Oooohhh you lovely people! I did leave you on a cliffhanger, i will admit...only right i should provide you with another chapter.
So this runs along side the previous chapter, we have Lucys POV of those few minutes, and now we have Wyatts...and then some.
Wyatt raced on the horse, right along side Alex and Rufus. He wasn't trained in horse riding, but in this moment, it didn't matter. Whoever was behind them was gaining speed and they needed to keep moving.
"Alex you go ahead!" he shouted over the sound of the horses hoofs hitting the floor below them, Wood was upfront riding the carriage.
Alex instantly shook his head, "No Wyatt! What if they start shootin'?!"
"I've got it covered! You go, trust me!" Wyatt told him. Wanting for him to stay safe, his own life depended on it. But getting to know Alex, made him want to make sure nothing happened to him.
Alex hesitantly agreed and gained more speed to get closer to the carriage. Wyatt kept checking behind him, the lone figure on the horse was becoming clearer.
"What do we do?!" Rufus shouted, "we're going to loose daylight soon!"
Thinking on his feet was what he did, but as of right now, he had no idea how to get out of this. His training should have kicked in by now, but he was drawing blanks. He turned his head again, focusing on the person, and he squinted. Something wasn't right, he turned back and looked forward at the carriage.
"Whats wrong?!" Rufus asked, obviously noting the change in his demenour.
"That's not Flynn!" he shouted back at him, and surprise came over Rufus.
"It's not?!" he cried, "then why the hell we hauling ass?!"
"Because its still someone following us Rufus!" he told him, giving a glance back. It was definitely a women. What was a women doing on her own in the middle of Zululand? He realised it was something he could handle, "you go ahead and let Alex and the others know! I'm going to see what she wants!"
He wasn't looking at Rufus, but he was sure the look of confusion was etched over his face, "Dude she could be working for Flynn!" he exclaimed.
"And i can handle it!" he told him, giving him another look. He needed for all of them to be ok. This wasn't an negotiation. It was also what he did, he was expendable, Rufus and Lucy were not.
Rufus wasn't moving forward towards the carriage like he had asked and Wyatt checked again, "Please Rufus!"
"Lucy wont forgive me!" Rufus told him, bringing her up made Wyatt's whole body tense, she was probably worrying about them. He wanted to make sure nothing got to her and this was one of the ways. However Rufus wasn't letting him do this, no one told him he needed to do it, but to protect them all, he had to.
"She'll be fine! Now go!" he told him automatically, not wanting to think of her reaction to him riding off alone in South Africa to encounter an unknown stranger.
"Dude have you met Lucy?!" Rufus was really trying to make a point.
"I mean it man!" Wyatt responded, he wasn't going to back down, "I'm turning back now and i will catch up!" and with one quick pull of the reign's, the carriage and Rufus were moving away from him and he slowed down. He wasn't going to race towards this women causing a collision, so he waited, he turned back and saw Rufus looking back at him shaking his head and they carried on. Thankfully he saw the tracks and knew if he was able to get going again within the hour, he would be able to find them again.
He turned back and the women was now approaching, his hand moved to the inside pocket of his military jacket and kept his hand on his gun. But as she got closer he could see she was somewhere around early 40's, now he really was confused. Still his hand stayed on the trigger as she slowed in front of him.
"Can i help you Miss?!" he asked her breathlessly, but trying to keep calm and casual.
A look of bewilderment came upon her face, "Are you with the Empress?" she enquired. British, Wyatt noted.
"I am" he told her, unsure of where this was going, "why are you following us?"
She turned round to her saddle bag and Wyatt without hesitation, pulled out his gun and pointed it at her, "Hey! Stop!" he breathed quickly and she instantly turned back with her hands up.
"I'm sorry! I was getting my bible for the Empress!" she exclaimed and he saw a wildness in her eyes, something wasn't right, but his gut instinct told him it certainly had nothing to do with Flynn, "she needs comfort you see. I wanted to help her"
Lowering his weapon with a furrowed brow, he soon realised this was no one of any threat, "Miss you cant follow us" he told her, wanting to be firm.
"But i just want to see the Empress. She's been through so much. I must see her!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. It become clear to him that she possibly wasn't completely sane. Who would be to travel this far on your own in Zululand? Part of Wyatt was relieved it wasn't Flynn or one of his henchmen, but this women needed dealing with in the right way.
"I'm sorry that wont be possible. She has her staff with her and is being looked after, trust me. I'm afraid i cant allow you to follow us any longer Miss" he told her with a firm voice.
