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 Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:01 pm
::They moved quickly as they could but Hanna led the front with Ferin beside her. He was very worried. Hanna could hide it from the others but not from him. It wouldn't be long now..until the blue aura took not only her body but her life.::
"Hanna... How far away is she?" asked Forest worried.
"She is far enough away but we must not take chances. I will get you and your sister to safety." answered Hanna.
"You don't have to do this." answered Daceria.
"Yes I do. You two saved my lifes and now I must save yours." answered Hanna honestly. Hanna thought of Kallman would she see him before her death. Hanna had met Kallman in the swamp and Kallman had saved her brother. It saddened her that he was now in Jeanette's power. Love was a powerful thing. There must be something she could do before she died...to save him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:48 am
They took refuge at last in the small town Hanna had spoken of. In a small inn they were served hot food and drink, talking quietly with each other.
Hanna leaned across the table and touched Daceria's arm.
"We have to leave you here," she said, glancing at Ferin. "If we don't get supplies, then we won't make it to port. We have an hour or two yet before we have to leave, but this is the last town for leagues."
"You're leaving us here? Alone?" Daceria replied, casting an anxious glance at the bar across the room.
"Not alone," Ferin said. "There will be a semblance of me with you. If anyone tries to bother you, then it will protect you. You will be safe."
"Why can't you just stay?" Forest asked, unconvinced. How many people did it take to carry a week's supplies?
"More than you think," Ferin replied to her silent question. Forest leaned back, startled. "We both have to go, but the two of you need to rest. Hanna and I are used to conditions like these. You are not."
Daceria gradually nodded her assent and sighed. "All right. Don't be late."
Ferin nodded curtly and the two of them stood. In the place where Ferin had just stood was his twin, silent except for his eyes, which moved about the room watchfully.
"You never taught me that one," Hanna muttered, navigating between the tables of drunks and diners with expert skill, Ferin at her heels. She pushed open the door to the outside and stepped again into the rain.
They walked in silence for a long time. The only sounds were of the rain and the occasional horse cart that dragged through the mud, the clop of the horses' hooves dulled by water.
At last Ferin could stand it no longer and he took her arm, pulling her down a tiny alley and turning on her. For the first time in years Hanna saw the anger on his face, and wondered at the control he had over his emotions. With anyone else, she would have felt it rolling off of him as she suddenly did now.
"Why didn't you tell me!" he snarled. "Why didn't you tell me this was happening!" He shook her.
Hanna had never seen him like this. She jerked her arms away, anger rising in the pit of her stomach in retaliation. "Why? Why should I tell you anything!" she snapped.
"I deserved to know! ******* Hanna, I deserved to know!"
"And what makes you so deserving?" she retorted. "Where have you been, to be deserving anything?"
"That's not fair and you know it. I was trying to avenge your brother's killer. Ten years Hanna, ten! I did that for you!"
"You made me hate you for all of it!" she shouted. "You could have sent messages, could have told me what happened! You disappeared Ferin, not me!"
"So your silence is to spite me?! Is that why you love the wolf too?!" he roared.
Hanna slapped him hard, the sting on her hand proof that it had happened. There was an instant, a breath, of stillness. It seemed all sound had stopped, time had stood still. And then he kissed her.
Ferin stared into her eyes as they broke apart, his emotions raw inside his own. Anger, helplessness, love, turmoil. The hard shell of Hanna's anger melted away and she let him enfold her to his chest as tears began to fall from her own eyes. She had not cried for so long...she had not known she could anymore. Ferin held her as sobs racked her body, resting his cheek against her hair.
"I love you, I love you," he said, over and over again.
Hanna cried harder, feeling everything at once and realizing, finally, that she loved him too. She loved both of them.
She finally pushed him away, pulling a hand across her eyes. "We have to go," she said, hardly more than a whisper. "They are waiting."
"Wait," Ferin said, catching her shoulder and turning her back to him. Her eyes, bright blue now stood out almost shockingly from her face. "How long?"
