Gripping the reins with one white hand and aiming her wand with another, Matilda flicked her weapon in the direction of one of the enemy riders. Cole heard an inhuman shriek, and when he looked back he was dumbfounded to see that where a man once rode a little white rabbit sat in the saddle, looking terrified. The fluffy creature soon fell off the horse and disappeared in the snow.
Cole laughed out loud. "Wherever she learns those tricks, I want to go there!"
Now with only one armed gangster in pursuit, the riders burst over the hill, and Cole saw a dark line stretched in the earth up ahead, both ends disappearing in the distance. He realized it was the gorge...The one they were meant to jump over.
Upon closer inspection from the saddle, the gap itself wasn't impossible for a horse to leap over, but the abyss yawning below was daunting; he couldn't see the bottom from where he rode. Across the canyon the land sloped away to smoother land, decorated with groves of thin beech trees.
Matilda spurred Bucephalus once more, and the black stallion bounded toward the crack in the earth, trusting his rider. The space between the horse and the cliffside grew smaller...smaller...smaller...In a single, heart-stopping moment, the world seemed to move in slow-motion. The stallion ran and leapt high, his black mane waving in the evening light. Specks of dirt and snow flew from the edge of the cliff, Matilda leaned forward and pressed her head into the horse's mane. It all happened so fast; she flew over the gap and bounded on the other side.
Gunshots from behind urged Philip to not hesitate and to just go. Without a second thought he and Traveler leapt over the abyss, the boy whooping in excitement as he flew. The light brown and white horse kicked up snow as he fell, flicking his tail. Liana, not knowing where the gap was nor how big it was, leaned forward, pressed her face into Aquilla's mane, and let her horse do the work. The beast jumped the gap with a whinny.
Cole knew nothing about jumping on horseback, but with the gangster in hot pursuit, he urged Shauntel to run faster, buried his face in the horse's mane, and prayed to his ancestors he would make the jump. The horse's hoofbeats echoing in his ears, Shauntel bounded to the cliffside, and, in one smooth, graceful movement, leapt for the other side. For half a second, Cole felt as if he was flying in the sky.
A gunshot split the air. Shauntel stiffened under Cole's weight. The horse fell limp. Philip cried out. Wind whistled by Cole's ears.
The horse smashed into the other side of gorge, and Cole was flung against a dirt wall. In the space of one second, he grabbed onto a root protruding the cold dirt wall and kicked his feet out of the stirrups. He grabbed the root and hung tight while the saddle disappeared under his legs, leaving him hanging onto the side of the gorge. The horse fell away silently, far below to the chilling shadows.
The gangster that had been pursuing them didn't see the gorge until it was too late, and both he and his horse fell over the side with Shauntel.
Cole's grip was weakening, and the root was falling loose from the dirt fast. Philip leaned over the edge and grabbed one of Cole's arms. With him grunting and Cole scrabbling wildly, the latter was hauled over the clifftop and to the snow.
Shaking, he rolled in the snow and gasped for breath, shocked that he had survived that.
"Are you all right?" Liana ran her hands over him searching for wounds until he gently batted her away.
"I'm fine." He wheezed.
Philip's face switched from one of concern to triumph. "We did!" He cheered. "We did it! Ha haa! Whoo!"
Liana and Cole laughed with him. Cole pushed himself up. "That was wicked cool, Matilda--!" Then he saw her.
Matilda was leaning by her horse, legs trembling and a wearing pained expression. Cole looked at her with concern.
"Hey, are you--?"
She staggered and fell. The snow beneath her was turning red.
Cole knew nothing about jumping on horseback, but with the gangster in hot pursuit, he urged Shauntel to run faster, buried his face in the horse's mane, and prayed to his ancestors he would make the jump. The horse's hoofbeats echoing in his ears, Shauntel bounded to the cliffside, and, in one smooth, graceful movement, leapt for the other side. For half a second, Cole felt as if he was flying in the sky.
A gunshot split the air. Shauntel stiffened under Cole's weight. The horse fell limp. Philip cried out. Wind whistled by Cole's ears.
