Agnes Smith AGNES & THE INFIDELS Part V Agnes vs. Sheykh Naz Akharmid North Africa 846 A.D. ..... [Agnes] "Thank You Lord, Thou art merciful." she says as the arrows fly. She runs to the fallen veiled warrior, and takes up his sword. She hacks at her own bonds until she can work herself free of them. Oblivious to the arrows she picks up the warrior's shield and makes her way to Antonella. She stands defiantly over her friend's body, daring anyone to come close. If there is another weapon close enough she will throw it to her husband, but she's not relinquishing the sword she holds. <><><><><> [GM] No arrows come at you or Antonella, and considering the relative accuracy of the archers, as they pick off three more of the Qaid's men, it seems doubtful this is a coincidence. The Sheykh must have given orders that his two "prizes" weren't to be shot up. The two Berber women seem to notice this, and huddle near you, though eying your sword warily. At your feet, Antonella draws sobbing breaths, and turns her face to the side, trying to see what's going on. Angry red welts on her back stir your anger and pity, but for the moment, you have more important things to protect her from. Kemal enjoys no such protection. Arrows strike the rocks inches from him, but he's ignoring them, throwing himself against the small rock that offers him pitifully scant cover...again and again, trying to shove himself hard against it, and heaving himself back and forth. One arrow buries itself in his thigh. He yells, but continues his task. As the Sheykh's men reach the surviving minions of Jazir Kaghlidamezzar, and several more gallop past, Kemal springs to his feet, shrugging off the frayed ropes that he abraded away against the rock, along with much of his skin. He grabs the arrow in his thigh and yanks it out with a curse, then limps hastily towards you, on an intercept course with two Sekwasa horsemen. The arrows have stopped falling, now that there is danger of hitting the Sheykh's men. The first rider aims himself along a course that will carry him past you, and tries to strike you over the head with the flat of his blade as he passes by. You parry the blow and have the satisfaction of seeing a stunned look as you cut him through with a backstroke. He begins sliding off his horse as he keeps going. Kemal changes course, and leaps for the falling Berber, as the second man pulls to a halt, followed shortly by four more. Rather than trying to overwhelm you from horseback, they dismount, and begin forming a circle around you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She has been here before, and she knows she won't win. But they will rue the day they tried to take her alive. Any of them that steps too close will feel the blade. But aware that they will get behind her she will trade ground for positioning. Any that ingore her and stoop for Antonella do so at theeir peril. As in Rome, she will go for legs, for they were far easier to hit, and she doesn't want to go for the trouble of killing anyway. <><><><><> [GM] They ignore Antonella, correctly determining that she's in no condition to do much but lie helpless on the ground. The first man comes at you, swinging at you with the flat of his blade, as the Aghlabid raiders did in Rome. You parry and counterattack. These Berbers aren't carrying shields, which your opponent probably regrets as you shear most of his right thigh off. He screams and falls backwards, narrowly avoiding your thrust at his face. With their companion lying on the ground in a moaning, bloody heap, the others are more careful. One steps forward and feints at you, and you barely get a chance to react before you have to spin around and deflect an attempt to hit you over the head from behind. As in Rome, you know it's not a question of whether you'll win or not, but how much damage you can do before they take you. But unlike Rome, you're not alone this time. Screaming like a demon, Kemal hurls himself at one of the Sekwasa. And they all turn and fall back....not so much because of Kemal's blood- curdling scream, though it IS fearsome, but because his sword, taken from the fallen Berber horseman, is *glowing* and trailing sparks as he brings it down in a huge overhead arc. It blazes as if the metal were somehow on fire, slicing through the man's raised arm, and then his stunned victim's head fairly explodes as the sword descends through it and keeps going, with a hissing sound reminiscient of a hot-forged blade plunged into a vat of water. Kemal doesn't pause to watch his first opponent's body, split down to the sternum, fall, but is already slashing at the next man. That hapless foe doesn't have a prayer of stopping the enraged Arab's sword, it's moving like the lightning that crackles in its wake. For an instant, as Kemal completes his swing, it looks as if he somehow missed. Then the Berber's head topples backwards, and a geyser of blood explodes from his neatly severed neck. Kemal is like a demon, sword lashing out in all directions, and if not for his bleeding wounded thigh, he probably would have been able to take out a third man before he reached your side. One man's sword produces a shriek of tortured metal as Kemal's blade grinds against it. The two men still standing are now taking very large steps backwards, away from the two of you, but there are more coming. You can't see how the battle down by the Qaid's position is going. "Take Antonella and get on a horse," Kemal pants, as electricity runs up and down his sword. "Ride as hard as you can, east and then circle to the north, back towards our camp. I will delay them as long as I can, then follow." <><><><><> [Agnes] She doesn't need telling twice. She runs over and grabs the reins of an Aghlabid horse, and drags it over to Antonella. She picks her up, puting the girl's arms over Agnes own shoulder, and supporting her with a forearm under her bare and whipped buttocks. "It's alright, Antonella, its over. We're escaping." With gritted determination she gets herself into the saddle, carrrying her burden. Without looking back, she spurs the horse into action with her heels, and follows Kemal's intructions. She holds Antonella up off the horse, with her legs round Agnes's own waist, supporting her and holdiing her tightly, trying to protect her from the jars and jolts of their ride. She pushes the horse to its limits, trying to get away from the nightmare, not looking back in case it's still with her. Only when the horse starts to flag does she look behind her, to allow her to decide if she will ease up a bit or ride the horse into the ground. <><><><><> [GM] [Berber horses....the Aghlabids were the Arabs. ] One man makes the mistake of trying to intercept you, and Kemal's sword cuts him into three pieces before he realizes his mistake. Your husband moves to stand in the path of the other riders approaching, shaking more sparks off the tip of his sword. Antonella moans as you lift her, and you realize the real difficulty will not be her scoured back and buttocks, but the dressing on her chest. Too much jouncing, or friction against it, and her wound could tear open again....as it is, you can see blood oozing through the cloth. She holds onto you weakly, and manages one strangled cry of pain as you heave yourself and her onto the horse as gently as you can (which isn't nearly as gently as you'd like), and then begin riding hard away from the Berbers. You hear swords clashing, and screams, from men and horses, as Kemal plunges into the midst of the next group, but the pounding of the horse's hooves, and your own rapid heartbeat, soon drowns it out. Antonella is trying to stammer something- "A..A...Aaaag...ness...." she sobs, and continues incoherently. Only when you are well away from the rocky ground, and streaking over the desert, and the horse starts to slow its pace slightly, having sprinted as far as its first wind will carry it, do you glance behind. Three Berber horsemen are chasing you. Something draws your gaze away from the sight of your pursuers, though. A lightning bolt, splitting the clear blue sky, and flickering from the other side of the rocky ridge, where the battle is presumably still going on. You see a swirl of energy glowing in the air, and even from here, feel a slight prickling at the base of your neck. <><><><><> [Agnes] [Berbers, Aghlabids, Arabs: whatever - they're all heathens ] She lets the horse ride on at the easier pace, as she searches the land for features against which she can put her back. She heads for the best available on her line of route, and checks the horse furniture to see what the previous owner left attached in the way of shield or weapon. After slowing her horse to a stop, she gets down from it, laying Antonella gently on the ground. She didn't want her to die - not now: not when they were almost away. She rummages under habit for her sling and stones. They had been too quick to truss her up like a chicken last night to bother searching her. She knew she wasn't particularly good with a sling, but if she managed to make the three, two before they reached her, that would be good enough. Planting the sword beside her, she loads the sling, and watches the three's approach, loosing the stone at the nearest when she thinks she might just have enough time to recover her sword before they reach her. <><><><><> [GM] Unfortunately, the previous rider of your horse either carried no shield, or took it with him when he dismounted. You find a quiver of arrows, with no bow to go with them, and a short spear. Antonella looks up at you, and starts to say something, then coughs, producing flecks of blood on her lips. "Wha....wha's happ'ning, Agnes?" she rasps. The three Berbers slow as they see that you've dismounted. As you load your sling, you feel the Quickening. They don't realize what you have in your hands until you're already whirling it overhead. Two men turn their horses in opposite directions and trot in a semi-circle oblique to you, holding up their broad, thin tanned hide shields. The third man yells and charges you, with a spear. You release your stone, and it whizzes over the Berber's head. One of the men who hung back yells something in a familiar voice, and your attacker shifts his grip at the last moment, so rather than trying to impale you, he sweeps at you with the butt end. You timed your sling shot so you could retrieve your sword, but you don't block the shaft of the spear. He catches you in the midriff as he rides by, knocking you off your feet and knocking the wind out of you. His horse slows down and he starts to turn. The other two men begin circling back and coming closer...and you recognize Sheykh Naz Akharmid. <><><><><> [Agnes] She struggles to her feet. Glancing around to see where the riders have got to she grabs the spear in her left hand. **Next time - we'll see what this'll do to a horse if the but is on the ground!** She looks to see if it is worth another try with the sling. She's not sure how fast it is compared to the time it takes a rider to manoever - so she'll be cautious. "It's just the Sheykh come for us Antonella. Nothing to worry about." <><><><><> [GM] Antonella looks up at you. "Don't let him take me," she whispers. A charging horse takes at least a few seconds to stop and turn around. The Sheykh and his other man are approaching at a cautious rate, letting the first man try another run at you before they move in. If they were charging also, timing it to reach you after the first man passes you, you wouldn't dare, but since they are letting the first man attack you by himself, you have time for another shot at the rider with the spear. This time, your sling stone strikes him in the chest, with a smack you can hear from where you're standing. The man cries out- "Aaaaaiii!" and hunkers lower in his saddle. He keeps coming at you, with a furious look in his eyes. You won't have time for another sling shot. "It will go much easier for you if you surrender, Agnes!" the Sheykh calls out. Words you've heard before. <><><><><> [Agnes] With her sword in her right hand she holds the spear in her left, the butt planted by her foot. She keeps the spearpoint aimed at the horse - **He won't ride so close this time.