"Run!"
It was a fine night. The air was calm and howled a sweet tune. Sweet that even the trees began to dance to it. It would have been perfect if it wasn't marred by the stench of blood and desperation. Hannah ran as fast as her aching legs could carry her. She was almost there. Yes! she could feel him. A brief jolt of relief washed through her before it was followed by bitter pain. Oh! Her Freya. Her sweet child was to be condemned to the cruel death of her people. She shook her head before the thought could conjure in her head. No. She couldn't be distracted. Not when her daughter's life depended on her. She was almost there and there was no stopping her. She looked at the child in her arms as the tears that had been threatening her fell with full force. She will do anything for the child in her arms. Her only regret was that she might not live long enough to be the mother to her. How hard it must be for Marcus, her one true love.
Amidst the ever growing agitation, warmth spread through her as the thought of the only man she ever cared about flashed through her memory. She ran a few more feet before catching sight of the distant light and voices. Hannah stopped a bit to she surveyed her surroundings. While there were a few fey, most were Valhallians. She could tell by their pale skin and unearthly beauty. It was believed that they were the ancient origin of all vampires! The valhalians were Supreme to the vampires in every way; arrogance, intelligence, but unlike the vampires who were merely regarded as walking dead, the valhallians were not immortal and could bear children. She looked back as the sound of the approaching men drew near. She had run for miles, yet the pests kept up. They had to be off her trail long enough to reach Marcus. Muttering strings of curses, she turned back wearily to face them.
"The child is all we want." one of them said. "Give us the child and we will be on our way."
The other man turned to regard his partner in alarm. "Really? She
is a beautiful one." He surveyed her with greedy eyes, his gaze caressing her lips. "And she gave us quite a chase. Shouldn't we, after the_
"What are you suggesting, fool!" The first growled at the other man.
"I'm just saying_
"Oh shut up! The king asked that we deliver the child! You can get a million women when we get to the village for all I care! But for now the child is our priority and we…
The voice of the two arguing Orges became faint in her head as she arched back in sudden pain, her whole body trembling violently. Hannah clutched her aching heart and the child in her arms, the child with the bluest eyes she had ever seen, as she looked from one man to the other. Really. Men. Do they always have to be so predictable? She didn't have time for this. In fact she didn't have time at all. She had to reach Marcus and take him far away from Valhalla. And nothing, not even the two babbling idiots in front of her could stop her. Hannah struggled to regain her composure, and mustering what little strength she could gather, she muttered the words that immediately put the fools to sleep,
"Lumen id sin"
Her eyes glowed under the moonlight from the spell casted. It had always glow lustrously whenever she used magic. Almost immediately, the men dropped to a deep sleep. She was too weak to cast spells and was satisfied at the temporary success she got, certain they wouldn't be waking anytime soon, she turned to continue her journey. The magic won't last long, but it will last long enough for her to rescue Marcus She sighed "Marcus," and with a little effort, she was back at her hunt. She could hear that deep persistent voice of urgency.
"Run, Hannah, Run!"
"Rescue Marcus!"
"Run!"
***
Marcus winced in pain as blood and sweat dripped from his throbbing head. All he could think of amidst the pain was Hannah. They were attacked shortly after his wife was to give birth. He had hid her underneath the foot of a tree at the Steppstdek forest before he was captured. He could only hope she had not been found. "These chains!" he grunted, trying to break free from its punishing grip. Whoever his captors were had known he was a wolf because the dampening spell Hannah cast about him had grown weak. A sure indication that Hannah was losing a lot of energy. He saw no relevance to concealing his wolf. He let his wolf out, his clothed shredding from the transformation. He wasn't attacking without reason, but stalling for time. Time. He needed time.
They outnumbered him but had sustained major injuries and difficulties, inevitable they succeeded in keeping him down with the one thing his kind was most afraid of. Silver. He had heard the distant voices of the valhalian soldiers, shouting for silver, as he attacked them. The contact had paralyzed him. His wolf growled in pain as it retreated, bones collapsing until only the naked man was seen. He was crouched on the ground, the cold wind teasing his bare skin. The soldiers had dragged his him to an isolated farm shed. There, they had the foresight to bind him in goddamned silver chains! Chains that bored into his skin, scorched him and seared his wrists and neck.