The horse smashed into the other side of gorge, and Cole was flung against a dirt wall. In the space of one second, he grabbed onto a root protruding the cold dirt wall and kicked his feet out of the stirrups. He grabbed the root and hung tight while the saddle disappeared under his legs, leaving him hanging onto the side of the gorge. The horse fell away silently, far below to the chilling shadows.
The gangster that had been pursuing them didn't see the gorge until it was too late, and both he and his horse fell over the side with Shauntel.
Cole's grip was weakening, and the root was falling loose from the dirt fast. Philip leaned over the edge and grabbed one of Cole's arms. With him grunting and Cole scrabbling wildly, the latter was hauled over the clifftop and to the snow.
Shaking, he rolled in the snow and gasped for breath, shocked that he had survived that.
"Are you all right?" Liana ran her hands over him searching for wounds until he gently batted her away.
"I'm fine." He wheezed.
Philip's face switched from one of concern to triumph. "We did!" He cheered. "We did it! Ha haa! Whoo!"
Liana and Cole laughed with him. Cole pushed himself up. "That was wicked cool, Matilda--!" Then he saw her.
Matilda was leaning by her horse, legs trembling and a wearing pained expression. Cole looked at her with concern.
"Hey, are you--?"
She staggered and fell. The snow beneath her was turning red.
"Matilda!"
Yay, they kicked the bandits butts! Oh no, if you die, Matilda--! xD
Cole knew nothing about jumping on horseback, but with the gangster in hot pursuit, he urged Shauntel to run faster, buried his face in the horse's mane, and prayed to his ancestors he would make the jump. The horse's hoofbeats echoing in his ears, Shauntel bounded to the cliffside, and, in one smooth, graceful movement, leapt for the other side. For half a second, Cole felt as if he was flying in the sky.
A gunshot split the air. Shauntel stiffened under Cole's weight. The horse fell limp. Philip cried out. Wind whistled by Cole's ears.
The horse smashed into the other side of gorge, and Cole was flung against a dirt wall. In the space of one second, he grabbed onto a root protruding the cold dirt wall and kicked his feet out of the stirrups. He grabbed the root and hung tight while the saddle disappeared under his legs, leaving him hanging onto the side of the gorge. The horse fell away silently, far below to the chilling shadows.
The gangster that had been pursuing them didn't see the gorge until it was too late, and both he and his horse fell over the side with Shauntel.
Cole's grip was weakening, and the root was falling loose from the dirt fast. Philip leaned over the edge and grabbed one of Cole's arms. With him grunting and Cole scrabbling wildly, the latter was hauled over the clifftop and to the snow.
Shaking, he rolled in the snow and gasped for breath, shocked that he had survived that.
"Are you all right?" Liana ran her hands over him searching for wounds until he gently batted her away.
"I'm fine." He wheezed.
Philip's face switched from one of concern to triumph. "We did!" He cheered. "We did it! Ha haa! Whoo!"
Liana and Cole laughed with him. Cole pushed himself up. "That was wicked cool, Matilda--!" Then he saw her.
Matilda was leaning by her horse, legs trembling and a wearing pained expression. Cole looked at her with concern.
"Hey, are you--?"
She staggered and fell. The snow beneath her was turning red.
Cole sprang up and raced to Matilda's side, spraying snow as he ran. Philip and Liana were close behind, their mirth vanishing completely. Faces pale, they knelt around her, and Cole gently eased her head onto his lap. The area at the side of her figure where Sidicles had thrown the potion was staining the white snow beneath her in a chilling, bright red. Matilda wheezed and coughed quietly, looking wan and bleary-eyed.
The sky, once a fiery red, was now a dark blue, for the sun had set. Fat, fluffy snowflakes began to drift down from the clouds, landing gently everyone. The horses stood by wearily, lowering their heads and snorting softly.
"What do we do?!" Liana asked, staring anxiously at the dark red wound. She gently pressed her fingers close to the wound, and Matilda flinched. The girl drew back, her fingers now wet with warm red liquid. Her face twisted into a pained expression. "Does it look bad?"
Neither boy answered.
Liana looked sightlessly in Cole's direction. "Cole..." She murmured. "Dosen't Matilda have a healing potion?"
He remembered how the witch had healed Philip's maimed shoulder. "By golly, you're right!" He reached for the belt strapped around the woman's waist and grabbed the little carpet bag. He opened it, but found it empty.
