Chapter Sixteen; Silent Speech.
Jane's recovery seems very swift, especially from a wound so deep and wide, but there is more to this than meets the eye…
Jane was allowed the leave the hospital a few days later. The stitches in her wound had come out, although she couldn't stretch or do any exercise and she had to wear a bandage. The doctor wanted to keep her in for another two days but she was so anxious to leave, they thought she would be calmer and so heal better at home. They had no medical reason to restrain her, but she was given several medicines to take. John was entrusted with the chore of changing her bandage and administering the pills she needed. She was to be kept calm and relaxed, any sudden movements could rip the stab wound open again. The rest had exchanged worried glances at that. How were they meant to keep Jane calm while they were searching for the signs and trying to keep her away from the hands of the Dark?
"Our first priority is to protect Jane." Bran said softly, out of her hearing. "The Dark will want her back."
"We also need the Signs. The Dark riders will not be able to use them or wear them because they are bound to the Light. To the Six. Only by breaking them can the Dark re-forge the chains and bend their power to their will."
"Let us get her home first, shall we? Before we start fretting over that."
Jane was silent for a great deal of the journey back to the farm. She sat on the seat, arms folded protectively over her abdomen and stared out the window, her jaw set.
Will, sitting beside her, touched her shoulder gently and she jumped in surprise.
"How are you feeling Jane?" He asked
"As well as can be expected I suppose, it hurts to walk and if I move too much."
Her fingers strayed to the bracelet around her wrist, touching it gently.
"What happened?" Her voice was so faint only Will, leaning in close, could hear it.
"Pardon?"
"What happened?" She repeated. "What took you so long to come and save me?"
"It was hard to get in." Bran said in his thick welsh accent, it always became more pronounced when he was angry or anxious. "We tried every day."
"They took me and put me into a room." She was still staring out the window, absently tracing the patterns on the bracelet. "It was so dark and cold. They gave me water that night, and left me there. They hit me after that. And while they hit me, they laughed. They kicked me over and over, until I could barely breathe, then I must have fainted.
"When I woke up, I was back in the cell and the White Rider was there. She asked me all sorts of questions I didn't know the answers to. Then she hit me again." She paused for a moment, then continued, her voice hard.
"I heard voices then, asking me why you weren't there to save me. Telling me that you didn't care about me. You know what?" She turned to face them abruptly, her eyes brimming with tears. "I could tell them to go away, but I couldn't help but wonder how much of what they were saying was the truth. They were right and I can't forget that.
"None of you were there when I needed you. Neither was Merry though. And he promised none of us would get hurt by the Dark. He promised we would be safe. He lied."
She held back the flow of tears that threatened to spill over, biting her lip. Will was the one sitting next to her and, a bit awkwardly, he reached an arm out and circled her shoulders.
"We tried Jane. We spent days trying to find you. And when we found you we tried to rescue you so many times."
"They did at that, fach." John's voice came from the front. "They came back everyday exhausted. Especially Will there, who searched all day and then found you late at night. Magic that was."
But Will wasn't listening, Jane felt his arm go slack across her shoulders.
He had felt Merriman's presence on the edge of his awareness, drifting in and out of his consciousness. He called out to him in the silent mind speech that the Old Ones alone can hear and speak.
"Merriman?" When he received no answer, he tried again, more forcefully. "Merriman!"
"He can't hear you." A soft voice came from his side. "There's no need to shout."
The other occupants of the car froze.
"Who can't hear?" Barney asked, confused. Will hushed him with a glance and then spoke again in his mind.
"You can hear me?"
"Of course I can!" She looked up at him, puzzled, the tears vanishing from her eyes slightly.
Everyone in the car was now staring at Jane, with the exception of John, but his eyes kept flicking up to the rear view mirror.
"What is going on?" Simon said forcefully, utterly confused. He wasn't sure he liked the fact that Will seemed to be able to communicate privately with his sister.
"I'm answering Will." She said, bemused, as if it was obvious.
"But he didn't say anything!" Barney burst out!
"He is! He was calling out for Merriman."
Will turned pale. Something had happened to Jane, so that she could hear his silent speech.
"I was." He said slowly, "But not aloud."
There is a reason for Jane's speedy recovery, you've been a hint of it now, and more will be revealed in later chapters. And I hope I won't be so lax in updating this story in future.
HuntressDiana