Chapter 6
The sun wasn't far up in the sky when Danny awoke. It was abrupt and his eyes searched around frantically. Something against him stirred and he fixed his eyes on the person leaning against him.
Sam was leaning against him…actually he was leaning against Sam. She was up against the rock wall behind her. They were sitting up and in the same position they had been in last night, arms around each other in an embrace. His cheeks started to flush when he realized just how close they were. Every part of him tingled where they touched. He turned his head to better look at her. She was still sleeping peacefully and he kept his movements slow, not wanting to wake her.
She was beautiful. He'd come to that conclusion earlier, but, now that he really look at her, his eyes moved over every inch he could which wasn't much. They would have to go as soon as she awoke, but he wanted to savor this. He tightened his arms around her. She could have been hurt yesterday. He should have listened to her and gone to go help Morgan before even thinking about checking on who he thought had been Vlad's men.
Actually, they should get to Morgan as fast as they could. They didn't know how serious Morgan's injuries were. And they had probably gotten worse with no one there to take care of them. It had been his fault for delaying them. Again, he silently cursed himself for not thinking. What kind of leader was he?
Sam moved slightly against and his blush came back as their bodies moved together. They perfectly meshed together and his thoughts started to wander, one of his hands moving slowly along her back. A small strand of hair had fallen into her face, cutting off some of it from his view and he moved his arm slowly from around her to tuck it back behind her ear.
His hand moved towards her cheek and one of his fingers slowly caressed it. He really should wake her up. They had to go help Morgan…but he felt so comfortable here. Everything just felt right. His finger moved over her face, more fingers accompanying it. He tried to keep his touches light; he still could bring himself to wake her up. One of his fingers moved over her lips and his eyes focused on that. What would she do if he kissed her? Actually she would probably kill him for just trying to slowly memorize her features. If she woke up and found out that he liked her then what would happen. Would she reject him? They hadn't gotten off to a very good start.
His hand moved into her hair. He closed his eyes as he focused on how it felt. Perfect. In fact, all of her was perfect. He'd been suspicious when he first met her, there were so many things that he didn't know about her. But he didn't really care anymore. He'd let her keep her secrets. He opened his eyes again and found her staring right back at him.
He stopped all movement. His hand still in her hair and the other one that had been on her back had been creeping under her shirt. Both watched each other, afraid to say something and ruin the moment and his or her chances.
She'd woken up slowly to the light caresses at her back and another hand stroking her hair. It hadn't registered exactly what this meant at first, only that it felt really good. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the touches and the body pressed against hers as her mind came out of its haze. She opened her eyes to see Danny there. He was touching her like this?
His eyes opened and his expression went from shock to fear. He was afraid? Of what? If he was touching her like this then did that mean he liked her? Her heart leaped. His eyes were imploring her now. He was afraid of rejection. She gave him a smile, trying to tell him with her eyes that he didn't need to worry. She was still too afraid to speak in fear that the moment would be ruined.
Danny relaxed when she smiled at him. She wasn't mad. He tentatively moved his hand in her hair back to her cheek, encouraged when she felt her arms wrap more tightly around him. His eyes moved back to her lips. Again, wondering what would happen if he kissed her. Their faces were already close and he moved forward. There was a moment of hesitation before he finally leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her.
A pleasant buzz filled his brain along with a small jolt that ran through his body. His body tingled and the buzz in his brain grew as she kissed back. There was suddenly a much larger jolt that shook his body and she gave a small shiver to show she'd felt it, too.
They broke apart, the buzz never leaving and stared at one another again. Whatever had passed through them had left behind something they couldn't name. A second later, they both leaned back in for another kiss.
They were too late.
They'd spent a half hour like that before Danny, with some difficulty, had remembered about Morgan. They'd taken the fastest way there: flying. He'd enjoyed Sam's look of awe as they flew over Apparition's Cliffs invisible. But it hadn't helped. Morgan had died from his wounds sometime yesterday.