** she thinks. **And if he goes past and round again, he can have another stone for his trouble.** She stands defiantly in her black robes, waiting to parry and counter attack. For as long as only one attacks at a time, she feels comfortable that she has a chance. "It's alright Antonella. I'll keep you safe from him." she says quietly in Latin. To the Sheykh she shouts in Arabic, "And tell me why I should trust anything you say? The Qaid himself said you were untrustworthy, and that was _before_ you turned on him. Given the promise you made to me about how you'd treat me when you got hold of me, don't you think I'd be remarkably stupid to just surrender to you? You may think of me as _only_ a woman - but I'm not stupid. We have just escaped from one nightmare - I'm not going willingly into another!" <><><><><> [GM] The rider slows, and trots past you giving you a wider berth, to avoid your spear. His sweeps low with his spear, leaning almost out of his saddle to give himself enough reach to hit you with the shaft while avoiding your point. The Sheykh yells "Do you think you can beat all three of us? You are no Kemal ibn-Hakim! If you don't surrender now, I will give you a whipping far more severe than your co-wife's!" Your grounded spear blocks the blow, and cracks. You won't be able to set it against a charging horse again. However, the rider has put himself within range of your sword, after you take a step forward. You do so, and strike his extended arm, almost cutting it through. He screams and kicks his horse into a lunge away from you, and rights himself, wailing as blood gushes from his slashed limb. <><><><><> [Agnes] She watches to see if the rider retains enough control to keep hold of his spear. If he doesn't she'll be on it as quick as she can. **Well ... that was rather successful.** she allows herself to think, with just a hint of smugness pushing back the fear that has been with her for the past day. "Three, Sheykh? Surely you're not going to send that poor boy against me again?" She indicates the rider nursing a slashed arm. If the opportunity is there, she will sling a stone at the hapless man to encourage his flight, or even better, to give her a source of a shield and dagger. "Why don't you just go away and leave us in peace!" <><><><><> [GM] The wounded rider's fingers remain clenched around his spear shaft, for another few horselengths, before it slips from his hand as the rider struggles to stay in the saddle. He slumps and seems on the verge of passing out. The Sheykh replies "Not a chance, woman," and he and the other man close on you from both sides. If either one charges you, using your sling will leave you unarmed when they reach you. You can make a dash for the fallen spear, but it will be a close race. <><><><><> [Agnes] She heads towards the spear on the ground, keeping a wary eye out for the other two. She's not that desperate to get it that she'll take risks - after all, the spear isn't going anywhere. She glances to left and right as she moves, willing to stop where she is if they get too close. **The first horse within sword reach loses a leg1** she tells herself. She studies the two of them, their weapons and armour, trying to decide how they will attack her. <><><><><> [GM] When the Sheykh and his other man see you're heading for the spear, they spur their horses into a gallop, aiming at either side of you. While they have spears strapped across their saddles, both men currently have their swords out. The Sheykh's shield won't help him much on horseback, since he is holding it on the side facing away from you. He comes at you with his sword, while the other man seems to intend on trying to knock you off your feet with his shield. You snatch up the spear just in time to try turning it on one of the charging Berbers....but the other one will probably get a shot at you in passing. <><><><><> [Agnes] She grabs the spear and thows herself flat facing the sheykh. He trusts that the other man will have to keep going on his galloping horse, and will be unable to strike her with his shield. She jambs the but in the ground and heeps the point aimed at him. At the lst moment she pulls the point out of line and aims it at the horse, hoping that the animal will drive itself onto the point. That done, she rolls away from the other man, unless he has passed her already. <><><><><> [GM] Naz Akharmid yells angrily as you level the spear at him, then try to lower it to impale his horse. Through adroit horsemanship, he manages to sidestep his mount around your weapon. His sword swishes narrowly past your head as he rides by. He yells something in Berber, and you barely have time to stand and turn before you realize both men leapt from their saddles while their horses were still moving, and they are on the ground, rushing you simultaneously. <><><><><> [Agnes] She leaps to her feet, and runs - away. She looks for advantageous ground, or the unconsious berber's horse and heads for it, glancing back all the time. For as long as they both follow, she keeps going. If they stop she'll get out her sling again. If they separate, then she'll put some distance between them before fighting one, preferably on something advantageous like a rise or a ridge. <><><><><> [GM] Ahead of you, the wounded Berber continues riding away from you, circling around...he seems still conscious, albeit barely. The Sheykh snarls. Both men chase you for a short distance, but then the Sheykh waves a hand, and they stop. While you get out your sling, the Sheykh runs back towards his horse. He calls out "Aren't you forgetting something?" You see the other man heading towards where Antonella lies on the ground. <><><><><> [Agnes] She curses. She had hoped that by drawing them away, they would forget Antonella. **A good plan, but alas a failed one.** She slings a shot at the other man, and then sprints after him, reloading as she goes. She would dearly love cut him down before he gets to Antonella, and if she gets the chance, she will. No doubt though the Sheykh will warn him of her pursuit, and she will content herself with another shot at him from close range, before closing on him with the sword. She keeps a wary eye out for the Sheykh though. **Not a man to be trusted.** ** After all, He's tried to kill me whilst using mortal assisstance!** she fumes. **For all this talk of _honour_ by men, I've seen precious little regard for the rules these past few days.** <><><><><> [GM] Your sling stone goes flying too far to the left. As you run after the mortal Berber, you see what the Sheykh is retrieving from his horse- a bow. While his bow has a greater speed and range than your sling, fortunately he seems to be not much more accurate with it. His first arrow flies over your head...his second comes no closer. You have time for one more shot at the other man, before he reaches Antonella, with barely a moment to stop and aim. You swing the leather thong, and let fly- The stone strikes his elbow, and he screams and drops his sword, barely three steps from the girl. He grabs his elbow with his other hand, and drops to the ground. You hear the Sheykh yell something that sounds like a curse, and another arrow shoots past you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She runs to the fallen man and takes a hack at his neck where he lies. "You will not be returning to this fight!" After quickly checking that he is dead or unconcious, and relieving him of any obvious dagger, she moves her own horse, to provide some shelter from the Sheykh, as she relieves the man of his shield too. **I _need_ a shield! Eventually, it will come to a fight, and he's hardly likely to fight fair then.** The shield free from the body, she leaves it there, and keeping the horse appropriately placed, uses it as cover as she slings stones back at the Sheykh's horse. <><><><><> [GM] The fallen Berber picks up his sword with his off-hand, and tries to fend you off, to no avail. Your sword sinks into his neck with a solid whack, and while his head doesn't come free, he does collapse, with blood running freely into the sand around him. You see that Antonella has heaved herself onto her elbows, and is watching, very much aware of what's going on. She looks up at you with dread and hope. "How many?" she croaks, while you retrieve your fallen foe's shield. "Damn you, woman!" the Sheykh yells. "You will *force* me to take your head!" He curses again when you sling a stone at his horse. He hops onto the animal, and holds his shield up to protect his face and upper body, and begins riding away from you. You sling one, two, then three stones at him, each one going wider of the mark, until he is over a hundred yards away, too far for you to have more than a prayer of hitting him. But still within range of his bow, albeit given his accuracy so far, the threat is probably not *too* severe. He could shoot your horse, though. "Now what will you do, woman?" he yells, barely audibly. "I believe I can outwait you and the girl." The other Berber, the one still on horseback, is trotting over to rendezvous with his leader. <><><><><> [Agnes] "There is only the Sheykh and one wounded man, Antonella." She hands the fallen man's sword to Antonella. "Don't hurt yourself if you have to use it - you are too badly hurt as it is. But the Sheykh's man is probably in a bad way too, if he comes for you." She glances at the sheykh to check his actions. "I can wait as long as you like!" she shouts. "I will even wait for the Quaid's men to arrive if necessary. As a captor, I prefer him to you." To Antonella she says, "I must just get this man's horse." she nods at the fallen man beside them. Taking up the shield, in the appropriate hand for the journey, she mounts up and rides over to the loose horse, hoping to take its reins and lead it back to Antonella. She jinks as she goes, hoping to spoil the Sheykh's aim. **I wonder if there is a bow on the horse. Surely it can't be difficult to shoot a bow as badly as the Sheykh.** She will be as fast as she can at the other horse, aware that Antonella lies unprotected whilst she is away. **But the sheykh does have a lot of ground to cover.