| Sect fourteen: hope By Richard LeBlanc A few days travel from Triar - Julia was curled up in a small cave. She had lost track of time since she and Drake had parted company - she found little reason to care. All she could think about was how stupid she was for letting something like that happen to her. "How could I have been so stupid?" she sobbed. Images of the daemon Dranih mocking her tormented her as she cried. She remembered all of the days and nights that she and Drake had spent together on her journey. Remembered all of the things they talked about. Remembered how he helped her so much - and yet it was all a lie. She slowly sat up - she wanted to force all of it away - focus on what she needed to do - but no matter what she did - nothing seemed to work. She had lost so much on this journey - that she was beyond care. "I think she's this way," a voice stated. Julia tensed up and curled up in the shadows. She didn't know for certain if they were after her - but with the way her luck had gone she wouldn't wager against it. "Trail leads to the cave," another voice pointed out. Julia shook her head and slowly got up. She limped out of the cave and saw three men dressed similarly to how Drake was dressed standing a short distance away. "If you've come to kill me just do it. I don't care anymore," she muttered. One got ready to move - but another held him back. "Careful - she is of witch blood - it could be a trick," he warned. He looked over at her and saw the emptiness in her eyes. "Don't care? What of your quest to reset the seals?" he asked curiously. "What's the point? I was a fool to think I could do such a thing by myself," she muttered - slumping down to her knees. The assassin sheathed his dagger and looked around the landscape. "What of your friend - Drake?" he asked curiously - half expecting the man to leap out to her defense. Her hands began to twitch at the mention of his name. "He - just - wanted to kill me," she muttered. "Really?" the assassin asked - a quiet chuckle followed. Julia looked up at the men that were laughing at her. "You honestly don't know do you?" he asked. The question broke through her despair and caused a wave of confusion to ripple through her. "What - what are you talking about?" she hesitantly asked. "The man betrayed the Order. The boy was quite smitten with you - so much so that it clouded his judgement. As we speak - a blood hawk wearing your face is putting the traitor out of our misery," he pointed out. "Betrayed? Traitor?" she repeated in disbelief. "He defied the will of our master - and the will of the one that put the contract on your life. He vowed that no one would harm you so long as he lived. A vow that should have come to pass a short while ago," he continued. "But - I don't understand," she muttered. "I would imagine not. Otherwise you would not have sent away the one thing that was keeping you alive. Not that any of that matters now. Because of you - one of the Order had turned against us. For that - your suffering will be exquisite," he replied as he and the others slowly made their way towards her. She would have tried to run had she not been so weak from lack of eating and rest. She bowed her head and closed her eyes. Just then the forest behind her exploded! From the barrage of leaves and tree branches flew Drake atop Midnight. The hooves of the horse slammed down on one assassin - caving in his chest. Drake then leaped from his horse and glared at the remaining assassins. "Drake? You're alive?" one assassin asked in disbelief. "Leave now," he hissed in a raspy voice. "Even if you did survive - your fight with the blood hawk has left you weak. You are not at your peak and are no match for us. What the blood hawk failed to do - we will do right," the other assassin retorted. The three assassins drew their weapons. Julia watched Drake fought the two that had come for her. Flashes of light blinked where steel met steel. Just then - Drake spun around and turned his back to the two remaining assassins. His blood stained daggers held out before him. Much like he had done against the huge goblin like beast - he twisted the weapons in his hands. Julia watched as blood squirted out from their necks as their heads fell from their bodies. Drake slowly looked up at Julia. "They - not - hurt - you," he strained as he collapsed. How much time had passed - he did not know - but when he woke up - Julia was sitting beside him - looking into a campfire. Drake looked up and saw that it was night. He tried to sit up - but sharp pain prevented him. "You shouldn't move. You are hurting pretty bad," she pointed out - not looking away from the dancing flames. "I noticed. What happened?" he asked weakly. "Some of your friends came to finish what you started," she replied dryly. He closed his eyes and sighed. "I trusted you Drake - I need to know the truth. I don't care if it hurts. I just need to know if you were just using me - or if any of what I thought and believed was true," she asked timidly. Drake opened his eyes and forced himself to sit up. "You want to know the truth? I - owe you that much," he muttered. He leaned forward and placed his hand into the fire. Julia was going to comment when he slowly pulled the hand away. It was