Danny sighed. He had sent Sam outside. She had looked so depressed when Morgan's death had hit her. Danny moved over towards Morgan. A death hadn't happened in a while.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have been here sooner." Leaning down, he placed a hand on Morgan's body. Moving still hurt, but it was more bearable now. He turned Morgan intangible and he slowly slipped through the floor. They would have some kind of memorial for him sometime, but this was the best he could at the moment. They needed to get back quickly. Getting up, he felt his body ache and put a hand to his head. His body wasn't the only thing that was bothering him. There was something nagging at his mind. Something he was supposed to remember but couldn't.
He joined Sam outside, giving her a smile.
"What did you do?" She asked.
"He's in the ground now. Unfortunately, we can't give him a proper burial. We'll have some sort of service for him later. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied hastily. In truth, she was a little shaken. She kept telling herself she should have expected something like this, but she hadn't come to grips with it. Danny certainly didn't seem shaken. How many people had he seen already die fighting for him?
"It's okay if you're not," he replied tenderly. She smiled, feeling better as he enfolded her in a hug. It didn't last long, though. "Are you ready to fly again? We need to get back."
She nodded and blushed as he picked her up. He gave her a smile as they turned invisible and lifted into the air, leaning down to share another kiss. He looked back up to get his bearings. He could see the large mesas where they lived and took off, Sam clutching onto him at the sudden increase in speed. He could also see the place where he had fought the soldiers. Whatever he was supposed to remember nagged at him again and then something got through.
He halted. "Lady Samantha," he murmured. And like a tidal wave, the memory of waking up and the soldier flooded back from his subconscious. Things were starting to click. That was a royal title given to nobles. But why would a noble be out her?
Sam stiffened in his arms. What had he said? She bit her lip nervously. Did he actually remember what that soldier had said? Danny glanced down to see her look of apprehension and his expression quickly turned to concern.
"Sam, what's wrong?"
She couldn't tell him. He would hate her. It was because of her that the Royal Army was here. It was her fault that their group would have so much trouble and that Morgan was dead.
But she hadn't meant for any of that to happen. And he had been truthful with her. He'd finally told her his secret, his past. Didn't she owe him the same favor?
"Danny, I…have to tell you something."
Frowning, Danny lowered them back down to the ground. "Is everything okay?"
"It's about my past. You always did want to know…."
His face softened. "Sam, it's all right. You don't have to tell me. And I'm sorry that I kept trying to find out. I should have let you have-"
"I lied to you."
"W-what?" He stammered out.
She looked away from him. Her hair came down to hide her face. "My last name isn't Mason."
He instinctively moved to tuck the hair behind her ear, but she moved away from him. "Sam, you don't-"
"My last name is Manson," she whispered.
Danny froze. His eyes narrowed angrily at unpleasant memories as they came to the surface of his mind. "The Mansons," he asked. She didn't answer and he continued. "The Mansons who live in the castle? The Mansons who went around with the police when we were out in the streets trying to tell people about the war, and, when the person was arrested, would then start telling people that everything we were saying were lies? Those Manson?"
She mutely nodded. She hadn't been proud of her parents then and she wasn't proud of them now. Finally, she whispered, "I ran away."
The full implications finally fell into place for Danny. "Lady Samantha," he whispered again. "You're the one there looking for. You're the reason the Royal Army is here."
"I didn't mean for this to happen." She pleaded as she finally turned to face him. "I didn't think this would happen. I was hoping…hoping…." Her words got caught and finally she gave up. "I'm sorry. Do you want me to leave?"
Danny's thoughts stopped at her question. Did he want her to leave? Heck no! He looked back at her pleading face. He had told her everything. But she wouldn't have told him this if she was some sort of spy, right? But why had she lied to him in the first place?
He sighed and looked away. "I…no."
She looked up at him, hopeful. "Really? You're not mad?"