** she reminds herself, trying to reduce the worry. <><><><><> [GM] After you mount and begin riding towards the second horse, the Sheykh's next shot makes you eat your words. The incoming arrow strikes your horse in the chest and plunges deeply enough to stagger the beast. You almost go tumbling off the saddle, hang on, and then find yourself trying to wrestle a panicked horse into a calm enough state to put it back on course. After it spins about in place, almost kneels, and bucks with a couple of frightened shudders, you manage to force it to continue in the direction you want to go. Another arrow hits the sand five yards short, but the horse turns its head to look in that direction, with wide, white eyes. The horse you want is now shying away from both of you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She tries to calm the horse, and speaks soothingly to the one she is trying to catch. She gets the horse she's on to close with the other. Faced with a choice, she'd be willing to give up this to catch the other, but she is fearful of ending up with neither. <><><><><> [GM] Another arrow buzzes close as you grasp the reins of the second horse. Your mount almost throws you, but you manage to stay seated, and hold onto the other horse, and leads them back to Antonella. The Sheykh is aiming carefully now, but his next arrow flies well wide of you....but it does land uncomfortably close to Antonella. Once back at Antonella's position, you dismount and place the horses as a barrier to any further arrowshots. You can see immediately that the wounded horse is not going to go far. Blood is bubbling from where the shaft has sunk into its chest, and soaking its forelegs. The Sheykh hands the reins of his horse to the other man, and begins stalking towards you, with another arrow knocked, and his shield slung over his back. "By God, I am going to make you suffer, woman!" he yells. <><><><><> [Agnes] She checks the new animal for a bow with which to return shots. Should there not be one, she will just have to wait until he's in sling range. As she does, she positions the wounded horse to protect the fresh one. She forces a smile for Antonella. "I think I've managed to upset him, if nothing else." Privately, she's worried. He could well just shoot both horses, and then they'd be in trouble. She keeps not of how far apart the Sheykh and his horse become. <><><><><> [GM] The second horse does have a bow, and a sheaf of arrows. Of course, you've never fired a bow. The Sheykh continues advancing on you. He's between you and the wounded Berber who is guarding (as best someone barely conscious can guard) the two horses they have. He keeps coming, apparently intending to wait until he's close enough to have a good shot at either you or the horses. He's about 150 feet away now....close enough to exchange shots with a small chance of hitting. <><><><><> [Agnes] She watches him approach, as she tries to work out just how she is meant to hold the bow, where on the string the arrow's notch is meant to go, and which side of the bow' shaft the arrow starts off from. She tries a few different exploratory tries as to how to hold the end of the arrow as she draws back the bow. She is quite relieved when he keeps on approaching. She sets down the bow and arrow and takes up her shield and sling. She loads it, and starts it spinning gently as she covers herself with her shield. "Now what?" She shouts to him. "You appreciate that I am _not_ going to surrender. You will either have to drive me unconscious, or take my head, and I will fight you all the way." She checks that Antonella is still protected by the horses, and then continues, "I have beaten both your men. Why not call it a day and leave us alone?" <><><><><> [GM] "It's not your head I want, woman," the Sheykh yells. "But I will take great pleasure in beating you unconscious." Seeing you whirling your sling, he lets fly with another arrow, which comes well short of you. He paces closer, and fires again. This time the arrow flies over your head, and lands a few yards from the horses standing by Antonella. You can't be certain, never having been in an exchange like this before, and not having much experience with missile weapons, but it seems that he still has a slight advantage in range and accuracy. He's not missing as badly as you're likely to at this range, which means the point at which he'll become dangerous will probably come before the point at which you'll hit him with anything but luck. <><><><><> [Agnes] Once she sees him shoot, she casts a stone at him. She uses the horse as cover to reload, and then steps out again. She watches for him to release the arrow, and then jumps to the side, keeping her shield in front. Once the arrow lands, she casts her stone at him, and steps behind he horse to start the process again. She knows that she really is out of her depth here. But she'll give it a few shots to see just how far. The next time out she'll pay attention to just how far away he is in terms of how quickly she could get to him on horseback. <><><><><> [GM] At a hundred feet, you miss by a wide margin. By the time you duck behind your horse, reload, and emerge again to exchange another pair of shots with him, he's at seventy-five feet. Your shot goes even wider this time. He's walking forward quickly between shots, pausing to fire from a standing position and watch out for your return fire, then striding rapidly forward again. At fifty feet, he tries to anticipate your next venture out from behind the cover of your horse, and fires when you step out to whirl your sling again. His arrow misses, and almost strikes the horse. You release your stone too early, and it plows into the sand halfway between you. Obviously, neither of you are particularly competent marksmen. But the Sheykh stops at this point, and readies another arrow very carefully, standing there in the open and waiting for his next opportunity to fire. "If you make me shoot another one of my horses," he calls out, as you stand behind the animal, "I will lay a dozen lashes across your back for every one the girl received." Assessing the range, if you leapt onto the horse's back and charged him, he'd get one clear shot at you, and then you could *probably* reach him before he has time to draw and fire again. <><><><><> [Agnes] **This is stupid!** she tells herself. "Antonella," she says quietly as she puts her sling into her pocket, and makes the sword secure. "I'm going to have to pick you up now." She picks up the girl, and mounts the fresh horse, getting it to start moving as soon as she can. She intends to gallop clear of the Sheykh towards his other man. The Sheykh may have the wounded horse, but she was going to try to deny him the fresh ones. "No heroics, Antonella. Tell me to stop if you cannot take any more." she tells her as she tries to protect her from the worst of the ride. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella holds onto you, and seems strong enough to ride. You don't like her shallow breathing, though, nor the little whimpering sounds she makes at each jounce as the horse moves along. "I'm fine," she insists, in a whisper. "Just...hurts...where I got whipped." Tears of pain trickle down her cheeks. "STOP!" the Sheykh bellows, as you begin circling around him. He yells a second time, then screams "DAMN YOU!" and looses an arrow at you. The horse screams as the arrow sticks into its flank, and begins bucking. Antonella cries out, and you can barely hold onto her. The Sheykh drops his bow, and comes running towards you, from about 20 yards away, trying to unsling his shield from his back as he does so. <><><><><> [Agnes] She holds Antonells tight, and tries to control the horse keeping it moving away from the Sheykh. "You will not take me easily!" she yells at him as she continues to try to get away. <><><><><> [GM] A wounded horse is hard to control, especially when you can only spare one hand to grasp the reins. The animal continues screaming and spinning in circles, aggravated by the painful arrow-wound. For a moment you seem on the verge of calming it, and then it suddenly tries to buck both of you, and you're back to fighting for control. The Sheykh is closing on you as fast as he can lumber along, and you have to conclude that he is probably going to reach you before you'll get the horse moving again in a straight line. Antonella clings tightly to your shoulders, and whispers "Agnes....without me, you can get away." She looks at you seriously, blue eyes earnest, expression pained, as the horse keeps jouncing you both around. "Give me a knife," she whispers, "and I can stay on my feet long enough to slow him down..." <><><><><> [Agnes] "I will do no such thing Antonella, and anyway, I don't have a knife." She dismounts with the girl, laying her down gently. Then she faces the approaching Sheykh, readying her shield and sword. "No more men to hide behind then?" she taunts at him. "Here he comes Antonella, the brave Sheykh, only now, when he has run out of men to try to catch the two women he desires is he forced to come to them himself. What'll your men think Sheykh, when they learn that one woman and her wounded companion gave you a run for your money?" She decides that a good start to the fight would be to feint at his head, and then take his leg off. She smiles ironically to herself. She'd tried exactly that with Gerald in Bordeaux. <><><><><> [GM] Naz Akharmid slows down, and finishes sliding his shield over his arm, as you lay Antonella on the ground. She shivers slightly, and looks up with frightened eyes. The horse, released, bolts away, slowing down once it's safely out of reach. "Please kill him," she whispers. The Sheykh narrows his eyes at your taunt. "They will say that you were a hard-fought prize, and believe me, I intend to make the struggle worth it," he replies. The two of you close, the Sheykh trying to smirk contemptuously, but there are beads of sweat on his brow. You move faster than he does. The Sheykh falls for your feint, but at the last second manages to block your real attack, at his leg, with his shield. You tear a piece of the shield off. He takes a straight-forward hack at you, which you deflect narrowly. He's using the edge, but aiming at your body, rather than your head or neck. <><><><><> [Agnes] She tries not to let her total dislike of the man interfere with her fight, but she does decide to allow herself the luxury of doing exactly the same sequence again to see if he is stupid enough to fall for it a second time. She feints at head and goes for his leg (again) <><><><><> [GM] You can add stupidity to the list of the Sheykh's character flaws. Or at least, he's a slow learner. He recovers a split-second faster from your feint this time....but your attack at his leg is two split-seconds faster. Unfortunately, you get him with only the tip of your sword. You slash across his leg, above the knee, and inflict a bloody, but non-crippling wound. Naz snarls angrily, and swings almost wildly, missing you completely. Another emotion is clouding his face now, besides pain and anger.....fear. Because it's becoming evident to both of you- you're better than him. <><><><><> [Agnes] She sets aside pity. She has seen no reason for any to be offered to Sheykh Naz Akharmid, and she doesn't intent to. She doubts that he would have offered her any. This is serious now. She makes no taunts nor comment. She won't stoop as low as Gerald. She cuts at his head, and tries there again on the next backswing. