An arrow from one of the few Archers here had found one of the Bandits in the neck, and Fenix noted with much squeamishness that the blood was literally spurting out of his large artery. The Bandit quickly fell to the ground right into a pile of burning wood. The smell of the wood burning combined with the odor of burning flesh permeated the air. Smoke was everywhere. About a quarter of the village had been decimated by now. Fenix began to search for a hiding place before he would be found. Quickly and with a sense of urgent panic, he urged the horse onwards.

Some of the Guard were there too in their off white battle leathers, engaged in swordfights with the Bandits. It appeared to Fenix that the Herald Guards were holding out at least. Yet there seemed to be way too many of the enemy. Off to the right a little out there Fenix saw, wishing he hadn't, one of the Guard had grasped his sword with both hands, and then yelling with rage, swung it in a vicious whistling arc right across the neck of an onrushing Bandit. The Bandit's head flew up in the air with a surprised expression on it's face and thudded on the ground, his cephalic appendage still grimacing and staring upwards at the smoky sky.

Suddenly realizing he was being very foolish and quite reckless for his safety, he dismounted the riding horse and took temporary shelter behind one of the few huts which weren't yet set aflame. He hunkered down, still hearing the horrific din of battle. Fenix was beginning to get sick...the smell, the noise...the sights, were getting a bit much to handle. Scattered about here and there the rogue Bandits were starting fires and bursting into doors. They were short and muscular and most of them seemed to be balding. One bandit nearby burst into a door and Fenix heard screams...then silence...and then a low guttural sound of laughter was heard...Their seemed to be no plan to their madness, just a reckless and cruel carnage.

Where is Jewellyn? he thought with a mild sense of panic.

Why in Valdemar's name are they doing this! Fenix tried not to think. He was trying to fend off his horror and shock at what he was seeing. The Heralds had better get here fast. Fenix began to feel some rage building inside him; an unfamiliar feeling, kind of like an unborn wild beast, eager to come alive and eager to exact revenge. Those bastards! I want to get out there now! The growing anger and the emotions of everything else were a bit much for Fenix, his head began to spin a little. If I had a weapon, surely I'd go out there...wouldn't I? A little self doubt was encroaching in upon him. That old inner, paralyzing block seemed to be coming back.

At that moment, Jewellyn minus her horse ran in front of Fenix's view, she was frantic, looking around wildly.

He cupped his mouth, whispering loudly, "Jewellyn, back here!"

Startled, she looked back, astonished to even see Fenix who motioned her back to join him behind the hut. She did so, huddling down by Fenix, nearly out of breath. She was trying to tone down her empathy skills somewhat as the sad and raging emotions from the battle were overwhelming her. She began to get a headache. "I heard your call for Aine, loud and clear," she managed to stammer.

"I just hope everyone else heard it." Fenix looked up to see the mayhem encroaching nearer, and just in time to see a Herald brought down via the wicked sword of a Bandit. "Jewellyn, so far they haven't come too near this house. A little while ago, I thought I heard something in that house, though I can't be sure. Can you perhaps sense anyone in there? If there is, we must help them!"

Jewellyn tried to focus in on the inside of the house only...she closed her eyes, concentrating, "I sense some anxiety in here probably from an adult, and probably from a very frightened small child as well...that's coming in very clear Fenix."

"Then we have to get in there and protect them somehow," he whispered. "The Bandits are sure to come here, and soon. We have to." Fenix looked up a little, then said, "We have to crawl in that window now Jewellyn. It shouldn't be too difficult, it's already open." The noise of battle continued outside. Someone screamed. The present force here couldn't hold out much longer, Fenix mused.

Jewellyn practically blanched. "Are you crazy? That is someone else's home. We can't just go in there unannounced." Fenix looked at her with an urgency that was on the borderline of pleading. She couldn't take much more of it. Finally she took in a deep breath and said, "Alright...let's go then."

They tried to be very quiet as they started to climb into the window. They didn't want to make any noise of course, and they didn't want to startle the inhabitants too much either. The window was kind of close to the door. They briefly entertained the idea of going in through the front door but didn't want to risk being seen by the Bandits of course. It might have worked but too chancy.

At that moment Fenix and Jewellyn heard what they figured to be a very welcome noise. Thunderous hoof beats and a voice yelling, "Chaarrrrgggggeee!"

They looked at each other with subdued glee, it had to be Aine and...lots of other company, he hoped. They couldn't see them as they climbed into the window, but they heard the sound of many arrows being shot out and the unmistakable swoosh and clattering of swinging swords. Then they fell to the floor and for the moment tried to remain quiet. Fenix looked around and saw the opposite door beginning to open, just a little. Someone was there!

"Hold on, we're here to help you."Fenix whispered. Suddenly and shockingly the front door behind them burst open with a loud CRACK! Now things were happening very fast. It was the Bandits! The room immediately reeked of sweat as they rushed in kicking Fenix and Jewellyn brutally aside as evidently they had other prey in mind. Not that door…no. Fenix thought, trying to keep quiet. He grimaced from the pain though and heard Jewellyn crying too. Fenix tried to look up and see what was going on.

