Kidnapped

Mariah is kidnapped during a raid on the fort.

Chapter 2

 

       The next morning Terry rolled over and watched Mariah sleeping peacefully.  When her eyes finally fluttered open, he smiled.  Mariah yawned and stretched before reaching for Terry.  He kissed her gently and then pulled away.  “I was thinking…”

      “About?”

      “Our mission from Günter.  I was thinking that perhaps you shouldn’t come along.”

      Mariah was stunned to hear such a thing for she thought they were inseparable.  “Why on earth wouldn’t I come?” she demanded to know.

      “I lost you once and I don’t want to lose you again.  I couldn’t possible go through that.  It would kill me.  I don’t want to put you in any danger and this trip could be quite difficult.”

      “We can do anything so long as we are together,” Mariah insisted. 

      “But you could be hurt or killed,” Terry said.

      She sighed, “I don’t care, so long as I am with you.”

      “But I do care.”

      “Well, how long do you think you will be gone?”

      “Several months at least.  If I get caught in the mountains during winter, I may be stuck some place for awhile.  It could stretch into years possibly…”

      “Don’t you wish to have wee one of our own?” she asked.

      “Well, of course.”

      “I do too, but we cannot start our family if you run off and leave me here alone for Goddess knows how long.”

      Terry sighed, “I suppose you have a point.”

      “I know I do,” Mariah smiled. 

      “How about we work on starting a family right now?” Terry laughed as he climbed on top of her.  He leaned down and kissed her passionately and Mariah responded.  Terry took his time cherishing every inch of her and let her know just how loved she truly was.  They melted into one and, for those few short hours, the world outside didn’t exist.

        As they rested in each other’s arms, the battle horns sounded.  The encampment was in a panic as they prepared for onslaught of Visigoth troops.  The gates were closed and every man and boy strong enough to lift a sword took up arms. 

       Günter knocked on their door and Terry had to hurriedly threw back the covers and get dressed.  He answered the door with his hair a mess and looking incredibly tired.  Günter didn’t care.  “They are attacking right now!” he cried.  He thrust a sword into Terry’s hand and asked him to join him on battlements.

       Terry turned to Mariah and said, “Go to caves with the other women and children.  You’ll be safe there.”

       “No,” she said scrambling out of bed and pulling her gown over her head.  “We fight together!”

        Terry waited for her and then they all three went up onto the battlements.  Someone handed Mariah a dagger to protect herself and then they waited and watched.  The men came running and screaming to the gates.  They cut down a tree, set it on fire and used it to knock down the gates.  The fire they started spread to many of the huts and tents within the encampment.  Men and women screamed and ran for safety as the men burst threw the fiery gates and stormed the fort. 

        It was heartbreaking to the attack.  Though Günter’s men below fought valiantly, many of them still felt the sting of the Visigoth’s swords.  Blood ran through the streets from both Günter’s men and their enemies.  The screams and cries of the injured and dying made Mariah nauseous.  She closed her eyes, but she could still hear and smell the battle blow. 

       When the enemy breached the main hall and found their way to the battlement, both Günter and Terry engaged them in battle, fighting them off the best they could.  Several of the men fell, but more just swarmed to the top to replace them.  Mariah stayed behind Terry and managed to stay invisible for a while, but then one of the barbarians managed to surprise her.

        While she was focusing on Terry’s battle with one of them, a hand came from behind and clamped over her mouth.  A muscular arm slid around her waste and held her tight.  Mariah tried to scream and break free, but it was no use.  Her knife was forced out of her hand and it dropped onto the wooden walkway. Terry was too busy to look behind him.  He didn’t know Mariah was in trouble until she managed to pull the man’s hand from her mouth and scream as loud as she could, “TERRY!”

         Terry turned and saw Mariah being drug helplessly down the stairs. He tried to move toward her, but one of the men blocked his way.  He thrust and parried several times before managing to run his sword threw wild warrior.  He stepped over the man as heard Mariah call out to him again from the stairwell.

        “Terry! Help me!”

        “I’m coming!” he cried dashing toward the stairs.  More men jabbed at him with their swords and he was forced to fight them at the top of the stairs and part way down.  By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs Mariah was being tied up and thrown onto a horse.  Terry tried to make his way to her, but yet more men attacked him.  He defended himself quickly and bravely, but by the time he finally broke free of the melee, Mariah was being taken away from the fort.

        In the distance, beyond the cries of the defeated, he heard Mariah call out to him again.  “Terry! Terry! Terry,” she screamed.

        Terry swung around, looking for a horse to steal to give chase, but all the horses he saw were wounded or being used by other men.  He ran back to the stables and came face to face with a wounded Günter.  “They took Mariah,” he cried desperately.

       “I saw that,” Günter sighed.

       “We need to chase after her.  Where are the horses?”

      Günter put his hand on Terry’s shoulder and said, “She is long gone by now and we don’t know where they took her.”

     “I can’t just stand here and do nothing!” he cried.

     “The Visigoths are retreating.  I think it would be best if you went ahead with your quest to unite our Kingdoms and searched for her while you are out there.  If take off now, you may get lost or killed wandering around aimlessly.  Come,” Günter said calmly.

      Terry followed his uncle into the wrecked hall where the injured were being brought in.  It was a busy day burying the dead and tending to the wounded.  Late that night Terry collapsed in his bed alone and found that a few tears escaped his eyes before he drifted off to sleep.  He wondered how he would ever survive with the light of his life Mariah.