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh now senses he is in real danger, and takes his defense more seriously. He manages to parry your chops at his head, by the narrowest of margins, and with a hint of desperation, lunges at you with the point of his sword, almost getting past your guard. At this range, you can see he appears to have some kind of leather or hide vest beneath his robes...including a neck-guard. His headgear may also cover some form of protection, but at least he's not wearing mail, so this fight is somewhat more even than your duel with Gerald. His extended wrist looks like another good target for a feint, but this time he pays attention to where you're really aiming, and keeps his attention focused on attacks to his head and upper body. He brings his shield up hastily when you slash at his neck again. This forces your slash at his neck to go low, but you still gouge into his shoulder, inflicting another minor wound.....and he threw himself off-balance with the block, leaving himself exposed for the moment. He brings his sword up in a rising slash that you catch with your own shield and turn away from your body. <><><><><> [Agnes] The chances of a swift victory are dribbling through her fingers, and she is starting to resign herself to a long slog where the bad luck that she feels always accompanies her in fights will make its presence felt. She sees he is slightly off balance and launches another attack at his neck, before contenting herself witth a few swings at his chest. <><><><><> [GM] He parries your next attempt to cut his head off, but can't bring his off- balance shield up to stop the blows to his body. You can't seem to land a solid blow, though...you tear through his robe but barely penetrate the leather covering his chest. He winces, and swings back once again, forcing you to take a step backwards as you parry. Gritting his teeth, he parries and blocks your next flurry of blows, and then slashes again. Much to the surprise of both of you, he hits you- solidly. You feel terrible pain as his sword rips into your side, smashing ribs and tearing flesh, and knocking you to the ground where you struggle to draw a breath, while blood pours out of you. Another memory comes to you....Kemal's pupil Marwan; another Saracen immortal who was an inferior fighter, yet almost killed you. Naz Akharmid roars with exultation, and steps forward to raise his sword overhead, and plunge it into your chest while you're still stunned by the force of his blow. He's partially foiled by your shield- he strikes the edge of it, which blunts much of the force of his thrust, and you feel just an inch or two of metal drive through the leathers under your own robes. Painful, but not enough to skewer you. You suck air through your teeth, trying to ignore the all-too-familiar agony of a wound that should be mortal, but won't be if you can just survive this fight. The Sheykh swings down at you again, this time trying to hit you over the head with the flat of his blade. Your raised sword provides a weak defense, yet you manage to deflect the blow. Prone and light-headed, growing fainter with every passing second, you know you have to somehow score decisively against him and fast, or you will in all likelihood wake up bound and slung over the back of a horse, being hauled victoriously back to his camp. <><><><><> [Agnes] Despite the pull of unconsciousness, she forces herself to her knees, and launches an all-or-nothing blow at his legs: concentrating hard to try to make sure it actually hits him. Then she knows that, despite her body's desire to be horizontal, she must force herself to fight on. The memories of Aquitaine are so vivid, that she decides that once she is on her feet, the first thing she will do is step into him and punch him with the hilt of her sword. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh tries to kick you back over when you pull yourself painfully to your knees, but your shield takes most of the impact. The effort almost causes you to black out, though. He simply steps backwards to avoid your swings at his legs. Then he comes forward again, trying to hit you over the head. If he'd just swing at your body, you're so off-balance and faint that you wouldn't have been able to stop him, but he misses your head. After you lurch to your feet, he steps in again and strikes your body, a little higher than the last blow, but just as deep. More pain, more blood, but you somehow stay on your feet this time, though your vision is turning red. "Why don't you give up?" he says, almost gently. He steps forward to deliver a blow that would certainly finish you, because you're still suffering shock from his last blow- then something whirls through the air and bounces off his chest. He looks down, at the rock falling to the sand, and looks back up, irritated. Antonella screams "NoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and rushes at him. The Sheykh holds up his shield, and the girl collides with it with a sharp cry. He pulls the shield back, and slams her with it, knocking her to the ground. "Stupid girl!" he exclaims. "How *dare* you interfere?" Antonella moans, and tries to roll over, but can't. She bought you enough time to recover, but you won't stay on your feet much longer. If the Sheykh was to simply stay out of reach, he could probably just wait until you fall over from shock and bleeding. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I will _not_ submit!" she spits at him as she struggles to keep herself upright. She winces at the blow that she can do nothing about, but which doesn't arrive. Antonella's foolhardy action allows Agnes' head to clear just enough to see her own predicament. "She dares, because she doesn't know about the game, never mind its rules." She manages to get out, before steping in towards him swinging at his sword arm. She knows that this is it - her final chance. She will keep on towards him if he steps away, and get close enough to grab him. She will stop him being able to swing at her or parry, and headbutt him if that's what it takes, even grab him by the throat and throttle him! She will not give up until her body lets her down! <><><><><> [GM] He seems to have been hoping you would keel over, though he wasn't smart enough to step back while waiting. He raises his sword again when you move towards him, and tries to stop-thrust you when you keep closing. You take advantage of his extended arm to slash it open from wrist to elbow. He growls and curses, retracting the arm, and looking concerned. The Sheykh is pretty bloody himself now, from wounds to the leg, shoulder, chest and arm. He just hasn't taken any single wound as severe as the ones he dealt you. He definitely did NOT expect you to actually grapple him! He flails his arms frantically to shove you away, as you grab his throat with one hand- you have no choice but to drop your sword as you do so, since your other arm is encumbered by your shield. The two of you dance awkwardly around for a few moments, stalemated. In close quarters, with two shields locked together, he can't bring his sword into play, but you aren't strong enough to strangle him with one hand. If having a woman grab him shocked the Sheykh, your attempting to head-butt him shocks him even more. Your foreheads smack together, with no significant effect other than another curse from the Berber. He shoves you hard, and pushes you away. He may be surprised at your strength, but his stocky frame contains a lot of muscle too. Now you're facing him with just a shield. Your sword is at your feet. He lunges at you, and you block his thrust with your shield. Blood keeps pouring out of your side, but sheer determination keeps you on your feet. "Fall down, damn you, woman!" he snarls. "Don't you realize you can't win!?" But despite his confident tone, he's looking none too steady himself. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I will not yield!" she says through gritted teeth as she steps in towards him, kneeing him in the groin, punching him in the nose, and/or trying to grab his sword-arm - whichever opportunity arises. Finesse has gone - not that she really showed any in the first place. **I owe it to Antonella!** she keeps telling herself, as she forces herself to stay on he feet. <><><><><> [GM] His arm is your greatest worry, as it still holds the sword. You succeed in grappling him again, wrapping your one free arm around his. He tries to simultaneously jerk his arm free and box you on the side of the head with the pommel of his sword. You manage to hold on, barely, and duck out of the way, but you almost lose your grip because of the blood soaking his entrapped limb. Then you take another half-step forward, and drive your knee up into his groin, hard. You feel some kind of hard protection absorb much of the impact, or you'd have practically lifted him off the ground, but he lets out a startled "whoof!", and exhales very slowly, bathing your face in the odor of his breath. His eyes roll back in his head slightly. His lips move like he wants to curse you, but it's all he can do to keep breathing. You try to follow up with a second blow, but your shield gets in your way. The two of you sway on your feet, staring at one another with mutual hate and desperation. You feel consciousness slipping away with the blood flowing down your legs. Your hold loosens, and you fall to your knees before him. He lurches (you don't see what he's doing), and then you topple forward onto your face. You dread waking up, sure it will be to a resumption of the nightmare. What you hear is Antonella's voice. "Agnes!" she sobs. "Agnes, please don't die!" Someone is pulling at your robes, hands are moving over your body. <><><><><> [Agnes] **I've failed ...** She despairs, and then feels relief that at least he didn't take her head. "It's alright, Antonella. I'll live." She opens her eyes, expecting to see the inside of one of the Sheik's tents. <><><><><> [GM] To your surprise, you see open sky above you, and Antonella's panicked face....with a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. You seem to be lying in the sand where you fell. Antonella is wadding up strips of cloth that look suspiciously like fragments of the robe Naz Akharmid was wearing, and pressing them rather ineffectually against your wounds. You still feel pain in your side- your wounds haven't finished healing yet- so you can't have been out for very long. Antonella moans, as your eyes flutter open. "Oh God, Agnes!" she sobs, tears mixing with blood and sand on her face. She takes a shuddering breath, and then slumps forward against you. And you still feel the Quickening. <><><><><> [Agnes] She eases Antonella off her, and lays her down. She gets up as rapidly as possible, grabbing her sword as she does so, and looking about, reorientates herself, trying to find the Sheykh, as well as spotting what his man is up to. Seeing his body, she walks over to it and smashes her sword into his chest as hard as she can. She doesn't want him to recover, and she does want his man to see her the obvious victor. She does it a second time for good measure, before hurrying back over to Antonella, to see how she is, and to try to stop any bleeding. Trying, despite her lack of knowledge, to keep her alive. "Stay with me, Antonella. Everything is going to be fine." <><><><><> [GM] Antonella is barely strong enough to reply...whatever she's been up to has cost her all her remaining strength. When you rise, you see something happened after you passed out, but you have to study the scene to figure out exactly what. First, you notice a dull throb in your chest, and see a ghastly amount of blood staining you from the neck down, higher than the Sheykh struck you during the fight. And there's a slit in the front of your robe, and a rent in your leather vest over your chest, which stretches down to your belly. The Sheykh is lying on the ground with his sword next to him. He is also more bloody than he was during the fight, with the aftermath of what appears to be numerous stab wounds to his torso staining his own robes. Antonella appears to have torn cloth from unstained areas, including unwrapping his headdress, to use as bandages for you. For her part, she is covered in blood...probably yours, Naz Akharmid's, and her own. And wrapped around one bloody wrist is your sling, which she must have retrieved from your pocket. With her robe torn open in back and being ripped and pulled this way and that as she moved around in frantic activity that probably didn't do anything good for her wounds, the girl is now half-naked, with her pale skin, covered with welts, exposed to the sun. The horse wounded earlier has collapsed on the ground where you left it standing. The other one is far away, having drifted further from all of you. The Sheykh's horse and that of his surviving minion are standing nearby, eying you warily. And about ten yards away, much closer than he'd been left earlier, the remaining Berber is lying motionless in the sand. The Sheykh seems to be be close to reviving. He makes a choking