One of the Bandits grinned like a hungry wolf and told his other comrades in a guttural voice, "It's the mayor's wife we have here in this house I bet, behind that door." He gestured with a thick, bloody arm in that general direction. "She certainly must know of any money here, I think that would be a good guess right?" He cast an exaggerated glance at his two comrades, expecting to hear nothing but outright approval.

"Indeed, 'twould be a sure thing!" the two others shouted in unison, smiling wickedly.

"Then we are going to charge through that door right now!" They all charged in that general direction and burst through the door. "There she is..."

At this point, pain or not, Fenix couldn't stand it any longer. The veins stood out on his forehead very vividly. Inside, that wild beast was now ready to be born. Inside, he swirled with rage. His eyes took on a steely appearance. He felt as if he were going to burst if he didn't do something soon...

From behind the door: "Ther--there's no money here," a female voice sobbed.

"Kill the kid! Then maybe she'll talk!". The Bandit in charge commanded, spitting on the ground near the woman's head.

"Noooooooo! she screamed.

Fenix charged in through the door, the Bandits basically being unaware of him. With a shock beyond what he had experienced thus far in his short life he realized he was too late! In slow motion, as it seemed to Fenix, he only had time to watch as the other Bandit's blade came down upon the crying child. The Bandit then slit the baby's belly open...and laughed as he did it.

The Bandit turned around with a hateful expression of glee on his face. He seemed to be enjoying this.

Jewellyn did not see it, but knew what had happened and began to cry deeply. She tried with much effort to subdue her empath skills at this time, there was too much agony and pain going on. She also began to feel something which caused her to shiver. It was an alien feeling, and it scared her. To Jewellyn it felt or seemed like a dark snake of long repressed anger coiled within her, yet it seemed to be coming from someone else. It almost made her feel sick. She sensed a nasty energy in the air that was seeking a target, the dark snake was going to be born... She tried to work her way over to the mother, heedless of all that was going on within her and around her.

"Noooooooo! DAMN BASTARDSSSS!" he yelled. He charged forward violently with a mad look in his eyes, startling the Bandits. Even they could see the mad lust for a wicked retribution in Fenix's eyes. He head-butted one of the Bandits with a mad, rushing charge, causing the bandit to suddenly regurgitate a loud, WHOOSH! Fenix had felt no pain but the Bandit did. The trauma the Bandit was dealt caused him to drop his sword. Fenix wasted no time picking it up. The other Bandits ran out but this one was to have no such luck.

At that moment, Aine, accompanied with some of the Heralds and other members of the Guard burst in, horrified at what they were now seeing.

Fenix had gone truly berserk, enraged beyond reason at what he had just witnessed. He picked up the sword with both of his hands and he gripped it so tightly the arteries and tendons on his arms stood out quite clearly. His eyes appeared feral as he prepared to administer his own brand of justice. The Bandit had no time to prepare, could only look up with a dumb expression on his pudgy face as Fenix brought the sharp blade down full upon his head with a mighty force, effectively splitting the Bandit's skull wide open.

Fenix was no longer aware of what was going on around him, the beast within had been unleashed and there was no stopping it now.

Everyone else stood watching, shocked beyond belief at what they were witnessing.

Even though Fenix had put an end to the Bandit's life already, he leapt upon the decimated Bandit like a black leopard and began stabbing him all over the place...not once, not twice, but many times...it seemed as if he was unable to stop himself. Fenix began to cry tears of rage and grief shouting, "You Bastard!" and still he stabbed him each time he shouted. He was truly gone now, crying and screaming like a madman. Fenix began to have hallucinations now too. It seemed to him as if he were somewhere else, he the Priest on an Altar of Sacrifice; yet at the same time he had a sensation of duality, he was watching himself from a distance. He gazed around in a daze. White feathers were swirling around him, endlessly, seemingly coming from no-where. Yet in the background he could see also a set of large, dark wings outspread...waiting, waiting for the full conversion to take place. Everyone watching only saw Fenix gazing at things they could not see as he continued. stabbing, stabbing, over and over again.

Everyone stood aghast, and very afraid. Jewellyn and the baby's mother were sobbing in the background. Fenix would not stop, even now.

Aine had enough...she stepped out and risked trying to stop Fenix, hoping to depend on her strength but knowing it would be her agility that would prevail. She jumped frantically on Fenix's back, shouting, "Stop! Stop! Fenix! Stopppp! He's dead! Stop!" She frantically tried to grab the arm Fenix was hacking away with but could not. Fenix was thrashing about wildly and it felt to Aine as if she were trying to tame a wild horse, but much worse than anything she ever tried to reign in before.

