Chapter 4 - Night's Long Shadow

The color fled from Sabrina’s face as the words left his lips. Poisoned? - Secrets 4

R

ain beat against the tent’s ceiling while Fumiko and Sabrina slept.  It’s rhythmic pattering slowly waking Fumiko.  Blinking her deep blue eyes open, she sat up and took in her surroundings.  First off, she wasn’t under the overhang.  Little lights hung from chains wrapped around tent poles, while burgundy rugs covered the grass floor.  Second, she was on a cot not the ground.  Looking to her side, she was relieved to see Sabrina curled up beside her, her friend’s small hand gripping Fumi’s.  Gently shaking her friend, she tried waking her. “Sabrina, wake up.  You have a lot of explaining my dear.”

          Fumiko rolled her eyes at the blissful look on her friends face.  Did she ever not have a good night’s sleep?  Sabrina’s dark brown eyes slowly drifted open, drawing a smile to the smaller girls face. “Fumiko?” She sat up, blinking lazily at Fumi. “You’re awake.  How are you feeling babe?”

          “Better.  My fever’s gone; I just have no idea where we are.”  She looked at her close friend accusingly. “You wouldn’t happen to have an idea would you?”

          Sabbi smiled even wider and wrapped her arms around Fumiko’s neck. “I was so worried.  You were so hot Fumi…I thought I was going to lose you…”

          Sighing, Fumiko wrapped her arms around Sabrina, gently patting her back. “I’m okay Sabbi.  It was nothing.  Really.” There were times she hated the protective instinct her friends had for her.

          “Your body went into shock Fumiko.  That’s more than nothing.  You could have died if Mr. Armor hadn’t found us.”

          Her blue eyes narrowed, “Mr. Armor?  Wait.  I went into shock?  What the hell?”

          Running a hand over her beautiful face, Sabrina released a sigh and explained everything that happened.

          Fumiko could only stare at Sabrina.  Her brain was trying to wrap around everything that had been said. “You’re telling me that the really hot guy held me?” Her cheeks flushed red. “Wait.  Did you say Jiao?  Your ex-boyfriend that disappeared a few years back?” She blinked, confusion finding its way into her brain. “And portals?” She was so lost.

          Sabrina shook her head. “I thought you were supposed to be insanely smart Fumi.  It’s really not all that hard to get.  We were sucked into portal that brought us here �"which is Burminea- and sent both our bodies into shock �"yours being worse than mine.  Then we were picked up by Landon �" the hot guy we met before you passed out- and then he brought us back to his camp �"which is where we are now.  We were taken care of by Jiao �"who just so happens to be the doc here and is called Noland for a dumb reason.  Get it now?”

          Before Fumi could say anything, something tore through the tent’s walls, forcing the girls back several feet.  Sabrina immediately moved in front of Fumiko, “What the hell?”

          The hairs on the back of Fumiko’s neck rose.  Flipping a cot, she grips Sabrina’s hand and pulled her though the tent’s entrance.  Once outside, they were greeted by clashing swords and men riding into camp on horses.  Fumi pulled Sabrina along the edge of the tents, trying to avoid the attention of enemy troops.  She kept her senses alert, keeping an eye out for anything she could use to defend herself and Sabrina.  As they neared the last tent, they were spotted by several men in black armor.  Tensing, she kept Sabrina behind her as the slowly approached them.  Her eyes darted to the woods behind them.  Without second guessing herself, Fumi sprinted toward the woods with her friend close behind. “We’re going to try and lose them, but if things don’t go as planned-”

          Sabrina shook her head and gripped her hand tighter. “I’m not going to ditch you to save my a*s.  We’re going to do this together, got it?”

          One thing she loved about Sabbi was her strength.  For someone so small, Sabrina Lamb could pack quite a punch. “Okay.”