sound when you stab him through the chest again, and then gurgles and lies still when you impale him a second time. Now he lies inert, beginning the healing process all over again. Antonella's eyelids flutter, when you begin examining her, and gently pulling her robes back over her. Some of her welts have split open and begun oozing blood. Around the raw gashes over her breast, which make you wince just to look at them, there is a bloody froth, and you see little bubbles appear each time she exhales. "You were...great, Agnes," she mutters. She looks up at the sky, eyes losing focus. "He...he stabbed you....bastard....I did him tooo..." Her eyes close, but her shallow breathing continues. <><><><><> [Agnes] The sheer quantity of blood spilled by all three, and covering all three of them, combined with the sight of Antonella's wounds is un-nerving. Well, more than un-nerving. Her stomach churns, but she manages to control herself. She weeps for Antonella, and her condition, and pushes away from her mind the only real solution. Leaving the girl, she busies herself by taking off the sheykh's outer clothes, and using the cloth to bind together his hands and then his feet. She leaves him his decency, but checks for weapons nevertheless. She starts to walk to Antonella, but cannot, and turns away to walk over to the fallen berber. His clothes have to be in better condition than hers, so she stips off hers and relieves the corpse of its. Talking soothingly to the horses, she retrieves then and leads them back to Antonella and the Sheykh. As she does, she steels herself for what she must do next. She walks over to the body, and drives the sword through her friend's heart. She cannot bear to think of her surviving, but carrying the scars across her body forever. She stays long enough to check that the deed was sufficient to kill her, before turning away, crying profusely. She has a hack at the Sheykh's chest once more in frustration - anger - pain - sorrow. It was his fault! Making the horses secure, she runs across the sand to the other fallen berber, trying to run the emotion out of herself. Again, she strips the body for clothes, this time for Antonella, before returning to the group with them and the bow and arrows she had left earlier. She stands, depressed, and for the time being alone, in the desert. Sorting her clothes aand weapons, and some for Antonella. Then she occupies herself going through the horse furniture to see what there is in the way of food and water. She waits for them both to recover. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella's eyes open as you are about to plunge the blade into her heart. She looks at you questioningly, and murmurs, "Agnes?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She is frozen by Antonella's look, and her question. Long moments pass, as she struggles to tell herself it is for the best. Finally, she tosses away her sword and throws herself to the ground, sobbing. She just cannot do it - she cannot kill her best friend even though she is sure that she will become alive again. She cannot play God. "I'm sorry, Antonella. I thought you were suffering too much, and that you were going to die." she gets out between the sobs, "I wanted to make it swift for you - but I cannot." Finally, she raises her head from the sand and looks at her friend. "I will make sure you get through this Antonella." She gets up and goes over to her, and starts to tend her wounds as best she can, applying bandages here, pressure there, trying to clean wounds from grit, giving her drinks of water. She uses the swords and bows stuck into the sand to support the spare clothes as a shade from the sun. "Tell me when you think you can sit on a horse Antonella. Until then. we can wait here." She glances ofer at the Sheykh to see how he is doing. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella reaches out to touch your arm. "'s all right," she says weakly. "I...I'll be all right...if it didn't hurt so much..." she tries to take a deep breath, and grimaces, closing her eyes again. As you are tending her, her eyes pop wide open, suddenly, and she stares at you. "The Sheykh ran you through with his sword, before he collapsed!" she gasps. "How can you be walking?" She coughs. "I thought *you* were done for more surely than I!" The Sheykh continues to heal, but isn't stirring yet. <><><><><> [Agnes] She takes Antonella's hand and hold it gently. "Antonella. There is much that you do not know. This is partly because you have not had time to learn it, and - for the important things - partly because I have shielded you from it." She sits up, and shuffles herself closer to her friend, so that they can look at each other and hold each other's hand. "What you are going to hear will come to you as a great shock, as great a shock as it was to me when I heard it - and knew it to be true. Antonella .... I am immortal. I cannot die, I do not age, my wounds heal rapidly. I can only be killed if my head is chopped off. Wait!" she says holding up her hand to quell the questions. "It is worse than that. I am not alone. There are many immortals that walk the earth, unknown by the rest of humanity. But we know each other. Some hunt others down, some try to lead peaceful lives. To that end there are rules to our combat. Missile weapons and outside assistance are forbidden, for instance. The sactity of holy places must be respected - _All_ holy places, whatever the religion." She indicates the recovering body. "The Sheykh over there is also immortal. Despite all the wounds I inflicted upon him and then those you added, and my later slashes at his body, he will recover. Were it not for the fact that I have bound him hand and foot, he would be getting up soon too." She grips her hand tightly. "I know this is a shock, but you have seen the wounds on the two of us with your own eyes, and they are no longer there are they? So I have to tell you the truth. Antonella, I was born in 770AD. I will soon be eighty years old." <><><><><> [GM] Antonella gapes at you. "That...that's not possible!" she exclaims, then coughs, and lowers her voice, wiping at her lips and smearing a trace amount of blood there. "That would make you...like, like a strella, or a vampyre! You're no such thing!" Her eyes move to your chest, but the slashed robes you wore before have been replaced by the fallen Berber's. She shudders for a moment. "I could see your guts," she chokes. She closes her eyes, and breaths in and out with effort. Then opens them and looks at you, with another abrupt shift in her thoughts. "If this is true, hadn't you better cut his head off, then?" she asks. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I ought to - but the Sheykh's not going anywhere." She lets go Antonella's hand and lifts her own clothes to show the girl her abdomen. "Look, Antonella. I am healed." She folds back her clothes. "I do not know if it is a gift or a curse, but I have stayed in a monastary, and work for one for several years, and God has not struck me down yet. I have tried to repay the kindness shown by the immortal who found me, by helping his monastary." She goes all misty eyed thinking of it .... "Until one day I saw a vision of him, and it told me to leave. That it was too dangerous for me to stay." She stares into space for a while... "So I did. I headed towards France and Italy, and that's how I came to be in Rome." Glancing at the Sheykh, she sees him start to stir again. She gets up and walks over to him. Standing over his almost naked body she asks, "Tell me Sheykh, why I should not cut your head off, especially when you started our fight by shooting arrows at me?" <><><><><> [GM] Naz Akharmid is snarling as he struggles with his bonds. He finally subsides when you stand over him. "I was not looking to take your head!" he protests. "If I shot you and then took your head, that would be a different matter. I was only trying to capture you." Without a doubt, he looks nervous; his eyes keep darting to the sword in your hand. He licks his lips and tries to sound commanding and reasonable at the same time. "As for why you should not take my head....at this moment, my tribe is combing the desert searching for me. No doubt at least some of them are not far away. If you take my head, you will be left weakened by the Quickening, with a wounded girl, while the lightning attracts my men." "Or it could be the Qaid's men that reach us first. They will be searching for both of us as well as for the Sekwasa tribe." "You did notice the Quickening back at the battle site, did you not? Obviously, either your husband or the Qaid has lost his head. Are you willing to stake your life on the outcome?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She waits a while, eyeing her sword, letting him sweat, before saying, "Well, you are a devious bastard, and treacherous too, but I do believe that you were trying to capture me. So I may well spare you - as you say, you may be useful to me alive. Don't do anything rash that may cause me to stop you by cutting your head off." she adds with a smile. "We're not going anywhere until the girl is well enough to ride." She returns to Antonella to check on her wellbeing. Eventually, she intends to put Antonella on one horse, to ride the other herself, with the sheykh tied to it by his bound wrists on a long rope. Together they will head towards Kemal's camp. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh grits his teeth, but refrains from answering. He does look over at his fallen man, though, as you kneel back next to Antonella. "What happened to Feydan?" he says at last. Antonella opens her eyes again. "The man on the horse?" she whispers, obviously too quietly for the Sheykh to hear her. She smiles. "He yelled for him...the Sheykh did I mean...'fore he fell down....and I....I crawled over to you....and found your sling...." She giggles. "I got him! One shot!" With a little help from you, she sits up, and says "I'm as ready as I will be....since I can't lie here in the desert until I get better, can I?" "Look to the south, woman," the Sheykh says. When you do, you see a cloud of dust rising from a large group of horsemen....coming from the direction of the Qaid's camp. "Those are either my men or the Qaid's," says the Sheykh. "If they're mine, I'd better not be tied up and half naked when they get here. If they're the Qaid's, you still don't dare take the time to kill me-" He hesitates, then says "If you and the girl get on one horse, and I take the other, we can go in opposite directions and divide pursuit." <><><><><> [Agnes] "An excellent suggestion, Sheykh, if the aim is to have me recaptured. But as that is not my desire, we shall do something else. Look the other way please." She goes to Antonella and gently eases her to her feet. Then, allowing Antonella to hold on to steady herself, she carefully cuts off her ripped and bloody clothes. Using the cloth thus recovered, she then bandages any wounds requiring attention. She glances once or twice at the Sheykh as she works, to check he's not staring at them, and threatens him with the sword if he is. With the girls wounds tended as best she can, she says, "Now, Antonella, let's get these on." and eases on as gently as she can, the relatively unbloodied clothes of the other berber. "Now wait there," she says as she walks across the sand to the horses, and brings one over. Taking as long as it takes, she gets the girl into the saddle with the minimum of pain and discomfort. Then Agnes goes round the horse to make sure everything is secure, and then hangs onto it a shield, a sword, a bow and arrows. After fetching the other horse, she fixes weapons upon it similarly, and after puting her sling in her pocket