Part 14

Ian burst into the bedroom to find Sara sitting on the bed, trembling with tears in her eyes. Wordlessly he dropped to his knees in front of her and clasped her hands in his own.

"Oh God Nottingham, what have I done?"

"Tell me, Sara." His eyes searched out hers.

"The vision . . . Joan . . . she said I had to choose." Sara hesitated. "She said I had to choose a protector."

"I am your protector, Sara." He rose to sit on the bed beside her, putting his arm around her and pulling her close.

"I know." Sara sniffled, trying to stop the flow of tears. "I named you . . . and she said . . . she said you must be tested. If it is like the periculum . . . I lose all the people in my life I care about, don�t you understand?"

Ian put his gloved hand to Sara�s face, his thumb wiping away a tear. "When is this test to come?"

"She didn�t say. Oh God, what have I done?"

"Shhh. Everything is all right." Ian cradled Sara in his arms, silently hoping he was correct. "Come, let�s get some food. You�ll feel better.

Sara nodded and Ian stood, helping her to her feet. His arm still about her, they went into the kitchen.

After they had eaten and cleaned up after themselves, Ian remarked, "You are a wonderful cook, Sara."

"You�re just trying to make me feel better. I�m a lousy cook and I know it."

"No, Sara. I mean it."

Sara gave Nottingham a half-hearted smile.

The silence in the room was palpable. Finally unable to stand the tension anymore, Sara spoke up. "I�m going to get a shower."

Ian nodded, frowning slightly. "I hesitate to leave you alone."

Sara paused, her hand on the bathroom door. "Then join me."

Ian stopped, his mouth open as if to speak, but no words came out.

"It�s just a shower Nottingham. I don�t bite." Sara grinned, "Much."

"I cannot." Ian stood looking at the floor. "It would not be right."

It was Sara�s turn to frown. She didn�t reply, only headed in to take a shower, closing the door behind her rather forcefully. She turned the shower on full force. She undressed quickly, but when she tried to remove the Witchblade she found it would not come off her wrist. Well fine. Let it get wet. She hated to admit it, but Nottingham was right. It only aggravated her more. He was a man, she was a woman. Why couldn�t things be simple for once? She stood under the spray trying to come to terms with the feelings she held for him.

Ian stood outside the bathroom door for a long moment before calling out, "Sara?" No answer. He reasoned to himself that she was fine, that she just hadn�t heard him. "Sara?" Still no answer. He opened the door a tiny crack, "Sara?"

"Yes?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "I used the towel that was in here, I thought you might need another." He put his arm in the door, the plush terry towel he�d found in the closet in his hand.

"I need more than a towel."

"What else do you require?"

Sara held Nottingham�s wrist and took the towel from it with her other hand, dropping it across the counter. She pulled him into the bathroom with her and shut the door. "I need someone to dry me off."

Ian averted his eyes, looking at the floor. The vision of Sara�s naked body burned in his mind, even though he�d only glimpsed it for the briefest of instants. "Why do you torment me so, Sara?"

Her voice softened. "I want to know if I made the right choice."

"You have chosen, but I have not yet been tested. What if I should fail?"

"Then I�d better find out while I still have the chance."

Ian lifted his head to look at her, his eyes drinking in her flesh as his gaze traveled up her body. His hand trembling he reached for her waist and pulled her close to him, his lips descending on hers. The kiss was soft and gentle, their lips barely meeting. His hands rose upward over her arms and shoulders and came to cup her face tenderly. His breath played across her face as he spoke, "You will have to teach me, Sara."

His words set her afire. They left a trail of clothing and wet footprints into the bedroom. As they eased on to the bed, Ian stopped and removed his gloves, laying them on the bedside table. Sara�s eyes widened as he did so.

"Is that . . . are you . . . "

"Yes, Sara. I want nothing to come between us if this is to be."

Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down to her. He lowered his head to her shoulder, his lips leaving a trail of burning kisses up the side of her throat. Supporting himself with one hand, her reached up with the other to remove one of her hands from his neck and clasp it in his own against his chest.

"Oh no!" Sara watched in horror as the Witchblade sprang to life, sprouting tendrils that wrapped around Nottingham�s arm as well as her own.

Ian watched the spectacle as well. He had seen Sara undergo the periculum. He had a notion of what was to come. He laid down beside her, his eyes on the ceiling. "Do not panic, Sara. Relax. You have passed the periculum already, it will not harm you."

Sara looked at his profile, tears in her eyes. "But it may harm you."