She squared her jaw, tilting her head back almost defiantly. "A week," she replied. "Maybe more."
It was killing him now, to know how little time there was. She could see it in his eyes, but she didn't want to see anymore. She turned her back on him and slipped out of the alley, out into the street.
~~~
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Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:36 pm
"Curse them." stormed Jeanette as she punched a tree within the swamp.
"Master, follow her scent." suggested Kallman. Jeanette leaned against Kallman eased her fingers over his chest.
"Hanna's?" she asked.
"Yes master. I can track their scent." answered Kallman.
"Even from so far away?" asked Jeanette now playing with his chin.
"Yes. I will lead you there." smiled Kallman leaning down to kiss her.
::Charlie was waiting out of the corner and couldn't stand to watch them kissing.:;
"Master! Master!" shrieked Charlie.
"Oh shut up you stupid plant." shouted Jeanette after releasing herself from Kallman's arms. She went to the plant and kicked it.
"Now be quiet Charlie or I won't let you say anything." muttered Jeanette.
::Charlie faded into the darkness knowing Jeanette was the one who had made him the way he was. Unable to walk, unable to talk, unable to be a normal person. Jeanette had taken everything away from him and a demon have saved his soul barely in time. Charlie was a plant and alive, everything else he had was with Hanna now and even she was losing the battle.
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Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:55 pm
Daceria tried not to look at the bar. The townsmen were not at work because of the rain, and so more men than usual sat drinking. Ferin's semblance was a daunting thing, and kept wandering eyes from straying for too long on either of the two women seated.
"Do you trust them?" Forest finally asked, her voice hardly a murmur over the din.
Daceria though about this for a moment, then sighed. "I trust Hanna."
"It's been nearly an hour," Forest said. "Shouldn't they be back by now?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:26 pm
"A journey takes longer than what you think Forest." began Daceria.
"I know. I miss him." answered Forest.
"He'll come back. I know he will. He's the first human I've ever trusted. I believe in him and now I believe in her. We just have to wait Forest. Patience."
"Yes sister." smiled Forest snuggling against her older sister. Daceria was so wise and so beautiful. Forest wished she could have been born one of the clan but the truth was almost too awful to admit. She was Manikai's daughter.::
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:42 am
Hanna gathered supplies in near silence, speaking only when she had need to. Food, blankets, clothing, gear. She carried it back to the inn in a like manner, her mind so twisted in thought that she was hardly aware of the figures cloaked in darkness that followed behind.
She returned to the inn, saying nothing to the questioning looks of Daceria and Forest. She knew the question, but she had no answer. Where was Ferin?
The black cloaks wound through tables to find a corner seat in the shadows, watching from a distance. For the first time the hair on the back of Hanna's neck prickled. The sense of being watched was not pleasant, and she looked around obscurely, suddenly sharp and focused.
"I have the gear we need," she whispered, hardly heard over the din. "We need to go." She handed them each a pack. They were heavy, but much lighter than her own. They would not know. "The semblance will follow us."
"But what about Ferin?" Daceria asked, startled by the suddenness of their departure.
"He will find us."
Hanna sensed rather than saw the cloaks follow them into the rain, which had gotten harder. It was early afternoon, but it could almost have been night.
"When I say run, do it," Hanna said sharply.
"What? Why?"
"Just go. As fast as you can to the west. Find a sheltered place to hide and wait there. If Ferin or I do not find you by morning, keep going."
"We don't know the way!" Forest protested.
"If I am not there, go west until you come sea, then north." Hanna slipped a coin purse into Daceria's hand subtly. "Find a boat and take it. Get as far away as you can."
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 4:28 pm
"I don't want to run." stated Daceria.
"You don't have a choice. You'll only be hurt it you stay here." began Hanna.
"I will fight. The forest is my home not these wetlands you speak of."
"We don't have TIME to argue. Just go." demanded Hanna.