with as amany suitable stones as she could find, she mounts up. "Antonella, wait here a moment, I'll be back in a minute." She rides over to the dead horse, dismounts, recovers its bridle and reins, and rides back. After dismounting by the Sheykh she binds his wrists with leather, and leaves a single long rein connected to the bindings. "I don't particularly want you freeing your wrists whilst I'm not looking." she says pleasantly too him. "Oh, and I'm sorry about your clothes, but it was for your own protection. If we'd been chanced upon, I was making it easier for you to explain how you were unscratched. It would have been more difficult if you'd been clothed in bloody rags, that had obviously been run through by a sword." In a quieter voice, she adds. "The girl has not died her first death. She does not know she is destined to become immortal." With steel behind the voice, she adds, "Tell her, or even drop hints, and it will be the last thing you ever do. Understand?" She rolls him over, and reverts to a normal tone, "Now, don't make a nuicence of yourself, or I will drag you behind the horses." She picks him up and throws him over the rump of her horse, before mounting herself. "This way will let us put in some distance between us and the Qaid's men. Later, you get to walk." She trots over to Antonella. "Are you ready? You set the pace - I don't want you killing youself." She looks about, orientating herself. "We go this way," she says, pointing them in a Southwesterly direction, to start off a long sweeping curve of a route that will take them back to Kemal - she hopes. <><><><><> [GM] You do catch the Sheykh sneaking a look at Antonella while she's undressed. You have to threaten him with the sword twice before he finally keeps his head turned in the opposite direction. "Wouldn't it have been simpler to finish the job you started?" he says, when you warn him not to reveal Antonella's immortality. "It would have given both of you a better chance to escape." Then he adds hastily, "So be it, if you wish her to be unaware of her destiny for however long it takes her to die of those wounds." He growls indignantly as you lift him and sling him across the back of the horse, his face turning deep red. Half naked and trussed up like you were earlier, he's a squat little man who appears more comical than dangerous. Antonella giggles at the sight of him, which infuriates the Sheykh still further. "You'll pay for this!" he snarls, unable to control his fury, before remembering what a poor situation he's in to be making threats. Antonella sets the pace as you directed...a painfully slow one. Moving as you are, in a tangent from the path of the approaching riders, it's obvious you're going to be seen...and unless you can spur your horses to much greater speed, easily overtaken. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I'm sorry, Antonella, we'll have to faster for a bit." she says, though it pains her to do so. She heads them off at right angles to the direction of approach of the cloud of dust, searching for some concealment. Any concealment would do - even if it meant that they had to force the horses to lie down in a dip in the ground. "You needn't worry Sheykh, I have no intention to go out of my way to humiliate you: being captured and bound by two women is sufficient in this society, I should think." <><><><><> [GM] Antonella nods, and spurs her horse faster. You see her grimace as the ride becomes rougher, but she stays in the saddle and holds on tight, though her face is becoming pale. The Sheykh just glowers at you, with a venomous look, between casting worried glances backwards at the approaching Berbers. It's a force of several hundred, not riding together in a tight formation, but spread out widely across the desert. Away from the rocky ridge that was back near the Qaid's camp, you're now out on the open desert. There are no real places of concealment. There are some depressions in the sand, and if you laid your horses down there, there is *slight* chance the riders could pass you by, but it doesn't seem likely....by now you've surely been spotted. Once again you find yourself in a chase situation where the odds are very much not in your favor. Naz Akharmid groans, as you continue galloping along. "That's the advance fringe of the Qaid's army!" he says. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Well, Sheykh, let us just hope that they feel they have more important things to do than to hound two apparent berbers across the desert." She steadies the pace, keeping note of Antonella's condition, and tries to get out of the path of the approaching troops. Hopefully only a few at most might be detatched to investigate them. At least - that's what she hopes. With ever more concerned glances at Antonella, she tries to put them off to the side, obviously riding on a course that will not cause them to be able to warn anyone. She knows that at any moment she will have to stop if Antonella looks like she is about to pass out. <><><><><> [GM] "They're going to be *looking* for us, among other things!" the Sheykh spats. "Do you think they'll just ignore us, woman?" Antonella tries to smile at you reassuringly, signalling that she doesn't need to stop. You can't tell if she's just trying to be heroic, however. The number of Berbers who break off and begin converging towards you is twenty. The Sheykk begins swearing. <><><><><> [Agnes] She continues to lead them away, so that eventually the main force will be out of sight, even if the pursuit isn't. "Well, Sheykh. What do you fancy? Maybe I should drop you off with a bow and a sword, and leave you to 'negotiate' with them? No doubt though, half would simply keep going after us. What if instead we were all to stop and I were to give you a sword and shield? How do you think we would fare together against twenty? If we stood either side of Antonella, they could only get three or four at a time against each of us. Personally, I think that's too many for us to win, but if we do - you take one horse and go whichever way you wish to go, and we take the other and go our way. It's either that or surrender - for we're not going to outrun them." As she talks she looks back, trying to see if the troops are indeed the Qaid's and not Berbers or indeed some other faction. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh seems to be considering, and then says "I think it unlikely my prospects are any better than yours if I surrender. I also doubt we can fight off twenty men by ourselves, but it seems preferable to the alternative. With luck, they will leave us for dead-" he pauses, glancing at Antonella, then says "Well, you can consider the possibilities for yourself." You can't tell tribes apart, so you can't be sure whether the approaching Berbers are the Qaid's men or not, though his camp was the only place in this area from which so many are likely to have come. As they gain on you, however, you see that most of your pursuers seem to be those dark-robed, veiled warriors that the Qaid had standing guard over you and Kemal. <><><><><> [Agnes] She brings the horses to a stand, telling Antonella to dismount and lie down, She dismounts herself, and cuts the Sheykh's bonds with her sword, saying "Take the sword and shield off the other horse, and the bow and arrows too." Herself, she walks to stand over Antonella, and planting her sword where she can easily recover it, gets out her sling and a stone. "What is special about these men then Naz Akharmid?" she asks, granting him a name for the first time. <><><><><> [GM] Antonella asks "Is there an extra sling? A bow?" But she wobbles as she dismounts, belying her readiness to fight. She looks up at you with a pallid face. "Is this the end?" she whispers. The Sheykh arms himself, muttering angrily about having to fight half- naked. It probably isn't so much a matter of modesty, as you have seen some of the Berber heretics going bare-chested, something unthinkable among proper Muslims. (And you have plenty of reason to believe the Sheykh is not a proper Muslim.) But he's surely missing the leather armor with metal rings you stripped off his body and now have folded up under one saddle. He ties the sword belt around his waist, and sets the shield standing on its edge in the sand before him, then takes up the bow and arrows. "The veiled ones are members of a secret society the Qaid formed, recruiting men of various tribes. They wear veils to conceal their identities so that their own tribes will not consider them deserters or traitors." He notches an arrow. "They tend to be among the best warriors, and fanatically loyal to the Qaid. If he's still alive, they'll fight for him to the death, and if he's dead, they'll fight to the death to avenge him." The Berbers are now a hundred and fifty yards away (farther away than you can even reach with your sling yet). The Sheykh pulls back the bow and raises an arrow, taking aim at the leading rider. "I hope we shoot better now than we did against one another." <><><><><> [Agnes] She takes down the other bow and arrows. "Here, Antonella, use this if you can, even though I'd actually prefer you to take no part, given your state of health." Agnes steps a pace ahead of the girl, to draw fire and shield her somewhat. She keeps her shield up and in front of her, waiting until she thinks she has a chance of hitting one with a stone, and then either readying another or taking up her sword. "The end, Antonella? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I suppose it depends how good they are, how determined they are, and whether they intend to kill or capture." For herself, Agnes feels relatively calm. Yes, they are totally outnumbered, but she is not alone, and somehow that makes all the difference. <><><><><> [GM] Naz holds his fire until the advancing riders are just over 100 yards and about eight seconds away, then fires his first arrow. It flies harmlessly between two horses. You calculate you have time for two shots, while they are within your range but still far enough way to pick up your sword and shield before they arrive. Your farthest shot flies over their heads. The Sheykh fires again, when they reach fifty yards, missing again. Your next stone also misses. Antonella manages one shot from a half-seated position, and the arrow goes flying upwards at an arc that nearly carries it *beyond* the entire group of Berbers. Naz risks one more shot, at close range, while you are dropping your sling and picking up your melee weapons. Antonella says hoarsely "Agnes, give me the sling!" The Sheykh's arrow strikes one horseman in the chest, and that man yelps and clutches at the shaft. The Berbers may intend to capture you rather than kill you, because you see several of them have bows also, but they didn't try to use them. But as they fan out to surround you, with four jumping off their horses to approach you with swords, Naz stiffens, when you sense the same thing he does- All but six of these Berbers are veiled, and the six that aren't, you don't recognize, but there is an immortal among them. <><><><><> [Agnes] She tosses the sling and the bag of stones to Antonella as the Qaid's men start to get too close, and she takes up her sword. As the men spread out, she alters her position to try to keep the girl protected between the two immortals. She stiffens in unison with Naz. "That makes things all rather different, doesn't it?" A fear that hadn't been present moments before, had made itself felt in the pit of her stomach. "Perhaps the Qaid is teasing us, or maybe a third immortal won the day back at the ridge." she adds fearfully. <><><><><> [GM] "Not unless there was a third immortal among the Qaid's forces somehow unknown to me," the Sheykh