Chapter 22 - Strength Within
The shred of Julie that still clung to consciousness registered that Shadow had
finished speaking. She had no idea of what he had been saying, but a moment
later it was irrelevant as she felt him prepare for another strike against her.
She shut her eyes, realising she was going to lose consciousness if Shadow
struck again. He would kill both her and Trig, and she could do nothing to stop
it.
Unable to do anything because of the pain coursing through her skull, she
watched helplessly as the air began to shimmer around him. Despite the tears
that blinded her, she could see him clearly; his face filled with cruel hunger.
His attack hit, and once again she reflexively protected them both at the last
moment. She saw stars as agony flowed into her head, and dimly felt her body
stiffen in shock.
And then the pain left.
Julie was surprised at first. She felt strange, as if she had somehow stepped
away from what was happening in her body. It took a moment for her to associate
it with what Evan had done to her only days before, when his caning had awakened
her regenerative ability.
Remotely, she felt Trig holding her close as her body writhed. He was talking
loudly over her continued cries, his voice shaking with fear as he tried to
reassure them both.
This can't be good, she thought nervously. If she had been pushed this far… Am I
dying, she wondered. Mentally she shook her head, and listened to Trig, letting
the sound of his voice calm her thoughts.
Dimly, Julie felt Shadow striking again, and clumsily defended herself. The
action was no longer a reflexive action, but a conscious decision, and the
effort it required threatened to bring back the pain that burned in her head.
I can do this, she thought with the beginnings of excitement, but she had no
time to celebrate as Shadow struck again.
She knew he was merely toying with her; the effort he was putting into it didn't
seem as much as at the orphanage. Her heart sank, wondering what would happen
when he grew tired of the game.
"You don't give up, do you?" Shadow called out to her, his voice distant. She
could feel his gaze on her, watching in satisfaction as she writhed. He was
enjoying seeing her suffer.
"Julie…" Trig said loudly, squeezing her tightly. "Hold on… the Council will be
here soon."
Shadow glared at him then, anger crossing his features.
"The Council is coming?! Do you really think they can do anything?" Despite his
confident words, Julie detected doubt in his voice.
"Are you so sure they can't?" Trig called back, picking up on the same thing.
Shadow stiffened with rage, and was silent for a long moment.
"I've had enough of this," he suddenly announced. He fixed them with a deadly
stare, his voice as cold as the ice covering the ground.
He intended to finish them.
Despite the comfortable warmth of Simeon's office, Nyssa was unable to sit down
and relax. Deep in thought, she paced the length of the room.
The crash had been entirely unexpected. She assumed that either Julie had done
something whilst she was gone, or Shadow had finally lost it and was trying
everything he could to kill the young girl… or both.
Nyssa wanted desperately to go down stairs and check on Julie and Simeon. She
was almost certain that Trig would ignore her advice and try to escape, taking
Julie to a safer place than here. She hoped they were successful; with Simeon
out of the picture, there was no-one who could really protect Julie.
A loud beep interrupted her thoughts, sounding from Simeon's desk. Nyssa quickly
hurried over, her fingers already reaching for the correct keys.
She almost sighed with relief as the TV sprang to life, lines and symbols
appearing in neat patterns.
Hurriedly she transmitted their location, and then sat back in Simeon's chair.
The Council was here.
Every step Susan took felt like walking on broken glass. The tiny crystals of
ice crunched under her bare feet, which were slowly turning numb with the cold.
She felt sorry for Julie as she fought to keep her pace, remembering when they
had walked together through the snow only the day before. Just a few minutes
outside and her feet were already screaming; Julie had walked for over an hour
without complaining.
She halted suddenly, and looked away from the black figure sprawled in the snow
before her, one hand raised to her mouth.
"Oh," she gasped, fighting revulsion.
The battle still raged in the back of her mind though, urging her onwards.
Trying not to look, she quickly skirted the body and continued down the path
towards the lights.
The pristine whiteness of the snow was disturbed before her; two pairs of ragged
footsteps had torn the frozen ice apart in their haste. Susan's heart leaped
with excitement, and she changed direction to follow their path.
She found it was easier to step in the already made footsteps, and was able to
increase her pace. Her ears picked up the sound of screaming, and she began to
run faster, pushing the pain in her feet from her mind. The cries grew louder as
the light that was Julie got closer…
A black shape burst out from around the trees in front of her, arms outstretched
to catch her. She let out a squeal, and misplaced her foot, sending pain
shooting up her leg as she slammed into him.
"JULIE!" she screamed, gripping the necklace tightly as she struggled against
her captor. "JULIE!!"
His hood had been pulled back, and she saw blood streaming freely from his nose.
"Shut up," he snapped in a nasal voice. Getting a better grip on Susan, he
dragged her towards the gap in the line of trees before them.
Susan's cry cut startlingly through the night, causing Trigs' face to sink in
horror as he recognised her voice. Suddenly torn between helping the two girls,
his grip loosened on Julie.
Julie was silently relieved that Susan turned up when she did, as it caused
Shadow's potentially fatal attack to go awry, saving them both.
She had a split second to steel herself before the agony of her body suddenly
returned. The grip she already had on her skull tightened, and with a supreme
effort, she shut her jaw and swallowed her cries.
Trigs' hold loosened further as she drew her legs up and hugged them close, each
breath a whimper yearning to become a cry of pain. That Shadow was ignoring her
for the time being was a small blessing, as she knew it wouldn't last.
"Julie!" Susan cried out again, as the injured guard dragged her through the
hedge. Julie saw something gold glint in her hand a moment before she clumsily
tried to throw whatever it was.
Julie only got a glimpse of her necklace though, before the guard reached around
and snatched it from Susan's grasp.
"No!" she yelped as he carelessly shoved her forwards, sending Susan face-first
into the ground.
She sat up, coughing and trying to clear her face of the snow that stuck to her.
Trig started towards her as she climbed to her feet, and a moment later she was
desperately trying to retrieve the necklace from the guard.
With a mere thought Shadow batted her away carelessly, his eyes following her as
she fell into Trigs' arms.
"Susan!" he exclaimed, hugging her protectively. The fact that she was here
terrified him into silence, the thought that she might die too much for him.
Trig sat down with Susan and exhaled loudly in relief; having to hold himself
upright sent pain shooting up his spine. Susan sobbed into his arms, knowing
that it was her stupid decisions that had led to Shadow now possessing the
necklace.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, pressing herself against him.
"How touching," Shadow said sarcastically, his lips drawn back in anger. "Thank
you so much for the necklace!"
Without another word his eyes locked onto Julie and he began concentrating,
gathering himself for a last attack. He was amused to know that it was only a
fraction of the power granted by his own necklace, and yet more than enough to
kill.
Through her haze of pain, Julie looked up slowly at Shadow, her bloodshot eyes
making him out as a blur that shone with strength. His lips drew back into a
smile, and he struck.
Julie watched in horror as the air shimmered between them, her entire body
seemingly tingling with the effort he was exerting. Suppressed whimpers escaping
her lips, she raised herself onto her knees and leaned forward to place her
hands on the snow, hoping somehow to at least save Susan and Trig. As she
realised that it was the end for her, something shifted in her head, and the
pain disappeared.
There was a long moment of silence, in which Shadow's smile faded into a look of
confusion.
"What…" he began.
Then Julie looked up, and her violet eyes locked onto his. She smiled.
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Thanks to redEva and slavelucy for proof-reading
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