She made yet another desparate attempt to get him to stop. Mustering up all the force she could she attempted to grab Fenix's hand and pry it off the hilt of the sword. Aine was quite strong and felt capable of doing this, but she saw she wasn't having any effect at all. Of course, it was more difficult for her to do this because he still continued his mindless vengeance upon the Bandit. He was gripping the hilt of the blade with such a demonic strength his fingers were drained of all color. With Fenix thrashing about and still stabbing like a madman, she felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and without thinking much about it, grabbed the blade of the sword with both hands and yanked it violently away. The blood-stained sword fell to the floor. Either Fenix had relaxed his grip on the sword enough or Aine's adrenaline charged strength did it. However, with a shocked expression on her face she saw that the inside of her left hand was lacerated down to the bone and bleeding quite profusely. The right hand wasn't quite as bad...She felt no pain whatsoever because of the shock and the adrenaline, but her face did turn white and she began to feel just a little faint. Despite all that Aine had done, Fenix was still out of control bringing the full force of his hands down upon the limp and bloody corpse of the Bandit minus the sword!

"Fenix! Stop! NOOWWW!" Aine began to cry herself, this was a nightmare, blood was everywhere. "STOPPPPP!" This was getting beyond desperate...she made a last ditch effort, not wanting to hurt him before, but this was getting way out of hand...to put it mildly. She pulled back and slapped him hard across the face with her less injured hand. This stunned him. He looked around, stupefied. He became dizzy, swooning as a result of all his maniacal efforts and fell towards the floor right into Aine's tired arms. Fenix then began to weep uncontrollably. Aine held on trying to comfort him somehow, despite the fact he and she were literally covered in blood. Aine became much weaker now and was breathing at a rapid pace. She saw Fenix's eyes and hoped she would never see them like that again. They weren't his own, it appeared; they were the blank eyes of a lost soul attempting to fight off inner demons he could not see...She held him for a while and she began to cry again, she wanted to do something now to help him but felt quite helpless. Then, someone handed her a rag which she quickly wrapped around her left hand. Everyone else was nearly frozen motionless by the apalling events which had just taken place.

:Aine, are you alright: Xirthan asked, quite panicked.

:I'll be fine…don't worry about me. : She didn't look fine, but she felt the last thing she needed was Xirthan's babying.

She motioned over to one of the other stunned Guards to bring Jewellyn over here. As a closer friend to Fenix, she could help in ways Aine could not.

Some of the other Guards, feeling a need to do something tried to clean up a little, then realized that perhaps this wasn't the right time, even with all the grisly remains and blood left behind. One of the Herald Guards told them that help would be there soon.

Looking much the worse for wear, Jewellyn came over and knew what to do. She began tracing her fingers over his face and body, in an attempt to drain away some of the physical pain and some of the emotional trauma. She didn't know if she could handle it this time, it was going to be tough. She concentrated, trying to retain her grip on life while she tried to save Fenix's own life.

The baby's mother began to cry deeper now, deeper than Aine had heard anyone cry before. It was the cry of a weeping spirit, not only that of the body. The woman managed to look up at Aine and cried out, "You should never have to bury your own children! Never! The way they treated my baby, as if...as if...she were trash..."

And that was it, Aine lost it and began to cry too. Everyone stood around in a daze, not knowing what to say or do for a while. The baby's mother began to cry even deeper now, if possible. It was the sound of permanent loss, of a broken spirit drifting aimlessly without anchor. It was the kind of crying you could only hear when a parent had lost their child, realizing the child would never be seen again.. It was the kind of the crying that echoed throughout the night on wings of despair, continuing until morning...

Jewellyn was showing the effects of her treatment of Fenix. He began to look better, but she looked worse. Aine and some of the others took notice.

It seemed to Fenix he was rising from a deep sleep at the bottom of the ocean. Slowly coming to...as the vision of the swirling white feathers continued. Yet there were still the dark wings outspread, waiting...waiting for the right time. Fenix began to become dimly aware of something terrible, something terrible he had done.

Aine knew Fenix was going to suffer for this one, unless he could be brought out of it somehow. Aine steeled herself. She knew now what it was she truly must fight for. She would fight for the sake of love, that life may go on, despite the evil efforts of the Bandits or anyone else. They would pay dearly with their blood. I will fight for Valdemar and the right for it's people to live free of fear! Aine slumped back, feeling much more lightheaded than before. She could still hear everyone's voices, but they seemed miles away.

:Aine! You're really not--: but that was all she heard. The last thing she knew was darkness.

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Koromiel: Wheee! Wasn't that fun! I loved this chapter. It was so much fun to plan out. It was even more fun though to see what Phoenix was gonna do with it. Hopefully it was worth the wait!

Love to the Reviewers:

Sean - dude, could you take up any more space? XD Leave the banter for chat, please! But we're glad you still like it.

Kathleen - I know what you mean about reading as fast as it could be written... I'm the editor and I still dance in my seat to get the new stuff Phoenix writes!

DeathIsOnStrike - Thank you so much! Phoenix gets a little worried sometimes about how he's stacking up in here, so you really made his day!

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Ah yes, and since I alredy have the next chapter all ready to go, I wanna see reviews from five different people this time before I post again! Mwa ha ha ha ha! lo ok sorry...I know I'm being evil, but I can't seem to get you people to review any other way...

Oh! And be sure to click on "website" on our user profile. Phoenix made a banner for us. squee!