Chapter eighteen! I think... Anyway...My longest chapter yet, and darn proud of it! So, what happens when the new couple (Yay!) resumes their journey? Deryn's still on the loose, and it makes them somewhat nervous...

Raine: Dear, knowing you're writing this story makes me nervous in itself.

Yeah, well...wait til you see what happens in this chapter...-Coughcough-

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As they walked through the gates of Sybak, Raine took an instinctive look around. Three days...and not a sound from Deryn or her henchmen. That made her nervous, more than it comforted her, as it could very well mean she was scheming something in the shadows. Regal had attempted to console them both by saying there was no chance she could do anything in the open, with so many people looking out for any sign of her. But by Raine's wary expression, and the anxiety he felt, he wasn't sure it had had much effect.

"It isn't likely she'd come to a place like this," said Raine, as the couple-as-of-two-days walked side by side into the town. "Too many people, she would be risking getting caught; someone would be bound to get a glimpse of her."

Regal gave her a nod. "Indeed," was all he offered verbally. While anxious about Deryn's unknown whereabouts, he had to admit he was glad they had not cancelled their "Tour of Symphonia." It was proving quite stimulating, and he knew how excited she was about coming to Sybak - books were her first love. Well, perhaps second now, he mused, the...discussion of two days prior coming back to mind.

Then again, that was only a "perhaps." Raine's obsession was very, shall we say, pronounced.

Sure enough, Raine was examining Sybak's Library as they approached it, a sparkle in her violet-blue eyes, making them even more vivid. "Shall we go in?" he asked her, more than a hint of amusement in his voice.

She gave a start, and blinked at him for a moment before completely returning to reality. He motioned her inside, holding open the door with a "Ladies First" kind of bow. Such the gentleman, she mused as he closed the door behind himself. When Raine hesitated, he glanced at her. "Is something wrong?"

The mage knew that while Regal liked to read as much as the next man, he was not as enthusiatic about it as she. "You don't have to wait for me, if you don't want to," she told him, making sure he wasn't there just for her.

He shook his head. "I would like to see any changes or improvements they have made here, as well," he told her. It was the truth, even if it was only part of it. He also didn't fancy splitting up with Deryn on the loose, even if she would be in a rather public place.

Fortunately, she seemed to accept this at face value, as she gave a nod and started toward an uncrowded shelf. It only took her a few minutes to find a book that perked her interest, pluck it off the shelf, and bury her nose in it. Amused, Regal moved toward a different shelf, just looking around while she indulged in the joy of reading.

A creaking noise caught his attention after a bit, though no one else seemed to have noticed it. Looking around, he scanned the shelves - call him paranoid, but he didn't like the sound of it. It was coming from Raine's direction...His suspicions were horribly confirmed when he caught the slightest movement of the shelf she was standing by. But she was absorbed in the pages of whatever book it was she had.

"Raine!" he warned, a little loudly. But if his voice was too loud, it was nothing compared the the groaning of the shelf. It was coming down, there was no doubt about it, and he had a grand total of ten seconds to act. But he'd take it.

With a desperate burst of speed he made his way toward her just as she was looking up. Her expression turned from startled to horrified in record time, and she took a futile step backward. He willed her to step sideways, to get out of range rather than hopping backward in vain, but he knew the inevitable catastrophe had paralyzed her. She was too shocked, too frightened to move, even if it might save her life.

"Raine--move--no!" His voice was nearly drowned out by the enormous crash that echoed through the room as the book shelf fell to the floor. It had been released from the wall, to which it had been illegedly fastened with security, and now...

Books lay scattered as a few students in the library screamed, pressing themselves as far from the fallen shelf as possible. Dust puffed up into the air, as there came a woman's heart wrenching cry of pain, mingled with a rather sickening cracking sound, and the silence that followed the disaster was even louder than the fall itself. He stared, his hand half extended toward it. What he had been about to do, he didn't know, but whatever it was...he hadn't done it. Raine had surely been killed...He had truely failed her this time.

"Raine," he croaked, taking a weak step forward. He felt numb, lost in a dream. A horrible dream, a nightmare. Maybe there was a chance, just a chance that she was alive. She had shocked him once, she could do it again. But she wouldn't survive for long under the weight of the heavy, wooden shelf.

