Thank you

Two Worlds

Chapter Thirty Four

He lost him? How could he have lost him? He'd been there one moment and the next he was gone, wandering off into some leafage for some unknown reason. Perhaps to relieve himself? After all it had been a long ride. But, if that were the case, where was he now?

This was a problem and an even bigger problem was that the others in the group were going to look for him. Hmmm, maybe that wasn't such a problem in the first place. The five of them leaving the vicinity momentarily could ultimately benefit his cause. Hudson seemed unarmed and that only left the pretty, pretty princess at his side who- he was pretty certain- carried no weapon of her own. He could swoop in and grab hold of either one without the others any the wiser. He just needed to wait until they were out of earshot before advancing.

He heard their calling voiced to his left and to his right. They'd split up, leaving the royal couple practically sitting on a silver platter for him. He was positively giddy as he took a step forward. His blade slid silently from its sheath while he moved with almost catlike reflexes through the brush. Just a few more steps and he would be out into the clearing and he would make his move on Hudson.

He never heard the man approach from behind or hear the long gleaming blade be removed from its holding. All he felt was the cold threat of steel at his back with an angry warning growled into his ear. "Don't. Move."

He couldn't if he wanted to. He froze in fear as he felt the familiar prick of a soldier's blade resting firmly at his back. All it would take was one good thrust and his life would be at an end. A curse exited from within in a deep, rumbling growl. His plans seemed to have failed again and this time he hadn't even had the opportunity to have at the Hudson brat. Pitts was not going to like this.

"D?" Bobby's accent pierced through the area surrounding the two men and the dark man didn't even bother to look away from the back of his prisoner's head as he responded.

"Over here!" he called back. He pushed firmly on his sword, pleased when his prisoner arched his back in pain. "Drop your weapon and this just might become a bit easier for you," he growled and relaxed when he saw the sword fly from the other man's hand as he tossed it with a flick of his wrist. It landed against a rock with a loud clang.

"There you are, mate. Where'd you disappear to?" Bobby didn't have to wait for an answer as he wandered upon the scene. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know." He flashed a glance in the direction of the Aussie and knew the man understood the severity of the situation, though he didn't know all of the facts. Lucy said she'd felt like they were being watched. At first he'd chalked it up to be paranoia, but it looked like she was right. They had been followed and he wanted to know why.

Without another word from D, Bobby picked the man up by the scruff of his shirt, dragging him clumsily to his feet and marching him out in the open. He purposefully made him run into a low-hanging branch or trip over a moss-covered rock just to make sure this intruder knew who he was dealing with. "Jack, look alive, mate! We've got company," he called out, giving fair enough warning to the couple still captured in the depths of their love and desire for one another, yet the dance their lips were currently doing was not as heated as it was before.

He couldn't resist chuckling when the happy couple rose quickly to their feet, Sue stumbling slightly when a foot got caught in the folds of her skirt. Luckily, Jack was able to catch her before she fell and help her untangle herself, both with a deep red hue gracing their cheeks.

D followed behind Bobby, picking up the other blade with his free hand as the others weeded their way back from the lush trees to see what was going on. They watched as Bobby carelessly dropped the unarmed man to the ground where he didn't bother to get up as the crowd broke into a circle around him.

Jack deliberately tried to shield Sue from the pending brutal interrogation that would likely take place, Bobby doing the same with Tara. But, both being determined, strong women would not allow themselves to be pushed to the sidelines while the men put on their macho acts to gain a confession. They wanted to be a part of this and made certain they were when they slipped past their masculine shields and into the huddle, along with Lucy.

Sue gasped in surprise, clutching tightly to Jack's forearm as he instantly switched places with Lucy when he realized she'd joined the group. He figured that if she was going to subjugate herself to this, he would at least stand by her side.

She felt instantly consoled when Jack didn't pull away. He turned to her, his eyes silently asking if she was all right. If she wouldn't be able to handle this, he would turn her away to stew in her own misery. Her head bobbed slowly up and down as she sunk closer into him, making it seem like she was merely seeking the comfort of his strong, sturdy, male body.

A shiver ran down his spine and tingles were sent through his body when her lips lightly brushed over the sensitive flesh of his earlobe. Her breath came out in soft whispers and improper thoughts and images suddenly flashed into his mind. Shaking them away, he fought to focus no what she was trying to tell him, despite the difficulty.

"I've seen him before." She wasn't certain how her voice had sounded, but by the shadow that crossed through Jack's eyes, she could see that what she'd said had affected him. "F-R-E-D-E-R-I-C-K," she finger spelled slowly to him, her heart warming only slightly when the recognition of her hand movements flashed through his mind. He'd learned the alphabet in sign so quickly that she felt almost proud of her teaching skills and even more proud of her student.

Arthur Frederick; the one man Jack hoped never to meet. He was the enemy of his father, the enemy of the king. And his lurking about could only mean one thing. He was Jack's enemy, now.

He looked down at the aging face of the man and a memory flash formed in his mind. He'd seen that face once, when the lines of age and the years hadn't graced his face. He could see it contorted in a murderous laughter as the gentle glow of flames danced across his features.

Without warning, Jack lunged at the man when he finally realized where he'd seen that face before.

"Jack, no!" Sue protested, but her heeding call fell on deaf, angered ears as she watched Jack's fist flying through the air to make contact with Arthur's face. The man's grunt of pain was lost to her, but D had to usher Tara and Lucy away before they were caught in the tussle as Myles and Bobby fought to pry Jack from the practically still body of his enemy.

