Scars of the Earth (19 page)

You’re in shock, snap out of it!!! She screamed at herself. Which way, which way. Where are you? She asked choking back tears.

“Here.” Someone whispered from behind her. Amanda twirled towards the voice, ready to fight, but no one was there.

“Here.” It sounded again. She looked at Cole but it was obvious that he hadn’t heard it.

“This way.” She said pointing to where the voice had come from, she was certain she knew who’s voice that was. “Come on Cole!” She shouted when he didn’t move. Reading his emotions, she understood his hesitance. The attack came from this direction. She thought. She looked at her wolf and knew that they could make it through; they didn’t have any other choice.

“Okay Cole, do whatever you need to do, but get us through there. Don’t be afraid to take my energy, believe me I have more than enough.” She said looking at her furry power source. “I will shield us the best that I can, but I need to see what I can do for Madgie. She is losing too much blood.” Cole stepped in front of her and ran into the smoke, Madgie’s limp body flailing with every step.

Oh God, she looks like a rag doll. She thought.

Taking off after Cole, she threw up a shield with one hand and put her other over Madgie’s wound. Her flesh had been torn all the way to her shoulder blade. Life giving blood was still poring out of the gaping hole.

Someone hit you in the back while you were meditating? Who could do this? She thought angrily.

Drawing energy from the wolf that was still running circles around them she focused on healing Madgie. She had absolutely no idea what to do, no clue what spells a medical healer would murmur. And she guessed it wouldn’t matter what they would do or say, because she knew that they wouldn’t be able to help Madgie.

Not with a wound this size. She thought. Heal. Heal. Close. Fix. She ran every word that she could think of through her mind, while trying to keep her shield up.

Her energy was draining rapidly so she pulled her hand away from Madgie. Not wanting to lose too much and collapse, leaving Cole alone to carry two unconscious women. When she removed her hand she looked at Madgie’s shoulder and her heart skipped a beat. The wound was closed, though it was not perfectly smooth and it still held a reddish-pink tinge. I did it! She will be alright. She thought. Madgie’s eyes blinked open and although they seemed to be in a dreamlike state, she could still see the fire behind them.

“Everything will be fine Madgie.” She said, just managing to keep back a flood of tears. “Madgie has stopped bleeding!” She announced to Cole while switching her attention to putting up stronger shields. She tried not to count the attacks as they happened, she didn’t want to know how outnumbered they were. But the constant pressure on her shield told her that the outlook wasn’t good. As she built up their protection an image flashed before her.

A rock, a slit in a rock. A cavern? She flexed as her shield was hit with a stronger attack. Where? She asked.

“Here.” The voice came from her left.

“Cole!” She shouted. “Dart left and start throwing that projection spell you used on Carter. I’ll keep the shield up; just get us that way unnoticed. And don’t be afraid to use my energy, we wont live through this if you don’t!” Cole shot left and her brain was scrambled for a second as dozens of replicas sprung up everywhere. She searched for their desired location and found it not too far away. She took a breath and was about to shout, but realized that the noise level had dropped.

We aren’t being attacked anymore! She thought gratefully.

“There is a cavern about two hundred yards ahead of us, keep an eye out for it.” She whispered just loud enough for him to hear. The farther they got away from the fight the more she allowed herself to dwell on it. Grey cloaked figures had swept in and out of the smoke, launching attack after attack. Every face she had seen pop out of the smoke had been a different one, though they had all held the same expression of rage and excitement.

How many were there? She wondered. Twenty, thirty, or more?

“Amanda?” Cole asked. She looked up and saw the wall of rock that had been shown to her, it was a giant grey dome at the footsteps of a cliff. Moss and foliage covered it, just like it had in her vision. But there was no opening in it.

“That’s it; maybe we just need to circle it. You know, find the opening.” She said, unsure. She thought that she had seen the opening in the face of the rock that they were looking at, but she was wrong.

Maybe I was wrong to follow this voice. I don’t even know who is behind this. She thought. They were twenty paces away when Cole paused.

“Wait.” He said. She stopped and looked at him, sure that he would question even taking the time to find the opening. “Look.” He said pointing up.

