Edie

Edie

SasatheShy

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Chapter Twenty-Nine: Challenge

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Blythe could not believe what was about to happen. She shielded her eyes, keeping from going over to join her friends. She shook her head, peeking out between her fingers. She saw Lavan gluing his feet to the hard wood. He faced Cain with raging eyes. Blythe knew that nothing good could come of this. Hurriedly, she got to her feet and raced to get Edie.

Cain fixed up his jacket. He looked to Mark. “Find a table.”

Mark bowed, prepared to do just that for his captain. However, he was startled when Lavan came straight up to them. His jaw dropped, never seeing anyone dare step up to his captain before. Not in such an improper manner, anyway.

Even Cain was surprised. He glared down at Lavan. He placed his hands behind his back, and he grinned at Lavan. He could see that the hunter was pissed. He wondered if the other had discovered about his and Edie’s fabulous night of sex. He’d play along. The hunter was becoming mighty annoying. He was a simple pest Cain wanted rid of.

“May I help you?” Cain asked lowly. He purposefully showed off a glimpse of a grin, knowing only Lavan had seen it.

Roddy and Pip stood nervously behind Lavan. Well, Pip more so than Roddy. He had never seen his friend act so jealously. He shifted his eyes, focusing on Aleah. He gaped, watching as she took a single glance at him before hiding behind Mark.

“We need to talk,” Lavan sneered.

“About…?” Cain pressed on. He knew he was angering Lavan further.

“You know what about,” Lavan growled. “I’m sick of these games. I love Edie to death, and I don’t think that you do! You’re only using her, and -- and I think she’s becoming manipulated by your disgusting tongue!”

A sharp glare met the captain’s face. He stared Lavan down, prepared to make threats. To his side, Hyatt snorted loudly. Mark was keeping quiet.

“You need to watch your own tongue, hunter,” Cain glared. “You know nothing of my feelings for Edie! And you are obviously delusional. I do not want to hurt her. I care very much about her.”

“Sure,” Lavan huffed. “I see how she is around you. She’s scared of you! She always quakes when she’s near you. She hates being with you!”

“Boss, this guy is really starting to annoy me,” Hyatt spoke up.

The pig’s interruption had not been what Cain needed. He waved his hand off at Hyatt, but he nodded. Lavan was annoying him, as well.

“We need to settle this,” Lavan said while making fists. “I don’t want Edie to be hurt anymore. I’m not exactly sure what it is she’s afraid of. But if it means making her happy, then -- that’s what I want.”

“I agree,” Cain nodded. “I, too, want Edie happy.”

Lavan still did not believe the captain. He shook his head. “I don’t believe you!”

“Then you’re an idiot,” Cain snarled.

Pushing forward, Lavan nearly lunged at the captain. Hyatt took out his sword, and pressed it to Lavan’s neck.

“Don’t even think about it,” laughed Hyatt, seeing that Lavan was scared of his blade.

“No!”

All eyes turned. Edie had rushed upstairs with Blythe, Tonisha, and Leigh right behind her.

“Stop this,” Tonisha shouted. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Cain pulled the sword back, disappointing Hyatt. “Easy, Hyatt.” He waited until Hyatt’s sword was tucked into its sheath. Chuckling, Cain eyed the women. “Lavan had said something that upset my third-hand man, is all. But for some reason, the hunter is upset with me...”

“And I’m not done talking,” Lavan interrupted. “I am sick of seeing Edie hurt. And I want something done about it!”

Edie stepped up to them. She was begging them to stop with her eyes. But neither seemed keen on stopping.

“I like your attitude,” Cain told Lavan. “I can tell that you really love Edie. Very well, then -- if you don’t believe me, we can always solve this another way --”

“Please stop it,” Edie pleaded. Tears stung to escape her eyes.

“She’s right,” growled Tonisha. “You two are being ridiculous!”

But the two men weren’t listening. The two were furious at the other. And both wanted to show Edie that the other was best for her.

“What do you have in mind?” Lavan asked.

Chuckling, Cain raised a brow. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “A challenge.”

At that moment, the two Cretchens, and inn owners gasped. Edie was confused, as were the hunters. She eyed Cain, showing him her returned fear. “W -- what’s a challenge?”

“A duel made against a Cretchen, to those willing--” Cain said. “Usually, to the death.”

With her eyes bulged, Edie grabbed Cain’s arm. She shook her head. “No!”

