Opal Rain

  Chapter 8

  We had been staying with the vampire outlaws for nearly a week when I was woken one night by the sounds of screaming from just outside their campsite. My eyes flew open and I looked around the small tent that I shared with Tabatha, Lily and Jasmine. Tabatha and Lily were still lying there sound asleep oblivious to what was happening outside. My heart leaped in fear when I noticed that Jasmines bed was empty she was pregnant there was no way she should be out there if a fight was going on.

  Without a second thought for my own safety I leapt from my bed and tore out of the tent. Outside everything was in chaos vampires were running everywhere it would have been impossible to find anyone on my own but I couldn’t endanger the lives of others to save Jasmine. I started to panic as any hope I had slowly slipped away from. I closed my eyes for just a second to try and regain my composure, when without warning I was knocked forward all my instincts screamed at me to run and get as far away from here as possible instead I turned to face whoever had shoved me.

  When I turned I was staring at the stomach of the largest man I had ever seen. He lunged at me screaming “Die you traitorous fey.”

  I twisted as he lunged narrowly avoiding having my arm sliced off. He swung again and I jumped to the side out, his blade grazed my arm. The pain from my arm was unbearable and I knew that if I didn’t do something soon he could surely kill me. He swung again aiming this time aiming to sever my head, I ducked just in time noticing as I did there was a small sword lying at my feet it was nothing compared to my attackers but I knew that having it would at least give me some chance of survival. As I reached for it the big man gave me a shove causing me more pain as my fingers grazed the edge of the blade but instead of pulling my hand away I embraced the pain and closed my hand around the blade. The steel bite into my flesh, I could tell it was cutting deep into my skin by the amount of blood falling to the ground around it but I fought back the pain and within seconds I had the small sword by the hilt. I swung up just in time to block his next attack. Although I had never fought before in my life I found that I could quite easily block his shots as long as I held my footing and within seconds my ears were ringing with the sound of steel hitting on steel.

  Our battle raged on neither of us seemed to be able to gain any advantage over the other, fighting seemed to come naturally to me I guess my heritage had done me some good after all. The battle took a turn in my favour around dawn when it started to rain. I have always felt stronger when it rained and this was no different, as the ground beneath us gradually turned to mud I felt my stance become firmer and m swings with the sword became more accurate, my opponent on the other had was slowly losing his composure,, and I ceased my opportunity when he actually completely lost his footing and feel into the mud. In one swift movement I brought my sword down and pressed it against my attacker’s throat.

  “Move and I’ll slit your throat,” I snarled, applying slightly more pressure to my sword and breaking the skin. With my attacker safely pinned to the ground at my feet I began to focus on trying to find Jasmine by her energy, hoping that all of the others involved in the attack were busy elsewhere.

  At first I didn’t think that I was going to be able to sense her, I had never found anyone other than Tabatha without someone who was in some way connected to them close by. For a few moments I thought that it was a waste of time and I wasn’t going to be able to find her in time, I was about to give up when an idea hit me, I knew it was a long shot but I was getting desperate. Instead of focusing on her energy I focused on her and her unborn child and my desire to find and protect them. I couldn’t believe it, it actually worked and within moments I had the man I had just fought secured to a tent peg, after his defeat at my hand he practically ties himself, then I was on my way at a run hoping that what I had picked up on would be strong enough to find them in time.

  When I found Jasmine I thought I had failed. She was lying on her side in a pool of mud and over the distance it appeared as though she wasn’t breathing. I ran towards her my heart beating fast, everything just seemed to stop, I had been trying to save her but I had failed her just like I had failed my brother and everybody else I had ever allowed myself to get close to. Tears of relief flowed down my face when I knelt beside her and could see the slight rise and fall of her chest. Without another thought I scooped her up in my arms, fortunately for me despite the difference in our ages she was no problem for me to lift. When I was sure that I had a secure hold on her I ran as fast as I could in the direction I had come, attempting as I ran to use energy to connect with Rose and inform her that her daughter was in a critical condition and I was bringing her back to our tent. I didn’t know if it had worked or not, but I was met outside our tent by Rose and Lily the last thing I remember is Rose lifting Jasmine out of my arms and Lily wrapping her arm around me as I collapsed from exhaustion.