Chapter 6

Emma felt herself falling in and out of the darkness that gripped her mind. She wanted to see her Jonny so badly but how would he react to her when he found out what happened to her. She felt so dirty, so violated. How would things ever be the same for them? She let the darkness take her completely and went limp in Malik's arms.

Ardeth saw them approaching and turned his horse so that he could take off after them. In a voice barely above a whisper he said, "Muhammad get him there safely to Lilith. I will be right behind you." The older man nodded and took off after Malik and Emma into the dark night towards the safety of their village.

It didn't take long for Malik to pull up in front of the medical building with Emma in his arms. Dismounting he let one of the younger warriors take his horse and he rushed the unconscious young girl inside.

"Lilith, HURRY! Emma is not well!"

Lilith came out of the small room she was in and took one look at the young girl in Malik's arms. Her heart leapt from her chest to her throat and she moved quickly to take the younger girl from Malik. She knew the girl was bad off and could only hope that she had the strength and healing abilities to save her.

Soon she had the girl laid out on the soft pallet bed and began assessing her wounds. Some were serious but it was not the physical wounds she worried about so much as the emotional ones. The scars the girl would carry forever would shape who she was from this moment forward.

Soon Mohammad came charging in with young Jonathan cradled in his arms. "Your foolish brother is about to fall off his horse it is only by the grace of Allah and the skills of Sky Dancer than he will make it back here alive."

He laid the boy next to his sister and Lilith sighed. She thought about how scared they would be, how utterly lost even with the comfort of one another; it would be a long road for them.

She looked at Jonathan's wounded leg and found that all the stitches she carefully placed were torn and the wound was freely bleeding again. She was not sure she could save him and right at that point more than ever before she wished her mother were still alive to help her. She would know what to do with the boy and girl. Lilith took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now was not the time to break down she chided herself. Soon enough Lilith was back at work staunching the blood flow from Jonathan's wound and one of her young assistants was busily working on mending the angry red wounds that Emma had all over her small frame.

No sooner had she re-stitched Jonathan's leg; Malik and Mohammad had carried Ardeth in. He was pale and sweating.

Even still as weak as he was he continued to fight the help his friends were giving him. "Let... ME... BE!" Ardeth said hoarsely.

Lilith took one look at her brother and shook her head.

"You are so stubborn Ardeth! Leader or no, older brother or not, you are going to stay here and let me tend your wounds. By willingness or by force, I will stitch that wound and make sure you don't get an infection."

Ardeth knew that his younger sister was right but he didn't dare admit it. He could not allow himself time to sit. If he did he would feel, and that was the last thing he needed right then. The anger and bitterness was still so fresh and sitting just below the surface. If he didn't push himself hard and didn't give in to the physical and emotional pain he knew he could keep it under control.

"Get on with it then and let me be!" He ground out through gritted teeth.

His field of vision was becoming grayer by the minute and he was not sure how much longer he could will himself conscious. He wanted to make sure that Jonathan was alright and that Emma was as safe as she could be. "Is the boy...Jonathan all right? Will he live? The girl? Are her wounds fatal?"

Lilith looked at her brother, "I am not sure if the boy will live and only time will tell if the girls wounds would prove to be fatal. The emotional scars will take the longest to heal Ardeth. You know that. NOW lay back and let me look at your wound. That is an order from the healer."

He only nodded and lay back onto the bed. Lilith was none too gentle as she cleansed the jagged red wound on her brother's shoulder. With his good arm he grabbed her wrist and gripped it tightly.

"It would serve you best... to be more gentle with my wound Lilith. I am still your leader. Just because I lay here on your bed in the sick room does not mean that you can disrespect me like that. Now take care of the wound and mind your tongue."

He gripped her arm harder to prove his point and when he released his hold she jerked her arm back and began to rub her wrist. Nodding Lilith began to be a bit more caring with her brother's wound.

Ardeth tried his best to stop the darkness from overtaking him but it was no use. He was completely spent both physically and emotionally. He had no fight left in him. All he could do was welcome the darkness that claimed his mind.

Lilith finished with her brother and then asked her assistants to get her if anything changed. She was mentally exhausted and needed to be alone. Lilith made her way to her parent's house. Once inside she sat on her father's favorite chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. She hugged herself tight and began to sob. The loss of her parents tore at her very soul. Now she was in fear that she would lose her brother to his anger and grief as well.

The sobs that escaped her lips wracked her body violently as she finally let go of some of the grief she had been holding onto. Malik had followed her and gave her some time alone but when he heard the painful sobs he could not hold back any longer. Quietly he moved inside the house and stood behind Lilith, he gently wrapped his strong arms around her and held her tightly to him. At first he felt her tense up but then soon she relaxed and began to sob in his arms. Deftly he picked her up and moved her to the couch there. He sat down taking her with him so that she was on his lap while she cried into his shoulder.

Ardeth woke with a start. His shoulder was throbbing and his heart was pounding inside his chest. He tried to clear the haunting thoughts from his mind but he was having little luck of it. Carefully he swung his legs over the side of the bed and did his best to steady himself so he could stand. He had to check on the young ones.

Slowly and quite unsteadily he moved off the bed and planted his feet on the floor. The room spun and he cursed quietly. Once he righted himself again he moved slowly and cautiously over to the bed next to him. In the dim light he could see them both sleeping. In their sleep Emma had gripped onto Jonathan and wrapped her body around his for comfort. They were beautiful to him. The unconditional love glowed between them like a guiding light, keeping each steady on their courses to one another. Their young eyes had already seen such terror and evil. He hoped that he could help shelter them from some of the harshness that dwells in the desert. As angry and bitter as Ardeth felt at the rest of the world, these two young, innocent people that lay helplessly in his village gave him reason to try and push past all the pain and grief. They would need someone strong to guide them, to shape them, to show them that all is not evil out in the vast desert that lay before them. Once Jonathan was better he would find out if there was any kind of family to send them back to. If not, he would welcome them into his home, making them part of his family.

Waves of dizziness began to over take him and he knew he needed to rest. He moved back to his bed and managed to get comfortable under the heavy blanket. He knew they all had a long road of healing ahead of them. He only hoped that he would be able to save them so that in turn he could save himself.