| Chapter 45 Tara slowly approached Nick. He was sitting on the shore of the lake, just outside the city. "Nick?" she said softly, coming to stand beside him. He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. "Honey, Brian will make it through this," she said, trying to reassure him. Nick shook his head, "I'm afraid for him. This is my fault, all of it. He shouldn't have to suffer because of me." Tara sat down, putting her hand on his arm, "Baby, this isn't your fault." "Yes it is, don't you see? If I wasn't who I am, they would never had gone after you or him," Nick countered. Tara sighed, "You can't help who you are Nick." Nick just sighed and put is head back down. Tara sat with him in silence for quite a while. She knew something else was bothering him, and wanted to wait until he was ready to tell her. "Tara?" he asked, his head still down. "Yes?" she said. "He won't talk to me," Nick whispered. Tara reached over and ran her hand through his hair, making him look up at her, "Who?" "God, He won't answer my questions," Nick admitted. "What are you asking?" she inquired. "I wanted to know if Brian would be alright, and He's not talking to me," Nick said, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Honey, maybe He's not ready to give you an answer yet," Tara said. Nick shrugged, "I dunno. All I know is that He was talking to me all the time, and now He's not saying anything. The silence is deafening." She took his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze, "He'll speak to you when He's ready. Don't lose hope." Nick took a deep breath and nodded, looking back as Micah approached them. "Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt," he said. Nick wiped at his face again, "It's alright. What is it?" "I wanted to let you know that the watchers are in place," Micah said. "Thank you," Nick said, standing up and brushing off his clothes, "I guess I better get back huh?" Tara stood to walk with him, "Nick, you should rest, it's late." He shook his head, "I still have things to do, and I need to plan how to get Brian back once he comes through the gate." Tara and Micah watched as Nick headed up the trail, leaving them behind. "He should rest," Micah said. Tara nodded, "Yeah, but I know he won't. Not until Brian's safe." "That may be a while," Micah noted. Tara looked at him for a moment, then started up the trail after Nick. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leighanne walked down the stairs into the living room. "Little one asleep?" Howie asked. She nodded, "Finally." He smiled as she sat down on the couch with him. "The girls still with Lyn?" she asked. "Yeah, I think Ted gave her something to calm her down," Kevin answered. Leighanne shook her head, "Poor girl. First they go through the heart scare, and now this." "I know, it's like it never ends with us," A.J. said, "When the hell is it gonna end?" "Yeah, I'm starting to think I want off this ride," Gary said. Kevin sighed and got up, walking to the windows and looking out at the night sky. "Where are you Brian?" he whispered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian awoke to the sound of his cell door opening. He blinked at the light coming through the door, as two guards came in and picked him up, dragging him out of the small room. They each had him by an arm, his shoulder screaming at him. Brian tried to get his feet under him so he could walk, but couldn't. So he let them drag him down the hall. He tried looking around, he wasn't sure if it was day or night, and he saw no windows on his trip to clue him in. They wound through corridors until they finally turned into a large room. Brian looked around, his blood running cold at what he saw. It was a torture room, that much he could tell. There were various racks and machines placed strategically around the room, creating little torture stations. The guards drug him up to a rack, similar to the one Nick had been placed on in the video tape that was sent to them in the hotel, not that long ago. They grabbed Brian's wrists and forced them into the cuffs at the top, then cuffed his feet as well. After that they left the room. Brian's back was to the door, so he couldn't see anyone until they came into his line of vision, it hurt to much to try and twist around to look. But he could hear them. He knew someone had entered the room, and they were taking their sweet time coming over to him. "Who's there?" Brian finally asked. He heard footsteps coming closer, "I'm surprised they got you down here so easily. Since when did you stop fighting?" a sickening familiar voice said. Brian turned his head, his heart sinking and his eyes widening in fear, "Hathath?" "Aw, you do remember me," he teased, "How touching." Brian glared at him as he came into his full range of vision. "Why am I here?" he asked. "Ohh, they didn't tell you?" Hathath said, smiling. "Not really, no. How is keeping me here helping your side?" Brian asked, calming the initial fear he had, and trying to gain as much information as he could. Hathath turned his back to Brian, sorting through some torture devices that where laid out on a table next to the wall. "Well, let's see. You're here to break Nickolas's spirit, as well as your own," he said. "I can understand me, but how is my being here gonna hurt Nick?" Brian asked, somewhat confused. Hathath turned back to him, a whip in his hand, "You two are connected. He will see and feel what happens to you." "But how?" Brian asked. Hathath unfurled the whip and cracked it a few times, getting the feel for it, "Oh don't tell me you haven't seen it?" Brian shook his head. "Mortal's always tend to miss the obvious. OK, in the last few years have you not noticed that your life and his have paralleled each other? When something happens to you, it's not long before something happens to him?" he asked. Brian thought, "Well, yeah