          They ran through the trees, ignoring the branches that scratched at their faces and arms.  Branches snapped as the armored men chased them.  Fumiko’s heart raced as she and Sabrina ran, trying to lose the armed men.  Seeing a branch that was low enough for her to grab, she slowed her run to a jog, while Sabrina ran past her.  Her friend spun around just in time to see Fumi grasp the branch and break it.  Now armed, she faced their assailants and readied her makeshift weapon.  Knowing the odds were against her, she made sure to keep her body in front of Sabrina.  The men running at her with drawn swords would have to cut her down to get anywhere near Sabrina.

          “Fumiko what are you doing?  You’re going to get yourself killed!”

          Ignoring Sabrina’s protest, she slid her foot back, and gripped the stick tighter.  Once one of the men was in striking range, she swung the stick toward his knees, knocking his legs out from underneath him.  She watched him lose his grip on his long sword and lunged for it.  Tossing the stick at the man now on the ground, she raced for the sword and smiled as her fingers gripped around the leather hilt.  Moving in front of Sabrina again, Fumiko grinned.  Now she and Sabrina stood a fighting chance.

          The man on the ground rose to his feet and glared at Fumi. “She’s just one woman.  Kill her.  Capture the other one.”

          At the unarmed man’s command, the other five swordsmen stepped toward Fumiko and Sabrina.  Gripping the sword tighter, she advanced, clashing swords with one of the men.  She felt cold metal slice into her skin, but held her own.  She managed to cut three of the five swords men down before a sharp pain began to burn in her side.  She heard Sabrina screaming at her, but ignored her friend in order to slam the hilt of her sword into her attackers face.  Looking down at her side, she winced at the deep slash marring her flesh.  Blood oozed from the wound, trickling its way down her side and leg.  Only having one armed man left, she readied her sword again and charged. 

She hadn’t expected Sabrina to appear behind the man and stumbled over her suddenly heavy feet.  The man saw this and charged her, only to fall to his knees; a sword sticking out from his back.  She watched Sabrina step over the man’s body and rush to her side.  Ignoring the searing pain of her wound, she gripped Sabrina’s hand and rose slowly to her feet. 

  As the tents came into view, Fumiko slowed to a stop and fell to her knees.  The world around her began to blur, while Sabrina’s frantic cries sounded distant. “Sabbi…Calm down.  It’s not that bad.” She swallowed back a pained cry as her friend touched her side, “I’m sure it looks worse than it really is…”

Sabrina’s brown eyes were glistening with tears as she said, “Shut up!  Not that bad?  Have you…Have you seen it?” A sob tore from her pale lips, “Fumiko it’s so deep... It won’t stop bleeding…”

Feeling her eyes growing heavy, Fumi touched her hand to her friend’s face and smiled the best she could. “Go.”

“What?  No way!  You’re hurt Fumiko!”

“And I can promise you I won’t go anywhere.”

She watched a tear roll down Sabrina’s face, “You’re such an idiot!”

“I know…”

“You should have kept running!”

Fumiko could feel her own eyes watering, “I know…”

Sabrina rose to her feet and sprinted toward the camp. “You better still be breathing when I get back!  If you’re not, I’m going to kill you!”

She watched her friend run off, her long black hair tailing behind her.  She brought her hand to her side and held it to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. “Like I could leave you…” Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the tree and waited for Sabrina to return.

***

S

abrina ran back to camp, her heart ramming against her chest.  She frantically searched the battlefield for Landon or Jiao.  A familiar face.  Every second she wasted looking for someone, the closer Fumiko got to bleeding out.  The fighting appeared to be dying down, only harboring a few remaining enemy troops, while Landon’s men pushed them back.  Running along the side of the tents, she spotted a weapon and raced for it.  The spear was bigger than her body, but something was better than nothing.  As she continued her frantic search, she spotted then man named, Brock.

          Rushing over to the older man, she felt her tears spill over her lashes, but cared little of it.  The man with peppered black hair saw her approach and lifted a dark brow. “Lass, what brings yee out of the tent?  Everything alright?”

          Gripping his arm, she tugged for him to follow. “Nothing is alright.  Fumiko is bleeding and-” A sob tore through her body, “I need help!”

          Brocks amber eyes darkened as he gripped her shoulders and gently shook her. “Lass, ye need to calm down.  Tell me what happened?”