He mulled over the question. He glanced at her and looked away. "It'll talke some time."
She nodded, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."
Danny gave a sharp nod and extended a hand toward her which she took. But the flight back was silent, the happy mood gone.
He just had to do it.
He just had to worry, had to worry about his friend until it obviously drove him insane. He had to be insane to decide to go off alone and try to rescue them. What had he been thinking?
Tucker ducked a second before the shot hit him in the head. It hit his beret instead and it flew off his head, landing a few feet away.
It's was just his luck that he would run into soldiers. There was at least a squadron of them. Why hadn't he stayed at home?
This was all Danny's fault.
He returned fire, but he doubted if he had actually hit anyone. He never was a fighter. It'd been luck that he had killed that soldier Danny and he encountered on the day they had found Sam.
He ducked again around the small rock formation he had taken refuge behind. He waited for a pause in the soldiers' fire before returning it. He couldn't let them get too close. If he did, they would have him for sure. Danny had taught him that. He'd never thought he'd be using the information while by himself, though. He waited for another pause before trying to return fire.
Only to hear the hollow click of his gun as it told him he was out of shots.
Tucker gaped back at his gun as he went back behind his hiding place. It didn't register at first what the sound meant and then he realized how stupid he was being. If he hesitated too long then they would realize that he was out of shots and close in in a second.
He fumbled for his pack, hands shaking as looked for the canister he had taken before leaving. It had been one of the canisters they had taken from the three soldiers a few days ago. The empty canister in his gun was ejected immediately. He pulled it out, but his hands were shaking so badly and fell through his fingers, clattering to the ground with the discarded one.
And something rattled.
Tucker had been in the process of picking it up when he froze. Something had rattled inside? He picked it up and examined it. The canister wasn't empty. You could tell because a canister would become indented from the Solar siphoning out the energy inside. Tucker experimentally shook the canister. Whatever was inside rattled again.
Tucker's mind went away from the fight he was in. This couldn't be good. Canisters did not rattle and this one had come from Vlad's men. Tucker grabbed one of his tools, working at the seal that was where the canister attached to the solar. He had taken one of these apart before a while back. The seal broke and Tucker made the hole larger before turning it over and having whatever was inside fall into his palm. It was small, but gave off a glow, its light blinking on and off. Tucker widened his eyes.
A tracker.
And this had been in his lab for days.
Tucker cursed. Everyone was in danger! He had to get back and….
It was then that he realized the danger that he was still in. That, before all of this, he had been in a fight for his life or, at least, his freedom.
"Don't move. Place the gun down on the ground and raise your hands into the air."
Tucker looked up at the soldier that had snuck up on him. He dropped what was in his hands onto the ground and raised them up high. More soldiers were there and Tucker's heart sank. His eyes shifted around for any escape, but there was none. He was doomed. Worse than that, everyone else was doomed. Vlad's men were probably on their way now.
Some of the men parted for someone else in military attire and after seeing Tucker addressed the man that had first aimed a gun at him.
"Nice job, Captain. Finding their base will be easier now. I want him taken to the palace, though. He'll be questioned there and kept in prison to await his sentence. Do you think you can handle it, Captain?"
Kwan nodded. He glanced back at Tucker. "Stand up!"
Tucker shakily stood. His pack was confiscated and another soldier had roughly grabbed his arms from behind and they put into restraints. All this time Kwan was talking.
"You are being arrested for the acts of treason against our government. Your sentence for this is death. Do you have anything to say?"
Tucker remained quiet. Death? He was going to die? The thought almost seemed ridiculous. They had been risking their lives all this time. But he'd almost always never been in the fights. Regret coiled in his chest. No one knew he was here in this position. They were taking him to the capital where he'd have no chance of being rescued. He spotted one of the soldiers picking up the small tracker. Everything they had worked for was slowly coming undone. Vlad was going to strike and it would be fast and merciless.