Paths Crossed Chapter 7

Author’s note: It’s been a while since I’ve posted my story so if you’re lost with the plot, the previous 6 chapters are in my portfolio. I would love it so much if you give me you’re honest feedback. Thank you for your time! 

Chapter 7

A door creaked open, causing me to jump out of my relaxed subconcious. I kept my eyes closed as I forced myself to breathe as if I was still asleep. My hand, already underneath my pillow, tightened around the dagger that lay there. I listened as I heard steps being taken closer to me. My mind raced with possibilites but I knew one thing for sure, we shouldn't have stayed at the inn so long.

As I felt the presence right above me, I rolled myself in the other direction and jumped to my feet, dagger in hand. I could feel the fight in my eyes as I did so.

"Woah! Elaya!" Gideon yelped as he jumped back and threw his hands up in defence.

I quickly lowered my knife and felt a pang of embarassment as I stammered, "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"It's okay," he said, putting his hands down and walking towards his hay mound, "We should be going. It's already getting light outside and we need to move before the town starts buzzing. We've managed only two people knowing us being here and I'd like to keep it that way."

I nodded my head and agreed. I was thankful that he didn't say anything more about what had happened. Even though I knew I hadn't done anything wrong, I still felt terrible for almost attacking him. I pushed it to the back of my mind as I bent down to gather the few things that I had taken out of my pack the night before. Once the brush Celine gave me and my blanket was all rolled up into my pack, I stood up and made my way to Akela.

Gideon must have been up for a while because Akela was already saddled and ready to go. I threw the pack over the back and strapped it securely to the saddle. I gave it a few pulls to make sure it wouldn't come undone like it had the day before. That had made a mess of everything it contained and I ended up having to eat a muddy piece of loaf. Not the best tasting loaf I've had as you can imagine.

I glanced over at Gideon and saw him tightening the girth around the horse's abdomen. I followed his movements on, knowing we would be leaving within the next few minutes. Akela huffed at me, not liking the tight band around him. I pulled it a little tighter, knowing he was holding his breath to make it appear tight. He'd done that before and once the saddle slipped to the side as I was riding, I made sure it was tight enough before I mounted.

If horses could glare at you, which I personally believed they could, that's definitely what Akela was doing. I chuckled and patted his neck, reassuring him that we were still friends.

I silently pulled Akela out of the stall and followed Gideon out the door of the stable. I held his reigns as he ran inside to thank the innkeeper before we went on our way. It was early yet but I was sure someone would be looking out for the place during the night. The town was small but a watchful eye during criminals favourite hours couldn't do any harm.

I fidgeted as I waited for Gideon to walk back out of the doors. Even though I would have gladly slept through these hours, being awake and around so long was unnerving.

After a good fifteen minutes, he finally came back into my view and the tightness in my chest eased. I hadn't even noticed the potential attack until it had eased off. Thank God he came when he did. He would have made us stay another night to ensure I was "healthy" enough to continue. I knew that I was never going to be and decided I wouldn't let it get in the way of escaping. I craved freedom more than health and always had.

Many times had I tried to convince John to leave with me and every time he refused. He thought we could be strong and get through it. That he would always be there to protect me. How naive he was when he thought of himself as invincible. A surge anger rushed through me as I thought that if he had just listened to me, he would still be alive and I wouldn't be where I currently was. Running scared for my life like an animal.

"Are you ok, Elly?" Gideon voice resounded in my head like an echo. Although faint, it brought me back to my situation. The anger left with the fog that seemed to cloud my mind.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said shortly as I mounted Akela. I clucked him forward before Gideon could press the question any further. I heard him grunt behind me but I kept walking back out the little village.

He stayed silent as we passed the outskirts of the still sleepy village. Every now and then, a person passed us by and nodded their heads politely. I forced myself to smile at them in greeting but heavens knew that it didn't reach my eyes. I hated that about me. No matter what I tried to portray, my eyes would scream out my real thoughts. I could tell that this was such the case as a few of the villagers glanced nervously my way.

I couldn't blame them really. If I saw someone dressed in dark clothing, a hood over their face and deep anger in their eyes, I would be just as uneasy. I'd been in that very position many times as I watched strange men and women ride into my farm on a business call. As a young girl, I was convinced that I attracted the attention of darkness as every one of them talked about me like a plague. Looked at me with the same look my father held in his eyes.

