Rescue

Susan knew that if she herself couldn't be saved, she had to at least try to get Lucy away from those bastards.

She looked around—her captors had dragged Lucy and Susan, kicking and screaming, as it were, off to the woods. They knew, of course, that being off the road would eliminate all risks of them being found, so they were now stuffing the two girls in a small, dingy cave they had found.

"Put up quite a fight, laddies, eh?" grunted the tall, grubby man who had kicked Susan and Lucy into the cave. Susan narrowed her eyes. He was obviously the ringleader, and Susan was hoping that he wouldn't notice the small bulge in the back of her dress.

Susan never went without her dagger, of course, and there was no way in hell that she was going to let her and her sister be made into broken people like poor Darnay.

She was thinking of how she could reach behind and grab it without grabbing the attention of the man, and was certainly not listening to the man himself, when the man abruptly left the dingy little hole. Susan looked over at Lucy, inclining her head in question, but Lucy only shrugged. The fear was plain in her wide eyes, and it infuriated Susan even more.

Susan looked towards the entrance again, and found he had left a leering sentry at the door.

Susan rolled her eyes. Fantastic. Suddenly, though, she noticed a root of a tree sticking out from the wall.

She glanced toward the door again. The sentry was doing his job, finally, and looking out towards the woods. Susan lifted herself a bit, grimacing at the sharp pain of the blood returning to her legs again. She settled her head against the root, trying to catch the fabric of the gag on the twig itself.

Finally, it caught, and she pulled. The gag pulled free, and Susan gasped at the new found air. Susan looked over at Lucy and motioned her to do the same.

Lucy followed in Susan's order, looking frantically at the door in case the sentry decided not to follow orders.

"What do we do now?" whispered Lucy as her gag was released.

Susan looked towards the door again. The sentry must not be alerted, or this would be the end of them both.

Looking back at Lucy again, Susan motioned to her back. "Do you see that little bulge there?"

"Yes...is that your dagger?"

Susan nodded. "Do you have yours?"

"Yes, but the guard took it."

"Okay, then turn around and I'll try to undo your bonds so you can grab the knife and cut me free. After that, I want you to give the knife to me and I'll deal with the sentry. But you have to run, okay? Run as fast as you can, and don't look back. Have you got that?"

Lucy nodded again, and Susan noted the fear in her eyes got a little bigger. Susan could only hope that she herself would be strong enough to go through with her plan. Just as long as they didn't have Lucy...

She motioned for Lucy to turn around. Through a combination of tugging, using the root, and her teeth, she was able to get the bonds loose enough so that Lucy could twist free.

With coming free, though, blood rushed through Lucy's hands, and she gasped in surprise.

"Shh!" Susan cried. She looked toward the cave opening again. Thankfully the sentry had only jittered a bit, but hadn't actually turned round yet.

Lucy nodded. She reached around Susan, and Susan could feel her cold fingers grasping for the diamond-shaped knife behind her belt.

Then Susan could feel her hand close around it, and pull. Lucy grabbed it, and with a yell of triumph, flourished Susan's faithful dagger.

But the yell was too much.

The sentry turned around, and upon seeing a startled Lucy with a dagger, sprang into action. Lucy, shocked and unprepared, fought back valiantly against the stronger man. Susan could see, though, that Lucy's frantic movements were no match for the prepared, older man.

"Come on, Luc!" shouted Susan. She had found a fray in her bonds, and was trying to break free, before Lucy could lose the battle.

Alas, the man was showing no signs of tiring, and was easily gaining the upper hand.

"That's not helping," replied a terrified Lucy.

Finally, Susan could hear a snap—she broke through the last ribbons of her bonds and ran towards Lucy.

"Lucy, give me the dagger!"

But in the second of Lucy's hesitation, the sentry saw his chance.

That was when things began happening so fast, Susan could barely keep up.

A dark, tall figure sprang from outside and held back the sentry, but not before the sentry struck at Lucy.

And then there was red. Lucy fell, faster than Susan thought possible, and she sprang forward.

Not my sister, Susan thought. Not her.

She entirely disregarded the man that had came to her rescue, and instead focused on Lucy, who she had caught before Lucy had hit the ground.

She cradled Lucy's head on her lap, and tried not to cry as she saw a deep pool of blood form on Lucy's midsection.

Lucy's eyes, wandering, found Susan's.

"The vial," she said softly. Lucy coughed. "The vial...on...belt."

Susan's vision blurred. She vaguely spotted a tear landing on Lucy's gown.

"What—what are you talking..."

And then it hit her. Lucy's vial.

Susan grabbed her belt frantically. Her hands shook as she retrieved the vial, and it was all she could do to not to drop the vial as she leaned over the ragged edges of Lucy's gown.

She poured without abandon. How much could repair this? Lucy's eyes were drooping fast, and so much time had already gone by...so much blood had already been lost.

Suddenly, though, a pair of dark hands stopped her.

Susan looked up sharply—another captor?-but relaxed at the sight of Caspian.

"She...she..."

Caspian nodded. "I know, Susan. But it's enough. She's already coming back."

Susan looked down at Lucy, whose eyes were beginning to open.

She could no longer hold back her tears.

Lying at the base of Lucy's body, she began to sob.