Quietly, Maya stepped forward. Producing Jarod’s heavy black jacket from her satchel, she handed it to Jaron to wrap K inside. Satisfied she was adequately protected and not wanting to wait to see if Mallok and the Council could conjure up any other punishments, Jaron turned and he and the others cautiously made their way to the door. He was just about to step into the narrow hallway, when he heard Mallok’s voice calling out behind him.
“If you know what is good for you, you will get away from her as soon as you can Jaron.” Ignoring him, Jaron continued into the hallway. “Eventually she will grow tired of you too.”
To that Jaron huffed, “That’s the difference between us Mallok.” He called back as he left them all behind him. “I not foolish enough to believe what we have is anything more than what it is. We made a bargain, and that is it. From the very beginning I have known what my fate would be and accepted it. Only a fool would think she could offer him anything more.”
Without turning back, Jaron paused as the guards opened the door to let him and the others out. And as the doors closed, Jaron could hear Mallok still yell one last time after them. “If I am the fool for believing in her love then so are you for telling yourself that lie! I see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you. Mark my words Jaron, the day will come when she will break your heart, and when she does, we shall see then which of us was the bigger fool!”
Chapter 16
Pacing the length of the clinic’s wooden floor, Mikel repeatedly ran his hands through his hair as Janil and Gabriel watched on silently. “By the stars, what are we going to do?” he mumbled, speaking more to himself than he was to them. “I thought for sure he would be awake by now.”
“Mikel please settle down,” Janil coaxed, as he passed her by for what had to be the hundredth time. Sounding nearly as exhausted as he felt, she tracked his movement as he spun around and headed the other way. “If we work together I am sure we can figure something out.” Letting out an exasperated sigh as he spun around yet again, Janil shook her head. “Please Mikel, just stop the pacing. You are making me more anxious than I already am.”
Stopping mid step, Mikel threw his hands out, motioning to Tyran’s unconscious body, resting peacefully next to Citera’s and Dirik’s. “How do you expect me to be calm when they are holding a gathering in the Core in less than fifteen minutes, and the man they are expecting to see there still hasn’t regained consciousness?” Resuming his march across the clinic, Mikel pinched his brow together. “In just a few minutes time this entire camp is going to find out we are completely unprotected with a battalion of the Shadows’ men sitting right on the edge of the forest.”
“Why not just ask Petro and Balil to delay it a few more days?” Gabriel offered from beside his wife.
“Because I have already got them to delay it once… and that took a great deal of bargaining on my part.” Halting his incessant movement, Mikel flopped down in one of the nearby chairs. “As it stands, I owe them both a bottle of Casper’s fruit liquor, which I can’t afford, so I’ll have to find something to barter for.”
Frustrated and exhausted, Mikel placed his elbows on his knees and covered his face with his hands. Since the day Tyran had been downed, he had been struggling to keep the ancient’s condition hidden from the rest of the camp. Keeping him tucked away behind the curtain at the far side of the room, along with Citera and Dirik, Mikel went about his daily work with a false smile plastered to his face hoping to make everyone believe everything was all right. But the truth of the matter was anything but.
While there had yet to be more sightings of the Shadows’ men near the stream where Citera and Dirik were attacked a few days ago, while making his rounds in the forest, Rigar and his group had run across a small band of them dangerously close to the hidden path leading from the trail to the camp. Thankfully they were able to dispatch of them rather quickly, using their knowledge of the forest and the trees to their advantage. But knowing the Shadows’ men had managed to make it that close to Oasis again, had validly raised quite a bit of concern amongst the citizens. And it didn’t take long before Mikel’s attempts to pacify them about their protector’s whereabouts no longer satisfied them.
Still, he managed to talk Balil and Petro, the two good Samaritans who had come into the tent that day, to keep the truth quiet just a little longer by assuring them if they gave Tyran a few more days he would awaken. Once they agreed, Mikel then did something he rarely ever did, he lied. With the help of Rigar, Janil, and Gabriel, he spread the word throughout the camp that Tyran had left temporarily to patrol deep inside the forest for more of the Shadows’ men, making an extra effort to point out that since he was going to wander so deep into the depths of the forest, it would most likely be a few days before anyone would see him again.
