Evening My Lovelies

Oh, I really like how this chapter turned out, can't wait to see what you all think of it :D

Notes On Reviews:

pallysd'Artagnan: Thanks for the review - Oh Treville's definitely had enough, he's waited long enough, his men need him and he's going to act :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

beeblegirl: Thanks for the review - I'll be getting to the coded message in a later chapter so I'm afraid that's going to be a little bit of a mystery for a bit longer :) It'll be worth it though (I hope) Enjoy the new chapter! x

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Chapter Seventeen: Running Out Of Time

"How does this work then?" growled Aramis, his fists tightly gripping the sheets of his bed as he fought every urge to get up and throttle the smug man mocking them, the pain from his numerous injuries being the only thing that kept him in the bed.

"I'm so glad you asked," smirked Audric, letting out a small gasp of pain as Fredrick tightened his hold in response to the man's tone. "It's quite simple really… You give me a name, D'Artagnan or Glenn and I tell you where to find them. If you're lucky you'll get there in time to save them while the other…"

"Maybe I should just force both their locations out of you!" snarled Fredrick as he pulled the man away from the wall just enough so he could slam him back into it with enough force to rattle the painting hanging nearby. The groan of pain that accompanied this move was more than a little satisfying, although it didn't last long.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood Audric glared up at the former musketeer, "You're welcome to try… all you'll be doing is guaranteeing you'll never see either of them alive again!"

Silence reigned for several minutes as the group of former and current musketeers took in the problem before them, a name on the tips of all their tongues though each felt too selfish to voice it.

"Tick tock musketeers," mocked Audric before spitting out another mouthful of blood, grinning a bloodstained smile when the entire room's occupants turned to glare at him.

With obvious reluctance Fredrick turned his head to look at Athos, not missing the agonized look the swordsman was desperately trying to hide. Seeing the pain in the eyes of the other men he turned back to his captive.

"D'Artagnan," he spoke resignedly, that one word causing the head of every man to shoot up in surprise, although Fredrick paid it no mind, choosing instead to focus on the man in his grip. "We choose D'Artagnan."

"Fredrick," breathed Aramis, his surprise echoed in the expressions of his brothers' who could do nothing but stare at the former musketeer. "What about Glenn?"

With his expression hidden from Audric as he faced the musketeers, Fredrick allowed his pain to show as he responded, "It's what he would want," then, before anyone could say anything else he turned back to his captive. "That's our choice, now… where. Is. He?"

Riding so quietly yet with such numbers was an odd experience to Etienne but he took comfort in it as a sign of the men being focused on their mission. He had briefly explained the situation to them when they first rode out from the garrison, though in truth the men had needed little explanation, having already pieced together what was happening more or less.

Unfortunately for the men, the ground was still heavily sodden from the earlier storm so their speed was limited and the mud obscured any tracks they might have followed from their targets. Thankfully Henri had alluded to where they were in his letter so Etienne knew where to lead them, he could only hope they reached them in time.

The after-effects of the storm were a greater hindrance for Treville and his team as while they knew the direction Blaise and Alain had intended to travel in their search for Corbett, they did not know the pair had been forced to take a far more obscure route after being attacked on the road.

As soon as D'Artagnan's location had left Audric's lips Fredrick slammed him back into the wall with enough force to completely knock him out, letting him slump to a heap on the ground before turning to face the surprised faces of the musketeers, his own expression warring between anger and pain.

"What are you waiting for?" he growled, taking a step closer to Athos, whose face had turned expressionless, save for a flicker of wariness in his eyes. Seeing this Fredrick anger softened and he reached out to place a hand on the swordsman's shoulder. "Your boy needs you… go."

The remaining three inseparables shared a look, a silent promise for the two mobile members to return only with their fourth and not a moment before. Turning back to Fredrick, Athos mimicked the man's earlier gesture by placing his hand on the man's opposite shoulder, gratitude practically bleeding from his voice as he spoke a heartfelt thank you before turning on his heels to leave, Porthos following not even half a step behind.

Elsewhere on the church grounds stood Rochefort, a dark chuckle leaving his lips as he settled himself into a chair to wait for the inevitable… Oh, he had no intention on meeting the musketeers just yet but that didn't mean he had any desire to miss seeing the anguish on Athos's face when he realized just what he had done to the young man who was oh so precious to him.

Just thinking about what he was sure was soon to happen brought a smirk to the former red guard Captain's lips that didn't even fade when a small groan of pain caught his attention.

"Do be quiet," he sighed, not even sparing the source of the sound a glance as he kept his eager eyes focused on the window, not wanting to miss when the musketeers appeared.

Because of this, he missed as Glenn, heavily weakened by blood loss forced his eyes open, squinting as the light assaulted him like needles in his eyes. He was so weak, his body felt heavier than he ever remembered, something that would have confused him had the dull pain in his side not reminded him of the agony of feeling a blade entering his skin.

With his captor's attention still firmly focused on the window the former musketeer forced his shaking arms to support him as he slowly eased himself up into a more upright sitting position. Blood filled his mouth as his teeth pierced his lips as he tried to quieten his cries of pain.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and the cry that managed to escape caught Rochefort's attention, causing the man to twist in his seat to watch the former musketeer's attempts to move.

"You're only fastening your own demise by doing that you know," he commented lazily as he glanced back to the window for a moment before turning back to Glenn, who mustered what energy he had to glare at the man before him.

"Wh-What … have you… done… to… D'Artagnan?" he demanded, internally wishing his voice held more strength than the pathetic whisper that came out.

"That's no concern of yours," shrugged Rochefort, an amused look in his eyes as he took in the weakened former musketeer before movement outside caught his full attention and causing a dark smirk to grow on his face that sent shivers down Glenn's spine when he saw it, his weakened body barely able to pick up the next words that left Rochefort's lips.

"Game on."