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I nearly jumped into Dom's arms when he swung open the door and aloud me to leave. The healers had done another session with me and succeeded in healing me a bit more, allowing me to be more mobile.
"Take it easy sis, you're still fragile remember?" He chuckled.
I scowled at him. "I am not fragile! I thought we'd established that?"
"We did, most certainly we did. But still, take it easy, for me?" He wrapped an arm around my back and under my arm. "My heart can't take any more scares from you."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to faint, and you're still too young to be worried about your heart."
"You never know, you might just bring it on early." He grinned and led me down the stairs to the main deck.
We'd made port and I could finally see the familiar part of my home. We were in the same place as when we'd left. It felt much better to be arriving rather then leaving.
It was late, not to long from now Evening Watch would be mustering home. What I wouldn't give to be on watch with Tunstall.
Nonsense. Pounce seated himself next to me on the stair as Dom leapt to the bottom and went to assist at three coves named Brin, Reese and Johona who was struggling with one of Father's commanders. You were needed on that island, and you did a fine job. You deserve following it through to the end.
I sighed. "I suppose your right." I lent down and scratched between his ears. He pushed his head into my hand and purred.
I straightened up and glared as more of my people went to help with the struggling commander.
Tyron was taking our prisoners, our wounded and most of our fighters straight back to Giles. While Dom and I, accompanied by twenty fighters, would be taking father to Goodwin.
"Enough!" My voice rang around the boat and everyone stoped dead in their tracks. I walked down the steps and over to the cove. Dom and Reese had an arm each and Johona had him by his shoulders.
"I wouldn't suggest giving them a hard time." I glared at the commander and he shrank back, trying to pull away from me. "They will get you back for it."
The men around me snickered and grinned. Yanking his arms behind his back Johona bound his hands tightly and shoved him forward, down the ramp and onto the docks where wagons were waiting and our prisoners were being loaded into them. Several of the others would have our wounded loading into them and then be taken to Giles. Horses were also waiting for us.
"Bring up Lord Soren." Dom ordered, coming to stand next to me. "Have our guard ready to leave in five minutes."
I smirked at him. "Who's the boss around here? Me or you?"
He laughed and handed me a cloak. "Depends."
I swatted his arm and he glared playfully at me. "I want to get him there drop him off and get you healed up as quickly as possible, you don't need to oversee the unloading of everything, that's what Myra and Tyron for." He nodded towards the end of the docks and in the lantern light I spotted Myra.
"Dom." I said softly, getting his attention. "Whatever happens, happens."
He frowned. "Well I'm only settling on the best outcome, sorry to say. I didn't just get you back to loose you again."
"It's not your fault you know." I said, tying the cloak around my neck and walking down the ramp. "I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to."
"But you wouldn't have known if I hadn't told you." He followed me, watching my every step like it may be my last.
"Don't start. I would have been boiling mad if you had left without even telling me, and it was my choice to come, so I hereby forbid you to blame yourself."
"Yes majesty, as you wish." He gave an over exaggerated bow.
I shoved him lightly in the side and his grin didn't waver.
When Myra saw us she dropped the two swords she had been inspecting into a surprised Kurt's hands and hurried over to us.
"There you are!" She cried grabbing the hem of the black long sleeved V neck tunic I was wearing and yanked it up to inspect my stomach.
I've learnt that this woman could very well be Goodwin's sister from some of the stories I've heard.
The healers had wrapped bandages around me, so the wound wasn't visible and it also made it hard to bend fluently. Not that there was much to see anyway, all that was visible were four red marks.
"I'm fine Myra, really." I tugged the shirt from her hands and pulled it back down.
"They say you were hit." She said sceptically.
"Yes, it's fine though, just a few nicks on the inside for Giles to heal after we drop Father off at the kennel."
She didn't look terribly impressed with this but she didn't say anything. When her face hardened I looked behind us. Adrian, Kurt and several of our best were leading Father down the ramp and towards us. His wrists were chained behind his back and his ankles were chained together. They stopped in front of us and waited, the sinister smile on Father's face never changed.