“It is Lavan’s choice,” Cain said softly.

Gaping, Edie looked to Lavan. She grabbed his arm next, trying to convince him that accepting such a thing was suicidal. She shook her head at him, trying to make him see the light. She could hardly believe this was happening. The two were fighting over her. And they were both willing to die to get her.

This was not what she wanted.

“Please?” she cried. “Lavan --? Please?” But when Lavan told his answer, Edie felt her world crashing.

“I accept,” he said.

Hyatt rubbed his hands together. He cackled maniacally. “Ooh --! Ooh! Let me have at him first, boss. Please? I really, really want this.” He was crazed. It showed that the fat man loved these challenges.

Cain sighed at Hyatt.

“Fine,” Lavan said automatically. “I’ll take him down first, and when I finish with him, I’ll take down you.”

Raising a brow, the captain was impressed. He chuckled and shrugged. “Very well. Come and meet us outside in ten minutes. We’ll be ready by then. Bring a sword, if you have one.”

Lavan nodded.

Crying, Edie shook her head. She walked up to Cain as he was leaving. Tonisha followed after her, worried about this. Lavan’s friends were giving him the same treatment.

“Are you stupid?” Roddy shrieked. They followed Lavan towards the stairs. He was going to get his sword. “Lavan, you’re being an ass!”

“I’m doing this for Edie,” Lavan said.

“But Edie doesn’t want this,” Blythe argued.

“No! She needs to see that Cain is using her. This is the only way for her to be happy. And for her to come with us.”

Pip stayed at the bottom of the stairs. He looked back at Aleah. She was frowning, but her arm was wrapped around Mark’s. Pip blinked, watching her go outside with the Cretchens. He sighed as he looked down. This wasn’t right -- Lavan and Cain were both being idiots. He wished he could do something.

--

“Sir? Are you sure about -- this?”

Cain eyed Mark. They were now outside. He shrugged. “Lavan accepted it. I only brought it up. I cannot change his mind. If he wants to duel against Hyatt first, then so be it.”

Frowning, Mark eyed Hyatt. The man was examining his sword while puffing on a weed he had just fired up. “But -- but Hyatt will kill him.”

His captain kept silent. Mark was concerned, but he knew he couldn’t do anything. He went to start clearing the villagers.

From the front door of Pig’s Thigh Inn, Edie stood, frightened. She shivered from the sudden cold. It was snowing heavily, and building up on the streets. She watched Mark clear a large circle. She could hear the crowds of citizens whispering wildly about the challenge made. She knew it was not the first challenge made.

“A challenge?” one citizen gasped.

“Let’s go watch!” cried a large man.

“Sick…” Edie sniffled. “It’s -- wrong. It’s sick.” She looked up at Tonisha. “Why won’t they listen to me?”

“They’re too thick,” Tonisha sighed. “They both want to make you happy. And knowing Cain, he wants to make Lavan --” she paused. She was trying to think of a more gentler way to describe what Cain wanted. But she could not, and judging by the way Edie sobbed, she knew that the cook already had a clue.

Quickly, Edie darted over to Cain. Tonisha followed close behind, along with Leigh.

“Cain,” Edie called. She took his hand. “Cain, please -- don’t let this happen. Please?”

She was ignored again. Cain took his hand back. “I’m sorry, Edie. But Lavan made the choice. It cannot be stopped unless he stops it.”

“But I don’t want this! I don’t want either of you dead just -- because of me!”

Blinking, Cain slowly looked down at her. He tilted his head, but he kept silent. He looked ahead of her, watching Lavan coming out of the inn with a well-crafted sword. His three friends followed, huddled together. He sensed their fear. Theirs matched Edie’s perfectly. He looked back down at Edie. He cringed and looked to Hyatt.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

Sniffling, Edie turned to hug the closest person near her. That happened to be Leigh. She held Leigh close while Tonisha glared up at Cain.

“I hope Lavan wins,” she hissed. She made Cain stiffen.

Aleah held Mark’s hand. She was scared of the outcome of this duel. She’s heard of challenges, but she had never been an eyewitness to one. She stared up at Mark, seeing that he was upset by all this. He eyed both his captain and Hyatt, discouraged. Aleah leaned into him, hoping her warmth would help to keep him calm. She heard him sigh, but he said nothing.

The two of them stood opposite of Cain. A large circle had been formed, and citizens were eager to watch the challenge start.

