((I know TN, Silvin was back behind everyone, waiting for the approaching Demons. And Bella just came to help, because she was too upset to stay up there iwth everyone else.))
Gerard gave up chasing after Alise and trudged back to where Nat was siting against the wal, his breathing heavy and his eyes closed.
"Nat?"
"What?" he snapped.
"What...just hapened?"
"Alise very nearly lost control." Nat sighed but did not open his eyes. "You'd best leave her alone for now. Let her find somthing to feed off of."
"Did she bite you?"
"No."
"It is infected." it wasnt a question, but a statement.
"So it is."
"Are you going to heal it?"
"No, Gerard. I'm just going to sit here and rot away from some god forsaken infection." Nathaniel snarled, opening his eyes into glittering slits.
Gerard held his hands up. "Jeez, Nat. Sorry."
"Humpf." he leaned over, cringing slightly before reaching out and grabbing his pack quickly. He rummaged around inside before hecame up with a clear, goey liquid. He unwound the bandages around his side and applied the salve to the wound. Then he touched the staff tot he spot and whispered a word. The wound immediatly stopped bleeding and began to close up. Nathaniel gasped in pain.
Finally the wound had healed itself and Nathaniel sat back, panting. Gerard watched, fasinated.
"Why didnt you use that before?" Gerard asked.
"I wanted to see if the wound would heal by itself. Instant healing, especially on an infected wound, is an extremely painful process as you can see." Nat explained.
"So-" Gerard began but was cut short by distant yells.
"Oh my good god, what is that!?" the two brothers heard bella shout.
"A demon! What else would it be?" Silvins voice folated up from the darkness. The twins exchanged glances before taking off, one running, one using the pathways of magic.
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Ara took off at a dead run towards Silvin's voice her sword out but kept to her side. She heard Gered and Nate behind her, but she was a faster runner, Nat might have passed her using majic but she ran enough to be a little faster then the brothers.
"I told you all to keep going." Silvin hissed,
"Sorry, we aren't leaving anyone behind any more." Gerred said,
"I can take care of them." Silvin replied as the demons drew closer.
"Maybe he is right," Ara started, "Maybe Nat should catch up with Alise and find whatever. THat way someone can find it."
"NO, all of you should go." Silvin said quickly, they didn't have much time before the demons were on them.
"No, you can't fight them by yourself." Ara replied sternly. "It wouldn't be fair of us to ask that of you."
"I agree with Ara, brother. Stay here and fight. Bella and I can find Alise and eventually the stone. Just hold them off long enough, if you can."
Before his twin could protest, Nat had grabed Bella's wrist and teleported them farther up the tunnel but not directly where Alise was. They walked for a little while in the darkness.
"Nat?" Bella whispered.
"Hmm?"
"Could you light your staff, please?"
"Sorry," the staff flared to life with a pale light.
"Thanks."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Bella was still mad at Nat, and really wanted to keep it that way; but everytime she saw his face, or heard his voice, it got harder and harder. She noticed immediatly that he had healed his leg, and it made her a little happier.
"I healed it," he muttered quietly as they walked, obviously trying to make conversation.
"I saw," Bella replied shortly.
"Look...I'm....I'm..." Bella resisted the urge to smile; Nat had always been to stubborn to admit when he was wrong. "I'm sorry...I should've healed it sooner." Bella remained silent, unsure of what to say. "I was wrong," he added feebily. That pushed Bella over the top; in seconds she had her arms around Nat and was hugging him, tears from pent up emotions pouring down her cheeks.
Alise stayed curled in a small ball, her blood red tears staining her-now black-gown. She couldn't figure out why her control had fractioned here? She heard some cries in the distance, and she didn't know or care who's they were. She had to reedem herself to everyone, especially herself. She got up and ran as fast as she could in the darkened terrain towards the sound.
Nathaniel stood uncomfortably as Bella hugged him, stiff as a board. After a moment he relaxed and tentativly embraced her back, not quite sure what to do. Women were so confusing.
Alise came speeding down the tunnell, a dark blur against the blackness. She did not stop, but kept going. Now Nat could hear the faint cries in the distance and quickly stepped away from Bella.
"We should go help," she said, glancin quickly over her shoulder.
"No," Nat said. "We have to find the stone. Thats all that matters now. They're doing their job. Lets not let it all be in vain, shall we?"