"Mount up!" Dom ordered.
Kurt tied a blind fold to Father along with a gag and then pulled the hood over his head.
"So he can't call for help or be recognised." Dom explained.
I rolled my eyes. "I know why. We won't be long Myra." I said stepping around her and trotting up to a horse. One foot in the stirps and I swung myself up into the saddle and Pounce leapt up after me and hid, unseen, in the back of my cloak.
Dom followed suit after he'd watched them sling Father over Adrian's saddle. We waited for the others before Dom took the lead and went off at a trot heading towards one of the side streets.
The rest of us pulled up our hoods and hung them down low as to hide our faces. Kurt and I flanked Dom and Adrian fell in behind us with a rider either side of him and three behind him. The rest were on foot and disappeared into the night around us.
We went around the markets and saw few people, and most were rats. I recognised a few from Rosto's court though I didn't turn my head at all. It would have been a give away.
When we arrived at the kennel, there were dogs just coming in who gave us odd looks and I tried not to laugh at the looks on their faces.
We dismounted and Kurt and I continued to flank Dom as personal guards. I reached up and pulled the hood a bit lower and glared at my cat who was now sitting on my saddle. He'd be the give away that I was here.
I will not stay behind. He declared and jumped down.
I rolled my eyes then followed Dom as he marched up to the doors like he owned the place. Goodwin would be pleased.
The others crowed around Father and followed us in. Adrian stuck out like a sore thumb being twice…three times the size of everyone else. But it didn't really matter, I just found it amusing.
Throwing open the doors my brother marched in and beckoned us to follow. It was everything in my power to stop myself from showing any signs of recognition when I saw Ersken, Tunstall, Jewel, Yoav, Birch and Goodwin especially.
"Master Domain." Goodwin said slowly as she looked up. Those two words turned every head in the room our way.
"Hello Sargent." He said happily, no doubt flashing her a bright smile.
She scowled. "What are you doing here? And where is Cooper?"
"I just thought I'd tell you all personally, that we're back and we won." He said smugly as a few cheers and whistles erupted and Goodwin looked relieved for a moment then glared at the dogs and they quietened down.
"That." He continued. "And I have a present for you, curtsey of Lady Rebekah." He motioned for Adrian to bring Father forward. The big man picked him up by his forearms and carried him over to Goodwin's desk and set him down in front of her.
The other guards all hurriedly placed themselves at both sides of father and one reached up and pulled his hood down.
She raised one eyebrow as Tunstall wandered over and lent against her desk and inspected my father.
"Cooper sent you a cove Clary?" He asked, blinking his big eyes.
Father mumbled something through his gag, probably an insult but Tunstall just blinked.
"She promised you the hangman did she not?" Dom said casually, swaggering over to them, Kurt and me at his heels.
"He." Goodwin pointed at father with a finger. "Is the Hangman?"
Dom frowned. "That's what I said isn't it?"
She glared at him.
"Where is Cooper?" Tunstall asked.
"On her way back to her godparents, and I have to join her so if you could just tell me where I have to check him in, I'll leave these guards with him and be on my way." Dom replied quickly. "The cages are this way right?"
"Yes, but I won't be needin' your guards Master Domain." Goodwin replied coolly.
He shrugged. "Orders Sarge, think of it as being on the safe side."
"Very good." Tunstall clapped the guard closest to him on the back. "How is Cooper?"
"Stubborn, wounded….nothing out of the usual." He realised his mistake to late and I had to reframe from hitting him.
Pox and murrain on that sarden scut!
"WOUNDED!" Goodwin's bellow made even Adrian flinch.
They were saved though when the doors were thrown open and Rosto, Aniki and Kora rushed inside, panting.
"Goodwin, Beka's back, my lookouts saw….' He trailed off and stared at Dom who smirked at him.
"We know." Goodwin cut off anything Dom may have had to say.
My breath caught in my throat as Rosto looked over the rest of us, I knew the hoods hid all our faces but I was still nervous, though I didn't move or show it. His eyes lingered on me for a good moment longer then anyone else and I saw something click in his expression before he turned back to Dom.