answers fearfully. "I know for certain there is no other immortal among the Sekwasa." There is no time for further discussion, as the first four veiled warriors rush you.....three come at the Sheykh, one comes for you. Naz swears, sounding like he wouldn't mind it if you were given a little more respect right now... Your only chance is to take your men out quickly before they have time to surround you and hem you in. Your opponent parries your first blow but isn't expecting your backstroke, which tears across his chest, staggering him and causing his swing at you to go wild. You hear swords clashing to your left, and get a glimpse of one black- robed figure falling. Your opponent raises his sword to parry your next attack, and isn't quick enough to react to your cut below his guard. You slash his stomach open. He grunts, and despite the entrails tumbling out of his belly, he still tries to take your head off. You block the blow, but your counterattack misses because he collapses to the ground. The Sheykh screams, and you turn towards him, expecting to see he's been hit, but instead you see that he is crying out exultantly as he chops through one man's neck. That man joins Naz's first opponent on the ground, followed by his head, still wearing its veil, but the third man steps in and slashes his face. Naz reels, blood running down his neck with half the left side of his face flapping loosely from his jaws. He snarls something venemous and then manages in Arabic "I could use some help, woman!" You see half a dozen more warriors dismounting and coming to join their comrades, while the others stay on their horses and encircle you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She steps towards Naz's remaining opponent hoping to cut him down and return to her place guarding Antonella before the next ones arrive. "You are doing all right. After all, I am but a woman. Surely it is right that you are treated with sufficient extra respect that three attack you for every one that attacks me?" <><><><><> [GM] This warrior, like the other veiled ones, carries no shield, but a large, heavy sword held in both hands. He sees you coming up on his side and ducks, but isn't fast enough to duck the second blow. He seems to be wearing some kind of armor beneath his robes, as your sword doesn't bite as deeply into him as you hoped. You do draw blood, however. Naz, momentarily recovered from the blow to his head, lunges at the other Berber and cuts him down while he's half-turned towards you. "I think now there will be more than enough for both of us," he mutters, as the next wave of opponents surges towards you. Something whirls through the air nearby, and one of the circling horsemen yells and bends over in his saddle, grabbing at his shoulder. "I got one!" Antonella exclaims eagerly, sounding as if she's on the verge of giggling (she probably would, if it didn't hurt so much.) This time, you get three men. They seem to have decided you're a threat after all. You're just about to cross swords when you hear Antonella scream. Glancing to your left, you see Naz Akharmid standing over her with his sword raised. One foot pins her shoulder to the ground. "JAZIR KAGHLIDAMEZZAR! OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT THE WOMEN ALIVE OR YOU'D HAVE HAD US SHOT!" he yells. If he is right about the Qaid being present, this might be true- that is, the Qaid may not wish his men to see you both being shot down with arrows, and then turn up alive again as his captives. "LET US PARLEY!" Naz bellows. He glares at you. "Don't come closer, woman, or the girl loses her head!" The three men about to engage you, and the trio that were closing on the Sheykh, pause uncertainly. <><><><><> [Agnes] She glares at the Sheykh, saying angrily, "A drop of her blood on your sword, and I'll take your head there and then!" She waits for a response from the other side however, whilst warily dividing her attention between the three potential opponents and the untrustworthy sheykh. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh just glares at you, before casting his eyes back out to the encircling Berbers. "WELL, QAID?" he yells. "OR HAVE YOU DECIDED YOU NO LONGER NEED ANY OF US ALIVE? IN WHICH CASE, THERE IS NO REASON FOR ME NOT TO BEHEAD THIS ONE!" From surprisingly nearby, you hear a familiar voice. "You guessed wrong, ibn kelb." One of the three veiled warriors opposite you swings his sword in a deadly circle around himself. The men on either side fall away from him, one with his head practically bursting off his shoulders, the other with his head tilting backwards, neck slashed open and spraying blood but not completely severed, but if there was any doubt whether he has been mortally wounded, the matching spray of blood from his eviscerated belly eliminates it. Both men are corpses before they hit the ground. Kemal ibn-Hakim spares you just a glance from above his veil, nods briefly, then says "As long as the girl lives, Naz Akharmid, I have reason to fight on your behalf, and perhaps not kill you as soon as I get the chance. Should she die, there is no absolutely reason for your head to remain on your shoulders." Then he launches himself at the other trio of warriors with a blood- curdling yell. The Sheykh is so taken aback by this turn of events, he's caught by surprise when Antonella throws a handful of sand up in his face, and he snarls and clenches his eyes shut, trying to blink the debris away. Antonella wriggles under his foot and screams "GET OFF ME, YOU FILTHY HEATHEN BASTARD!" <><><><><> [Agnes] **Yes!!! Oh thank you, Lord!** A feeling of joy and relief hits her. All the thoughts she'd had earlier of being silently cold to Kemal when they next met evapourated in an instant. He was alive and he had come to rescue them! She steps towards the sheykh and swings the flat of her blade at his head, hard enough to shift him. "You heard her! Get off!" She quickly looks around to see what the remaining berbers are up to. She believes there should be 10, of whom 2 have already been hurt. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh managed to get one eye open, in time to raise his shield and deflect your blow, but it does force him to take a step backwards nonetheless. "I should've taken your head when I had the chance!" he growls. Kemal runs straight through the midst of the next three foes, swinging his sword wildly as he goes. Or so it appears, but those wild swings slice off three heads in quick succession. Blood sprays everywhere, drenching the Arab immortal as he turns to survey the rest of the Berbers, standing like an executioner over the gushing, twitching bodies of the slain. The ten men still on their horses are definitely taken aback by this. You can see the man the Sheykh shot, as blood has soaked his chest, visible even over his black robe. You aren't sure which one was wounded in the shoulder by Antonella. However, seeing that nine of their comrades are already down, and one has suddenly been revealed as an enemy infiltrator, they decide that rushing into melee doesn't seem to be working, and pull out bows. Naz Akharmid either doesn't notice or doesn't care. He lunges at you, almost catching you by surprise while you were taking a quick look around you. And he does get past your guard, hacking into your left leg and driving you to your knees. Your crippled leg sends a wave of agony through you, and the Sheykh stands over you, raising his sword. "If I can't have you, and I can't escape, I'll take your head at least!" he hisses. "NOOOOOO!!" Antonella screams. Kemal has backed to where she's lying, standing over her, looking as if he's ready to try deflecting arrows with his sword. The Berbers are hesitating, perhaps not sure what to make of this scene. "If you kill her, be sure your head will follow!" Kemal says. The Sheykh hesitates, which saves your life. You manage to overcome your shock while he is still standing over you ready to cut your head off. "Stop him Kemal!" Antonella sobs, but Kemal says, "I cannot." Then he yells something at the horsemen, in Berber. <><><><><> [Agnes] As quickly as it had arrived, the feeling of joy and relief evapourated. She steadies her self on both her knees, and brings forward her good leg to adopt a more stable kneeling position. She studies the Sheykh, awaiting his next move, knowing that if he were to attack, she is in a very poor position, and will have to cripple one of his legs similarly to have any chance. What the berbers are up to and what Kemal is up to is of no importance anymore. "Oh but you _can_, Kemal it is just that you _choose_ not to." With bitterness in her words she continues, "I sometimes wonder at you men. When is suits you, you claim that honour and The Rules are all important, but it appears that when they are not you can freely disregard them. Take the Sheykh here, it was not _I_, but _he_, who was trussed up like a chicken on the back of a horse. He still has his head now because *I* follow the rules. Despite the fact that he started off by trying to shoot me, which - correct me if I am wrong, ibn-Hakim - *is* against the rules, I did not take his head when I had the opportunity. I believed that since he claimed that he was not trying for my head, and I had not formally challenged him to let him know that *I* was, then I couldn't take his head. Now this seems a little at odds with the Qaid's interpretation, since he believed he had the right to take your head at any time ibn-Hakim. Now here we are, with the Sheykh only free because I freed him and armed him so that together we could resist the Qaid's men. Now he threatens to cut off Antonella's head, and actually tries to cut off mine! Without even a hint from him that he has decided to goi for heads! And you! ibn-Hakim, ibn-Daud, credit him with the protection afforded to those with honour that fight be the rules!" She spits. "Well that's what I think of that honour, and those rules!" She waits, knowing that the longer nothing happens the longer her leg has to recover, albeit marginally, but perhaps enough to allow her to put some weight on it. