7. …and then there was silence…

Always tracing the already known path, Sheila was getting once more near Venger's castle they had escaped from only a couple of days ago, still full of hope for Bobby's complete recovery back then.
Still being under her Cloak's cover, she was standing there in front of the building for a short moment and glowered across.

"For you, my beloved little brother..." she mumbled emphatically.

She then walked straight up to the stronghold while taking off her hood almost gracefully.
As Thief her most successful attacks were always coming right out of invisibility but she wanted to confront their enemy face-to-face, he was supposed to see the one attacking him.

2 Orc guards were on sentry duty in front of the entrance gate this time.

"Stop right there!" one of them shouted when they caught sight of the Thief.

"It's ok." Sheila said coldly, raising her hands. "Take me to your master! I'm quite sure he won't have anything against my arrival!"

The two Orcs exchanged doubtful glances.

"You are one of Dungeon Master's pupils!?" it sounded more like a statement than a question.

She only nodded grimly.

"All right." the other soldier agreed after a short pause and reached out to grasp her.

"Don't touch me!" Sheila hissed while fending off his claw. "I got here by my own choice and I'll also go to him on my own!"

"But what if you change-"

"I haven't come all this way just to simply vanish again - and much less to waste my time with his minions!" the girl interrupted him crossly.

The two guards looked at each other again.

"Well then, that's your choice." the second Orc snorted snidely, shrugging.

So they unblocked the way to let her pass. However they escorted her to their master, they evidently didn't trust her very much and suspected a trap.

"Master, here's..." the first Orc began when they entered Venger's chamber.

He didn't have to finish his sentence, though, because they already had their master's whole attention.

"Ahhh, the young Thief! And as I notice, you are here all alone - without your friends... To what do I owe the honor of your entirely unexpected visit?"

Venger vigilantly observed his young enemy who was vigorously getting rid of the Orc guard's arm clutching her.
He registered the change of the usually very timid Thief and there he already could imagine what has caused this remarkable transformation.

Sheila revealed the clarification herself: "Bobby's dead!"

"Oh, really? Well, obviously the small Barbarian did not make it, then. A tragical loss, indeed!" Venger commented condescendingly, smiling cruelly.

A wave of rage, rather being expected to arise from her hot-tempered brother than from her, was unleashed inside Sheila by this complete lack of sympathy.

"And I've come to avenge his death!" she stated, cold as ice, with a straight face.

"And then you were coming to me of all Realms' inhabitants? What a fool you are, Thief!
You clearly seem to have forgotten that I haven't dosed your brother with those poisonous berries... whereas the delightful imagination of an enforced food intake upon him definitely would also have provided a certain attraction, by the way!
So it wasn't me who caused his decease.
In actual fact it's even most unfortunate that I am not responsible for the Barbarian's demise. Because if he had died at my hand, I would have possessed his magic weapon at least. Then I were its rightful owner.
But for me, his death is of much more use than his life: it has led you here to me after all..."

With these provoking words he took a seat in his imposing throne and stared at the girl in anticipation, not at all impressed by her behavior.

Determined, she stepped up to Venger when she was seized on both her arms and held tight by the two guards.
She fought back wrathfully.

"Let her do as she desires!" he commanded his servants to stop.

They released the Thief again after hesitating shortly.

Sheila came another step closer.

"If you hadn't kidnapped my brother..." she accused him bitterly.

"Would he then still be alive until now?
Girl, I was well aware that he was doomed to die, his end had been preordained. So why should I interfere in this matter?
At the very most, I have only delayed his passing away for a little while and simply inflicted some more agonies on him as a result.
Ah, but it has given me such a great pleasure to witness the small Barbarian being at the end of his strength. Especially considering how vivacious the insolent brat once had been and seeing him then like that in comparison; so forlorn, so completely without hope...
Tell me, young Thief, did he at least struggle when you drowned him?"

"You... MONSTER!" Sheila was shouting beside herself and darted at her enemy with clenched fists.

Venger, however, didn't even bother to order his soldiers to shelter him from the furious Thief.
Casually, he only raised his hand and in one single circular motion he threw the girl back with a magical flash of light.

Sheila ungently fell before the Orcs' feet but just a moment later she heaved herself up again, though already feeling a bit dazed, and made another dash at him - and with another lightning bolt he kept her at bay with no effort.