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Ara watched the demons coming towards her and she tensed ready for it. She had been able to control her drive before, but now her friends were in danger. The people she had hung out with and help were in danger. She pulled the folded up stick from her side and it snapped together she fastened knives on it and stepped away from the others. She could feel the color of her eyes changing and everything around her faded away for a second. Her friends now looked a white and the demons a bright red. She smiled, they would be black soon. Her hands tightend on the stick as the first Demon got close to her. She immeditly went into action spinning the stick around and repeatidly cutting the demon. She frowned as the smell of blood hit her nostrils. She had never liked that smell.
Bella nodded to show that she agreed. Together, she and Nat walked down the tunnel, aided only by the light of Nat's staff.
"How will we know what this stone looks like? Or where it is?" Bella asked, trying to break the silence between them.
"The stone should give off some sort of magical vibration; you know how you can sometimes feel magic in the air," Nat explained. Bella nodded in agreement. "Or it may glow; that happens sometimes. Either way, you'll know it when you see it. And it shouldn't be much farther from here."
Bella was nervous. Every now and again she could hear shouts from the others, and, as faint as they were, they worried her. Along with that, she had her own emotions to mess her up even worse. She reached over and grabbed Nat's hand, hoping that it would comfort her slightly.
"Nat, isn't there a way you can check to make sure that the others are alright?" she asked as they walked on.
Nat sighed and stopped walking for a moment to fish around in one of the pouches he carried on his belt. When his hand emerged, it held a small copper basin. He thrust his hand in the pouch again and after a few moments he drew out a flash filled with a clear, thick liquid. Pouring the clear liquid into the basin, he waited a moment before waving his hand over the surface and closing his eyes for a moment.
Nathaniel opened his eyes slowly and peered into the small basin. Bella looked over his arm.
"Oh no..."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
"What? What is it?" Bella asked, still trying to see over Nat's arm.
"Actually...I'm not quite sure. I think Ara has managed to beat most of the demons, but..." he paused, still peering into basin intently. Suddenly he stood up and grabbed Bella's arm, dragging her along as quickly as he could manage.
"What's going on?" she asked, trying to pull her arm out of Nat's tight grasp.
"One of the demon's snuck past the others before they could kill it. It's coming this way."
Nathaniel led Bella quickly down the tunnel into darkness. He had dimmed his staff almost completely, although he had a sinking feeling it wouldnt help much. Doubts played across his mind, mockig him. The voices in his head were whispering and screaming things at him in desperation.
"What are you hoping to accomplish?" one voice asked quietly. "You're throwing your life away needesly."
"No," another voice parried. "It's only one stupid demon. You're are magi. You have the distinct advantage, anyone can see."
"Yes, but what if it's the mage again? How will you escape?" the first voice asked.
"You know it's not capable of advanced spells. You'd beat it easily." an angry voice insisted.
"But what about the girl, Bella? Can you save her, too? What if something goes wrong? Can you really admit defeat, and hurt or possible kill an innocent bystander? A bystander you love?"
"I don't love her," Nathaniel muttered silently so Bella wouldnt hear. "She's just a friend."
"Sure," the first voice sneered. "But what if something really did go wrong, and she was killed? How would you live with yourself?"
"What choice do i have!? We can't go back, we'd only run into it faster. This way we may have a chance. This way, maybe I will be able to save her, even if it comes to taking her place.
"So you do love her," the first voice said, both sadly yet triumphantly.
"Nat?" Bella's voice startled him out of his thoughts and he thanked the darkness for concealing the rednes he could feel in his cheeks at the thought of arguing with the voices in his head.
"Hmm?"
"What if it's the mage that snuck past?"
"I was thinking the same thing..."
Be the cartoon heart. Light a fire, light a spark. Light a fire, flame in my heart. We'll run wild, we'll be glowing in the dark.
Bella heard a sound behind them, and doubt flooded into her quickly. She was sure that Nat had just as many doubts, and wondered if his inner voices were arguing as much as hers were.
"Are you going to keep acting all innocent?"
"Of course I am! What else can I do?"
"Unleash your true powers; let Nat know you're not just another pretty face! Let that stupid demon know that you're a force to be reckoned with."
"Nat doesn't care what I look like! He doesn't care about me...not like I do him."
"But he'll protect you, won't he? He'll protect you to the death! And you're just going to let him!"
"No I'm not...he won't!"
"You can stop the demon; you know you can!"
"Nat?" Bella said, again breaking the thick silence between them.
One of the things I love about YWS is the quote generator. For example, I'm reading a really serious work, and then I see "Moo. - cow" at the bottom of the page. — Darlet
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