"Where is she?" His voice was even now but it was low as he gave Dom a meaningful look.
"She'll be fine." He folded his arms over his chest, directing his answer to everyone.
It felt strange to have them talking about me as if I were not there, though I think Rosto knew very well where I was when his gaze flicked back to me for the briefest of moments.
Father mumbled something threw his gag and struggled a bit in Adrian's hold, not that it affected Adrian to much.
I frowned as he continued to shout things that none of us could understand and instinctively my hand went to the hilt of one of my swords.
As he struggled again one of the other guards moved to help Adrian and some how in the movement his blind fold came loose and father looked straight at me.
He shouted again and suddenly people moved from the shadows and the doors at either end of the room were kicked in.
Six of his men held their weapons out around us.
I cursed and pulled both my swords from their sheaths, drawing the eyes of my friends back to me.
I hesitated for only a moment before hurling one of my blades at the cove furthest to my left, it embedded deep in his chest and he fell. Leaping in front of Goodwin's desk I met the next cove's blade with mine and flipped over him and drove mine into his back. Leaving my blade in that cove and I swung around to face the two coming at me.
I dodged sideways and grabbed the closest one's wrist and brought up my knee into his stomach, he grunted and dropped his weapons, falling to his knees.
I felt my wounds pull and cursed again before skidding sideways around two more of the coves.
Picking myself up I did a half front flip and pushed myself into the air using my hands and landed, a little unsteady, on the surprised coves' shoulders. One foot on one and one on the others, pulling the pair of them together.
My hood fell back and I heard several gasps. I looked up and saw the dogs advancing on the still alive coves while Dom and the others tried to hold them off, keep father contained and help me.
"Dogs stay out of it!" I shouted as I banged the coves heads together and pushed myself off them as I felt them crumple beneath me. I somersaulted in the air and landed neatly on my feet and winced as I felt the cut second from the bottom open. I brought my fingers to my lips and whistled.
A sword cut through the air hilt first which I caught easily one handed just as the rest of my people came through the doors.
I twirled it around me once and then whipped it up to the remaining coves neck and lashed out with my leg at the same time. He froze as my blade touched his skin so knocking his sword out of his hand wasn't that hard, since he pretty much dropped it.
My breathing was rugged as I glared at the cove in front of me and tried to ignore the wet feeling on my lower stomach.
There was no noise, no one spoke, only my people moved as they got hold of the ones still alive.
"Lindon." I spat his name with as much venom as possible and he cowered under my glare.
He had been a commander when I was still with my father, a cruel cove yet spineless on his own.
I snorted. "How you ever moved up the ranks I will never understand."
He flinched and backed away from me, straight into the arms of Kurt and one of the others.
I lowered the sword and inspected the others which Dom had had hauled forward to the centre of the circle that had formed. My people were keeping the dogs out of it.
I circled the kneeling men and their captor's, casual like.
"Now, am I to understand that this was a rescue attempt?" Mockery clear in my voice. "If this is the best you have left, Father dearest, I'm happy to say you're doomed for sure."
I 'accidentally' brushed the edge of my blade across the back of the cove next to me and I smirked when he visually flinched and pulled away. They were more gutless then I thought, we're never to show fear in the face of the enemy and yet they were cowering.
Smiling at the chuckles around me I wandered out to stand in front of them, wincing at the feel of my blood slowly soaking through the bandages. "Now what to do with you…."
They all flinched this time and averted their gazes, I turned to face Lindon, who winced as soon as I looked at him.
"I happen to know that Myra has been looking forward to seeing you again Lindon, and I'm sure she'll come up with something for them to do." I waved a hand in the direction of the other coves.
I felt the cut opening up more and cursed violently earning odd looks.
I whipped to face my father and pushed my hair out of my eyes, at some point it had become loose. "You're causing me trouble old man, I'm loosing my patience with you."
He spat the gag out of his mouth and smirked. "So feisty child, you always did have my temper, if only you had been able to direct it the right direction."
"I did direct it in the right direction. Haven't we already had this talk?" I spat angrily. The pain was increasing and I was already in a bad mood to begin with.
