Chapter 8
“Thank you.” Ellery pressed a kiss to my palm as I placed a plate of food in front of him. He shot me a grateful smile and hummed happily and I retrieved my plate from the counter. I was wearing his shirt and he was wearing his trousers, but somehow it was the most comfortable I had ever been in my life. We had sex twice with barely any breathing time in between, and were about to start a third when Ellery’s stomach growled. I burst into hysterical giggles and then snatched his shirt from the floor to keep him focused on food before cooking for him.
“Ellery is no longer ashamed of his attraction to Cricket.” I commented. Ellery’s gaze lingered on how the shirt only dropped to my upper thigh and wasn’t paying attention to me. I moved to sit across the table when Ellery snatched my wrist and tugged me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around me, trapping me between him and the table, before starting to eat.
“Ow ii oo mae ti o as?” He asked his mouth full of food.
“Chew.” I ordered. He did so. “Swallow.” He swallowed tightly. “Now talk.”
“How did you make this so fast?” He grinned.
“Cricket is talented.” I replied, eating slowly.
“And modest, too.” Ellery chuckled in my ear. Goosebumps shivered along my skin and his chuckle grew dark. His lips touched the base of my neck and I shivered again.
“Ellery needs to eat.” I said, trying to shift away from his lips. Ellery groaned softly and buried his face in my hair.
“No, I don’t.” He whispered.
“If Ellery doesn’t finish eating, Cricket will invite Eliza here for dinner.” I threatened. Ellery paused for a second.
“No, you won’t.” He said, one arm wrapping around my waist while the other touched my thigh.
“Cricket won’t let Ellery touch her for the next month if he doesn’t finish eating first.” I snapped, ignoring the rising need for his hands all over me. Ellery paused.
“You wouldn’t.” He said, not quite positive.
“Would Ellery tempt fate?” I replied. Ellery paused and slowly took his hands off me.
“Tease.” He grumbled.
“Cricket doesn’t know what Ellery is talking about.” I replied, flushing. “She was minding her own business.”
“Whatever.” Ellery ate the rest of his plate. He didn’t wait until I was done to start molesting me, and I managed to escape by performing a rather clever and very dangerous bit of tumbling over the table. I didn’t even hit him in the face. He pouted at me from across the table and I finished eating obnoxiously slow. Ellery glowered at me and pouted the entire time and after I finished eating I quickly snatched up the plates and began washing them.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re avoiding your attraction to me.” Ellery said, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on the top of my head.
“What attraction?” I played dumb. His voice was low and husky.
“
This attraction.” Ellery’s hot hands found their way under the loose shirt and a squeak emerged from my throat. I stiffened and shivered, wriggling out of his grip.
“Jerk.” I muttered. Ellery laughed loudly and wrapped himself around me again. He behaved while I washed the dishes, only distracting me once more before I finished.
We didn’t get any talking done that night. Instead, we alternated between long bouts of sex and short naps. Ellery couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of me, and had at least one hand on me every moment of the night. He held tightly to me and cuddled close every moment he could. When I had to get up to use the bathroom, he waited outside the door for me. It would have been obnoxious except for the fact that it was completely out of character for him. I knew the only reason he was acting the way he was: Eliza.
“Cricket thought Bann wanted Ellery and Cricket to talk.” I giggled as Ellery began kissing my neck again.
"We are talking. Notice: you spoke words. I’m speaking words. Talking.” Ellery mumbled against my skin.
"Ellery knows what Cricket means.” I rolled my eyes, rolling my body over so I was out of his grip.
"So, screaming during sex doesn’t count?” Ellery grinned. I flushed and glowered at him. “Fine!” He sighed. The early morning sunlight poured through the curtains and I stretched on the bed. Ellery’s eyes drifted and I cleared my throat. The golden gaze snapped back to my face and he pouted.
"You are so completely obnoxious.” He whined.
"Cricket wasn’t the one begging for sex all night.” I replied sweetly.
"Oh yeah?” Ellery grinned, flopping over onto his stomach. “What about after I woke up from my nap?”
"Cricket wasn’t begging.” I smirked. “She was demanding.”