I guess." "And he sacrificed his life, to get you away from a siren. And you sacrificed yours to keep him safe while he was spying on us," he noted. "Uh huh," Brian said. "So you are connected. Somewhat like you where with Tara when she was with you," Hathath explained. "But how come I don't feel him?" Brian asked. "Because you are mortal, and because of who he is. It only works one way," he said. "But if we're connected like that, why didn't he know I was sick?" Brian asked. "Because you didn't connect until he brought you back," Hathath said. Brian stared at him, "So when you hurt me, you're gonna be hurting him as well?" Hathath shrugged his shoulders, "Not really sure. Nick being who he is and all, he may just see it and not feel it as much, but still...... gets the point across, no matter what." Brian shuddered at the thought of Nick seeing what was about to happen. He knew he had to be strong for himself as well as Nick now. "So why tell me all this?" he asked. Hathath stood in front of him, looking down at him, "Why not? You probably won't survive anyway," he said, as he walked around behind Brian. Brian took a deep breath, calming the fear that kept surfacing. God, please give me the strength to get through this, and please don't let this sway Nick in his leadership of the army. Please give Nick the strength and knowledge he needs to win this, and no matter what happens to me, please let him know it's not his fault, Brian prayed. Hathath laughed at him, "I can hear you," he teased. Brian ignored him, mentally preparing for what was to come. He felt his shirt rip up the back, exposing his skin to the damp cold room. Brian grabbed the chains above the cuffs holding his wrists, and tensed his back. Closing his eyes as the first blow bit into his skin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nick was sitting in the command tent, listening to one of the generals discuss a possible rescue attempt. He knew the plan wouldn't work from the beginning, but he wanted to hear the man out just the same. The man finally finished, and Nick excused him, telling him he would consider it. He got up from the table and started to walk around it to retrieve a few battle plans when it hit him, and hit him hard. He let out a small cry, and fell to his knees as the scene played out in front of his eyes. He could see Brian chained to a rack, being whipped mercilessly. Blood ran down his back to the floor in a steady stream. His back covered in more bloody whelps than he thought was possible. There was no untouched skin from the nape of his neck to the small of his back. Nick could hear the demon that was torturing Brian, taunting him, but Brian made no sound. Not a yell, scream, whimper, nothing. He just looked straight ahead, only wincing as each blow landed. Finally Brian could take it no longer, he lost his grip on the chains, his body slumping as he fell into unconsciousness. The demon stopped his torture and uncuffed Brian, letting him fall to the floor. "Nick? Nick are you alright?" Slowly the vision faded, being replaced by the faces of Tara and Micah. "Nick?" Micah asked. Nick put his hand up to his face, feeling the wetness of his tears on his cheeks. "Nick, what happened? What did you see?" Tara asked, concerned. "I-I saw Brian," he said, his voice shaky, "They where torturing him." Tara and Micah glanced at one another, then back to Nick. "Is he alright?" she asked. Nick shook his head, "I'm not sure, he passed out, then the vision left me." Micah put a comforting hand on Nick's shoulder, "Brian will survive this. He is strong, and God will help him." Nick got back up to his feet, finding the closest chair and sitting down. He put his head in his hands, visibly shaken by what he'd seen, "I pray you're right Micah." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian slowly opened his eyes. He was laying on his stomach back in his cell. His shirt was gone, and the cold air in the room nipped at his aching back. He let out a soft moan as he became aware of the pain he was in. His back was on fire, and there was no quenching it. He knew better than to try and move, so he lay there, staring at the door to his cell. It was a few moments before he realized something was sitting in the floor next to him. He slowly, painfully, lifted his head to get a better look. It was a cup filled with water, and a small piece of bread on a plate. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten or drank anything. He was thirsty, but the pain stifled his hunger. Brian stared at the cup for a moment, knowing that when he moved to get it, the pain would consume him. He was barely staying conscious as it was. But he also knew that if he was gonna make it through this, he had to keep his strength up. So, he reached for it. His breath catching in his throat as the pain coursed through his body. His hands were shaking, and he feared he'd spill the water before he could get it to his mouth. Thankfully he didn't. He drank greedily, downing half the glass in the first swallow. Water never tasted so good to him, and he quickly thanked God for it. He carefully sat the cup down, not wanting to spill the remainder of the water in it. He then grabbed the bread and took a few bites. He couldn't finish it though. The pain was starting to win out, making him nauseous. So he put the bread back, and finished the last of the water before he lay his head back down. Brian sighed, trying to will the pain from his mind. He could tell no one had bothered to clean his wounds. Feeling the dried blood on his back as he moved, then the sickening feeling of fresh blood mixed with it, slowly running down the sides of his back to the mattress he was on. Brian closed his eyes and prayed for unconsciousness. At least there he didn't feel the pain. He longed for the darkness, and was rewarded when it came. Chapter 46 |