"Stupid magic!" He snarled.
"Her wand!" Liana said. "Use her wand!"
Hands shaking ever so slightly, he searched and found her wooden wand. Licking his lips anxiously, he pointed the tip down into the little bag and tried to remember one of the spells Matilda had used. "Uh...'Acciado'...No, uh, Accio healing potion!"
A little bottle carrying bright red liquid flew out of the bag and hit him in the face. "Ow!" He rubbed his head, then snatched the little bottle and popped the cork out. Snowflakes flickered by his vision, landing on his head and shoulders. They drifted down onto Matilda's face and melted softly.
While the siblings watched anxiously, Cole drew the little bottle to Matilda's lips.
"Come on, Matilda," He muttered. "You gotta drink this!"
"Please." Liana whispered.
Her eyes flickered, and she slightly moved her head. Gently, he eased the lip of the little bottle toward her mouth and let a small swallow of the red potion into her mouth. Grimacing, the witch choked and spluttered, but swallowed the potion. Philip and Liana, looking helpless, sat together to her left while Cole had her head in his lap. He looked down anxiously at the witch. Fat snowflakes drifted down onto his shoulders, head, and hunched-over back.
Matilda began to breath laboriously, coughing quietly. She struggled to breathe. Cole could see her breath drifting away into the sky, little puffs evaporating in the cold. Her fingers ran over her wound. She murmured something intelligible, grimacing.
"Do you think we gave her enough?" Philip whispered.
The witch's brown eyes fluttered open, and she looked at the siblings beside her. She tried to say something, but only a strangled gargle came out of her mouth. Liana felt for Matilda and gently drew a strand of brown hair out of her face. She looked as if she was fighting tears.
Her hand wet, Matilda grasped Cole's hand, her fingers thin and cold compared to his. Her almond-brown eyes met his forest-green ones. He bit his lip, shaken by the sight of the sturdy old woman looking so small and frail. Snowflakes drifted down onto her body stretched out across the bright red snow.
"Cole..." She rasped. His grip on her hand tightened. He felt his throat clog up, as if a golf ball was lodged in there.
"Cole..." Matilda repeated. A soft expression like that of affection fell across her pale face. He held her hand tightly, silently screaming at her to stay.
She sighed. A single breath left her lips. She fell limp in the boy's embrace.
Cole wondered how he was going to tell Steve and Alex that their aunt had passed.
The cold, white world around them was still and silent, snowflakes flying down quietly from the night sky. Even the horses were silent.
Liana, fighting back tears, buried her head in Phlip's chest. The latter stared down at the bright red snow, one arm wrapped around his sister's shoulders. Cole bowed his head, feeling wan and empty. To think that such a energetic, strong person was gone so quickly shook him up. His senses dulled...Nothing seemed to matter anymore.
Locks of his hair brushed Matilda's face. Fluffy snowflakes melted on her skin. He still held her hand, gripping it tightly. The dark, cold world surrounded the teenagers, sending a puff of cold wind to chill their white fingers.
Suddenly, Matilda coughed. She sat up and bonked her head into Cole's. "Owch!" He yelped.
"Hsst...Corpus bones!" She cursed. Blinking blearily, she surveyed her surroundings. Feeling self-conscious, Cole let go of her hand and backed away to give her room.
"What happened?" She rasped, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Matilda!" Liana gasped. "You're alive?!"
"What does it sound like to you?! Yes, of course I'm alive! Sheesh." She grimaced. "Although I thought I was a goner." With a sigh, she lay back onto the snow and closed her eyes.
"Wha--No, Matilda!" Philip cried out frantically. "Don't go, you can't smash now--!"
"I'm not smashing, you dummy!" She snapped. "I'm just resting, for crying out loud!"
"Sor-ree." He muttered. "You nearly smashed right in front of us, and we thought the potion wasn't working."
"Hm? What potion?" She glanced at him sharply.
"The healing potion. From your bag. It was Liana's idea." He added. "Cole gave you some of it."
"Did you, now?" She murmured. "Well, well..." She smirked softly. "You kids may not be as mouse-brained as I thought."