"So there’s a difference?”
"Of course.”
"You are adorably obnoxious.” Ellery buried his face in his arms, yawning widely.
"Did Ellery know that Cricket has been this way long before they got married?” I replied with a grin.
“That was a different kind of obnoxious.”
“Ellery is a different kind of obnoxious.”
"Shut up, you.” I giggled as he flailed out with his hand, trying to hit me. He peered over his arm at how far away I actually was.
"They’re tired of waiting.” My voice dropped an octave and spiraled out of my control.
"They’ll attack soon?” Ellery asked.
"They want Janjua dead. They want the village dead. Stolen lives must be repaid in blood.” I heard myself speak.
“Why blood?” Ellery was staring at me.
"Blood is life.”
"Cricket!” Ellery had me wrapped in a blanket and cradled against his chest. I struggled, trying to escape the iron prison of his grip. “Are you all right? What did you See?”
“They’re going to kill everyone.”
"Ellery! Cricket!” Iain’s voice echoed throughout the house.
"Iain, what’s wrong?” Ellery clutched me to his chest and stood up, cradling me like I was a babe. Iain ran into the room, breathing heavily. He didn’t even blink at our state of undress.
"The Rogues are attacking. Bann wants Cricket there
now.” Iain gasped.
"Where are they?” Ellery asked. Iain paled.
“South.”
Ellery swore and Iain turned around. I wriggled out of his grip and snatched my clothes off the floor. I dressed rapidly and ignored the sounds of Ellery dressing. I didn’t bother with shoes, because spring had warmed the mud. I waited with Iain in the hall while Ellery shoved his boots on.
“Cricket, you ride my horse south through the village.” Iain said to me. “You will know where to go. I’ll bring Ellery after.” I nodded and hurried out of the house. Iain’s horse was about to start walking away. She was gentle and I remembered taming her, but she was also difficult to keep from wandering, even with all the training I gave her. I caught her before she walked too far, and started her running down the mountain.
The elderly and children hurried quickly in the opposite direction. Children fell and scraped their knees, crying for their mothers as their older siblings tried to hurry them along. One grandmother was physically dragging a screaming toddler away from his parents. A teenaged girl hugged a small boy to her chest as she ran up the mountain. I felt a pulse of majik hit my body and I urged the horse faster.
"Cricket!” Bann Serannas stood behind a large wooden barricade. I hadn’t come this far south in the village as it was too close to the Janjua house for my liking, so I hadn’t seen it being built. Arrows flew over the barricade. I didn’t see any bodies, but there were several injuries. I hopped down off the horse and hurried into the protection of the barricade.
“What happened?” I asked.
“We’re not sure.” Bann replied. “I was staying with Iain’s family when they attacked. After they hit us, Iain and I barricaded the house. Rivaini and the children are still in the house.”
"Can’t Bann get back to the house?” I asked. Bann shook his head.
"They’ve got a wall of majik between us and the house.” He said. “We’re not even sure if they’re alive.”
"They’re alive.” I asserted. I wasn’t sure, myself, and I very much doubted it, but I hoped that I would get a vision of their deaths. But maybe that’s what my vision was about. I climbed up the wall and peered over the edge. A small contingent, maybe fifteen Rogues, stood beyond.
“Did you have a vision?” Bann asked. I looked at him. “Ellery told me.”
“There are fifteen.” I said. Bann stared.
“That few? The amount of arrows points to an army.”
"The arrows are being reused. Once they hit, the Rogues are using majik to pull them back. Some of them are using majik to work multiple bows at once.” I replied, turning back to the image. “They’re not doing anything to Iain’s house, unless there’s another group attacking there.”
"We have to save them.” Bann insisted. I eyed the group and saw the blue wall between them and us. It stretched far enough that the fastest way to Iain’s house would be to run through it. I slipped back down the barricade and hurried to the edge of it, as far from the Rogues as possible. Bann followed me silently. The warriors eyed me with silent condemnation, as if it was my fault the Rogues attacked.
“Cricket is going to save them.” I said to Bann, ignoring the heated glares.
“How?” Bann asked.
