Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part seven (the final part) of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!
The world exists in two pieces: the angry yells of the villagers behind us, and the open maw of the cave in front. If we can just get to Hertal in time, we may have a chance, but Cole is staggering, bleeding heavily.
Together, we are dragging Fregi's unconscious body along with us, but Cole stumbles and falls.
"Go!" he shouts. "If they get Fregi, we're done for."
I hesitate. I need to get Fregi to Hertal, but I can't leave Cole behind. Yet if I stay, the villagers will just arrest both of us, and I'll have no way to help Cole.
"GO!" he yells.
I take off running, dragging Fregi behind me. The cave is steps away, Hertal waiting at the entrance. She leans forward, reaching out, but she can't leave the cave, not with the spell Fregi set trapping her there.
I stumble over the threshold and throw Fregi's body at her. I don't wait to hear what she says. I am already sprinting back to Cole. The villagers have reached him. In ordinary circumstances, he would be held for a trial. These aren't ordinary circumstances. The villagers look ready for blood. I see one of the men raise his sword.
I don't wait. With more force than I intended, I blast everyone away from Cole. In my panic, I sent them further than I had wanted to; they are thrown through trees in a wide circle.
I rush to Cole. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," he says, though I can see he isn't fine.
"Come on," I say, helping him up. The villagers are still getting up, getting their bearings. Cole and I stagger to Hertal's cave.
I can hear them shouting as we get in. Ignoring them, I immediately lower Cole to the ground and start healing him. I close my eyes, feeling for his injuries, correcting them one by one. I am so engrossed in the task that I don't see Tom until he is feet from me, wielding an axe.
I barely have time to gasp before he makes a vicious swing.
Against all expectations, he stops. No, that's not right. His axe seems to hit an invisible wall in mid-air. Enraged, Tom pounds his hand on the wall, but it doesn't give. I don't have time to ponder the mysteries of invisible walls; I need to heal Cole.
I don't know how long it takes. I only know that by the time I am done, most everyone in our village is crowded around the cave, pressed up against the invisible wall. They don't look happy.
"Stay down," I whisper to Cole, putting my hand on his shoulder. I stand up, facing the villagers.
"We should have gotten rid of you years ago, witch!" Tom spits. Other villagers chorus agreement. I am shocked at the hatred I see on their faces.
Edren, one of the village elders, speaks angrily to me. "What you have done is beyond forgiveness, Lexie. We have tolerated your strangeness for years, but you have started attacking innocent members of our community - you must pay the ultimate price for this."
"Listen to me," I say, "this is not what you think. The man Cole and I attacked has been stealing magic from people. That's how Hertal lost her powers, and he was planning to do it to me. Haven't you heard about the strange deaths in other villages? He's responsible. Fregi has been killing for fun and profit, and nobody knew about it! Tom, Sarah and Alex were working for him - that's why we attacked them - they tried to kill us."
Some of the villagers look disturbed, some look doubtful, but many others looks simply angry.
"A criminal always has a story," Edren says. "Yours is no more believable than any others."
I glance at Cole, my heart sinking. They aren't going to believe us. They are too distrustful of magic, of me. We could run, escape execution, but then our families would just pay our price instead.
Cole sees the conclusion forming in my eyes. "No!" he shouts.
I look sadly at him. It's the only way. If I let them kill me, no one else will get hurt. "No, Lexie, you can't -"
I look at his face, trying to memorise every detail. At least Cole will be safe. I can die happily with that knowledge.
"They are telling the truth."
Hertal comes to the front of the cave, emerging from the shadows.
Edren dismisses Hertal with a wave of his hand. "A crazy old woman? That's who will back up your story?"
"Every word is true. I have Fregi here. They speak truly."
"Why should we believe you any more than we believe them? It's impossible to steal magic. Your story is absurd. You lost your powers because you were old and senile."
Hertal's brow draws down, and she looks positively dangerous. "Is that so? Then it would be impossible for me to get my powers back from Fregi, would it?"
"Of course, you crazy old woman!"
Edren suddenly staggers back. Hertal advances on him like an angry predator. He stumbles again, pushed by an invisible force. Right next to his foot, a bush suddenly catches fire.
"Impossible, is it?" Hertal growls.
Then Edren is lifted into the air. He yells, but as hands reach out to help him, a ring of fire erupts around him. "You all owe these two young people your lives," Hertal says in a terrifying voice. "Fregi would have killed you all, in the end. Yet instead of thank them, you try to kill them! Here's what I think of you."
For a second, I think I am going mad. Surely, the ground can't be opening up like the jaws of some giant beast, waiting to swallow the villagers, who are even now skittering away? Yet it is...
As suddenly as it starts, it ends. The forest is silent but for the ragged breathing of the villagers. Edren is staring at Hertal like he has never seen her before. I see something else in his eyes, apart from naked fear: belief. There is no way Hertal could have gotten her magic back unless she was telling the truth. And she has just proved beyond a doubt that she has gotten her magic back.
"This... this Fregi - you have him disabled? So he can't hurt anyone?" Edren asks in a very faint voice.
"Oh, take my word, Fregi won't be hurting anyone anytime soon. Now, I think you have something to say to Lexie and Cole."
Edren glances around. The expressions of the other villagers range from shame to fear. None of them believes that Cole and are lying anymore.
"Lexie, Cole..." Edren glances around, and people nod encouragingly. "We're sorry. Please, forgive us."
Simple words, but they are enough.
Cole and I step forward, and hands are patting us on the backs, people are thanking us for removing the threat they didn't even know was there. Others are seizing Tom, Sarah and Alex.
"Where are our families?" Cole asks.
"They are being held in the village," Edren says. "They will be released at once, of course."
I reach for Cole's hand, and together, we sigh in relief. The threat is over, and we are all alive. We can go on living our lives, free from fear.
"I told you it would be ok," Cole whispers.
"Yes, you did." I smile and kiss him lightly on the cheek. "Come on. Let's go home."
The End
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