Ragged, gasping breaths caught his attention, and he slowly skirted around the shelf to the other side. "Raine!" he said, startled. She was lying on the carpetted floor, half on her side, her eyes squeezed shut as she panted. She was obviously in pain, terrible pain, and as he approached it became clear why. One of her legs was pinned beneath the fallen object, and it looked as though the more she moved, the worse she injured herself. Kneeling, he examined the problem.

Unfortunately, strong as he was, he wouldn't be able to move it on his own. Turning to the terrified students, he wasted no time. "Get help," he commanded them, and watched them scurry out the door, some of them bursting out into tears on the way. He knew how frightened they must be, but he couldn't be concerned with that right now. Raine was trapped, pinned beneath the wood, and he had to help her. He would help her, do everything he could. Regal would have done more than even that, if it were possible. He couldn't let her down, not again.

While they left to get assistance, he decided to try and calm her down. He picked up one of her hands, and immediately she was clinging to him as though her life depended on it, her nails digging into his own hand. With the unoccupied one, he smoothed stray hair from her face gently. "Raine, calm down." He would try to keep her talking, distract her as best he could. "You're alright. You got out of the way, you're alright."

He wasn't sure how she'd managed it, but he was certainly happy that she had. "Only your leg was caught, it could have been much worse."

"That...would...have...been...preferrable...to...this." She forced the words out through gritted teeth, her voice betraying how much pain she was really in as her grip tightened, and even her other hand dug into the carpet. She was strong, though, and apparently determined to make no sound other than speech.

"I hardly believe you would really want to die," he told her, softly. She was responding to him, and Regal wanted to keep it that way.

"You're...not...the one...under...this...shelf..." This time, the last word was more like a gasp, and he shifted so that both of his hands held hers, for comfort. People would be there soon, and they could get her out. She attempted a slight smile when he told her this, but it faltered, and she returned to the tense silence, her eyes tightly shut. The Duke could tell it took every ounce of self control she could gather not to cry out, and he felt a small sense of admiration for her restraint.

He looked up as the door opened, allowing many people to come flooding through. It didn't take them long to figure out what the issue at hand was, with Raine and her predicament in clear view. Several people looking like they might be Professors, or else older students, moved forward. "Raine, we're going to help you now," said Regal, just warning her before her let go of her hand.

She gave a stiff nod, but made no further attempt at speech nor sound of any kind. After a few seconds' lingering, he released her hand and stood to assist in the moving of the shelf. It would be tough, but there were enough of them to complete the task.

It took several long minutes before it was lifted enough that another student could deposit Raine's tense body out of harm's way, and once she was freed, the shelf was lowered - getting it back against the wall could wait. Moving away from it, his back protesting just slightly from the strain, he went to kneel by her side again. "Raine?" he prodded gently. "Answer me."

"What?" she gasped, not opening her eyes.

"You're free." He didn't know if she was aware of that or not, but he felt it needed to be said. And her leg, it needed to be checked. Gingerly, he laid his hand just lightly on the injured limb. He could tell by the way her whole body shuddered under his nearly non-existant touch, and by the way she bit her lip so hard it whitened, threatened to bleed, that he'd caused her more pain than she'd care to admit. "I'm sorry."

She would need a doctor, he decided. Yes, he could use minor healing to lessen the injury somewhat, but it wouldn't be enough to completely take care of it. Raising his hand up off her leg to hover it just above, he focused intently on calling up mana. Confident that it was about all he could give her, he muttered, "Healer!", and the room flashed with a sort of white light.

"Thank you..." she managed, her voice still weak, and sounding forced.

Shaking his head, Regal lifted her into his arms very carefully. Despite his deliberate caution, he felt her body shudder in pain again, but she made no sound. "You're welcome," he murmerred. The door was opened for him by a nervous student, and he carried her out with an appreciative nod. Now, he just needed to get the Doctor again.

Briefly, he mused over what the man would think, seeing them again so soon.

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Raine: You dropped...a shelf...on me...

I told you...But look, your boyfriend helped you.

Raine: You dropped a shelf on me!

Yes. Yes I did...-Ahem- Now, before Raine kills me...Stay tuned!