I shuddered, shaking the almost ghostly memory.

To distract myself, I looked back through the plain fields with very little coverage, and was surprised I couldn't see the village any more. I glanced up at the sun and realized that half the day had passed as I was consumed in my thoughts. I was even more startled by the fact that Gideon had been silent throughout the whole time. Not once had he tried to interrupt my thoughts. I became a little worried as I saw him hunched over in his saddle, the hood drawn over his head.

"Stop!" Gideon suddenly hissed ahead of me, making me jump out of my skin. He threw his hand up to ensure that I got his message.

I stopped in my tracks just as an arrow whizzed in front of my face. I instinctively backed Akela up as I felt the wind from the movement move my hair. He whinnied nervously at my sudden jerk on his reigns.

Ignoring him, I whipped my head around, trying to locate where it had come from.

"There!" I gasped as I caught a glimpse of a man to my left. He was dressed in the usual mottled cloak of a Ranger, making it hard to keep my eyes focused on him as he stood in one of the only trees around. If I had been alert, I would have seen him long before he had a chance to shoot. I would kick myself later. Right now, I needed to focus on surviving. They're aim was almost god-like and I was lucky I'd stopped the second Gideon told me to. The Ranger had timed Akela's next step to be his kill shot.

Getting over the shock in a split second, I kicked Akela into an immediate gallop. I passed Gideon but he was close behind as he too realized what was going on. I guided Akela away from any holes in the ground and pushed him as hard as I could without hurting him. The golden fields whipped by me in a blur but I couldn't relish in the freedom it brought. The thought of imminant death clouded my mind as I kept the forrest ahead of me as my destination.

As Gideon came up beside me, I glanced behind to see how far the Ranger was from me. My heart thudded in my chest as he raced towards us, gaining with every passing second. We had to stay ahead of his line of fire. I had no doubt he could easily dispatch of us even with the disturbance of his horse's gate.

We slowed slightly as we hit the cover of the trees, the path becoming a twisted maze. Any faster and I'd surely cause Akela to become lame. So many roots stuck up out of the ground, making it an obstacle course. I swore under my breath as my heart raced faster with the new difficulty. I glanced behind us every other second, just waiting for that wretched figure to be there, just waiting to be in the clutches of death once again. If only death would give up on me and move onto someone else.

The path we were currently on ended ubrubtly and forked into three different ones. It didn't seem like Gideon put much thought into it as he pushed through to the right one. I followed him and hoped there was some strategic plan behind his choice. We needed some sort of advantage against the man that was surely not far behind us.

My chest began to knot but I pushed it aside. If I put any thought into it, I'd only make the attack come on sooner. I needed to get away before I could worry about the shortness of breath that already began to hinder my thoughts. A cold, salty tear left its mark on my red hot cheeks as I gasped one last time before my vision began to blur. I struggled to breathe, knowing that if I didn't then I never would again.

Gideon will die to protect you. Breathe, dammit!

One breath entered my lungs and burned them as it escaped again, leaving me feeling caged within my own body. My lungs burned with the lack of oxygen. I gasped again...once, twice, three times. Nothing.

Air is all around you. Just breathe and you'll be fine. Breathe...breathe...

Panic hit me as I my body began to slump in the saddle. I clutched at the horn of my saddle, hoping Gideon would look back at me. I didn't want to be alone. I wanted to live. I barely felt myself fall from Akela but I watched, horrified as Gideon galloped away with no idea that I was no longer following him. I whimpered as the brush I fell into served as my only hope of survival.

I didn't know how I managed but I caught two breaths and drug myself deeper into the coverage. I would have tried to slow my breathing to stay silent but at the moment, my main concern was breathing in itself.

"Relax yourself, Elaya," I heard John's voice whisper into my ear, "Breathe sister. I'm here. I will protect you. Nothing can hurt you ever again. Breathe."

I relaxed in his arms that wrapped around me, caging me away from any harm coming my way. I felt my chest ease again and I gasped loudly for breath. Within a minute my heaving stopped and I began to breathe calmly. His grasp loosened and when I looked, nothing but bush met my eyes.

