Chapter 2: Traitor in the midst

A/N: Sorry I haven't written in awhile, a lot of stuff has been going on. I'll try to post more regularly though. I hope you enjoy, and remember to read and review. Criticism is welcome as long as it is constructive!

Three days had passed since the soldier had arrived on her doorstep and he was still laying unconscious on her cot. Since then many of his fellow soldiers had come and gone as they pleased at all times throughout the day and night. Lillian did not mind though, she knew they were only worried about his well-being, even if they did tend to be a little drunk when they decided to wander in.

Late in the night of the third day Lillian heard a loud noise coming from the main room. Thinking it to be another drunken soldier she rolled over in her bed and closed her eyes breathing in the air. It smelled like rain was coming. Her pleasant thoughts were interrupted by a louder noise, one that sounded out of place from the noises the drunks usually made. Her eyes narrowed in the darkness and, as quiet as she could, she dressed. On the way out of her room she grabbed her dagger and treaded lightly towards the door.

As she entered the darkened room a shape moved in the corner. Bottles near the cot had been strewn across the floor and blankets lay askew near the predicted epicenter of the destruction. The cot itself was empty.

Another noise alerted her to the presence of a man hunkered down against the wall in the corner. The sounds that had awoken her seemed to be coming from the huddled shape. Abandoning all reasoning she made her past the glass shards and lit a candle that she had laid beside the cot earlier in the evening. Lighting it with the little fire that was left in the fireplace she aimed the flame into the corner. As soon as the light hit his face Lillian was by his side. She tried to put her arm underneath the wounded soldier to give herself some leverage to lift him, but the soldier protested violently by using his free hand to punch her in the jaw. The two of them fell to the floor, the soldier falling solidly onto Lillian as she tried to regain her sense of direction. Everything seemed to be spinning as she lay underneath the increasingly heavy man.

The soldier emitted another groan as he built up the strength to role onto his side. Lillian was to busy trying to get back her breath to notice.

Five minutes passed before Lillian felt it was safe enough for her to attempt speaking. What came out of her mouth was a hoarse noise that sounded like "oomph." She rubbed her jaw slightly and tried again. "Are you alright?" The young man looked at her out of the corner of his eye and appeared to be attempting to focus on her. He stopped trying when his attention was drawn to more important matters, the emptying of his already bare stomach. He choked a little as the smell of his own vomit hit him and he tried to turn away.

By now Lillian had recovered and was standing by his side ready to try and help him to his feet. Once again she was met with resistance. He shoved her hand away roughly and tried to back away across the ground. He was mumbling something unintelligible as he did so.

She stood there watching him for a moment for a new way to come at the situation. She finally decided on trying to speak to the man again. "I'm not going to hurt you. Please, just let me help you." She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and took a step closer to validate her plea. For once he did not put up a fight as she lifted him. He was still mumbling when she laid him back onto the disheveled cot.

As soon as she had him settled she went back for the candle she had dropped during their fall. She hastily lit it again; and another one on the opposite side of the cot. What she saw in front of her was not an encouraging site. The soldier had broken out into a substantial sweat and the skin around his wounds was red and swollen. Lillian swore slightly under her breath and was about to proceed to the medicinal cabinet when the soldier latched tightly onto her right arm. She attempted to release his grip but the harder she tried the tighter his grip got. He had started mumbling loudly again and pulling her closer. She tried to pull back but he swung his other arm around and grabbed her by the hair. By now Lillian was losing her temper but she reminded herself that he was probably delusional from shock and must think she was someone else. She gently placed her hands on the side of his face and said a few calming words. His grip lessened but he did not release her. Lillian tried again with her soft words but she only got out a few choice ones before he began screaming at her. She tried to cover her ears; the sound was deafening. She caught something along the lines of, "Traitor!" and something about an ambush, before her vision began to blur from the rush of sound.

As suddenly as the man had begun screaming he stopped. Lillian opened her closed eyes, and slowly removed her hands from her ears. The soldier was mumbling again. This time however Lillian caught every word.

"You betrayed us. How could you do that, you were our brother in arms. Our brother!, did that mean nothing to you. Nothing!" His grip had tightened at his last word. Lillian gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to focus. All she could do to forget the throbbing in her arm, and the chaos in her mind was to listen to the beating of the rain on the ground outside her house. She hadn't even noticed that the previously foreseen rain had started, this disturbed her a little as she loved the sound the rain made in summer. But something wasn't right. The rain didn't sound as friendly as it was supposed to. The grass wasn't as welcoming. There was a presence somewhere that had interrupted the beauty of the moment. Her gaze moved as much as it could in the soldiers unceasing grip. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightening seemed to give a brief glimpse of a darkened form outside her door. But as quickly as she had seen it the shape had disappeared. Nothing was left outside but the dampened grass and the rushing mud.

She averted her gaze back to the sickened soldier. His grip had let up enough so that she could free her head from his hands. He was still mumbling silently as he began his journey into slumber. His last word before he drifted off to sleep was.....

"Anghir."

Outside the hut a darkened shape pushed itself away from the wall of the house. It made its way carefully along the mud soaked path until it reached the bottom of the incline. There it stopped and gazed back at the house on the hill. Another flash of lightening revealed a wide smile that was soon replaced by a dark look of malice. "I'm afraid that will cost you both" it whispered into the night, before pulling up its hood and making its way back through the streets.