Philip raised his eyebrows in mock shock. "Do my ears decive me? Was that an actual compliment I heard?!"
She rolled her eyes. "Har, har. Don't let it go to your head, boy."
Cole knew nothing about jumping on horseback, but with the gangster in hot pursuit, he urged Shauntel to run faster, buried his face in the horse's mane, and prayed to his ancestors he would make the jump. The horse's hoofbeats echoing in his ears, Shauntel bounded to the cliffside, and, in one smooth, graceful movement, leapt for the other side. For half a second, Cole felt as if he was flying in the sky.
A gunshot split the air. Shauntel stiffened under Cole's weight. The horse fell limp. Philip cried out. Wind whistled by Cole's ears.
The horse smashed into the other side of gorge, and Cole was flung against a dirt wall. In the space of one second, he grabbed onto a root protruding the cold dirt wall and kicked his feet out of the stirrups. He grabbed the root and hung tight while the saddle disappeared under his legs, leaving him hanging onto the side of the gorge. The horse fell away silently, far below to the chilling shadows.
The gangster that had been pursuing them didn't see the gorge until it was too late, and both he and his horse fell over the side with Shauntel.
Cole's grip was weakening, and the root was falling loose from the dirt fast. Philip leaned over the edge and grabbed one of Cole's arms. With him grunting and Cole scrabbling wildly, the latter was hauled over the clifftop and to the snow.
Shaking, he rolled in the snow and gasped for breath, shocked that he had survived that.
"Are you all right?" Liana ran her hands over him searching for wounds until he gently batted her away.
"I'm fine." He wheezed.
Philip's face switched from one of concern to triumph. "We did!" He cheered. "We did it! Ha haa! Whoo!"
Liana and Cole laughed with him. Cole pushed himself up. "That was wicked cool, Matilda--!" Then he saw her.
Matilda was leaning by her horse, legs trembling and a wearing pained expression. Cole looked at her with concern.
"Hey, are you--?"
She staggered and fell. The snow beneath her was turning red.
"Matilda!"
This sence again.
Which one? The sense that you're heart will shatter if the character smashes or the sense of wanting to beat the brick out of the wicked little writer who smashes the character?
"Come on, Matilda," He muttered. "You gotta drink this!"
"Please." Liana whispered.
Her eyes flickered, and she slightly moved her head. Gently, he eased the lip of the little bottle toward her mouth and let a small swallow of the red potion into her mouth. Grimacing, the witch choked and spluttered, but swallowed the potion. Philip and Liana, looking helpless, sat together to her left while Cole had her head in his lap. He looked down anxiously at the witch. Fat snowflakes drifted down onto his shoulders, head, and hunched-over back.
Matilda began to breath laboriously, coughing quietly. She struggled to breathe. Cole could see her breath drifting away into the sky, little puffs evaporating in the cold. Her fingers ran over her wound. She murmured something intelligible, grimacing.
"Do you think we gave her enough?" Philip whispered.
The witch's brown eyes fluttered open, and she looked at the siblings beside her. She tried to say something, but only a strangled gargle came out of her mouth. Liana felt for Matilda and gently drew a strand of brown hair out of her face. She looked as if she was fighting tears.
Her hand wet, Matilda grasped Cole's hand, her fingers thin and cold compared to his. Her almond-brown eyes met his forest-green ones. He bit his lip, shaken by the sight of the sturdy old woman looking so small and frail. Snowflakes drifted down onto her body stretched out across the bright red snow.
"Cole..." She rasped. His grip on her hand tightened. He felt his throat clog up, as if a golf ball was lodged in there.
"Cole..." Matilda repeated. A soft expression like that of affection fell across her pale face. He held her hand tightly, silently screaming at her to stay.
She sighed. A single breath left her lips. She fell limp in the boy's embrace.
Cole wondered how he was going to tell Steve and Alex that their aunt had passed.
Which one? The sense that you're heart will shatter if the character smashes or the sense of wanting to beat the brick out of the wicked little writer who smashes the character?
Cole laughed, partly out of amusement, partly out of relief. Matilda glanced at him. "How'd you get that healing potion, kid? It was in my bag, which is charmed from Muggles!"
He shrugged. "I got your wand, pointed it down the bag, and said that word you used to make your wand fly into your hands."
