Time Spirit - Golden Blood Part 24

Warwick, England - 1393AD Harrison slumped to the floor. His eyes were so wide he thought his eyeb.a.l.l.s might drop out. Gemma's gold dust had just spiraled into non-existence. He could hear the death sentence in his head, feel the ominous blackness beginning to surround him.

The throbbing in his leg was intense. Stretching it out, he tried to examine the wound, but all he could see was sticky red blood. Just to be on the safe side, he took off his belt and fashioned a tourniquet below the knee.

He forced his brain to start ticking. He needed to get out of here. Gemma would come back for him. He repeated the sentence a few times to a.s.sure himself of this, but it didn't work. He knew she would be devastated right now. Would she have the strength to fight?

Bile rose in his throat. He closed his eyes and swallowed it back down.

He could hear the clatter of armor still bustling around the castle. They were probably hunting out the intruders. Shaking his head against the dizziness, he crawled towards the back stall. If he could just get out of the castle.

Then what?

He slumped with a sigh. His leg was throbbing, not to mention his aching face. The sound of pounding feet sent a shot of panic through his system. He struggled towards the last stall as two guards rushed into the room. They charged towards him, billhooks lowered for penetration.

Harrison spun away from the first and it speared the pillar beside him. Dropping low, he used his good leg to swipe the guard behind the ankles. He fell with a crash.

With a grunt Harrison pulled the spear-like weapon from the wood and blocked the other guard's blow. The billhook was heavy and awkward in his hands. Harrison wished Gemma had let him have a play with the medieval weapons instead of spending so much time teaching him hand-to-hand combat.

If I could just disarm this guy.

Trying to stay light on his feet, Harrison ignored his gimpy leg and blocked each blow. The shock reverberated through him each time, making his muscles quiver.

He knew he was running out of options. With a hefty yell, he swung the billhook as hard as he could and by some miracle it flicked out of the guard's hands. They both looked at each other in surprise, before their faces went hard.

Harrison dropped the c.u.mbersome weapon, bunched his fists and crouched low like Gemma had taught him. The guard was a solid man who was probably close in age to Harrison, yet the wear and tear of medieval life had taken its toll. His lined face was grim and he launched towards Harrison with a stocky fist.

Harrison used his forearm to block the blow then drove his full force into the man's stomach. He bent over gasping for air and Harrison brought his knee up. The man fell forward, dazed.

A small smile toyed with his lips as Harrison stepped back, but his triumph didn't last long. His plans of escape melted like b.u.t.ter in a fry pan as the stable filled with a fresh set of troops. Pain radiated through every nerve in his body as he was grabbed and roughly dragged into the sunlight.

St. Augustine, Florida - 2011AD Gemma wiped her face after pulling off her helmet and throwing it down next to her bike. The house was quiet when she slammed her way into it.

"Dad! DAD! Where are you?"

"I'm here." His soft voice made her jump. She stopped in the kitchen archway. Her entire family was standing around the island looking somber, but resolved.

Steeling her insides, she straightened her shoulders and walked into the room.

"You're taking me back." Her voice punched out each word with clarity.

"Gemma..."

"DON'T! I'm not arguing about this. You take me back or I'll find a way on my own."

"He shouldn't have even been there in the first place!" Her mother snapped, rising from the stool, her nostrils flaring.

"Yes, I made a mistake, but that doesn't change the fact that we can't leave him there."

Her father shook his head and frowned.

"He'll die!" She slapped the counter.

"He's probably already dead, Gem."

"No." She shook her head with vehemence. "No he... he's not. He can't be. We can go back to earlier."

"The timing will be tricky."

"You can do it."

"You're not listening."

"NO! You're not listening to me!"

"We're not going back."

Alistair's calm demeanor was infuriating. Pointing a finger at her father, Gemma breathed in just enough air to keep speaking.

"You are not winning this one. You can't control my life this way!" She stepped away from him, her head shaking. "We have to get him back."

"We don't have to-"

"I love him!"

The air in the room went as still as death. Fear rippled through Gemma's body as she watched her father's face flash black with fury. Her mother closed her eyes and dropped her head as if she'd just been told the world was about to end. Dom and Ruby stood wide eyed, their mouths unable to close.

"That is unacceptable." Alistair was straining for calm as he muttered the words, Gemma could feel it.

She wasn't sure whether it was saying the three little words out loud for the first time or simply realizing just how much she meant them, but courage built within her. One block on top of the other.

"I don't care what you think! I'm not living without him!" She practically screamed.

"It is too dangerous!"

Looking her father straight in the eye, she found her last strand of calm and forced it into her voice. "If you don't go back you'll be guilty of murder and you can be the one who calls his mother to explain why her son isn't coming home tonight... and I can be the one who calls the police."

"Don't be so dramatic!" Penelope huffed and crossed her arms. "Alistair, she's being ridiculous!"