Without any time to ponder what had happened, I forced myself to be quiet as I watched a mottled figure round the bend that we'd already passed. He had his sword out and was watching every little movement. I stayed perfectly still, hoping my own mottled cloak would keep me hidden from his eyes. Time seemed to tick by slowly as he trotted up to me. He slowed his horse and scanned the ground. I moved my eyes to the ground just outside the brush that hid me. My eyes widened as I saw the markings I must have made when I fell.

My hand tightened around the dagger at my hip. I knew I had no chance but the feel of the rough wood surface gave me comfort.

Soon, he stopped his horse completely and studied the markings in the dirt. I trembled as his squinted eyes rest on top of me. He smirked and took out a dagger. He turned it round and round as if flaunting my death. I knew he'd seen me and knew that I wouldn't have any chance laying there but when I tried to move, I found my muscles were frozen. In fear? In agony? I surely wouldn't have the chance to decide before my end.

The glint in his old eyes warned me as he hurled the dagger towards me. Within a second, I rolled out of the way and using a fallen log, I launched myself out of the brush and caught onto him. He flew off the other side and used his moment of shock against him. I stared as I threw my blade into his chest again and again and again. I didn't coordinate my blade but only stabbed madly as blood splattered my face viciously. He screamed in agony before falling silent.

I stopped and let my eyes drift to his face. I instantly regretted it as I watched his bright green eyes turn pale and lifeless. The wounds on his chest splurted blood out and all over my face. Hot, sticky blood dripped down my face and lips. I gagged as the coppery taste filled my mouth and with only a moment's notice, I threw myself off of him and retched. The acid burned my throat and I sobbed as I glanced back at him.

I took his life. I ended it.

I was numb and barely coherant when I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up, whispering soothing things as they held me close. I shut my eyes tightly and only knew it was Gideon by the strong smell of metal that was engrained in his skin. I sobbed heavily and clung to him, hoping he could somehow take the hole in my heart away.

"I'm sorry, Elaya, I'm so sorry. I should have been here with you. I came back as soon as I saw that you weren't with me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Gideon whispered hoarsely in my ear.

"I killed him!" I cried out, sounding more and more like a child as I sobbed. He set me down and sat beside me. I stared at my blood coated hands as they dripped onto my grey dress. The red dripped and soaked the surrounding area of the droplet. I watched as I saw the reminder engrave its way into the material.

"You had to, Elaya. If you hadn't, he would have killed you. It's okay." Gideon hushed me, trying to make it better.

"What if he had a family? A wife? A son?" I gasped as I stared at his dead corpse.

Taking my hands in his, he forced me to look ito his eyes before firmly saying, "Don't go there, Elaya. Don't torture yourself over this. It was necessary and you haven't done anything wrong. A life was going to be taken today and all I can say is that I'll be damned if it was yours."

I stayed silent, trying to take comfort in his words. None came but I nodded my head.

He sat behind me and held me in arms tightly. He stayed that way for several minutes before helping me to my feet. He took a flask out of his pack and poured it on my hands, scrubbing the blood off of them.

"Stay here." He said after helping me onto Akela. I watched him and he walked back to the body and took hold of his feet before dragging him into the brush I had hid in. I surpressed the urge to vomit again as a trail of blood left its mark in the dirt. Gideon came back out and started scuffing the dirt, hiding the only noticeable evidence of a dead body. Until the stench came at least.

I quickly turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the darkness would prove to me that it wasn't real. Nothing had happened. No blood was on my head. No dead body was my doing. I wouldn't ever take a man's life. I couldn't.

How had John helped me? My brother wasn't with me and never again would be. I had felt his arms around me, rubbing my back in circles as the tension in my chest subsided. I had heard his voice. I silently thanked him. If he hadn't somehow helped me through my attack, I wouldn't have had the strength to fight the Ranger. Somehow....

I choked back a tear and kept my eyes shut. I heard Gideon scuffle beside me as he mounted his own horse. Akela lurched forward softly and I let him follow him with none of my own guidance. I was so thankful Gideon was there with me. If he hadn't been, I was sure I would still be on the ground crying. I needed to move on from the wretched thing that lay behind me. I needed to forget.