She raised her eyebrows. "Did it work?"
"It smacked me in the face, but yes, it worked."
The witch gazed at him thoughtfully. "Hm." She glanced down at the snow around her, and realized that much of it was stained. "Kid!" She exclaimed angrily. "Don't tell me you spilled that stuff all over the ground! It's a pain to brew and a fortune to buy!"
Philip and Colt shared a glance. "Matilda," Cole said slowly. "That's not the potion that's staining the snow."
She scowled at him. "Than what--?!" She then realized what he meant, and blinked in surprise. "Oh. Goodness." She looked down at the ground, then at her stained shirt where the near-fatal wound was. "Is that all mine?"
Philip nodded.
Matilda looked rather uneasy. "Gracious." Hesitantly, she pushed herself off the snow, wiping her hands on her brown leggings. "Merlin's beard...That would explain why I feel so dizzy."
She looked away from the snow. "Ah, well...Let's find some half-decent shelter for the night, and some suitable clothes. These pants of Alex's are much too--"
Liana suddenly burst into tears and threw her arms around Matilda, burying her head in the woman's chest. Philip and Cole stared at the sobbing girl, dumbfounded. The witch looked quite shocked to find herself in a tight hug. Cole suddenly felt quite awkward.
"Hey--Hey, Liana!" Philip protested, looking confused and helpless. "Calm down! She's OK now, chill out!"
"Hush." Matilda wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl gently, stroking her silver-blond hair with one thin hand. Their hair and shoulders were dotted with fluffy snowflakes. "When a girl cries, let her cry. Let her have her tears."
Two days after the "Dog Bone Debacle", as Philip called it, the travelers and their horses stood on a grassy hill looking over the city Stiix. It was a large but run-down town, built atop the Endless Ocean. Countless rickety buildings and platforms criss-crossed across the murky water, outlining the ocean shimmering a golden orange in the afternoon sunlight. The grassy plains the horses stood on rustled and whispered in the soft, warm breeze like the waves of the nearby ocean. Snow-capped mountains stood far off in the distance behind the travelers, dark shapes outlining the horizon. Compared to the beauty of the land around it, the village on the sea looked like a dark brown stain on an otherwise perfect painting.
Because Shauntel had perished, Cole now took turns riding with Liana and Philip. Both experiences could get awkward. The boys could complain to one another that "You're crowding me, quit taking up all of the saddle" and such, while it was just plain weird for Cole to share a saddle with the pretty silver-blond haired girl, though Liana didn't seem very bothered by his close presence and him having to wrap one arm around her waist. To his surprise, he found that he missed the chocolate-brown horse. He tried to push away the image of Shauntel falling limp down the canyon, but he couldn't help but recall the rides he had shared with the good-tempered horse.
Matilda had healed the wounds the teenagers had suffered, giving each of them a small sip of potion. Cole didn't think he had enough, because his leg was still bruised and sore from smashing into the side of the canyon, but of course the irascible witch wouldn't hear of it. All of the painful and dangerous wounds, including Philip's cut on the cheek and Liana's wound on her arm were both completely gone.
Because his backpack had been in one of the saddlebags on Shauntel, Cole had nothing but the clothes on his back and the iron rings Matilda had loaned to him.
The witch grudgingly let Cole search through her collection of clothing, which she had in case of a situation like that of two days ago. After rummaging through fancy dresses, ratty jackets, torn jeans, dark robes and light gowns, he hesitantly adorned himself in what looked like an old school uniform, a simple formal outfit with a colored lion image pinned to the shirt. The shirt was still rather small for him, but he decided to deal with it.
Cole slid off Aquilla, and stood in knee-deep grass waving softly in the breeze. Liana followed suit, as did Philip and Matilda. The witch had returned to wearing her forest-green dress and navy blue robes, and now adjusted her ratty, pointed hat on her head, gazing over at the run-down town.
"So," She sniffed by Bucephalus. "That's where you two are going to live, eh?"
Philip shrugged. "For now."
Matilda looked rather disdainful at the sight of Stixx. "Hmph. Looks like a haven for the very scum and lowlife of Ninjago."
"Yeah, well...We have family that need us over there. Plus, it's only temporary." He smiled uncertainly. "Well...I guess this is good-bye, then."