Gemma's jaw clenched as she turned to look at her mother. "Thinking that I will stay here if we don't go back and get Harrison is ridiculous."

"Gemma." Her father sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"I refuse to live in this house if you guys do this. I-"

"Gemma! We'll go back."

"Alistair!"

"She's right, Penelope. What will we tell his mother?"

The room fell silent again, but this was not a silence of death. Gemma felt hope flutter back up to its perch in her chest and take a full breath before congratulating her.

She blinked at her tears and smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't." Alistair raised his hand and warned Gemma away. She took a step back from him as he walked out of the room.

The next hour was painful. Gemma answered numerous questions with as much precision as she could, feeling her father's livid rage just barely hiding below the surface. She then paced the floor outside her father's office as he did some final research.

She knew going back was a huge risk. She knew her father would probably never forgive her for what she was doing. Various punishments tried to force their way into her brain, but never quite made it. Her mind was too caught up with making sure they got to Harrison in time. She could deal with the aftermath of her confession when Harrison was safely back in the 21st Century.

The study door opened making Gemma jump. He a.s.sessed her with a cool gaze before heading down the hall and back to the kitchen. She could feel the animosity radiating towards her as they huddled around the counter, ready to discuss the mission. If any of her family got hurt because of this...

Gemma didn't even want to complete the thought. She studied the granite counter as her father spoke.

"I cannot be sure of the timing, but I will do my best to arrive back at the stables just before you left Harrison. Hopefully we will be able to quickly nab him and make it back before anyone sees us."

Gemma nodded and licked her lips.

Her father sighed. "If he is not in the stables we will conduct a quick search of the castle, but Gemma, you have an hour. That's all. I won't risk more."

"But, Dad-"

"I WON'T RISK IT!"

Biting her lips together, Gemma dropped her gaze to the counter again.

"I am only taking Dom and Gemma. There's no point risking you two."

Penelope and Ruby put up no complaint. Gemma watched Ruby shoot her brother a worried frown. He put on a brave face and squeezed her shoulder.

Gemma closed her eyes. If anything went wrong...

"We'll leave in ten minutes."

"I'd like to go back to the mall... where I left. That way Harrison and I can return together."

Her father's eyes were black, but he nodded. "We'll drive you down there." His voice was thin.

"It's okay, I can take the bike."

"No. I want to be there to collect you when we get back."

His voice was ominous. Gemma's insides quaked, her stomach rolling into a tight knot.

"Okay." Her voice shook.

"Let's go." Alistair grabbed his keys and kissed Penelope goodbye. Ruby hugged Dom and slapped him on the shoulder.

Gemma watched the proceedings, deciding that if her mother or sister approached with affection she would reciprocate. Neither of them did. Turning from their baleful stares, she followed Dom down the hall, trying to ignore the ball of ice forming in her chest.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Warwick, England - 1393AD Harrison could not hobble fast enough as the guards hauled him across the courtyard. Each time he tripped the grip on his upper arms grew tighter, the pain that much brighter. White spots flashed in front of his eyes.

One of the guards holding him grunted and Harrison was lifted from his feet and thrown into a large stone room. He stumbled to the floor, grazing his knee and tearing a hole in the worn tights. Blood smeared the exquisite patterned tiles.

The floor was cold against Harrison's palms. With shaking limbs, he pushed himself to stand. He felt a sharp blade resting against the back of his neck and fell back to his knees as he surveyed the room.

The great hall was the same size as his house. He took a moment to admire the ceiling, nearly smiling at the complex design. His eyes ran down the white washed walls, painted with moons and stars that flickered with candlelight. He couldn't believe he was actually in a great hall, seeing with his own eyes the castles he had imagined walking through every time he read Robin Hood or watched an epic movie.

Laughter bubbled in his throat. Everything was the same... the round fire in the middle of the room, the raised dais with the baldaquin curtain hanging grandly behind it, the large chair housing the wealthy baron.

His throat closed off and he dropped his gaze back to the tiles, suddenly aware that every eye in the room was studying him.

"Bring him here."

Two hands clamped under his armpits and dragged him past the long trestle tables. He was dumped in a heap at the foot of the dais.

More from curiosity than courage, Harrison raised his gaze. The baron's ringed fingers were greasy. He rubbed them together then licked each one. With a swift jerk, he plunged his dagger into his trencher filled with succulent red meat. It smelt divine.

Harrison's insides began to shake as the baron's dark glare bore into his skull. Very slowly, he reached for his goblet and took a large mouthful. Red juice lined his lips and dribbled out the edge of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"I do not like to be disturbed when I'm eating." He cleared his throat. "Especially by rodents who think they can take what does not belong to them."

Harrison had to look away. He could feel sweat beading on his brow, but could not move to wipe it.

"Where's the prisoner?"

Harrison kept his eyes on the floor and focused solely on the art of breathing.

"Why do you want him?"

Harrison closed his eyes.

"Where do you come from?"

Just keep breathing.