"We'll go. Forest grab my hand." smiled Daceria.
::Forest grabbed her hand and Daceria teleported away.::
::Hanna hit her head in frustration. How could she do that to her after all she had done trying to get them away from Jeanette::
"This is the last time I'm helping a princess." she groaned.
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Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:59 pm
As if on signal the cloaked figures bounded swiftly out of the rain, wrestling her to the ground.
"Interesting words, coming from you," one hissed. His breath stank of tobacco and rot, making her want to gag. She could see beneath the hood now. The man had a long crooked nose and eyes so pale a blue that they glowed.
Dram, she cursed as he tied a cloth around her mouth.
"Not much, are you," he snickered, binding her hands and jerking her to her feet.
After all this time.
She snarled through the gag, driving her bound fists into his face. The crunch of bone beneath her knuckles announced the break of his nose and the other man, whose eyes were equally pale, shoved her away. She stumbled and nearly fell into the mud, but he grabbed her arm and jerked her up, tying a leash-like tether to her already bound wrists.
"They told us you had a temper," he said dryly.
She struck out at him, landing a good kick to his stomach, but by then the other had recovered enough to block her escape. They dragged her still struggling from the streets and into the rain-soaked dark.
Heaven help them now, Hanna thought dimly. Because I can't.
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:42 pm
:: Daceria and Forest were safe in her underwater cave that only she had known about.::
"Sister what about Kallman and Hanna?" asked Forest worried.
"She paid us back. Her debt is repayed it is no longer our need to worry for her. She can take care of herself. She has proved that."
"And Kallman?" asked Forest.
"I don't konw.
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Posted: Tue Aug 31, 2010 7:48 pm
The double fist of pain that Hanna had come to associate with trouble shot through her stomach. She fell limp in her captors' arms, choking back the pain as stars exploded behind her eyes.
"What's wrong with you?" snapped the man with the broken nose, trying to pull her up, but she only fell again.
Hanna saw Kallman as a wolf, tracking her scent. The rain was giving him trouble, making it easy for Jeanette to keep up with him. The only scent he knew was hers, and in some distant part of her brain she felt relieved. He would track her to the end of the earth and never know that Daceria and Forest had left her.
But he may not have to go so far.
"Get up," the cloak snapped, jerking her to her feet. Hanna stumbled forward, choking on bile. Her eyes rolled to face front.
"You're sure she's the right one?" the other said. "She's not even a little blue."
"She's half human," the former snapped. "She's the right one. The Reaver will be pleased."
Hanna went rigid, fighting hard against the gag. The Reaver. The shocked thought reverberated through her head like the boom of a gong. I thought it was dead!...but old enemies never die.
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Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 2:35 pm
:: Kallman was almost to where her scent was but stopped before the men in cloaks saw him. He waited for Jeanette to catch up and she wasn't very happy. She whispered to him.::
"Who are they and why do they have Hanna?" asked Jeanette.
"I don't know master. The girls are no longer here. Their scent no longer fills the area." answered Kallman.
"I don't like this. Shall I save her?" asked Jeanette.
"Why would you?" asked Kallman confused.
"Because fool, she can lead us to what were looking for!" snapped Jeanette.
"Oh." smiled Kallman.
"Now let's get in there and kick some cloak figure butt." smiled Jeanette as Kallman attacked and killed one of them on impact. Jeanette managed to freeze them in her ice spell and while Kallman beat up Hunters frozen in time. Hanna had time to escape. Kallman grabbed her not letting her go and as she looked to him, she was still tied up. Kallman took off the gag without thinking.
"Kallman it's me." began Hanna. "Please remember."
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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 12:41 pm
She coughed violently, and he held her firmly as she sagged a little. She could do nothing but watch helplessly as the second cloak, the one with the broken nose, broke free of the ice spell and with a sneer at Hanna threw something at the ground. Black smoke suddenly boiled up all around them, so thickly that Jeanette and the cloaked man were blocked from view. Hanna struggled, suddenly realizing something very important.