"Enough!" Bobby ordered and quickly was able to grab hold of Jack's arm, but not before receiving a punch of his own for his efforts. He grunted, rubbing one hand over the offensive pain in his stomach. One side of his face winced in pain, but after a clearing of the throat, he was back with Myles to keep Jack from lunging at Frederick again. "What's gotten into you, mate?" he asked as he usually cool gaze shifted between the two men.

Arthur didn't look like much of a threat, though in his prime, he might have been able to handle a struggle of epic proportions. Unfortunately, the years had not been kind to him and was barely able to take a few well-aimed punches. He looked like a crumpled pile of high-quality clothes lying on the ground while he struggled to sit back up. His lower lip was swelling already and a small trickle of blood was leaking from his nose. He glared up at the young man as he wiped the moisture away with his sleeve. The white fabric was stained crimson with his own blood.

Fighting to swallow the anger and the hatred rising up within him, Jack pulled out of Myles and Bobby's clutches, but made no attempt to attack the man again. It just wouldn't be worth it. Hudsons did not believe in revenge, though Jack would surely take much pleasure in it. "This man... killed my parents," he proclaimed, practically spitting at the man with disgust. He turned on his heels and stalked back to his parent's graves, leaving the others to stare wide-eyed into the less than solemn smirk as it slowly curled at Frederick's lips. It was as if he was smiling with pride.

"Jack," D began, trying to be the voice of reason. He could not allow the younger man to lose himself to his anguish. Greater men had been lost to their emotions before and he did not want to see that happen to him. The boy didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard and even shrugged away Sue's gentle, consoling ministrations. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to hear the reassurances spouting from everyone's lips. "Listen to me," it was an order and Dimitrius would not take no for an answer. He was pleased when the dark head of hair raised, the even darker eyes staring forward. This was the best reaction he was going to get. "This cannot be the man. We caught the culprit and he was put to death because of his actions."

Jack's voice came out in an angered growl, his eyes burning so brightly that Sue had to take a step back in fear. "He may not have held the torch, but he is at fault for their deaths."

"How can you be certain?" Sue asked softly, tentatively reaching out to touch him, but retracting her hand when she couldn't bring herself to do so.

Tears burned the backs of his eyes as he fought to stem the flow. It had all come back to him, now. He could remember the love of his parents and the adoration of the people and he could also remember the terror he felt when he stared out his bedroom window on that terrible night. His voice echoed hollowly from his throat as he recalled everything his memory had captured. "The flames had just begun to reach the second floor. Smoke was already beginning to fill my room. I was searching for a way out, but when I opened the chamber door, all I could see were the sickening flames coming to claim me. I ran to the window. Even then I didn't know why I did it. A force was calling to me to look out the panes of glass and that's where I saw him." He swallowed past the large lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. The images that had haunted him in the orphanage were coming back at full force. He wanted to draw away, but no matter what, they continued to come after him.

"He was laughing. His head was thrown back with glee as he watched my home and my family burn. Master Williams called to me and I looked away as he broke through the door to claim me. I glanced back to the window only to see the laughing man had gone." Years later, he could still recognize the face of that man. It was aged and contorted with wrinkles, but it still held that eerie shimmer of evil glee that shot through him that night. He hadn't lit the fire, but he'd arranged for it to happen. He killed Lord and Lady Hudson.

"You were supposed to burn in that fire, just like your mother and father," Frederick sneered as he struggled to get to his feet. Bobby and Myles quickly jumped into action and grabbed the man by both arms. No more harm would be done this day if they had anything to say about it.

"Why did you do it, Arthur?" Sue asked, her normal genteel nature not deterred just because this man was the murderer of her mother and father's closest friends.

"Why not?" was his simple answer, which got the reaction out of Sue he'd hoped for. She drew back, disgusted by his words. She'd known his dislike for James and Edward went back a great number of years, yet none of it could ever have justified killing anyone. The evil smirk that had curled at his lips vanished as his expression turn severe. His voice crossed his lips in monotone words and though Sue couldn't hear them, a chill still traveled down her spine. "I despised that man. Always the best at everything, academics, fencing, women. He didn't even have to blink and he got a new acclamation, meanwhile I tried my hardest to be the best and still failed... because of him!"

"That's no reason to kill anyone," Lucy voiced her opinion, but Arthur just sneered at the dark-skinned woman as if she were vermin. She was a servant and she wouldn't talk to him in such a way.

"I'd put your girl back in her place, Leland," then changed his mind as a cruel sneer graced his face. "Or if you'd rather I do it for you-" A growl of pain roared from his chest as neither Bobby nor Myles were none to kind with their handling of his arms. They each twisted the appendage too far, gaining the reaction they were seeking. No one talked to Lucy like that, especially scum like him.

"I'd keep your mouth shut on your opinions if I were you. Our hands just might shift far enough to make you lose both of these," Bobby warned with another twist. Arthur winced this time and decided it would just be best to keep his silence.

A horn sounded in the distance, shifting six gazes in the direction of its origin. Arthur rolled his eyes at the terrible timing while Sue's gaze continued to solely rest on Jack. Hers only followed once he rose to his feet and turning his attention to the sounds of racing hooves pounding in the distance. "What is it?" she asked, frightened that Arthur would have had back up. She visibly relaxed when a smile crossed Jack's lips.

"It looks like the cavalry is on its way."