did as he was told.
Hitomi held his hand tightly and felt a pressure building along her back. It slowly grew and grew until it was a blinding pain that had her crying out. Suddenly she felt as though her skin was being pulled apart and she screamed in pain. Her eyes closed and blackness engulfed her.
Aidan stared at his mama in terror. Why wasn't she moving? She had to wake up. He shook her gently. "Mama?" She didn't move. He shook her harder. "Mama! Wake up!"
After a while he gave up. She wasn't going to wake up. Tears fell down his cheeks. He had killed his mama. "I'm sorry, Mama! Please come back!"
In sheer fright, Aidan turned from his unmoving mother and ran. His wings got snagged on branches, but he just kept running until he ran out of the forest and off of a cliff. He began to fall, but his wings spread wide and lifted him higher and higher.
He clutched the pendant in his hand as a mysterious wind began to blow him to the south. He felt soft hands cup his face and dry his tears. His mother's voice floated in his mind.
Find your papa. He'll make it right. He'll make it go away. Find your papa.
"Okay, Mama," he whimpered. "I'll find Papa. He'll make it better."
He flapped his wings as if he had been doing it all of his life and floated along as the wind continued to blow. Time was lost as forest and water flew by, but by the time he saw the Fanelian flag waving from the tallest tower of the castle, the sun was slowly rising.
He was so tired that all he wanted to do was sleep, but he had to find his papa first. He had promised his mama that he would and he wasn't going to let her down. He flew over the stone wall and the wind slowly drew away. He began to fall and flapped his wings frantically. He landed in a heap on a dirt ground and the last thing he heard was his father's voice.
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Fear overwhelmed him.
Van couldn't think, couldn't breathe. He couldn't do anything except worry. His son, his precious son, was laying in the hospital bed with bandages all around his body. Who could harm such an innocent child? Why? Were the father's sins so terrible that they would do this to his son?
He thought back to that heart-stopping instant when he had saw Aidan falling from the sky in the marketplace. He had been questioning the people himself when a mysterious wind had surrounded him and had literally drug him to the center of the town.
Everything had happened so fast. He had seen Aidan falling, but wasn't fast enough to catch him. Aidan had hit the ground with a horrifying finality that had Van clutching his chest. He had turned Aidan over and saw the bruises and scratches along his small body and didn't move for a complete minute.
People had surrounded them and their mummers had goaded him into action. He had picked Aidan up and run all the way to the hospital wing of the hospital. That had been hours ago and Van hadn't left his son's side since.
He looked so small and breakable in that little bed and it made Van want to weep. His gaze shifted to the small pink stone on the table beside the bed. Aidan had been clutching it in his hand. What was it? Why did he have it?
Curiosity overcame him and Van reached over and grabbed the stone. A surge of power rushed through him and left him gasping for air. What in Gaea—
"Papa?"
Van looked at Aidan.
"Don't let him get me, Papa. Don't let him hurt me again."
"Don't let who?" Van whispered softly. Please, he thought, please let him know.
"…Jon…Don't let him hurt us no more." Tears slipped down Aidan's cheeks.
Van froze. No, it couldn't be. Jon was his friend. Jon would never--
It all clicked into place and the truth was so staggering that Van had to steady himself against the table. Rage filled him, but his son's next words turned his blood to ice.
"I'm sorry, Papa. I killed Mama." Sobs were racking his small body. "She wasn't moving and she was bleeding and she screamed. I'm sorry, Papa. I'm sorry."
Van reached down and cradled his son against his chest as Aidan slipped once more into unconsciousness. Van laid his son back on the bed gently and covered him up. He got up and began to walk blindly. He made it to the door before he collapsed to his knees.
It couldn't be. No. No! Hitomi couldn't be dead. In the past four years since their marriage, she and Aidan had become his world. Please dear gods, no!
Tears slipped down his cheeks, and for the first time since he was five years old, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, cried.
To be continued…
Well, what did you guys think? Let me know! Thanks! About one more chapter should do it! It'll probably be long, but if I decide to split it, then it'll take two more chapters!!
Love ya'll!
Tevrah