"Kallman!" she gasped, straining away from him. "Kallman let me go!"
"No." The word came out as hard as the brick wall of his arms.
"He'll kill you to get to me!" she said desperately, twisting hard. "He'll run a knife in your back or worse! Curse you Kallman, let me go!"
"Not until master says."
Just in front of them a figure appeared and Hanna reeled back, smacking hard into Kallman's chest. It was the woman with the strange eyes whom no one else could see. She held a tiny hourglass in her hand, and as Hanna watched the final grains of sand fell to the bottom. The woman gave her a meaningful glance, then vanished.
Hanna felt a sudden heat course through her veins, from her chest outward. It exploded through her body like an electrical shock. Kallman felt the sudden heat, but did not know what was going on. Hanna gasped and fell, hanging in Kallman's arms limply.
Another figure ran from the smoke, cloaked in black, and Kallman began to growl. The figure paid no heed and something silver glinted in his fist. Kallman's arms loosened barely as he prepared to attack.
Blue Hanna snarled, using her feet to launch off of Kallman's chest and into the figure like a hunting lion. They went down in the smoke, Kallman bounding after them. The sounds of snarling and gasping cries seemed to come from everywhere, but in the darkness he could not find them. There were shouts in a strange language and a muffled cry.
The smoke at last began to clear and Kallman caught sight of them. He launched forward just as the black figure staggered away. Hanna bounded after him, but just before she could reach him he threw another strange object at the ground, and vanished.
The blue girl turned to face Kallman hostilely, a long knife somehow in her hand. His animal instincts warned him that to attack would be a deadly, but his loyalty to Jeanette warred with them, urging him forward. Master wanted her.
When she ran, he wasn't ready. She was so fast that he had almost lost sight of her when he started to follow, and each time her feet struck the ground there was a flash of blue. Part of him said to stay and search for Master, but he raced after her into the gloom of the true fog that had risen up around them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:27 pm
(Wow.)
::Kallman followed her all the way to a cave that had no exit. Hanna turned to him.::
"Kallman, it's me Hanna." she whispered. If she could turn him into the Kallman she knew she would be able to go home and to her home would be her death. She didn't have much time. She was fading and she swore to herself to save Kallman from Jeanette. After all Hanna didn't like it when someone she loved was in danger. And Kallman was definetly in danger and was someone she loved.::
"Come with me silently master wants you." spoke Kallman getting closer to her as her pinned his arms to the wall and looked her in the eyes.
"Master wants you."
"Your so called master is your worst enemy!" spoke Hanna.
"Master." mumbled Kallman as he brushed her hair to the side.
"Master wants you but I want you more." spoke Kallman as he kissed her.::
(Couldn't help myself. It had to happen evidently! Haha!)
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:45 pm
(We've been putting it off for over thirty pages. It was bound to happen eventually)
Hanna touched his cheek, her blue fingers a startling contrast, even in the gloom. They were so close now that she could feel his heartbeat against her own chest. Time slowed, their heartbeats intertwining until they drummed in rhythm with each other.
"Conas is mian liom..." she murmured pushing him back at last. "Come away, Kallman. Don't go back with her."
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:20 pm
"Master will be mad." Kallman began.
:: Hanna looked to him. They were so close and he had just kissed her. Could she convince him to turn back into the man he was.::
"Kallman please, it's me Hanna." whispered Hanna.
"Master...I musn't disobey her. You have to come with me." demanded Kallman.
"Kallman, snap out of it. She is not your master nor is she my brother's. I'm not going to let Jeanette take away all the people I love away from me. I won't let her have you." demanded Hanna embracing him.
"Love?" asked Kallman.
"Yes Kallman, I love you." cried Hanna holding him close and suddenly his arms folded around her.
"I do too. Master can be mad." smiled Kallman.
"She's not your master."
"No, I guess not." smiled Kallman.
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