A clog the size of an apple stuck in Lavan’s throat. He was not expecting there to be a crowd, nor was he expecting it to be below freezing. He had to surpass his nervousness, though. He had to for Edie. He peered about. When he locked his eyes on Edie, he saw she was standing next to Cain. Seeing this made his blood boil. He growled as he looked to see Hyatt waiting calmly in the circle.

Taking a deep breath, Lavan entered the ring. The crowd broke out. Edie’s eyes widened as Lavan faced Hyatt. Cain crossed his arms, keeping still as he was eager to watch. His eyes never left Lavan. He briefly glanced up, watching the snow lighten.

Words coming from the many people greeted Lavan coldly.

“He’s facing Hyatt?”

“No way. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Look at how young he is. This isn‘t right.”

Doing best to ignore them, Lavan eyed his friends. Roddy gave him a reassuring thumbs up, though it was clear that he was angry. Blythe was keeping from crying. She was hugging Roddy close. And Pip -- it was hard for Lavan to keep his eyes focused on Pip. His spectacled best friend was not showing any emotion at all. He only stood there like a frozen statue.

“Ready to die?” Hyatt asked. He finished blowing his weed. He flicked it into the snow.

Glaring, Lavan held his sword out. “Not today.”

“Ooh, tough…” Hyatt cackled. He pulled out his sword.

Everything went silent, then. The people knew that the challenge was about to start. Some women kept their eyes closed, not wanting to watch. Others just went on with their business, not even bothering to care.

Edie’s breath ceased, then. She brought her hands up, watching and waiting. She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest. She eyed Cain, then Tonisha and Leigh. Everyone was still -- waiting.

And then it happened.

Gasping, Edie watched Hyatt charge at Lavan. He brought his sword down, clashing it against Lavan’s. Lavan had just managed to bring his own sword up, having been caught by surprise. He was expecting a whistle or some sort of warning -- but he would not let that happen again.

“N -- no…” Edie stuttered. She held Cain’s arm. “Please stop them…?”

The two swords repeatedly clanged and sparked. Some townsfolk were shocked that Lavan had made it past the first five seconds, even. They all knew how brawny Hyatt was.

“Fucker,” growled Hyatt. He, too, did not expect Lavan to last for this long. But he saw the other was stumbling, and growing tired. Hyatt laughed. “Ready to give up?” he asked as Lavan scurried away from the sharp blade. Hyatt grumbled as his blade found the snow. He quickly pulled it out, making the frozen substance fly into citizens’ faces.

Crying, Edie continued pulling on Cain’s sleeve. But he continued to ignore her.

“Stop this…” she pleaded. She shrieked as Lavan nearly got hit. She shook her head. And she was not the only one.

Pip was watching the fight strongly. He eyed their movements, mostly Hyatt’s. He frowned. “Lavan…”

Suddenly, Lavan lost his grip on his sword. Gasping, he dodged Hyatt’s blade again. Turning, he knelt to pick up his sword. His back was to Hyatt, however -- and what came next made everyone cry out.

“LAVAN!”

“No!” cried Edie.

Turning his head, Lavan gasped. He heard Blythe and Roddy shriek out a name. He did not understand, at first -- but when he saw Pip tumbling down onto him -- he knew.

Hyatt chuckled. His sword had sliced across Pip’s stomach.

“PIP!” Lavan cried out. He eased Pip to the ground. He opened Pip’s shirt to see how deep the gash was.

Cain took a single step forward. He uncrossed his arms, shocked by Pip’s bravery. His mouth fell open.

“H -- he…” gasped Pip. He coughed. His wound was cut deep, straight across his stomach. Blood spilled to the ground, dying the snow red. Flesh hanged from the gash.

People all around them gasped. Aleah’s eyes fell over Pip’s cold, wounded body. She did not realize tears were pouring down her cheeks as she took in what had just happened. She nearly stepped forward, but her feet kept frozen in place. Mark’s jaw had fallen open. He gave Hyatt a displeased frown. And then he gave one to his captain.

Cain had noticed.

“Don’t talk,” Lavan cried. He held Pip gently. He pressed on the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding, somehow. He didn’t bother looking at Hyatt -- the man had lit up another weed, patiently waiting for Lavan to re-take his sword and face him again. “Damn it, Pip, why did you do that?”