“She’s going to go through the majik wall.” I said. “She will bring Rivaini, Mikal, and Deni back safely.”
“Cricket, you can’t!” Bann grabbed my arm.
“Why not?” Venhedas snapped, from his place on the barricade. “If she fails, we don’t have to deal with her anymore. If she succeeds, then the people are saved.”
“Cricket, you don’t even have any armor, or shoes!” Bann insisted. I gave him a small smile.
“Cricket is quick on her feet. Armor will slow her down.” I replied. “Venhedas is right.” My brother stared at me. “If Cricket can’t save Rivaini, Mikal, and Deni, then she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.” Venhedas scowled at me and I shot him a glowing smile. It bothered the people who hated me the most when I smiled at them.
“You do realize Ellery is going to kill me for letting you do this, right?” Bann said, holding my gaze for an instant. “Be safe.” He sighed. I nodded and peered around the edge of the barricade. The Rogues were entirely focused on their mission of demolishing the wooden barrier and killing as many villagers as possible, not to mention having to control their majik, that they weren’t paying attention to me. Chances are, they had majikal shields all around them, so they didn’t
have to worry about that, but it was lucky for me. I stared at the blue wall between me and my goal. Iain’s house wasn’t remotely in sight, but he had horses. It was harder to hit horses. Especially if I trained them to dodge arrows.
I took a deep breath and darted off in a dead sprint, my bare feet slapping the mud. I barely touched the ground long enough for my feet to sink into the ground. I felt power buzz on my skin as I approached the wall of translucent blue. My sparks flared to life over my skin and I prayed to any god listening that the insane idea would work. I threw myself through the wall and felt as though my stomach had been ripped out. I could feel myself running, but time slowed to a crawl as I hit the wall. Pure agony tore through my body as I forced myself through the paper-thin wall. I screamed and my power flared higher.
I was covered in sweat by the time I made it through the majik. The split second it took to go through it took a huge chunk of my energy. I sprinted into the woods, ignoring the Rogues. If I paid them any attention, I’d be shot with multiple arrows before I could do anything. I shut off all the power to my sparks and focused entirely on getting to Iain’s house as fast as possible. I pushed my feet harder and harder into the ground, hoping that no one was hurt. I don’t know what I would do if either of my nephews were injured.
My heart stopped as I saw the front door standing wide open. I froze on the porch, trying to convince myself that they weren’t dead, that they had escaped. I stepped into the house and saw that the building was torn to pieces. Nothing was left untouched. Not even the picture Mikal had drawn for Iain. I glanced down the main hallway and saw that the wreckage continued even into the bedrooms. My throat tightened and I fought against the tears that threatened to spill.
“Auntie Crickie!” Deni’s small voice echoed up from the cellar. Many years before, the village had problems with scavengers burrowing into the wooden doors of the outdoor cellars. So, we started building the cellars into the houses themselves. Each house had a trapdoor in the kitchen that led down to the cool storage space. I opened the trapdoor and saw Deni and Mikal wrapped in Rivaini’s arms, all three staring up at me in wonder and gratefulness.
“Bann sent you, didn’t he?” Rivaini said, softly. I nodded.
"How did Deni know Auntie Cricket was here?” I asked.
"You walk differently than everyone else.” He mumbled around his thumb. “You put your toe first. It’s hard to do.” The four-year-old was far more observant than anyone gave him credit for.
“Cricket is here to save her family.” I said. “She’s going to take them back to the village safely.”
“How?” Rivaini asked.
“She’s going to get Andri and Solphi.” The twin horses were nearly as fast as Xiu and just as smart. They were almost more talented than Xiu at dodging anything. They would be the only chance I had at getting my family back to the village safely. I still wasn’t sure how I was going to get the entire family through the majik wall, but I would come to that problem when it happened. I wasn’t going to let them go through what I had to go through to get to them.
“Cricket, you’re a genius.” Rivaini breathed, starting up the ladder. I held up a warning hand and she froze.
“Cricket is going to get them first. They less time spent in the open, the better. Is anyone injured?” I explained. Rivaini shook her head.
“They’re just shaken up and they miss their da. Nobody’s hurt.” She said. I nodded.