She turned her face away from him and saw the crack that she had seen in her vision. “It’s right there; I didn’t see it before…Must have been a trick of the light.” He guessed, though he didn’t look convinced. The terrible clashing of the fight was still drifting towards them.

“Come on, let’s go.” She said hurrying over the rocky terrain towards the opening. Cole followed after her and grabbed her arm when they had reached the opening.

“How did you do that? I mean you healed Madgie, you shielded us, and you leant me power for that distraction spell. I have never been able to keep it for that long, or control it from this distance. I could never have gotten us out alive. Did you see how many…How, Amanda?” He asked in puzzlement. She looked behind her in time to see her wolf’s bushy silver tail disappear into the cave.

“Well first don’t feel bad, it was you that got us out. You’re still carrying Madgie aren’t you?” Madgie grunted a little, but Cole’s eyes were still searching. “And second, and don’t be weirded out by this, but I kind of have this huge wolf spirit following me around. Oh, and I seem to be the only one that can see him.” Cole’s eyebrows reached for the stars in surprised astonishment.

“What?” He asked as Madgie’s grunts became more audible. Amanda shrugged her shoulders.

“Ya he has been following me since the night that Madgie was missing. I don’t know how but he gives me all sorts of energy. I think he is what healed me of the demon poison, and Carters attack, and that cloud of acid. Just pretty much everything that has happened since we left home.” She said in a rush. When she stopped talking she realized that the battle had died down.

Distraction spell’s not working anymore. She thought and quickly followed her wolf into the cave. The opening was very narrow and she found herself stuck a few times, but finally emerged. Calling on light she slowly brought the large room into view.

It’s not room, it’s a cave. She told herself, but it looked like no cave the she had ever seen.

Looking up, where she should have seen stalactites, she saw an intricate carving of a dragon. The dragon looked more serpent than bat. And its long scaly body wound itself around the ceiling of the cave, with its giant head in the very center. The face of the creature had thick whiskers surrounding its mouth, which was full of large teeth.

She tore her eyes away from the ceiling and saw that the rest of the cave had been carved in the same oriental décor. Scattered throughout the space was stone furniture that was also carved with intricate designs, one of the stone couches was already occupied by a heap of silver fur. What is this place? She wondered. Moving back to the opening she saw that Cole was taking a little longer getting in. He was having trouble balancing Madgie, who seemed to be putting up a fight. Amanda couldn’t quite hear what Madgie was saying. Something about her, she kept saying “Amanda”.

“Calm down Madgie. Just hold on one second.” Cole said. “Stay still, you’re hurt. You can see her in a second.” He finally emerged looking dazed. “I think she is in shock, she keeps hitting me and calling for you.” He said taking her from his shoulder and laying her gently on the floor. “Wow! What is this place?” He asked, before she could say anything Madgie sat up.

“Amanda?” She cried. Amanda rushed to her side and knelt down, putting her hand on her too white cheek.

“What is it Madgie, I am here.” She said.

“You, you said…about a wolf. Only you see. Giving energy…” Madgie swayed in place and Cole put a hand on her back to steady her.

“Yes Madgie that is what I said.” She turned to Cole. “This is good; it means that she is coherent enough to…” Madgie interrupted her quietly.

“The mark, the wolf. Do you…Do you understand what this means?” She asked. Amanda had to strain her ears to hear, her voice was getting weaker.

“No Madgie, what does it mean? Have you figured out why they marked me?” She asked desperately.

“Not them, it’s a…” Madgie’s eyes slowly closed. Amanda waited for them to open again, but they didn’t. She looked over at Cole.

“I guess we’ll have to wait to find out just what it is.” He said. “But for now, she needs fluids and any nutrition that we can get in her.” She looked around the room and expected to see a banquet, after all furniture had been supplied, but there was nothing. Not even water.

“Maybe I should go out in an hour or so. I can collect some supplies, we are way unprepared.” She said gazing at the crack. He looked at her in puzzlement.

“I’m not sending you out there, I will go. You can stay here and tend to Madgie. She needs someone with her at all times.” He said in an attempt to sway her.