unharmed. "What - what are you?" she asked hesitantly. "My - father - was a black knight - the captain of the guard at Gernome. When the protectors fled - in spite of the fact that the battle was assuredly theirs - he stayed behind with the strongest most loyal fighters. They tried to fight - but without the protectors - the guardian mages - the city fell," he began. Julia slowly looked over at him and saw the distant look in his eyes. "As my father lay dying - a daemon - a powerful one appeared to him. Convinced him that the city fell because the guardian mages betrayed them. In his state - it didn't take much convincing. He signed a pact in blood with the daemon. The power of the daemon restored him to health. He was fine at first - I was told. The lone survivor of Gernome who did not flee. He went to a village that was out of the path of the demon host. He met she who would be my mother," he began but stopped. "What - what happened?" she hesitantly asked. "The war - against Temal the demon host had begun its attack on the last of the guardian mages and the final seal. It was then that the daemon awoke - my father - using the power of the daemon - enslaved all of the able bodied men to be his new army. He forged magical armor that would stave off the effects of magic of the guardian mages," he continued. It was then that Julia had flashbacks to her dream. The face of the man that confronted her mother - was Drake's father! "Your father was at the fall of Temal," she commented on a subconscious level. "Yes - and he died there. I was only one or two at the time - but I witnessed it. I saw the battle between the great beasts - and the last guardian mage - against my father and his unholy forces. I remember seeing the wolves - killing him. I remember the guardian mage laughing in spite of the fact that she was run through on his lance. After that day - I could feel nothing but hate," he muttered. "After that - all I focused on - was vengance for my fallen father," he added "But - he was possessed - wasn't he?" she asked curiously. "It didn't matter. My tutors - my teachers - trained me to be the finest instrument of his vengance. Because," he began - a tired laugh escaped him. "Not all of the guardian mages perished. One escaped the fall of Temal. So I hooked up with the Order of the Black Bird when I was ready. And with them I trained for that one day - that I would be able to avenge - realizing too late - that it would all be for nothing," he laughed - tears rolling down his eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Because - shortly after I took the contract to kill the one that sought to reset the seals - I learned who that person was - and I was powerless to do anything to her," he replied quietly - lowering his eyes. "You - mean - me?" she asked timidly. He quietly laughed and looked over at her. "I know the need for secrecy. The guardian mages were not overly loved by all. I know now that you are her daughter. The daughter of the one who killed my father," he replied calmly. "I don't," she began timidly. "Only three - know of that poem. My father - who told me - that I would know his killer's offspring by that rhyme. The daemon champions - who were ally to him and knew of the pact - and the guardian mage - who is you," he pointed out. "How long did you know?" she asked hesitantly. "I didn't - until you spoke to Dranih," he answered. "You said - you were powerless? How can that be? I have seen what you can do," she asked curiously. Drake looked over at her and then looked away. "Because I had fallen in love with you. But it - doesn't matter anymore - does it?" he asked tiredly. Julia looked over at him and saw in his eyes a pain equal to what she was feeling. "I - I have lost so much. I lost my family before I was old enough to even know them. I lost the only family I had know because of this quest. I lost my friend the wolf - and I lost you," she began weakly. He slowly reached over and placed his hand on hers. "But you came back," she added. "I could do no less," he replied. "No more lies?" she nervously asked - gently squeezing his hand. "I swear," he replied. "No secrets?" she asked. He nodded. "You - do not care about what I am? Who my father was?" he asked. "Do you care who my mother was?" she rebutted. He shook his head. "As for what you are - I don't care. I - I have lost everything I know - and have held dear. You are all that I have left. I don't ever want to lose you again," she sobbed as she leaned over and tightly hugged him. Although it hurt him - he put his arms around her and held her close. "You never will," he reassured quietly. It was then that the pain caught up with him once again. Drake fainted and fell back to the ground. Julia sighed and laid down beside him - resting her head on his chest. She felt his arm hold move up and hold her. In spite of everything that had happened - she felt safe. "Will you be able to go to Gernome?" she hesitantly asked. "Wherever you go - I will be by your side," he replied - drifting off to sleep. Julia smiled as she closed her eyes. Almost instantly she was asleep. To them both - it seemed as though what had happened in the past - was behind them. All that mattered now - was their future. To be continued... |