          More tears spilled over Sabrina’s lashes as she explained everything the best she could. “We have to get to her before she bleeds out!  We’re wasting time!” Brock seemed to understand her urgency, because he didn’t say another word until they came close to the forest.

As the woods came into view, Jiao walked out with Fumiko in his arms.  Sabrina felt hot tears running down her face as she ran over to them.  Worry and fear constricting her. “How is she?”

His velvet gaze was clouded with worry as he looked down at Sabrina. “Not too good.  She’s lost a lot of blood Sabrina.”

A vein in Brock’s neck throbbed. “What of the men that did this?” He was looking at Sabrina, his sword drawn; ready for blood.

Jiao answered for her, “Dead.  Four where cut down, while one was unconscious.”

Brock lifted a brow in question. “Dead?  What did ye do to the unconscious one?”

“Tied him up.  I would have interrogated him, but I saw the blood trial and followed it to her.” Jiao lifted Fumiko slightly. “She was barely conscious herself when I found her.”

Sabrina clung to Jiao’s side as he carried Fumi back to the tent.  Brock followed close behind, making sure the other men kept their distance.  She kept her watering gaze on Fumi’s face, worried that if she left her sight, she would never see her again.

Once inside the medical tenet again, Jiao gently set Fumiko on a cot and rolled up his sleeves. “Brock, can you keep the others out of here?  I’ll tend to them after I make sure Fumiko will be alright.” The big man nodded and exited the tent.  Sabrina sat on the cot beside Fumi’s and clenched her friend’s hand.  “Sabbi, can you tell me how much blood she may have lost?”

“A good amount?  I mean, when we finally got away and could see the camp again, she just collapsed.”

He nodded, his long black hair jingling at the action due to the bells tied to his hair.  He moved to his desk and brought back bandages and a tub of clean water.  He pulled up a chair next to the cot and gently tugged up Fumiko’s shirt, which clung to her pale skin due to the blood and rain.  Sabrina saw anger darken Jiao’s normally calm and collected gaze as he looked at the long gash that marred Fumi’s side. “I should have finished the b*****d instead of tying him up.  No man should harm a woman and live to brag about it.” He picked up a cloth and started cleaning the wound.  They both heard Fumiko gasp, and turned their attention to her face. 

Dark circles were beginning to form under her eyes, giving her a sickly appearance.  Little beads of sweat dotted her forehead and skin, while the cuts marring her flesh looked angry; inflamed.  The wounds she had looked almost infected, even though she got them not even hours before.

Jiao looked concerned as he continued to clean her wounds.  His brows were drawn together in an almost angry manner, giving him a distressed look.  As he started to wrap her wounds, his voice sounded grave.  “She has poison flowing through her veins.”

The color fled from Sabrina’s face as the words left his lips.  Poisoned?  Before she was able to form words to the meaning of Jiao’s words, there was a murmur of voices coming from outside the tent.  She watched Jiao rise to his feet and move to the entrance, then heard Landon’s unmistakable arrogant voice. “What’s this I hear about one of the girls being cut down?  Which one?”  It surprised her to hear the actual concern in his voice. 

She heard Jiao sigh, “Fumiko was cut down, Landon.  And it’s not looking good for her-”

At that moment, Landon was through the tent’s entrance with Jiao at his heels.  His vivid green eyes focused on Fumiko as he strode toward them.  She could see the anger blazing behind those captivating eyes, but she could also see pain, which was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. “How bad?”

Jiao met Sabrina’s watery gaze and released another sigh, “She’s spiking another fever.” He walked around Landon to sit by Fumiko again and resumed wrapping her wounds. “The main wound is the slash on her right side.  It’s pretty deep and appears to be the main source of the poison.”

More tears formed in her eyes as she listened to Jiao, “So the poison came from the sword that sliced through her?”

He nodded, his bells ringing again due to the movement. “So it would seem.” His velvet eyes met Landon’s green gaze, “There isn’t much more I can do for her Landon.  If we move her, the poison will spread faster.” His eyes wandered back to Fumiko’s face. “But if we don’t get her help…”

A small sob tore from Sabrina. “Then she’ll die.”

