“Time’s up,” de Baard whispered, a wide grin on her face and with agonizing slowness started forward.
ǂ
“I have to go,” Gwaynn cried and moved away from the Tarina. He closed his eyes and raised his hands working through the first of the twenty-nine steps. He tried to work quickly, knowing that each second might spell disaster for Samantha, but even so he knew he could not slow spacetime again. He did not have the energy, did not have the power but even if he somehow succeeded, he would arrive in Colchester so weakened he would be no help to anyone. Gwaynn raced through the twenty-nine steps three times but felt no closer to projecting, his mind would not focus; he could not concentrate.
“No peaches…but I found apples and apple juice,” the soldier said approaching at a run.
Gwaynn’s eyes flew open and he reached for the juice, chugging it without a word, the need for hurry creating a constant growing pressure that centered in his chest.
‘Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!’ His mind screamed at him. He finished the juice and snatched two of the apples from the tray and placed them in the pockets of his cloak.
“Gwaynn,” the Tarina said softly, “if Huntley is truly an Executioner, you’ll need help. If you Travel, you may not be able to stand on your own.”
“Yes come with me!” Gwaynn conceded. “But now please be quiet and let me concentrate.”
“Sire,” the soldier started.
“Leave us!” Gwaynn shouted at the soldier who blinked.
“Go with gratitude,” Gwaynn added and then closed his eyes once more. Again his hands moved through the twenty-nine steps and again he seemed no closer to projecting. Time seemed to be flying past at an astonishing speed, laughing at him as it ticked away never again to return.
Over and over he progressed through the steps only to reach the end in failure.
‘Samantha!’ He thought. ‘The baby!’ He was nearing panic when the image of Gwynn appeared in his mind, not the tortured dying Gwynn of his nightmares, but a happy smiling Gwynn, the protective Gwynn who would visit him in the night and soothe his fears during his childhood.
‘Relax...calm,’ Gwynn said to him, still smiling, apparently happy to see him. Gwaynn immediately felt the tension in his body melt away and the stormy torrent of his thoughts begin to abate.
Moments later, his hands still working through the steps, he felt his being split and project. Without hesitation his projected self shot off toward the southwest. Colchester was only about thirty miles away but it seemed to take a lifetime to reach. In actuality, Gwaynn’s projected self arrived in moments and he instantly spotted the large array of tents located just north of the town, but he did not pause to look for Samantha…instinctively he knew where she would be.
He was struggling mightily to hold the two halves of his self apart as he moved through the town’s square and into the home of the magistrate. Up he went to the very room where he and Samantha first slept together, but she was not sleeping now. She was standing, her back against the wall with the traitorous Cyndar Huntley advancing on her with both kali drawn.
Gwaynn cried out soundlessly and placed himself between the two women, hoping he could rejoin before it was too late. A second later the vortex howled and the bridge opened.
“Trav…” he said, but was unable to hold the bridge any longer. His body was sucked through with incredible force, but there was not enough time for Tarina Grace to even start forward before the bridge and the King of Massi vanished with a small pop.
ǂ
Cyn de Baard moved ever closer to Samantha, who now stood stock still, terrified like a rabbit trapped in a hunter’s gaze. de Baard continued to grin, her eyes tracking down toward the distended belly of the pregnant woman.
‘Kill the brat first, then the mother,’ she thought and was just about to make her final lunge when a bridge sprang into existence directly between the two women. Astoundingly, the bridge appeared without any warning at all and grew so rapidly that Cyndar was pushed back by the expanding air to the far side of the room. She almost fell but caught herself by grabbing a hold of the fireplace mantle, and when she turned back Gwaynn Massi was standing there before her, sliding his own kali free.
“No!” he said, wavering slightly and trying hard to stand upright. Even though the distance was slight, the additional Traveling drained nearly all of the energy the food helped him to regain. His knees felt as if they might buckle at any moment, but he willed himself to stand tall.
“So be it,” Cyndar whispered, her voice husky and sensual. Her black silk shirt hugged tightly to her heaving breasts. She gazed directly into his eyes for a moment and then launched into a furious attack.
Samantha screamed and it was only Gwaynn’s training and instinct that kept the fight from coming to a deadly end in the first few moments. It helped that de Baard herself was injured and not one hundred percent. Even so Gwaynn was hard pressed to keep the whirling blades of his attacker out of his mid-section and away from his throat. During the opening moments it was all he could do to keep her off of him and he had no thoughts at all about countering. With mounting dismay he realized he should have fought to keep the bridge open longer and sent Tarina Grace in his stead. But he was weak and there’d been no time. His strength was gone and by Cyndar Huntley’s smile, he knew she was aware of his growing weakness as well.
Again and again she pressed him, and it was only with the utmost concentration that he was able to repel her attacks. His entire being narrowed, focusing only on the slashing kali and their master. The war disappeared, the room disappeared and at that moment even Samantha and the baby disappeared for him. Only de Baard remained…Cyndar, the Executioner. And it was then as she twirled about in her deadly dance that Gwaynn realized his only chance was to get in close, inside her attacks and tie her up, keep her from using her speed. But de Baard would not cooperate. In the small room she did her best to keep her distance from Gwaynn. She realized he was not right, not himself. He was slow…much slower than normal and if she couldn’t kill him immediately she would wear him down.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t Travel and fight,” she advised with a smile, growing more confident as it became clear that Gwaynn’s strength was leaving him.
Gwaynn said nothing, just continued to defend himself and jockey for position until finally he saw his chance and though he was nearly exhausted he suddenly shot forward. He dropped his left kali and latched on to Cyndar’s wrist, holding it tightly as she fought to free herself. Gwaynn used his right kali to ward off Cyndar’s left, and though he could not get at her with his weapon he positioned himself so that she could not get to him either.
They stood locked together, nearly cheek to cheek for a long moment, each straining against the other, each making slight movements in an attempt to gain the advantage. And slowly, very slowly Cyndar’s strength was beginning to win out.