!!!!!I don't own any of the characters, etc!!!!!!

Chapter 7

Basta was keeping a tight hold on Brianna; not that she had the energy to go very far anyway. She hadn't eaten or slept properly in days or was it weeks? Time had slipped by when she was in the old charcoal-burners' hut and Brianna no longer had any idea how long she had been with Basta and Slasher but it didn't matter anymore. She had long since given up any hope of getting out of this.

A little while before Basta had said something about her father and a girl…..she couldn't remember the girls' name. They had taken her to the Spelt mill, she had never been here before but she had been told all about it by the strolling players.

"They are taking their time," said Slasher impatiently.

"They will be here soon enough. The girl's letter said that this is where they would be, we just have to wait."

"I don't like waiting."

"Well it's a good thing we have a certain someone to keep us company," replied Basta, putting a hand under Brianna's chin and lifting her head which had been drooping every so slightly. She was so tired. So very tired.

"Soon he will be here princess and that's when the fun really begins."

"Shove it Basta," her voice was weak but there was no mistaking the hate that was within it.

Basta raised his hand and slapped her. Hard. Once again her vision blurred and she thought she could hear voices. Wait a minute. She could hear voices. It sounded almost like……no it couldn't be.

Brianna raised her head and what she saw made her heart stop. Dad.

Her father and that girl that had been with the Inkweaver were standing there in the doorway staring at the scene.

"Basta what have you done?" Her fathers' voice was barely more than a whisper but it carried across the room clearly. It was then that Brianna realised how she must look. Neither Basta nor Slasher had been gentle with her. She could feel her fathers' gaze taking in her appearance: her deathly pale face, her frail looking arms and the bruises that covered her body along with the fresh red mark that Basta's slap had just left.

"Nice of you to join us fire-eater."

"Let her go." This time anger shook Dustfingers' voice.

"No I don't think so," Basta smiled. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long. I happen to think that this is the perfect revenge." He stroked Brianna's cheek. "She isn't looking too good is she?"

"Leave her alone Basta!" yelled Meggie.

Brianna was beginning to loose consciousness again. She didn't think she could stay awake much longer. She was going to die and so was her father. This was all her fault. Why couldn't she have just done as she was told for once? The Black Prince had told her to stay in the castle but she didn't listen.

"You're fight is with me." The familiar smell of smoke along with the sound of Dustfinger's voice kept Brianna from fading. She forced herself to look up. She was vaguely surprised to see that her dad was not the source of the smoke but when she looked into his eyes she forgot all about the smoke and everything else. Their eyes had locked, neither of them wanting to look away; his searching for some sign that she was going to pull through this and hers looking for the kind of reassurance that only a parent can give.

"I'm just having a little fun. Besides what are you going to do about it? You take a single step closer and I will not be responsible for what happens to little Brianna here. Slasher wanted to kill her back when we first left Ombra but this is much better." A large smile spread across his lips. "I have to say I'm quite enjoying myself. It's a pity that the lovely Roxanne couldn't have graced us with her presence but I suppose we can't have everything can we fire-eater? But I tell you what! Since we've known each other for so long, I will personally take the news or yours and your daughter's deaths to her. Oh and don't think that we have forgotten about you little witch," turning to Meggie for the first time. "We have a special fate awaiting you."

Unfortunately for Basta, while he was busy gloating over them, he hadn't noticed that the smell of smoke had become significantly stronger. It was Dustfinger that noticed the fire first. Basta yelled and dropped Brianna in shock. Brianna, not being able to support her own weight, fell to the ground.

"Farid, get Brianna and Meggie and go." Brianna felt hands turn her over and lift her from her lying position on the floor. She saw a boy that had not been there before, it was the boy that had yelled at her at her mother's house. He half carried her and half dragged her towards the window, yelling something at Meggie who swiftly jumped out of the window.

Fire was spreading quickly destroying everything in it's path. Brianna turned around; her eyes searching through the smoke that now filled the room for any sign of her father. She yelled over and over again until she saw him.

Dustfinger was surrounded by flames but that wasn't what scared her. Basta was there with his knife striking the air blindly getting closer to his enemy all the time. He was getting dangerously close to her father who was not moving out of his way. What was he doing?

"DAD!"

Dustfinger looked around. "Farid get her out of here now." But Brianna had seen Basta's knife reach her father's leg. She screamed and with a ferocity that she wouldn't have thought possible only five minutes ago, she struggled against Farid who was still attempting to pull her towards the window.

Suddenly Dustfinger was there beside them. "Let's go." Brianna saw his pale face but she did as she was told. Screams and yells could be heard from all around them but they jumped out of the window without a second glance back.

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