The muscle in Landon’s jaw leaped, indicating that he was furious and trying to contain it. “Do you know who cut her?”

Sabrina ran her fingers through her hair, causing a scorching pain to shoot up her cut arms. “Fumi sliced three of the five and elbowed the guy who cut her in the face.”

Landon was looking at her now, his eyes looking in the area of her hidden wounds. “What about the fifth?”

    “I stuck a sword between his shoulder blades.” She winced at her own words.  She killed a man without a second thought.  She took a life.

Landon crossed his arms over his large chest, the anger slowly fading from his face and evergreen eyes. “Noland, we need to get her to a doctor.”

Jiao looked up from his hands to meet Landon’s gaze, “We’ll rush the poison if we move her.”

“And the nearest village is a day’s ride there and back.  Like you had said, there’s nothing more you can do.  You’re a sorcerer, Jiao.  Not a doctor.”

Jiao stood then, eyes narrowing. “So you’re going to risk killing her?”

Landon tilted his head to the side slightly, sparing a side glance at Fumiko’s face. “If we don’t do anything, she’ll die anyway.  Might as well make an effort to save her.”

Sabrina could only look at the two tensed men.  The thought of Fumiko dying devastated her.  She didn’t want to think about it, but looking at her friend’s pained expression and ashen skin, the possibility was becoming more and more absolute.  If they didn’t do something and fast, Fumiko was going to die.

As Landon and Jiao argued, the still form beside her moved gasping in pain.  Sabrina’s brown eyes immediately shot to Fumiko’s face and was more than relieved to see her friend’s eyes were open, even if only a sliver.  Both men looked back at Fumiko’s face as well, their faces showing both relief and worry.           

Jiao moved back to his seat beside Fumi’s cot and placed a hand on her forehead. “Fumiko, you need to rest.  You’re body needs time to heal and mend itself.”

Sabrina was fighting tears again as her friend moved to sit up, ignoring Jiao’s protests.  Her pale hand held her bandaged side as she looked squarely at Landon. “I can handle it.”

Landon and Fumiko stared at each other until Landon sighed, a small smile moving on his face.  “Whatever you say Princess.” Walking over to the cot, he leaned over Fumiko and gently lifted her into his arms.

Jiao sprung to his feet, “Landon what are you doing?”

He shrugged, “She said she could handle it.” He looked down at Fumiko, who had one hand holding her side and the slung over Landon’s neck. “Correct?”

Fumiko closed her eyes and nodded, “I’m fine.”

Sabrina rose to her feet then, wiping her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Fumi, I bet you’d say you were fine even if you were missing an arm.” She released a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to scream in frustration. “Are you sure about this?”

With her head resting against Landon’s chest, Fumi said, “Positive.”

Sabrina touched her hand to her forehead and sighed. “You have got to be one of the most stubborn girls on the planet Fumi.  Seriously.  You can be so freaking pig headed!” She threw her arms out in front of her, “You say you’re fine obviously when you’re not.” She could feel her face getting red with irritation and frustration, “You were sliced by a sword for freaking sake!”

Fumiko simply looked at her and smiled slightly. “Sabrina…”

“No!  Don’t ‘Sabrina’.  You’re not going to play the tough card with me.  I know you too well for that crap!”

Fumiko looked like she was in pain.  Even though Landon was careful not to touch her wounds, her skin appeared to be getting paler.  Looking at Landon, Sabrina said, “You know she’s in pain right?”

“She was cut by a sword, Sabrina.  I’m sure her skin feels like it’s on fire.”

She rolled her eyes, “Sarcasm?  Really?  Look, pretty boy, I’m being serious here.  Why would I let you carry let alone touch Fumiko if you were inconsiderate of her current body state?”

Fumi winced as she shifted her weight in his arms, “Sabrina, stop it.  He’s just trying-”

“What?  To help?  Fumiko what do you even know?  You’ve only been conscious for maybe an hour.  You have no freaking idea who ­he,” she pointed her finger at Landon as she argued with Fumiko, “Or even where we are!  It’s ridiculous that you keep getting sick and hurt here too!”