Has he already forgotten that I can take care of myself, that I can take care of all of us? She thought.

“No, I think I have to go. I don’t think that the Cave will open for you.” She said matter of factly.

“What do you mean, open? I got in here fine the first go around.” He asked, obviously annoyed.

“Well we didn’t see the opening at first, and I think it was because she was making sure that I wanted you to come in too.” She wasn’t sure if it made any sense to him, but she was fairly certain that that was the reason they didn’t see the opening at first. Shiphra put this place here for her and it would open for her. She knew that even if the Guard was right outside of the walls, they would never see an opening or even think about this as a hiding place.

“Who?” He asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Who, what?” She asked, not understanding his question.

“Who was making sure that you wanted me to come in?” He asked slowly, worried that if he spoke too quickly she wouldn’t be able to comprehend his words.

“Oh, sorry. I forgot that you didn’t know what was going on. Shiphra lead us here. She guided me through the fight and showed me this safe haven. And having seen the inside, I am guessing that she did more than lead us to a hide out. I think that she created one.” She said looking around the room.

“Well if you don’t think that it will open without you, then we’ll go together.” He said simply.

“Ah, but you said that someone needs to stay with Madgie, and I agree with you. So it looks like you will stay here, and I will go find some food and water.” She returned her gaze to him and almost laughed when she saw how red his face was.

“Do you know how impossible you are?” He shouted, throwing his arms in the air and walking across the room. “Do you even care how hard it is for me to…?” He seemed to be searching for the right words, but just plunked down on one of the chairs giving up. Seeing him with his head in his hands, as if his world were about to crumble was too much. She felt a tug on her heart and followed it across the room.

“Cole?” She whispered, putting a hand on his head. She felt his body move reflexively closer to her, but he didn’t look up. “Listen, I am not trying to hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you.” He slowly lifted his head up to her and she could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

“It’s just that you can’t take care of me all the time, you aren’t going to be around every minute of my life to protect me.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she held up her hand. “I mean you will have to go to the bathroom sometime, right?” She sat down beside him and guided his head into her lap thinking he would resist, but he didn’t. Lifting his legs up he stretched out across the stone couch. “You need to get some rest, unless you plan on learning how to protect me while sleep walking.”

“I’m fine, I don’t need to sleep.” He said through a yawn.

A smile stretched across her face when she realized how much he sounded like a child that didn’t want to take a nap. Suppressing her laughter, she ran her fingers soothingly through his dark curls. His hair was softer than feathers and after a few minutes of combing through it her eyelids were heavy with sleep. She kept herself awake by creating a list of things she needed to collect when she went out, which would be in a few minutes. Thinking that the best time to venture out was when Cole was fast asleep, and therefore not going to worry.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him; he looked more peaceful than she had ever seen him. His beautiful face, smooth of all lines of worry, made him look like he didn’t have a problem in the world. And with him so close to her, it was easy to forget that they did have problems. Thinking back to what they just miraculously made it out of she realized just how many problems they had.

After what happened with Carter she told herself that it was an isolated incident. She thought that Frey and Carter were uniquely cruel and hateful people, she didn’t believe that every Guard member could be like them. Even after learning about how a Guard member is made, she couldn’t think that. But she was wrong, the thirty or so people that had just tried to murder them made it clear.

All of them are like Frey and Carter. Evil. Remembering that Cole had once trained with the Guard she paused. But, he did something about it. He left the Guard and is now haunted by terrifying memories that he can never talk about. Why did The Ancients do that? She wondered. Why didn’t they just take the memories away from him, or would that have been too kind a thing to do. Do they just enjoy the fear and pain that it brings him?

Amanda shook her head trying to rid herself of the angry thoughts rolling through her mind; she needed to go find food and water. It had been too long since they had anything to eat or drink. The back of her throat was itching with the need of fluids. It was a feeling that she hadn’t had since returning to the Hovel, but a sensation that her body was still used to. It was hard for her to get up even after she was positive that Cole was asleep. His head felt so comfortable in her lap and she didn’t know when it would rest there again. She stayed, allowing herself just a few selfish moments, before gently getting up and making her way out of their safe haven.