He did all this with the hope that, given enough time, Tyran would awaken and resume his position as head of security, and thereby alleviate the growing fears of the citizens. However, over a week and a half since he was downed, Tyran still showed no signs of rejoining the living. And with the army outside the forest growing on a daily basis, their time had officially run out.
“We’ll go with you Mikel. You know you don’t have to do this alone.” Janil’s soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
Raising his head to meet her gaze Mikel smiled weakly. “I know Janil, I appreciate it, but someone needs to stay here with them. And I would prefer it if Gabriel stays here with you, just in case…”
“In case they come here looking for him?”
Shrugging, he rose to his feet. “It’s possible. I mean I have already been lying to them for a week. They may not believe me when I tell the truth. I just don’t want them to come in and tear this place apart.” Glancing over his shoulder to the back corner, Mikel’s expression saddened. “My whole world is lying on those two beds over there.”
Following his gaze, Janil considered his words for a moment, then nodded. “You can count on us Mikel. You know we will do whatever we can to keep them safe.”
“I know you will.” With a heavy sigh, Mikel turned and headed for the door. “I guess I might as well get this over with.”
Stepping out into the sunlight, Mikel grimaced at the intensity of the bright light and took a moment to let his eyes adjust. Then with slow purposeful steps, he began the trek down the trail to the bottom of the hill. Arriving at his destination, Mikel halted as he stared in awe at the number of people awaiting his arrival. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the Core was so packed with people, Mikel was certain the entire population had come to hear what Tyran had to say. Knowing they were all waiting for him to give them the good news they so desperately wanted to hear and he couldn’t, caused Mikel’s heart rate to immediately double. For a brief moment, he considered ducking back into the forest before anyone saw him, but unfortunately, he knew that only delayed the inevitable. So with a large gulp, Mikel stepped into the teeming mass and slowly began to work his way through the crowd to the platform on the other side. There Rigar, Petro, and Balil met him at the base of the stairs.
“I take it since you are here, he hasn’t awakened?”
“You assume correctly.”
Shaking his head, Petro stepped away from the stairs and waved him forward. “Then they are all yours.”
Mikel stared unmoving at the top of the stairs. Sensing his reluctance, Rigar came to his side. “Perhaps we could wait another day or two?” he offered. “He’s bound to wake up. I mean, he is an ancient after all, I can’t imagine he would stay down for too much longer.”
“Absolutely not.” Balil snapped. “You’ve seen the size of the army gathering outside the forest. What do you think is going to happen to us if they decide they’re bored with waiting and attack? With all the strongest Full-bloods, not to mention the only ones with any experiencing fighting a war, either gone or downed, we will be slaughtered!”
“At least if they know they can prepare.” Petro added. “But they won’t do that while they are blissfull
y thinking an unconscious man is keeping watch over them.”
“I know, I know.” Glancing back at the stairs, Mikel sucked in a deep breath and ascended to the top with Rigar and the other two men following close behind. Once there, he stared quietly over the sea of people as one by one they turned their confused stares upon him.
“I know I am not who you were expecting or wanting to hear from today,” he began. Pausing as the rest of the crowd fell silent and faced him. “But unfortunately, Tyran was unable to make it.”
“Where is he?” a shout rose up from the crowd.
“Yeah, no one has seen him in over a week. Surely he wouldn’t stay in the forest and leave us unprotected this long without a good reason.”
Concerned chatter began to erupt amongst the crowd as discussions of Tyran possibly being injured or captured began to circulate. Not wanting to allow these rumors to feed into the people’s already growing fear, Mikel waved his arms and tried to call their attention back to him. “People, if you would just give me a moment to explain,” he shouted over the noise, but no matter how hard he tried to garner their attention, the crowd continued to ignore him and the sea of rumors and assumptions continued to grow out of control. Already nervous, and becoming very frustrated by his inability to regain their attention, Mikel inhaled deeply.