"I have sworn to serve you, sworn to serve the Witchblade, Sara. I have no choice." The tendrils had become thick vines encasing their limbs, making movement nearly impossible. Ian thought of seeing Sara bound and gagged during the periculum. "I love you, Sara."

Before Sara could answer a slick vine slid across her mouth. All she could do was strain to look at him, neither of them sure of the fate that awaited.

Part 15

As the mists parted, Sara saw Nottingham standing before her in full armor. The thundering of horse�s hooves caused her to turn. Her eyes widened as Cathain rode up before them and dismounted, her steed shaking its mane.

"Well met, Sara. Ian."

"Cathain! I know you." Sara looked at the warrior whose face was her own.

"Yes, Sara. This is your chosen protector?" Cathain looked to Ian.

Sara cast a glance in his direction as well. "Yes, Ian Nottingham."

"Very well." Cathain addressed Ian, "You have sworn to serve this woman, Sara Pezzini, and have sworn to serve the Witchblade."

"Yes."

"And what will you give of yourself?"

Ian raised his visor to look at Sarah, his dark eyes locked upon her. "Anything she asks of me. My strength, my body, my soul, my name," he paused, "my life."

Cathain answered, her sword in the air poised to strike, "So be it."

"No!" Sara�s eyes flew wide. "Nottingh . . . Ian . . . no!"

Cathain�s blade plunged downward, stopping within a hair�s breadth of Ian�s chest. He never moved to stop her.

Cathain turned to Sara. "You would have him spared?"

"Yes, please . . . anything. Don�t kill him," Sara wept.

The mists swirled again and Cathain and her steed were gone as quickly as they had come.

Sara awoke to find Nottingham atop her, the thick vines pinioning their bodies together. At least her mouth had been freed. "Nottingham . . . Ian . . . are you allright?"

"Yes. Thank you. I am sorry if I am crushing you, I cannot seem to . . ." he struggled a bit, "move."

Sara managed a weak smile. "Well if I have to be bound to someone, at least he has a nice body."

Ian stopped struggling and laughed lightly.

"I think that is the first real laugh I�ve ever heard from you."

"And I think today is the first time I�ve ever heard you call me by my given name."

"No, that can�t be right, can it?"

Before Ian could answer the mists began to swirl, encompassing them in another dimension. Sara and Ian stood hand in hand in a sparsely furnished room. Before them stood the figure of Elizabeth Bronte. She greeted them, "Sara. Ian." A smile played across her lips.

Ian was visibly shaken. "You are my . . . my mother."

Sara whirled, staring at Ian incredulously. Elizabeth Bronte had been revealed to her during the Periculum as her grandmother and as herself. That meant . . . Revulsion hit Sara hard, nausea rising.

Elizabeth smiled and spoke softly. "No Ian. Although you are quite handsome and any woman should be proud to have you as a son, I cannot make that claim."

"But Mr. Irons said . . . "

"Kenneth Irons is a liar, Ian. He says whatever he needs to say to achieve his own purposes."

Sara exhaled audibly. Her nerves were raw. She tried to regain her composure and settle her pounding heart, which to her ears sounded louder than the hooves of Cathain�s horse.

"Then who was my mother?" Ian asked of Elizabeth.

"You are here to answer questions, not ask them, Ian."

Ian lowered his eyes and bowed his head.

"You must look at me, Ian." Elizabeth ordered, smiling as he complied.

"Sara, I must warn you. For what is to come, the Witchblade will be of no use to you." With that Elizabeth withdrew a gun from her trench coat, pointing it at Sara�s chest. She began to squeeze the trigger.

Wordlessly, Ian threw himself in front of Sara, the bullet ripping through his body before he collapsed at her feet.

Sara looked at Elizabeth in horror and screamed, "No! What have you done?! No!" She fell to her knees cradling Ian in her arms, sobbing. "Ian, no, oh please Ian, don�t die on me, no . . ." her words trailed off into tears. Her eyes lifted to meet Elizabeth�s, full of anger.

"Sara, use the Witchblade. Heal him."

"Heal him? It has that power?"

Elizabeth nodded and watched as Sara lowered the bracelet�s eye to the gaping wound in Ian�s flesh.

Sara�s eyes widened as the blood stopped flowing from the wide hole and the skin began to close. A plinking sound caused her to notice the slug had dropped from Ian�s body and was rolling away. She breathed a sigh of relief as Ian�s eyelids fluttered and he took a deep ragged gasp of air.

Sara looked up, expecting to see Elizabeth, but the room had dissolved and they were on a hilltop. Joan stood before them, smiling down at the pair.