Her skirt was already tattered here and there, his dark magic left quite deep and bloody scratches all over her body.
But yet her will to fight against Venger was still unbroken, although she was the only one getting hurt in the process.

However those pains reminded her only too well of the reason why she was taking all of this upon herself.
All her hate was directed against their foe, even though he was right about him not exactly being responsible for Bobby's death.
But after all it was more bearable for her to regard him as the culprit she could project all her rage, her hatred, her grief and her despair onto.

"We could proceed like this for hours without you approaching me anywhere near." Venger told her, sighing almost languidly when she had to take another hit. "Come to realize it, Young One, you don't have the ghost of a chance against me without the aid of your friends.
You're not able to harm me at all, thus I generously offer you to surrender yourself. Align yourself with me and I will reprieve you."

"You're offering me a deal, Venger? How dare you?! My brother's dead..." Sheila snarled, rubbing her sore arm.

"It would be a real shame to plainly destroy such an exceptional talent like yours.
There are so many possible purposes of use for you with your Cloak coming to my mind... or shall I earnestly send you to your deceased brother?
That's your true intention after all, isn't it, little Thief?"

The girl avoided his piercing eyes and didn't reply anything to that. This wasn't even necessary since he already knew.

"In addition to that I could also make your choice a bit easier for you by offering to spare your friends if you abandon yourself to me!"

She wheeled around to glare at him wrathfully.

"Are you trying to blackmail me now as you had forced Hank to betray us back then?
I had truly assumed he'd turn us in to you simply to save his very own skin. However, I didn't even know by then that he only had done it for Bobby.
And now you're demanding the very same thing of me?"

"Oh, you've mistaken my words, my dear. I do not want your friends in exchange, I want you instead. For that, the others are going to be reprieved by me."

"And my answer's 'No'! You've taken my brother away from me, you won't get me in return."

"Well, as you wish, Young One!" his expression darkened. "Then let's finish what you were coming for... and die!"

Saying this he finally rose from his throne and stepped up to her menacingly. Then he tossed her against the wall with an extremely powerful magical flash.

The girl gave a loud groan, eventually having difficulties to straighten herself again.
Now badly dazed and with noticeable decreasing strength - and her will to live - she just kept on sitting slumped down at the wall, awaiting the redemptive final blow of her opponent any time soon.

"Leave her alone, Venger!" was suddenly yelled behind them.

And in the very next moment an arrow which was supposed to repel their foe was already fired off by Hank.

"I might have known that you would not leave your Thief to go down into her very death all by herself!" Venger was pointing out towards the other Young Ones standing before him ready to fight.

They were now getting in front of Sheila protectively.

"Back off and don't touch her!" the Ranger demanded firmly.

"Yeah, or else you'll be in big trouble!" another voice chimed in threateningly.

When hearing those last spoken words Sheila eventually looked up - and was shocked immediately.

"Bo-Bobby? Oh my god... is it really you? But how... is that even possible? You're alive..." she whispered in disbelief.

"Hey Sis!" the Barbarian, now appearing very lively again, turned around to his sister while grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Tears of incredible joy were coming to the girl's eyes.
She slowly lifted herself up and headed for her little brother to finally hug him again, at long last.

"You're alive..." she iterated in a breathless voice.

Being way too much fixated on Bobby, the Thief was entirely oblivious of Venger and the fight against him, of the dangerous situation they were in.

However, this was a fatal error because their enemy announced quite disdainfully: "Though he will no longer have the time to rejoice over it, unfortunately..."

Far too late Sheila registered the movement from the corner of her eye.
She lunged at the young boy at the same moment when Venger was attacking, though she couldn't prevent it anymore.

Missing her by only a few inches, a lethal lightning bolt shot past her. There it found its destined target: her brother.
His body was struck by its magic with full force and with a stifling scream he was hurled to the floor where he remained lying down - motionless and staring blankly with his eyes wide open.
His Club hit the ground a couple of feet beside him, making a dull sound.

The young Barbarian had just died a second time!

Sheila let out a piercing shriek...

A/N:

This & the 6. chapter are how I originally intended to write my story before I changed my mind and revised it completely. Well, of course not exactly like that but pretty much something along these lines.

The part of Sheila getting revenge on Venger was mainly inspired by stories with the same theme (like the story 'Vengeance' by D.B. Cooper for example)