“Don’t move.” I shut the trapdoor and snuck out the back of the house, towards the stable. Iain’s stable was closer to Iain’s house than Ellery’s stable was to his house, so the trip wasn’t far. I kept one eye out for any other Rogues, but none seemed to appear. It didn’t matter though, because they were excellent at hiding. I saddled up Andri and Solphi as quickly as I could and hurried them around to the front of the house. They were very obedient creatures, so I left them on the porch while I ran inside.
“They’re ready. Rivaini, ride with Deni on Solphi.” I ordered, opening the trapdoor. “She is quicker to dodge. Cricket is more experienced and can take care of Mikal.” Rivaini stood at the bottom of the ladder while her children climbed up. She followed quickly and hugged me tightly.
“Thank you, Cricket.” She whispered. “You’re an angel.”
“Tell that to Venhedas.” I replied, peering out of the front door. Andri and Solphi didn’t move a muscle, bless them. “Be quick.” I ordered, pulling Mikal into my arms and seating him quickly on Andri’s back. Rivaini swung Deni up onto the saddle and climbed up behind him. I slipped into the saddle behind Mikal and kicked Andri into a gallop. Deni and Mikal were silent the entire journey. Much faster than I anticipated, we reached the blue wall. I stopped Andri before it and Rivaini stared at me as Solphi stopped next to me.
“When Auntie Crickie says ‘go’,” I whispered into Mikal’s ear, “Mikal has to kick Andri and make her run.”
“How will I make her stop?” He whispered.
“Mikal doesn’t need to worry about that. Just kick her to make her start.” It was true. Andri was well trained and would stop as soon as Solphi did. The two were practically the same horse. Rivaini was hunched over Deni and staring at me, her eyes wide. I slid off Andri’s back and touched the blue wall.
Fire erupted in my veins as pure agony hit me. My knees hit the mud as I collapsed. I think I screamed, but I couldn’t focus on that. I had to save Mikal and Deni and Rivaini. I had to. For Iain, who was always so kind to me. For Ellery, who I couldn’t seem to live without. For Bann, who saved me from my family. My power flared out, over my skin, and sparks lit up my vision. I
pushed against the blue and a small crack slithered up the side of the wall. I shoved with all the majik I could control against that crack and more hairline cracks appeared.
“Cricket!” Rivaini sounded like she was in trouble. Something inside snapped and I physically hit the wall in front of me. It was like punching a window out. It shattered as my fist hit it, but fiery pain erupted in my hand. I yelled at Mikal to run. My vision swam and I blinked, trying to clear it. I blearily saw Andri and Solphi run behind the barricade. Darkness began to overtake me and a blurry figure sprinted around the barrier towards me, screaming my name.
“If she doesn’t wake up, I will never forgive you.”
“She saved our family.”
“She
is our family!”
“Calm down.”
“Why should I calm down? He just
let her sacrifice her
life!”
“We don’t know that she’s dead yet.”
“Rivaini even said that they were safe in the cellar!”
“We didn’t know that, son.”
“If she wakes up, it will be a non-issue!”
“She will.”
“How do
you know?”
“Because she’s got an annoying habit of defying your expectations.”
I could hear everything, but I couldn’t move. I was alive, but aching all over. I couldn’t recognize the voices, they were too muffled, but I knew they were talking about me. I longed to wake up and assure the person freaking out that I was fine. It felt like I had lost all control over my body. I struggled against the warm darkness. I didn’t know if it would lead to death or sleep, but eventually it slid over my consciousness.
So... I feel terrible about leaving you guys for so long without an update.
Long story short: when AFF revamped, my profile got all screwy and I couldn't log on. Obviously, the issue is fixed (thank you!) so there shouldn't be any more unforeseen delays. I have written the rest of the story, but I'm going to continue to release it one chapter at a time, instead of all at once, mostly because I'm evil. Thank you muchly to all my reviewers: lily
, tainted wolf
, neicey
, Kia
, maialia
, and heyyeahh
! LOVE YOU GUYS! Once again, I'm SO sorry about inadvertently abandoning you guys! ALL THE LOVE! TODO EL AMOR! ~LP
