Author's Note:

Another installment of excitement and action! (Hurray!)

John and Rebecca quickly detailed the situation to their comrades. Jarred nimbly slipped through the driver's window and brought their carriage to a halt. They quickly gathered their weapons of choice and hurried into the pouring rain.

They had difficult seeing each other through the pounding rain, much less locating their missing comrade. There was only an echo of cackles, which seemed to be coming up from the cliff side, as if the sea itself were mocking them.

The large group of bandits circled around the smaller group of travellers. Their missing companion lay injured on the side of the road, but he was still very much alive. The bandits began to close the circle, stepping closer to their armed prey.

The group of travellers stayed close to each other, for fear of mistaking a bandit for one of their own. A flash of lightening highlighted the blades of their enemies, a moment before the fighting began. The first bandit lunged at the nearest traveller, and so the ferocious fight began.

The clash of metal on metal and shouts was only deafened by the pounding rain and the relentless thunder. Unlike their previous battle, the companions weren't faced with unstoppable numbers, however they were at the mercy of the haze that the rain had created, making it difficult to discern friend from foe.

Adrenaline pumped through the veins of the warriors, while the Khorasan Rhinoceros brayed in alarm. The fight could've only lasted a few minutes, but to the fighters each second seemed to drag out, and they began to tire from the taxing weather conditions.

The bandits' forces began to thin and the companions realized that their enemies were making a swift retreat when their blades met air rather than metal. The Khorasan Rhinoceros grunted and the carriage wheels began to creek.

"The bandits!" Kenny called loudly from the side of the road. "They're stealing the carriage!"

Jarred was the closest to the fleeing carriage, and he agilely leapt onto the side –sword in his hand- and began making his way to the nearest door.

The bandits who had been left behind quickly left the scene, taking their chances with another group of passers-by. The group of travellers hurried to catch up with the carriage, which was now dangerously rocking from the fighting within.

The activity within the carriage upset it so much that it fell to its side, sliding towards the edge of the cliff. The Khorasan Rhinceros brayed loudly as it strained against its bindings while the ground beneath the carriage began to crumble under its weight.

The ground caved in, forcing the rhinoceros closer to the edge of the cliff while the carriage dangled by its leather bindings. A few of the unprepared bandits fell from the back of the carriage to their deaths. The group of companions hurried to try and rescue their comrade before either the rhinoceros or its bindings could give away. The rhinoceros –fearing for its life- franticly scrambled to regain its footing along the muddy edge of the cliff.

Suddenly, the leather bindings snapped, loosing the carriage from its mount.

"Jarred!" Juanita screamed, watching the carriage plummet from the cliff side.

The carriage made a sickening crack against the rocky shoreline below, and then there was only the sound of the rain. The Khorasan Rhinoceros quickly made its way to more solid ground as the group of travellers stared at the muddy remains of the cliff side.

Juanita dropped to her knees, her clothing already soaked from their battle in the rain. Tears accompanied the raindrops falling down her cheeks as she choked on sobs. Her hands balled into tight fists as she fought against the pain inside.

"How could you, Jarred?" Juanita screamed. "How could you leave? After all we've been through, how could you just go and die?"

Her companions simply stood in the pouring rain, unable to console the grieving Shikaran.

"The bandits could've had the carriage for all I care." Juanita yelled zealously, punching the muddy puddle she had fallen in and getting a resulting splash of dirty water. She didn't care for this. "Now we've lost both the carriage and you." Her bottom lip quivered as she strained to not completely break down into sobs. She drew a sharp breath. "And I never got the chance to tell you…" Juanita closed her eyes. "…that- that I love you, with all my heart. Since you helped me get off of Shikari, a day hasn't gone by that I never stopped loving you, and I never will stop."

There was a silence, accompanied only by the light drizzling of rain. Juanita looked up and was surprised to see Jarred. He was holding onto something that was floating just above the cliff's edge and looking at her oddly. The female Shikaran froze, wondering if this was simply an illusion from her emotions. Jarred navigated the thing he was holding onto, which turned out to be Jim's hovering casket, so he could stand upon more solid ground.

"Gotta thank those Xylonians, in more ways than one." Jarred smiled.

John laughed. "Yeh gave us quite a scare there, lad."

Jarred laughed good-heartedly, but then caught the sudden heated glare Juanita was giving him.

"Jarred!" Juanita snapped to her senses and stood from the puddle. "I ought to throw you over that cliff again for all that you just put me through." Jarred walked towards Juanita, a bemused smile on his face. "And there you are, with a smug little smile on your stupid face, like nothing even happened. I-"

Jarred stepped forwards and pulled Juanita into a kiss, effectively silencing her rant for the time being. The group of companions were washed over with the same feeling of relief and shared laughs. The Khorasan Rhinoceros, exhausted from stress, fell to the sopping wet ground and let out something of a sigh.

"You did well, Bronco," Kenny proudly told the rhinoceros, "you've earned some rest." The rhinoceros grunted in reply.

Rebecca laughed weakly before feeling a sharp pain between her ribs. Her hand darted to her side and when she drew it back she saw that it was coated in blood. She hadn't realized in the midst of fighting that she had been injured and the pain began to increase with each laboured breath. She was overcome by a sudden bout of dizziness and fell to her knees.

"Rebecca!" John was at the young woman's side first, kneeling in the muddy ground as a light rain drizzled upon them. His hands went to her shoulders and he looked at her with concern.

Rebecca's hand, now covered in her own blood from trying to staunch the wound, shook from nervousness. She swayed from losing blood, seeing spots in her eyes that she knew weren't there. John's word echoed in Rebecca's head as she tried to maintain her focus.

The world began to blur and before it turned black.

Author's Note:

Thank you, Whisperwings, for helping me work towards the goal of finishing this story before Christmas holidays come around.

MG#6