“I lied.” He shouted over the murmur of the crowd. Within seconds, every eye in the Core was once again locked on him. “You are right, Tyran would never leave us unprotected this long without a reason. But the truth is, Tyran never left the camp. He is in my clinic, where he has been lying unconscious for over a week.”
Immediately the Core filled with a roar of shouting and cries. Overwhelmed by the sudden bombardment of questions being hurled his way, Mikel was forced once again to try a calm them. “Listen people, please.” He tried to shout above the confusion. “Everything is going to be all right. The others will be back soon. We just need to be patient.”
Realizing Mikel was losing control and wanting to calm them before they began to riot, Riger, Petro, and Balil stepped forward. They joined in the efforts, also shouting and motioning for the crowd to settle down, but despite all their attempts, they watched as the panic and chaos continued to spread through the Core like a virus.
Out of corner of his eye, Mikel watched in terror as his fear came true and a group of people broke off from the crowd and headed up the hill in the direction of his clinic. Without hesitation, Mikel rushed down the stairs.
“Mikel don’t!” he heard Rigar yelling from behind him as he pushed his way to through the mass of people. But fear for the safety of his friends and family trumped his concern for himself. Pushing and shoving, Mikel had nearly made it out of the Core, when a hand painfully encircled his arm and pulled him back into its depths.
“We are all going to die and it’s all your fault!” someone shouted, as a fist connected with the side of his face. Dazed and confused, Mikel fell to the ground as blood poured down his face from a laceration to his eyebrow. Struggling to get back on his feet and escape his attacker, Mikel made it only to his hands and knees before the pressure of a heavy boot on his back pushed him back to the ground.
“Yeah, if you had told us we were in danger earlier, we all could have escaped before the army got that big, now we are all trapped here like sitting ducks with no way to escape.” A second voice joined as another boot slammed into his thigh. Yelling out, Mikel struggled to crawl free, and was rewarded for his efforts by someone else stepping on his hand.
“He probably planned this all out. We all know he and Jaron have had multiple fights. Do you think it’s any coincidence that after Jaron leaves, the Black Guard suddenly appears? I bet he set the whole thing up!”
“What?! No!” Mikel gasped, as the pressure from the boot on his back increased. Blinded from the blood spilling into his eyes from the gash in his eyebrow, Mikel attempted to reason with his unknown attackers. “Please, don’t do this. My family is here, why would I put them and myself in danger?”
In the distance, barely discernable over the shouting of the crowd, Mikel could hear his name being called. Having no doubt Rigar and the others were doing whatever they could to try and reach him, Mikel struggled to remain conscious as the pressure on his back increased. But with each passing second, Mikel could feel his body slipping from consciousness. Resigning himself to his fate, Mikel gave up his struggling and allowed the darkness to slowly take hold. He was only seconds from drifting forever into oblivion when the pressure on his back suddenly vanished.
“What the hell is going on here!” a voice rose easily over the shouting, immediately silencing the Core.
Grateful for the relief, Mikel gasped in a huge intake of air and rolled onto his side. Cradling his injured hand close to his body, he had barely had a chance to recover when a heavy hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him ungracefully to his feet. Still half-blind from the blow to his eye and unsure of who had ahold of him, Mikel swung out wildly trying to at least land one good hit of his own before whoever had him finished off the job. A decision he regretted instantly when the fist of his one good hand connected with a sickening crunch to a torso harder than a stone wall. Crying out in pain, Mikel cradled the second injured appendage as he continued to try and pull free of the rock solid hold.
“Mikel, stop fighting. It’s me.”
A voice reprimanded as the grip on his arm tightened. “You’re in no shape to stand on your own yet.” Immediately recognizing the deep flat tone, Mikel nearly doubled over in tears.
“It looks as if everything went well while we were gone.” Jarod continued, glaring out at the stunned crowd, “You know you could have a least waited for me to get back before you had a party.”