Marcus was so engrossed in his loathing that he did not notice the strong palms closing in on him until he felt it connect to his left cheek, jerking him back to reality. The enraged guard gave a thunderous roar. "I said tell me where they are!" He had forgotten the fool before him, forgotten the fool that had been ranting on and on while he was lost in thoughts of Hannah. The guard must have noticed he wasn't being listened to.
The palms were now converted to angry fists that struck his lower abdomen. The pain was severe. He coughed out the blood and phlegm stuck in his throat. He could hear the chatters and agitation as the guards outside were running helter skelter in confusion. Oh and what was that outside? A fire?
But how did a fire… His confused thoughts were interrupted as realization dawned on him.
"Hannah?" he breathed in confusion. She shouldn't be hear
He looked up at the guard "You know, I didn't know the punch of Valhallians were so weak and pathetic?" He taunted, hoping to distract the guard than to further enrage him. The strain he felt could be heard in his voice, in the manner he gasped for breath with each word.
"I'm fey you moron! Fey!" the guard growled, delivering yet another blow. This time, it landed on his mid rib section. The Crack fairly audible, but the pain, ah the pain, it was unnerving.
Almost immediately, a brown haired woman with smooth alabaster skin appeared in front of him. Even rugged and bloody she still looked strikingly beautiful.. Stretching out her hands she muttered a low word and within seconds, the guard was struggling for his life as he held on to his throat, trying to reach out for whatever air his body could catch. Within seconds, he fell lifeless on the floor, his body turning a pale blue. At first, she staggered back, the evidence of stress evident on her frail body. But she instantly regained her composure. This woman was putting herself in danger and it was totally unacceptable by him. It was worse than being tortured by these ignorant beings.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his words were shaky from brutal torture and anger that was rapidly spreading through him like wildfire. She on the other hand appeared calm and didn't seem to care about his male tantrums. Placing the baby on the floor to lean against the sleeping man, she focused on him as she smoothly untied the chains connecting his hands to the ceiling.
"You can yell me to death after I'm done saving your ass."
"But it's dangerous. What if they got hold of you? Wait, What of our child?"
"Marcus we don't have time for this. I need to get you and Freya out of here" She interrupted.
"Freya?"
She looked down at the child with eyes that spoke of motherly love "I gave her a name."
It was at this poin he noticed the child in her arms. Oh but she was beautiful! She looked delicate in her tiny frame, with brown hair, and brilliant blue eyes that shone like sapphire. A sure sign of her heritage and her fate as the chosen. Words had spread quickly about her birth, and hours before her delivery, they were being hunted.
"She has your eyes. They are beautiful."
Marcus cupped her face in his bloody hands. "We will get out of this together." he gave a pause before continuing" There is a village not far from here. We can make it through and head to the mountains at first light. We will never be found there."
She turned her face away "Marcus_
With a smooth motion, Marcus silenced her with a brief kiss. "We will make it" he said softly, "Together."
She nodded in agreement but he was far from convinced. Something felt off.
"Try not to do anything stupid before we get there," he warned and lifted his hands to stroke her blood stained chin, "You know I can't live without you."
She smiled for the first time in hours "And I can't live with you clothe less" She turned to the lifeless fey whose corpse had by now disintegrated to green lilies. "Grab his clothes quickly. We have to leave here"
He thought he heard her wince but he shoved off the thought as the other guards began to stir. By now, his cracked ribs had already began to heal with the removal of the silver chains. They managed to evade the guards as Hannah sent another blast of fire in the opposite direction to distract them.
***
They had almost reached the village when gunshots were being fired at them. She could hardly put one leg in front of the other. Hannah halted to study her surroundings and used the opportunity to weigh her choices. She knew it would come to this.
"What are you doing, we need to go!"
She looked at him and then at the baby in her arms as tears filled her eyes. Under the moonlight her blue eyes looked almost transparent like diamonds. If not for the unmistakable outline of her pupil, it wound have appeared that her yes where all white. She calculated the distance to the hill clan. There was no way she could get to the Hill clan without putting Marcus and Freya's life in danger. She looked at the man she loved very dearly, who had loved her with his whole life. Then without warning, she placed the child in his arms. She shook her head. "No Marcus. You need to go."
"Hannah!_
Mustering her last strength without giving him time to talk, she managed to open a portal "Tell Freya I love her." Then she shoved them into the portal and turned to face her approaching death. If she wouldn't live to see her Freya grow, then she would at least die knowing she is safe with Marcus. The next bullet landed on her chest. Then without much effort, she fell to the dust and opened her heart to embraced the enveloping darkness.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