Ian struggled to his feet, ready to defend Sara against whatever should come next.

"At ease, my friend. I mean you no harm," Joan spoke to Ian.

Ian relaxed his posture some, but not completely dropping his guard.

Joan smiled at this. She spoke to Sara first, "You have chosen wisely, Sara" and then to Ian, "You will defend her at risk of your own life until your final breath?"

"Yes, Lady. I will."

Joan turned to Sara. "You have been given a new gift on this day. The gift of healing. Use it well. The Witchblade will only heal one which you have chosen to be your protector, one who has been tested and proven worthy of defending the wielder."

The mists enveloped the trio and the world blurred around them.


Sara�s eyes flashed open to see Ian looking at her, his nude body pressed against her side. She looked at her wrist with a start and then found that she could once again move her limbs. Turning her wrist over she saw where the Witchblade had dug into her flesh, leaving two bleeding wounds. She showed them to Ian and he lifted his wrist to show her two wounds that matched her own.

"You passed." Sara exhaled and leaned back into the pillow. Turning to face Ian and looking up into his dark eyes she asked, "did you mean it?"

"I meant everything I said, Sara." He lowered his lips to hers, silencing her questions.

Sara returned the kiss passionately as Ian caressed her face. The fervor with which she kissed him ignited his desire. He groaned with need for her. Sara put her hand between their bodies, guiding him gently. Her legs wrapped around his waist as her hand withdrew, drawing him in, uniting them. Ian shook with the sensation, his breath taken away by the intensity. As they made love, visions of themselves in other lifetimes came to them, images of bodies sliding against one another slick with sweat and heat, the sounds of two heartbeats pounding in rhythm as one, the ecstasy of intertwining souls destined for one another. Sara rocked her hips in time with Ian�s thrusts and digging her nails into his back, called out his name as her senses were flooded by a seeming tidal wave of physical delight.

Hearing his name escape her lips in such a fashion, Ian was unable to withstand anymore. He fell against her, spent, tears washing down his face as his bare hands lay against her skin.

They laid in silence, neither wanting to end the moment. Sara shivered beneath the weight of Ian�s body as small aftershocks ran through her. Finally there was no more postponing it.

Ian lifted away from Sara slowly, smiling down at her. "Is this the part we�re supposed to have a cigarette?"

Sara laughed, "You�ve watched too many cheesy movies."
He smiled at her again, "Perhaps, but if I don�t get something to drink in the immediate future I�m certain I�m going to turn to dust.

They rose from the bed and found their way to the kitchen, still naked, but showing no signs of modesty to each other. Ian filled two glasses with ice and then poured them each a glass of cola. He downed his in two long pulls.

"Is it true what they say?" He looked at Sara.

"I don�t know, what do they say?" she grinned.

Ian reached into his glass and withdrew an ice cube. He backed Sara against the kitchen counter and came towards her nipple with the ice cube.

"Oh you are naughty." Sara laughed.

Their lovemaking continued into the wee hours of the morning. Morning found them sprawled on the living room floor, limbs intertwined. The chirping of a cell phone awoke them both.

"Don�t answer it."

"I have to. We have to face the rest of the world again eventually, Sara."

Sara sighed as Ian stood and went in search of the persistent phone. He found it just as it stopped ringing. She laughed. "Typical."

"Care for a walk on the beach?"

She nodded. With any luck they�d be dressed and out of the bungalow before the phone rang again.

The bright morning sun danced across the ocean waves as seagulls wheeled in the air overhead. Sara and Ian walked hand in hand, barefoot through the sand despite the chill in the air. As they came to a small outcrop of rocks, Ian stopped taking both of her hands in his.

"You know we have to go back soon."

"I know. I would like to stay the whole week, but there is so much to be done. From what you have told me of the White Bulls, I have my work cut out for me." Sara frowned, her brows knitted together.

"No, Sara. We. We have our work cut out for us."

"I�ll have to face . . . We�ll have to face Irons eventually won�t we?"

"Yes. But we will do it together." Ian dropped to one knee and looked up to her face, "As man and wife if you will accept me, Sara. We can be inseparable." He paused and looked down to the sand at his feet. "I can�t promise you a fairy tale with a white picket fence, Sara. I can�t promise you that life will ever be easy for us. We would have to keep it a secret until things are settled, as much as I hate that." He looked back up to Sara�s face, "The one thing I can promise you, Sara Pezzini, is that you will have my undying love for eternity."

Sara�s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes welled up with tears. "Yes, Ian. Yes."


The End