A sad recognition came over her face, "If i promise not to get any closer, can i still travel the same route as you, back to Capetown?" she asked him, "i followed you this far and i don't believe i would know my way back"
It felt like a trap, but if Wyatt saw her in the distance he could keep her at arms length, "Yes you can do that. However i do have to warn you that i will arrest you on site if you come more than 50 feet of the Empress" he had no idea what he was saying and he had no authority to arrest anyone, but she didn't know that. He was hoping the gun in his hand and the threat of it would warn her off.
"Yes Sir, apologises Sir" she responded nodding to him.
"You wait here 10 minutes," he told her, "then i give you permission to follow our tracks"
With another nod, she looked around mindlessly and he was now worrying about leaving her out in the wild on her own. However she had managed it for 4 days, so she must know how to handle herself. He gave one last look as he tapped his heel onto the horse and she started off again, he made sure she wasn't following and followed the tracks of the carriage.
Time passed and it got darker, he wasn't that far behind and noted in the distance the carriage had stopped. The others were off the horses, Emie, Alex and Rufus appeared to be kneeling down to something on the ground. Wyatt frowned, what were they doing? As he approached Rufus's head shot up, and without another moment, stood to run towards him. As he got closer he saw the look of shock and alarm on his face which panicked him. He took another look at the group again and saw one person missing. The one person that had barely been out of his sight for the last few months. The one person he had let in. His stomach began to turn.
"Wyatt!" Rufus came running towards him.
Without a moments hesitation he instantly he jumped off of his horse and ran to his friend who looked upset and concerned, "Where's Lucy?!" Wyatt demanded, it was the one person. She was the one person. Fear gripped him.
Rufus swallowed hard, "She-"
"-Wyatt!" Alex called from behind them.
Wyatt looked straight at Alex who had turned round enough for there to be a gap between him and Emie. Wyatt's eyes widened and dread washed over him, his stomach twisted and terror gripped him, "LUCY!" without hesitation he ran over to her on the ground, she looked pale and lifeless, instantly he grabbed her hand and placed a hand on her cheek, "Lucy talk to me!" he demanded, he then looked up at the others, "what happened?!" it was loud and full of panic.
Alex spoke, "We dont know exactly. Emie cried for me, we stopped the carriage and Lucy was slumped forward," anger flowed through Wyatt's body, "it was then that noticed the blood on the back of her head"
Wyatt's eyes grew wide and that feeling of dread washed over him. He looked back down at her and gently moved her head forward, spotting the blood coating a patch on her hair, he moved it aside gently and noticed a gash of about an inch at the back, he took an sharp intake of breath and the sinking feeling hit him, but he had to get into action, "I need clean linen and fresh water! And bring me her kit!" he kept her head elevated away from the dirt.
"We should move her" Alex commented.
Wyatt nodded, "Set up a tent as quickly as you can" he stated to anyone that would listen.
"I'm on it" Rufus declared and ran to the carriage and Emie went to get the kit, worry also evident in his voice.
Wyatt placed his fingers on her soft hollow of her neck and waited. A few seconds and he felt her pulse, relief came over him, she was still breathing.
"Did ya find it?" Alex asked, obviously noting what Wyatt had just checked.
Wyatt let out a heavy breath, "Yes," he responded, "faint, but its there" he never thought he would use those words in reference to Lucy. He expected to and never wanted to.
Hand was placed on his shoulder, but his eyes never left Lucy, "Shes going to be ok, Wyatt. We'll make sure of it," Alex told him with certainty, "i'm going to help Rufus with the tent" and Wyatt heard footsteps walk away.
He moved his hand up and stroked her face gently, "It's going to be ok Lucy" he told her quietly.
He then looked down her whole body and decided she shouldn't be on the ground, so moved himself, gently pulling her towards him, and laying her on his lap. The side of her head on his chest, "Your going to be ok" he whispered again, rocking slowly.
He could see the blood from the back of her head starting to soak his jacket. He took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Lucy's blood was on him and he closed his eyes, not wanting to acknowledge it.
His eyes opened and he looked back down at her, the gut wrenching feeling wouldn't leave him. She was hurt and bleeding and he couldn't stop it. He hadn't even been there, he closed his eyes and leaned down, his lips brushing her forehead, "Your going to be ok" he murmured, wanting to believe every word he was saying.
Now some of you might say that it's completely random having that women appear...well you would probably think thats the reaction Alexander and Wood had too...it was real. There was a crazed women who had followed them, obviously a Royalist for the French Monarchy and was wanting to comfort the Empress after her loss. So that was genuine and i had the fact that Flynn is still nowhere to be seen and it could have been him as a twist. Thought it would add extra drama, i toyed with having Lucy kidnapped by the Zulu's, but i didnt have enough information or knowledge on the Zulu's to even attempt it, so we have an injured Lucy instead and a very worried Wyatt...please review! :-)