Cole blinked. "Oh. Yeah." Awkwardly, he scratched his head. "I guess it is."
The four of them stood in a little circle, each suddenly looking shy and uncertain. Even the normally phlegmatic witch looked slightly perturbed, scowling at the grass waving at her legs. Cole looked at the people he had traveled with for the last several days. Philip glanced at everyone uncertainly, his dark brown hair as curly as ever, while Liana stared down at her feet, strands of her long silver hair stirring gently in the breeze. He was completely unprepared for a feeling of aching inside; a small, lonely thing tugging at his heart.
Because of what the four of them had experienced together--the long rides, the conversations, the jokes, the spats, the adventure, the horror, all that had passsed during the last few days--It created an attatchment between them...A bond.
He felt attached to them, Cole realized. They were...They were like friends.
Friends...And now he had to leave them. They would part ways, and probably wouldn't each other ever again. Philip and Liana would go on with their lives, Matilda would go on with hers, and he would go on with his...Whatever that may be.
He bit his lip. If having friends caused you this much pain, then maybe he didn't want friends! Maybe he should just go solo all his life...It hurt too much having others to care about. And yet...And yet the thought of not having that bittersweet ache at all seemed much worse. What was the point of having friends if all you were going to do was lose them?
He wished he knew the answer.
What do I want? What do I need? ...Who do I need?
Matilda suddenly broke the sad, sweet silence with a disgusted snort. "Bah! What are you doing, standing around scared like zombies in the daylight?!" She grabbed Bucephalus's reins and brought the tall, night-black stallion to Philip and thrust them in his hands. He looked at her, bemused. "Might as well take this bad boy with you. Cole will be on foot, and I don't fancy sharing a saddle to him. He's yours."
Philip stared at her. "You're--You're giving him to us?"
Matilda sniffed. "What does it look like? Of course, technically speaking--" She gave a wry smirk. "--He's not actually mine to give away, if you recall correctly."
The curly-haired youth laughed. "Oh, that's right! He was originally Dog Bone's horse! You just stole him!"
"I prefer the term "borrowed", thank you very much. In any case, think of him as a trophy for avenging the grief that mouse-brained, money-loving, stinking kidnapper caused us. Take care of that horse." She added.
"Of course." Philip turned to Cole, reins to both Bucephalus and Traveler in one hand. They both forced a good-natured smile, then Philip grinned for real. "I will never get the image of you as a ginger out of my head."
Philip slapped Cole on the shoulder and shook his hand. "It was quite an adventure riding with you, Cole." He grinned. "Maybe we can do it again sometime...Just ride in dangerous lands and fight bad guys for the brick of it."
Cole grinned back. "I'll hold you to that."
Philip stepped back and looked at Matilda. "I--We...We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us."
"Then don't try to." She retorted. "I'll be glad to know you two mouse-brains got to your destination safely. That's all I wanted in the first place."
She paused, then turned toward Liana. She gently cupped the girl's chin in her hand and said. "Liana, because you cannot see, people are going to underestimate you, that's the hard truth. So," She smiled wryly. "It's up to you to surprise them by showing them what they cannot see. Show them that you are just as capable of doing anything you please as anyone else. You're a fighter, kid, and never hesitate to prove that to those blind mouse-brains."
Liana stared at Matilda sightlessly, fighting tears as she gripped Aquilla's reins. "Thank you."
She turned to Cole, and reached out to touch his face. He knew this was her way of "seeing" people, feeling the shapes of their faces. Still, he couldn't help but feel ever so slightly self-conscious with the other two watching. It didn't help that the golden sunset dropping behind the horizon shone across her scarred face, and that the soft, warm breeze tossed strands of her silver locks in the air, brushing his cheek.
She grasped his hand. "It was quite an adventure riding with you...I hope you find a place for yourself."
He smiled softly and squeezed her hand. "Yeah.." Feeling slightly awkward, he tried to think of something to say. "...I--You--Maybe we'll meet again one day. You know, take a ride together."
She smiled. "I'd like that." She murmured softly.
He was reluctantly pulling away when she suddenly gave him a quick hug. "Good-bye, Cole." She whispered.