"Too much of your mother in you." He mused, as if he were not chained and amongst people who would gladly kill him.
I rolled my eyes and wrapped an arm around my middle, the cloak closing around me hiding any colour that the others might see. "Any last words before I go?"
"You surprise me my child, you have not asked who killed your sister."
I tilted my head back and sighed. "Alright I'll bite, who was it?"
"A nice, aspiring young man, I believe you're familiar with him." He was cocky, it could just be a cover but it still made me nervous.
I studied him for a moment while everyone else looked lost. "Are you telling the truth?" I whispered though I knew it was a stupid thing to ask a liar.
He just smiled. "Would I lie to you at such a time as this my dear?"
Something, I don't know what it was, whether it was the look in his eyes or the tone of his voice I'm not sure. But for the first time in my life I believed him.
"Your empire is not as strong as you think." He stated, and he wasn't mocking me but warning me. "You never know which one will turn on you next child."
Dom and several of the others growled.
"One traitor doesn't mean that there are more, it isn't contagious and I won't allow anyone to accuse my people of disloyalty." I snapped, feeling my anger towards him return. "Anything else?" I licked my lips as my blood soaked through my tunic and made contact with my hand.
"Just one more thing, you're bleeding my love." He smiled cruelly.
"WHAT?" Dom shouted and ran to me, and it almost scares me to say that Rosto reached me before Dom did.
I didn't watch my brother as he pulled my hand off my stomach and stared at my bloodied hand. I didn't watch Rosto as he grabbed my other arm and pulled up my tunic and swore as he saw the bandages.
I never took my eyes of Father as he continued to grin, looking pleased.
Then it hit me, this was no rescue. It was just to kill me. Have me reopen my wounds and bleed to death before I made it to Giles.
I pulled myself from Rosto and Dom's holds and stood as straight as I could and glared.
"Very clever Papa, but it won't work, and you've just pulled the last string." I growled. "The dogs have one week." I said it loudly so everyone could hear. "To make your date with executioners hill, if they have not killed you in one week, I'll be back for you and this time I'll show you no mercy."
I looked at Goodwin and nodded. "One week."
She nodded back with a calculating look on her face.
I cringed mentally. I'd probably just ruined my chance of ever coming back to the dogs.
"Load up our guests, if we're away much longer I fear Mary and Myra may strangle us with their bare hands. Adrian, carry Dom will you? He looks worse then I do, mayhap you should see Giles first brother?" I teased lightly and the dull mood the room had fallen into lifted and my people smiled.
"Not likely." Dom snapped grabbing my arm and pulling me to him. "I hate being healed more then you do. And what ever happened to 'whatever happens, happens'?" He was smiling but I could see both worry and relief in his eyes.
I raised an eyebrow as we started towards the door but it turned into a wince. "I have a traitor to catch, he has a debt to pay."
My brother grinned. "I'll send out seekers now then shall I?"
I nodded as we walked to the door. I stoped and turned back to my friends and smiled hopefully. "See you at breakfast?"
Slowly they came out of their stunned moments and grinned at me, though Rosto smiled straight away and nodded at me.
I turned back and kept walking only getting a few more steps when the cut above the already opened one slipt. "Pox and murrain! Curst coves!" I yelped as the pain surged more forcefully through me.
"Horse quick!" Dom shouted as he scooped me up, it all went hazy then. I felt him put me in the saddle and swing up behind me. I heard my friends shouts and Goodwin's orders for healers. I felt the horse shift under us and I wrapped both my arms around my middle and squeezed my eyes shut.
I could feel my life slowly drain from my body as my energy disappeared and my senses started to fade.
I heard Dom's soft, scared words in my ears telling me to stay awake and lean into him and hang on. I lent back just as he kicked the horse and it took off, I heard the loud hoof beats and felt us turn a sharp corner before it all went black.
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Ta dar! Sooo how was it? I know it wasn't much of a reunion but they were in kinda of a hurry, I'll make up for it though.
Please review, the more reviews the quicker I'll put up the next chapter =D.
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xXAngelStormXx