Jiao was standing back, observing the words being shared when he said, “The longer we all banter back and forth the less likely Fumiko will pull through.  If you two haven’t noticed, she’s fighting back tears.”

Both Landon and Sabrina looked to Fumi’s face to see that she looked like she was in absolute agony.  Landon released a sigh and looked at Jiao. “Noland.”

Nodding and waving his hand in dismissal, Jiao moved to one of the unused cots and grabbed the blanket at the foot of the bed.  Unfolding the ugly brown material, he wrapped the blanket around Fumiko, pulling some of the fabric over her head like a hood. “Remember to not move too much and to check her bandages whenever you can.  Keep in mind that she’s hurt and-”

Landon cut him off, saying, “Jiao.  I know how to take care of a woman.” He smiled slightly at his words and turned to the tent’s entrance, “I’ll make sure to keep both girls content and comfortable.”

Jiao lifted a brow, “Both?”

Landon continued walking toward the exit, his damp black air glistening in the candle light. “Sabrina gave me very strict orders.” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Wherever Fumiko goes, Sabrina goes.” He looked over his shoulder at Sabrina, “Correct?”

She simply stared at him.  So many different emotions blazing through her she almost forgot the actual burn searing her upper arm. “There’s no way I’m letting you be alone with her.”

He smiled that half smile again and walked out the tent.  She was about to follow before Jiao pulled a cloak/poncho thing over her.  Its red fabric swam at her feet, making her appear as though she were engulfed in steady blaze.  He had a small bag slung over his shoulder and a worried expression on his face.  Her heart leaped as his hand settled on her lower back to walk her to the tent’s exit.

“Don’t look so worried.  We’ll be fine Jiao.” Small talk was good…right?

“I can’t help but worry.  One of you have already gotten hurt, it would kill me to have harmed too.” His velvet eyes seemed darker as they neared the group of men surrounding Landon and Fumiko.

“Jiao?” She’d never seen such a dark expression on his face before.  Stepping in front of him, she stood on her tip toes and cupped his face in her hands. “Stop.  Worrying.”

He looked down at her and finally cracked a small smile.  Pulling her hands from his face, he gently griped her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.  The action made her face flush a deep red and left her knees feeling weak.  Damn it.

Once at the horses, he helped her up and gave her a worried smile. “Have you ever ridden a horse before?”

Sabrina picked up the reigns and lifted her chin. “Nope, but now is a good time to figure it out.  Can’t be all that hard.”

Landon was already on his horse with Fumi sitting in front.  She would have laughed at her friend’s blushing face if it hadn’t looked so pale.  When Landon looked her way, Sabrina stuck out her tongue and urged her horse forward.  Once their horses were walking side by side, she asked, “So, how long did you say it would take to get to the nearest village?”

“About a day if we ran, but at the pace Noland told me to go, about two maybe even three days.”

Fumiko rolled her eyes, “Oh please.  I’m not made of glass…”

Sabrina stared at her friend and shook her head, while Landon laughed. “I never said we were going to listen to Noland.  If you wish to get there faster, all you need to do is ask Princess.”

What was up with that ‘Princess’ crap?  Ignoring the increasing pain in her shoulder and upper arm, she kept eyeing Fumiko and Landon.  While Fumi looked about to explode with embarrassment, Landon looked content.  A little too content.  She couldn’t help but notice how considerate the jerk was either.  Instead of having Fumiko sitting on the hard saddle and holding herself up, he had placed another blanket on the saddle for her to sit on and even gave her his chest to lean back against.  He kept asking her how she felt, if she was in pain or any discomfort �"which she had to be, but was too damn polite to say anything �" and even if she wanted to rest.  There was an emotion in those deep green eyes that Sabrina couldn’t quite put her finger on.  It was too intense to be warmth, but also too soft to be desire.  Whatever it was, it made her feel content with Fumi ridding with Landon.