“Damn it Jarod, I have never in my life thought I would say this… but I am so glad to see you.” Mikel half-laughed looking up at the towering giant through his blurred vision.
“Awww, don’t go getting all emotional on me.” Jarod smirked, before turning his attention back out to the crowd. “Now do you want to tell us why these fools are trying to beat the crap out of you.”
“Us?” Mikel questioned. Looking around he quickly spotted Liam, Zach, and Rico standing over three Full-blood males cowering on the ground. “Oh.”
“You want us to beat the shit out of them?” Rico growled, kicking one of the men in the side and making him cry out.
“No, no, no. That’s not necessary.”
“I don’t know, I think you should let him.” Rigar snapped, shoving his way to the front of the crowd. Glaring down at the three offenders he narrowed his gaze. “Or better yet, let me do it.”
“No, I’m serious Rigar, let it go.” He hesitated, turning his attention back up to Jarod. “This is all just a big misunderstanding, no need to do anything rash. With you and Jaron finally back, everything should be fine.” Furrowing his brow, Mikel wiped the blood from his face “Where is Jaron?”
“Dropping K off at her tent before he goes to the medical tent.”
Upon hearing of their mission’s success Mikel felt an overwhelming sense of relief rush through him. However, when the second part of what Jarod said hit him, Mikel jolted, then cringed as a sharp pain shot through his spine. “Oh, crap.” He groaned. Refusing to let it slow him down, he pulled his arm free of Jarod’s grasp and began to limp his way toward the hill. “We’ve got to get there before he does!”
Staring after him as if he was crazy, Jarod addressed Liam and the others. “You got this under control?”
With a wicked smile, Liam nodded, “Sure thing, were all good here. Go handle what you need to. We will take real good care of these fellows.”
“Jarod, come on!”
Cocking an eyebrow, Jarod turned and followed Mikel as he painfully made his way onto the trail back to the clinic. “I know it’s none of my business, but I’m fairly certain you are in no shape to be administering medical care to anyone. Don’t you think you should go home and rest?”
“No, it
’s not that.” Mikel grimaced. “I just think you should be there when he arrives… just in case.”
Now very interested in what was going on, Jarod frowned. “In case what? What is he going to find in the medical tent?”
No sooner than the words escaped his mouth than Jaron’s angry voice echoed down the hill. “Who is responsible for this?!”
Stopping dead in his tracks, Mikel turned his panicked gaze up to Jarod. “Go! I’ll meet you there.”
“I got a better idea.” Snatching Mikel up by his shirt, Jarod tossed him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Hold on.”
With no further warning, Jarod took off up the hill. Not bothering to hesitate or even put him down as he dashed into the tent and stopped dead in his tracks. “What the hell?”
“Put me down Jarod. Let me explain.”
“Oh, you better explain, because someone is about to die!” Jaron shouted behind him as Jarod placed him easily on the floor. Doing a quick study of the room, Mikel breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Janil and Gabriel tucked safely away in a corner.
“By the stars Mikel, are you all right!” Janil gasped. She was about to race to his side, but hesitated when she stared up a Jaron.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Mikel groaned, motioning for her to stay back. “Cuts and bruises mainly… I think.”
“Good.” Jaron growled. Turning his attention back to him, Mikel grimaced under the intensity of his glare. “Who. Did. This?” he demanded, gesturing to Tyran’s body. Thankfully Dirik and Citera were still tucked behind their curtain safe from sight.
“Jaron listen, it’s all very complicated…”
“Oh, it’s not complicated.” Jaron growled storming his direction, “You are going to tell me who did this and I am going to rip their throat out!”
Stepping between Mikel and his oncoming brother, Jarod crossed his hands over his chest. “Jaron, he is not your enemy.”
“No, but he knows who is!” Jaron snapped, shoving Jarod in the chest. Fortunately for Mikel, Jarod’s massive frame didn’t budge. “And I want the head of the man that downed my friend and one of the best fighters in the camp.”
Forsaken (The Shadow Chronicles Book 3) Page 37