Pip managed a smile. “I d -- don’t r -- really know…”

“Just hang on, okay?” Lavan struggled to fix up Pip’s wound. But the blood would not stop. “I’ll get you to a doctor, and then -- then you’ll become better…”

“A -- and then,” Pip gasped. “W -- we’ll go -- home -- right?”

Feeling guilty, Lavan nodded as he cried. “And then we’ll go home.”

“P -- promise?”

“Yes,” sniffed Lavan. “Yes, I promise.”

Sighing, Pip leaned back. “I -- I’m g -- glad…”

Blinking, Lavan watched as Pip’s head fell back. He watched Pip’s body go limp.

Silence fell over the circle. Lavan’s heavy breathing was all that was heard. His head soon managed to shake as he leaned down. “P -- Pip? N -- no… Pip? Wake up! Wake up, Pip! You idiot!”

Blythe broke out. She hugged Roddy close. Roddy, for the first time in a long while, cried. They held one another as Lavan hovered over Pip’s fallen body.

“Damn it!” Lavan cried out.

Cain stepped back. He took in the sight. He gulped as he eyed Edie. She was frozen in place, but even so, she was trembling madly. In fact, everyone was. Tonisha and Leigh could hardly stand. Mark held Aleah close. Roddy and Blythe fell to their knees. Even the townsfolk were saddened by the scene.

The only one not in pain was Hyatt. He started up another smoke as he chuckled. “Get back up! This isn’t over.”

Trembling, Lavan wiped at his tears. He eyed Pip’s brown orbs. He reached a hand out, and he shut Pip’s eyes. He looked more peaceful with his eyes closed. A smile still graced his cold, paled lips.

Slowly, Lavan rose to his feet. He grabbed his sword, and faced Hyatt. Something different shined through him. Everyone saw this. His eyes were glowing red, puffy and angry. His lips quivered. He held his sword high

Hyatt raised a brow. Grinning, he dumped his weed and held his own sword out. “Okay…”

Gaping, Hyatt watched Lavan charge him. Now, it was his turn to be shocked. He quickly dodged, and went for Lavan’s throat. But his sword was stopped by Lavan’s own. Lavan’s anger was lifting out of him.

Everyone held their breaths, stunned by Lavan’s sudden change. They watched the challenge onward.

Edie shook wildly. She folded her hands, scared by Lavan’s animal-like transformation. She had never seen him like this before. Her eyes met Pip’s corpse. She sniffled as Tonisha hugged her from behind. She accepted Tonisha’s warmth. She closed her eyes. “P -- please…”

Gasps then surrounded her. She heard Lavan cry out. Opening her eyes, she gasped to find Lavan clinging to his side. He had a small gash from Hyatt’s sword.

“No!” she cried. “Lavan!” She tried running to him, but Tonisha held her still.

Growling, Lavan took a few stumbling steps forward. His knees wobbled, but he kept from falling to the ground.

“Come on,” he heard Hyatt laugh. “You cannot beat me! No one has ever beaten me!”

Lavan had to keep focused. He would not allow Pip’s sacrifice to be in vain. He would be victorious.

Quickly, he took Hyatt off guard again. He nicked Hyatt’s arm, making their audience gasp.

Hyatt gaped. “S -- son of a bitch!”

“Ah!” Lavan shouted out as he gave all he had in order to defeat Hyatt. In one, swift motion, his sword miraculously plunged deep into the middle of Hyatt’s chest.

Again, the crowd froze.

“W --” Hyatt gasped, having not even a chance to speak as the sword swiftly left his chest to meet him at the throat.

Before he hit the ground, Hyatt was dead.

All eyes were on Lavan. He shook, and he panted. He held his sword firm, and he turned in a circle, facing the crowd. Some people clapped softly, cheering for him and his victory. His eyes soon landed on Cain.

Growling, Lavan lifted his sword. He pointed the bloody blade clear at Cain’s heart. “Captain Cain! You’re next!”

Cain just stood there, stunned and still. He watched Lavan stumble to the ground. Lavan was unable to hold his body up any longer.

Both Roddy and Blythe raced to Lavan’s side. Unexpectedly, so had Edie. She dropped to her knees, pushing her hands into the cold snow. “Lavan…”

“He’ll be okay,” Blythe whispered. “His wound isn’t -- deep…”

Others raced to help Lavan. Leigh ran to get Tiller as Tonisha pushed people away from Pip’s body. The ground was a bloody mess. She looked about, getting people to form together to help out. She looked over her shoulder, ready to shout out at Cain.

But the captain had left.