HAPPY NEW YEAR! Ok, the story would have been finished before the New Year but I forgot that fanfiction was doing the work on the site! Any resolutions that sounds good to keep this year?
Chapter 20 – Restoring
Shock was apparent on Thom's face as he stared at Emilie. His mind registered Nataila's laughter echoing the small chamber. The large bruise on Emilie's fair skin had brought a sickening feeling into his stomach before it turned to uncontrollable rage. However this was held in check, as violet met determined green.
Emilie was trying to communicate something through his stare over his shoulder. Thom was slightly puzzled until he heard the scrapping of metal of a boot on the ground. Spinning around while flinging up a defence shield, Thom met a full blast of a fire spell. Unconsciously, he remembered this old man standing in front throwing bolts as the same man who had attack the Fort yesterday. The old man had stood a distance away either group.
A muffled cry from Emilie had Thom glancing over his shoulder to see Nataila grabbing Emilie to push her through the door yet Emilie was fighting it. Thom now saw why Emilie had the inability to throw punches and kicks. Both were tied tight. Nevertheless the marks of rubbing rope showed that she wasn't giving up and this filled Thom's spirit with courage.
He turned to his opponent with a renew energy, his eyes shown brighter as he realised that it had to end now. As the old magician was concentrating on penetrating Thom's shield directly, Thom closed his eyes and concentrated on the ground beneath them. Focusing heat strikes under the earth, Thom was banking on that his enemy had not protected himself with a magical barrier underneath.
Taking a deep breathe, Thom allowed his magic to flow. A great purple light filled the room, blinding all the occupiers then a straggling shout of surprise followed by the old man's body thudding to the ground. As the light dissipated, Thom smiled at his trick as he had successfully disarmed the enemy without long term damage or death.
The running of two sets of footsteps indicated to Thom that he was left on his own. Not thinking about anything than getting Emilie away from Nataila.
Mother Goddess, please protect Emilie! He repeated constantly as he took the steps of the small staircase three at a time. As he reached the opening, Thom looked right to see if he could catch a sign of the pair running out of the barracks. However his vision dulled and extreme pain filled his head, causing him to fall to his knees.
"Thom!", cried Emilie, "Shield yourself!"
"Shut up you wench!", shrieked Nataila.
Following the command, Thom did however he could do no more. His body was having a hard time to adjust. He felt around gingerly with his hand to find that his head a huge gash, bleeding profusely.
"Emilie", Thom croaked as his head throbbed.
"Thom…"
"I said close your mouth!", screamed Nataila and Thom heard a heavy thump. "I want you to survive Thom because then you will have to live with her death on your hands. To think that I once thought you worthy of my love…you're a traitor! Selling yourself out to the King and his ideas about teaching peasants, bringing in new nobility…ha! I will have my way!"
The decreasing sound of the evil laughter from the crazed Nataila, pointed out to a very sore Thom that he was losing Emilie for a second time.
Dredging up the last amount of adrenalin from his body, Thom lurched up from his fallen positioned on the floor and stumbled through the corridors to reach the outside of the barracks where the main fighting was still going on.
At least someone will stop her even if I can't, Thom thought relieved making his way to the door. Finally crossing over the threshold, his eyes blinked several times to adjust to the morning's rays. He scanned the area to see how the Lady Knight was fairing.
From his observation, Thom noted with relief that Fort Hope soldiers were winning in the skirmish. A yell greeted his ears.
"Thom!", Dom shouted from his group, "she escaped that way!" Pointed to the north east. "Couldn't stop her…had Emilie as a hostage…"
Thom cursed himself for being such an optimist. Of course, they wouldn't attack…she has a knife at Emilie's throat plus they need to defeat this enemy first.
With a nod in the direction to Dom to show that he understood, Thom ran to where he had left horse. He was grateful for the cover that Dom's squad gave him as he clucked the brown mare to follow a trail of dust. He knew that his Gift was spent.
He would have to trounce Nataila with weapons possible leading to her death yet when Emilie was at stake that nothing was beyond Thom's actions.
The monstrous gleam in Nataila's eyes had fixated Emilie as they stood inches apart. Nataila with a knife in her hand close to kill Emilie while Emilie's back faced the cliff. Below, the churning waves of the waters of the river which bordered Scarcan..
"It seems that I will get one of my fantasies in this life time", Nataila crowed, "I will see you beg before killing you anyway!". A disturbing giggle escaped Nataila's mouth which brought a visible shudder down Emilie's.
"I don't beg", Emilie said coolly, "that's for people like you who have lost everything already…I mean how stupid of you to sleep around when you had Thom around your little finger…the high of idiocy."
