Hi everyone. I am so excited because I get to go home tonight! It's 12:30 here and I get ready for my three and a half hour long ride home in 3 hours. It's so exciting. Anyway, enough with my life I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope my late updating hasn't driven everyone away. I'm sorry, but I am trying my best, but studying and papers can really get a person down. So, on with the next chapter. Enjoy
Chapter 10: Sneaking Out
Yuan woke up, he could hear the crickets still chirping outside and knew that it was still dark out. He looked over and saw Storm in a deep sleep. He got up and went over to change. He moved silently as he attempted to not wake her up. He didn't want her to know where he was going. He had finally thought things over and he decided that he was going to get the troops together to leave for the ranch. He couldn't have Storm come along. Sure, she was healthy and her doctor agreed that she was well enough to go into battle again, but he didn't want her anywhere near Magnius. He apparently wanted to seriously hurt and he wouldn't put her in danger again.
Of course, he knew that if he had just casually told her this she would never agree, and would more than likely sneak off herself. He knew better than to tell her, she was too stubborn to just stay behind and watch everyone walk away. He would have to be sneakier than that.
He got out into the crisp night air and went to go and carefully wake up the rest of the troops. He woke up some of his lead men and had them go around and wake everyone else up, warning them to be as silent as possible. They all knew that he had been planning this and now it was a matter of pulling it off.
After that task was completed Yuan went to a few of his men and some of the nurses who were planning on staying behind. He knew they wouldn't like what he was going to tell them, but someone had to have the job.
"Okay, we're leaving I need you all to keep Storm here. Do not let her come to the battle, do you understand me?" Yuan asked very intensely to get his point across.
"Yes sir, but how do you expect us to do that?" one of them asked him cautiously.
"I don't care, but don't let her leave," Yuan ordered them again before turning back to his troops who were ready to leave.
The group of people left behind all looked at each other as after Yuan was out of sight. Finally one of them said what was on all of the other's minds.
"There is no way that she's going to listen to us," he said. They all nodded their heads in agreement.
Storm woke up slowly to the sun barely shining through a crack in the tent. She squinted one eye open and looked into the light, not sure if she should get up yet or not. She didn't hear anyone moving around outside and assumed that everyone was still asleep. She rolled over and realized that Yuan was gone. She sat up and stared at the empty spot next to her, wondering where he could have run off to. She was in her own tent, but that didn't prevent Yuan from coming over and visiting that night. She began to wonder if he had gone back into his own tent before everyone woke up.
Storm got herself ready and went to go and find Yuan. She stepped into the fresh, cool morning air and walked over to his tent. She opened it up and found that it too was empty. She began to worry and soon went over to some of his officers tents, and once again they were empty. She was alone and had no idea where everyone else was. This was a very frustrating situation and she didn't like the idea of being abandoned. She went to the next place she could think where someone would be.
She made her way to the creek, but it was completely abandoned save for the little animals that were waking up themselves. She sat down on the same log she had a few days before and sighed deeply, not knowing where everyone was and giving up on finding them.
"There you are," someone said behind her. Storm spun around quickly and looked at one of the nurses. "I was wondering where you ran off to."
"What's going on? Where did everyone go?" Storm asked as she stared at the nurse.
"They all left this morning before the sun rose. They went to Magnius' fortress. Yuan gave the troops orders to leave and to prepare for battle," she explained to her.
Storm stood up and stared at the nurse angrily with the information. "What! I thought I was well enough to go when we decided to go. Yuan never said that we were leaving. Why am I staying here when there is a battle with him going on?" Storm asked still fuming, making the nurse a little nervous about having to be the messenger for the news.
"Well...he didn't want you to go even though you're well enough according to the doctor. I'm sorry, but those were his orders. You were to stay here while they left," the nurse informed her meekly.
"That jerk, I can't believe that he would do this to me. First, he makes me wait here with him and makes me feel like I'm holding them back. Now that I'm healthy and ready to go, now he decides that he doesn't need me to go," Storm ranted until finally she sat back on the log, completely frustrated with the whole ordeal.
Storm sat in silence for a few moments, quietly thinking over everything. The nurse just watched her as she waited to see what she would do. Finally, Storm got up and walk back to the camp angrily. She walked past the nurse who turned and looked at her walk away.
"What are you going to do?" she asked her.
"I am going to go and find them and fight Magnius," she spat, bitterness coursing through her voice.
"You...you can't do that. Yuan gave me orders to keep you here and I have to fulfill his wishes or else," the nurse said in a panic as she ran up behind Storm.
Storm stopped in her tracks, but didn't even turn to look at the young woman. "You'll be fine. I'll be sure that Yuan does not punish you, trust me. If anyone's going to get punished around here it'll be him for leaving me behind," Storm said as she continued to walk back to the camp to get her things.
Storm shoved her way past a few other people who were left to make sure she didn't leave as she went into her tent. She changed into her other clothes, the blood and holes where the arrows had gotten her still there. She couldn't see herself fighting in anything else, and she didn't have anymore clothes like it. It was one of her Cruxis outfits, it fit her perfectly for fighting, allowing her to move much easier. It looked a little like her father's Judgement outfit except it was lavender instead of white. She grabbed her sword and placed it in its sheath before leaving.
"I'll teach him for leaving me behind," Storm growled as she left the camp.
Once she was gone a few of the people who were supposed to keep her at camp breathed a sigh of relief. The one nurse looked at a few of the others before smiling a bit. "Well, that went better than I thought it would. At least she didn't cast that nasty Judgement on us," she said as the others laughed a little.
Well, that's it for this chapter. Yes, Storm is very upset if you couldn't tell. Man, I can't wait until my next story. It is bound to be the most controversial thing I've ever written for you guys and I can't wait. Although, I might have a change of heart when I get around to writing it. Anyway, thanks for the reviews for the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well. Thanks, and please review!