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal says in a pained voice, "The Qaid and the Sheykh are not honorable men, Agnes, but that does not mean I can follow suit-" he pauses. "If you broke the Rules, Naz Akharmid, then I am *not* bound to observe them with regards to you....." "I did not!" Naz protests. "She neglects to mention I did not take *her* head either, when I had the chance! I ran her through to prevent her from reviving before me, but I could have cut her head off!" Kemal looks agonized, and uncertain. Then out of the corner of your eye, you see Berbers nocking arrows and pointing them at all of you. Kemal advances on the Sheykh. "So, you are willing to break the Rules after all, when it is only your woman's wild rantings that accuse *me* of doing so!" Naz says. "Well, then throw away your honor altogether!" He tosses his sword to the ground, and holds out his arms, as if offering himself to be decapitated. Kemal stops in his tracks. You know there is no way your husband could bring himself to take an unarmed man's head. "I heard what you told the veiled ones," the Sheykh says. "You were hoping my Quickening would scare them away. Well, then you will have to sacrifice me like a burnt offering to get it. Or you can swear to allow me to leave afterwards, and we three can fight our way out of here." "We cannot fight our way out of here when they start shooting us with arrows, while we are carrying the girl," Kemal growls, sounding exasperated and almost desperate. <><><><><> [Agnes] "We three, Sheykh? You have made that rather difficult, don't you think? I'm hardly likely to catch many of them on my knees, am I? And correct me if I'm wrong but isn't your offer to fight with us until those horsemen are defeated, and then we let you go, remarkably similar to the agreement we had for the two of us to fight them and then we would part? Now let me think ... What was the outcome of that agreement? Ah yes, you threatened to chop off Antonella's head and tried to chop off mine, when the job was only half done." She takes an all out swing at the Sheykh's legs. "That's what I think of that offer! "Whatever agreements you and ibn-Hakim come up with: fine. But don't expect me to be a party to them. We have two bows and scores of arrows. Shoot them back until they leave us, or shoot their horses so that they cannot leave us. <><><><><> [GM] The Sheykh had his attention fixed on Kemal, and his eyes fixed on Kemal's sowrd. Your lunge at his legs surprises both men. Because of your weakened fighting position, you still aren't able to put as much power into the blow as you'd have liked, but your sword bites into his knee and rips tendons and smashes bone. It doesn't go all the way through, but the Sheykh screams in pain and outrage as he staggers and then topples, trying to throw himself away from you. As he hits the ground, he fumbles for his sword, laying his hand on it in a desperate grab. "Mother of bitches!" he snarls. "I was unarmed, you treacherous whore!" Kemal carefully steps backwards, away from the two of you. "I think you should not call anyone treacherous, Naz Akharmid," he says in a low voice. "Finish him, Agnes. No matter how dishonorable he may be, I cannot countenance two immortals fighting against one." He raises his sword, and yells something again in Berber. You catch a glimpse of light flashing off his sword, but can't spare too much attention to him with Naz Akharmid trying to snatch up his sword. Your leg is still too badly wounded for you to stand....but on the other hand, Naz's face is still slashed open- it's barely had time to stop bleeding yet. <><><><><> [Agnes] She slowly walks towards him on her knees, keeping her shield ready. "Is it my fault if you throw your sword away after you try to hack *my* leg off, and threaten to take *my* head? As for treachery, I can hardly be accused of that. *I* didn't start the fight. *And*, I'd would have been quite willing to accept a proper challenge - even waiting for the fight with the Berbers to be complete and both of us recovered before starting it. But now, well ... how could I be expected to trust you to fight with us until the end, and respect the conditions of any challenge? Now I have merely evened things by giving you a crippled leg to match the one you trecherously gave me. As for waiting for us both to be fully healed - I'm sorry, but you are no longer to be trusted sufficiently for me to agree to that." She's learned her lesson from last time, she hopes. **Aim for body, body, body: and when he's stunned go for chest!** she tells herself as she prepares to fight him, kneeling warrior against kneeling warrior. **Only take his head after he's dead!** <><><><><> [GM] "Surely we can come to some kind of agreement to ensure our mutual survival..." he says breathlessly, struggling to rise to a kneeling position. The two of you probably present an almost comical appearance, with you waddling towards the Sheykh, leaving a trail of blood-soaked sand behind you. He raises his shield and manages to block your first blow, but he's still lifting his sword, and can't parry your second. You slash deeply into his side, sending another spray of blood across the sand. The Sheykh's mouth gapes open, and he looks like a fish out of water for a moment, then falls over, making a gurgling sound deep in his throat. "Thank Allah!" Kemal says, with great relief. "Finish him!" he urges, as he begins backing away, turning to scoop up Antonella, who cries out in pain and protest. Then he curses as an arrow whizzes past his head. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Who are you to tell me to finish it?!" she glares at him. "It's not your fight as you have patently made clear! He is a trecherous bastard who deserves to die, but I WILL NOT be told to kill him by the man who wouldn't lift a finger to save *my* life. No doubt after if kill him you will come over all 'holier than thou' and tell me that I didn't fight to the rules! Well st*ff your rules! As far as I can see I'm the only one respecting them! This wasn't a fair fight and never was. What right have I to kill him?" She is patently getting very emotional, and tears are starting to stream down her cheeks. "You think he deserves to die? Fine! Take his head! If it wasn't that Antonella was here I would ride away and leave the two of you! I tell you what, ibn-Hakim I would rather fight back to back with him ... " she points her sword at the fallen Sheykh, "than with you. At least with him I know his word is worth spit! With you ... With you ..... I may find that when my head is on the line, you find it difficult to bring yourself to come to my aid. Well more fool me for trusting you, is all I can say." She sits herself on the sand, spearing the ground with her sword. "I don't care! You just do whatever you want, ibn-Hakim! Just get on a horse and ride away for all I care!" She throws herself sobbing to the sand. <><><><><> [GM] "Oh hell!" Kemal groans, standing there with Antonella in his arms. The girl is as tall as him, and though he's certainly strong enough to carry her, she does make an awkward bundle, especially in her wounded condition. Very gently, he sets her down. Antonella says "What....?" in a small voice, confused now. He stands, and faces the Berbers. He holds up both hands, and speaks again in a loud voice. Two more arrows whiz past him, but then the veiled horsemen hold their fire. One shouts something in reply, and Kemal nods and answers back again. Then he stalks over to the Sheykh, and plunges his sword through the man's chest, directly through his heart, pinning him to the ground. The Berbers mutter amongst themselves as they close in. Kemal falls to his knees next to you. "Of all the times and places for you to provoke an argument with me and become uselessly emotional!" he snaps. He grabs your shoulder and pulls you up, forcing you to look at him. "I was relying on the Quickening to distract and frighten these infidels, and give us a chance to escape. We couldn't have fought our way out of this group, as I am not nearly as proficient with a bow as I am with a sword. They'd have shot us all dead, fine for you and I, but what about the girl?" "So I surrendered. Now we will all be taken prisoner....the Qaid is dead, so we *might* be able to escape before they decide to cut off our heads on their own." "Or....you can take *my* head. Now, quickly. That will satisfy your misplaced rage, and give you a chance to escape with Antonella." <><><><><> [Agnes] She grabs her sword and angrily swings it down to sever the Sheykh's head. <><><><><> [GM] Whatever reaction Kemal was expecting, it wasn't that. An arrow almost goes through your neck, when a Berber archer reacts to your picking up your sword again. Kemal swears and leaps away from you as you bring your sword down on the Sheykh's neck. "Unpredictable, temperamental-" He practically dives for Antonella, scoops her up again, ignoring her renewed shriek of outrage and demand to know what's going on, as well as fists beating feebly on his shoulders. Naz Akharmid, tenacious and tough bastard that he is, takes two blows before his head finally rolls free. You feel your gorge rising again...there's been so much blood today, and now you have to watch another flood of it, spilling out onto the sand. But only for a second, before it glows and seems to turn to incandescent steam. Kemal yells "Aaaarghh! Dammit!" as an arrow goes into his back, the Berbers thinking he's running away (which he is- but not from them.) He twists and turns, trying to take any arrows fired with his own body, shielding Antonella. Then you lose all awareness of what is going on around you, as the Quickening suddenly explodes through you. Still kneeling, your back arches against your will, so you're bent backwards, as the surge of power begins taking control of your body, your nerves, your senses....the pain in your gored leg is forgotten, your anger at Kemal fades to insignificance for the moment, while you experience for the second time the profane, frightening and terribly delightful absorbtion of another immortal's essence. You can sense, as if hearing it with your own ears, Naz Akharmid groaning, wailing, then almost pleading as he realizes what is happening. He was not by any means a nice man. Treacherous, craven, scheming and deceitful, he arranged his own brother's death to assume leadership of his tribe, he avoided the Qaid out of fear, joined him because he was more afraid of Kemal, and also because he lusted for you and Antonella (and you get a glimpse of his carnal fantasies, and shudder at the thought of his hands on you) and only now realizes that perhaps being a little more willing to deal with others honorably might have prolonged his life, rather than shortening it. His stocky body seems to ignite the sand around him. The ground glows and then waves of shimmering red and white heat wash out in expanding circles, blistering you as the heat of the Quicking passes over you as well. The sand bubbles like liquid, and crackling bolts of electricity, like summer lightning, flicker all over, blasting craters in the loose sand beyond the incendiary zone. You just lie there, bent backwards in an arc, trembling and convulsing with pleasure not even Kemal could induce, but also with the violent spasms of your muscles as electricity burns through your skin and permeates your body. Naz Akharmid struggles briefly, futilely, and then dissipates into the aether....with a part of him remaining in you. In your mind's eye, you can almost see him flailing, screaming and gnashing his teeth as he is dragged to Hell to burn forever, for he certainly deserves such a fate, as least as much as Gerald of Cornwall did. You can't feel overly exultant about it, though. As with Gerald, you were forced into this situation, and now you are forced to take pleasure in something you know is probably unholy, or at the very least, should not be celebrated. And dim memories of Gerald (sparked, those little bits of him still imbedded in your psyche, by this Quickening) remind you of the dangers of allowing yourself to take too much pleasure in it....driven to seek out more opportunities to experience the Quickening....compulsively hunting other immortals....losing any respect for life..... Surely that will never happen to you. Naz and Gerald fill you with revulsion. And you know Peter resisted, and Kemal, for all that he seems to have taken a lot of heads, is no obsessive headhunter. You aren't sure when the Quickening stopped, and you became able to ponder over these thoughts, still in a daze and finding abstract musings easier than concentrating on than the real world. Eventually you become aware of Kemal's voice. "Agnes, can you hear me?" He's holding you, as you recently saw him holding Antonella in his arms. Speaking softly but insistently in your ear. "Agnes, Antonella is no longer strong enough to stay on a horse by herself, and I cannot hold both of you on one horse with me." "If I put you in a saddle, can you ride? Just follow me, Agnes...the horses are badly spooked, but I think we can get away, but we must leave now...." His words still seem to come from a distance, but you are gradually becoming more cognizant of your surroundings, starting to become aware of the horse next to you. Kemal is lifting you up onto its back, trying to help you into the saddle.