"Shut up!" screamed Nataila into Emilie's face.
"Why?" Emilie replied with utter calmness. "This is what it is all about. Not the King …not even the King Spy…it's all about having something that you can never have…Thom."
"He was mine until you wormed into his life! Now he thinks that he loves you…when he can have me! You must have drugged him…you are nothing!"
"Except for loving him", interrupted Emilie, "but it was his decision to freely love me back."
"He will not marry you!"
Nataila took another threatening step forward as Emilie moved backwards. Emilie was closer to the edge which delighted Nataila.
"When you are gone he will finally realise his mistaken and come back to me!"
"Of course," Emilie stated sarcastically, "because after telling him that you wanted him to suffer with my death on his conscious he is surely going to fall for you…the person who had caused all this pain."
The silence filled the air as Nataila thought over Emilie's word. It had become clear to Emilie from the moment she was in the cell that Nataila was becoming unhinged. As Nataila's eyes focused to some far away place, Emilie looked at her situation. It was very desperate.
Her heart had swelled at the sight of Thom barging in to the room and single-handed defeated the magician without killing him. The blood soaked shirt had scared Emilie for a second but seeing him brought hope to her. However everything seemed lost now as she had been carried off to this cliff side.
Her eyes zoned in on something on the horizon – a dust cloud was growing larger and larger. Steadily a horse could be made out with a rider. The familiar black cloak fluttering in the wind sent Emilie's heart soaring again.
Thom!
She breathed easy. Although she felt guilty for being kidnap in the first place and therefore being the cause for this whole battle. She should have warned Thom better. Capture had been whispered about as the King had made the arrangement to find out the people behind the murmuring of the rebellion.
Emilie smiled inwardly as she realised that Lady Harriet was still a fool. Even though she had got the right person, she had thought that Thom was the King's Spy. It was ridicule. Thom couldn't hide any secrets from himself than from the enemy. His captivating purple eyes told the truth without him knowing most of the time.
The hoofs of the horse could no longer be concealed and snapped Nataila out of her trance. She swirled around to be greeted with a bloody Thom falling off his horse and stumbling before controlling his steps.
He moved closer cautiously, only glancing at Emilie for a second to see her eyes shining with joy. "Nataila. It's all over…hand me over Emilie and the King will be lenient."
"Never", she said savagely as grabbed Emilie, pushing her in front with the knife pointed again to Emilie's throat, edging further away from Thom. "I will kill her first."
"Think about this very carefully," Thom pleaded to Nataila, "there is no way out of the mess that you have created…it is fruitless."
"At least she will be out of the way", Nataila spat, "She had bewitched you!"
Thom laughed. "Emilie doesn't have a smudge of the Gift in her entire body!."
"Rubbing it in why don't you", Emilie voiced sourly.
"You have knife to your throat, backing onto a cliff with a hundred metres drop behind you and all you can do is quarrel with me about having the Gift", Thom said astounded at his fiancée's thinking.
"Yes", Emilie commented with a twinkle in her eyes, unseen to Nataila, "at least I can teach you some manners before I go!"
"What an incredible woman you are!"
Thank you for the compliment, Lord Thom", Emilie said curtsying as best she could in the tight hold.
"Stop it", screeched Nataila. "Stop it now! I will not having you talking to that whore!"
"But he wasn't talking to you dear", stated Emilie.
Nataila screamed out her fury and stepped back. Her right foot wobbled as she started to lose her balance, the end of the cliff was crumbling away. As her attention was on her own safety, Thom made a mad dash for Emilie twisting her out of Nataila's hold.
Before either Thom or Emilie could think of steadying Nataila on the edge, they heard her fearful screams all the way down until they finally stopped suddenly.
Emilie closed her eyes. Thom was in shock from the unexpected end of Nataila and the near miss for Emilie. What brought him back was the warm pressure of lips on his.
He looked down to see that Emilie had snatched his dirty shirt and dragged his head down. Without waiting for her to break away, Thom circled his arms around her waist and drew her in closer, deepening the kiss.
After a few moments, they broke away.
"Thank you", Emilie said simply.
"All in a day's duty", Thom smirked, "when I'm with you." Sealing his teasing remark with another kiss, then wrapping his uninjured arm round her shoulder to guide them back to the horses. "Now to see Neal for I am in need of healing."
"Big baby", Emilie commented quietly although she snuggled further into his chest.
"Big man, thank you very much!"
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Ok, one more! Just one more chapters folks and I think I am done. Any questions please email me…but what I REALLY loves are reviews! They make me happy, even the bad ones because it shows that you care! X (still can't get into hotmail damn it!)