Page 28 of 1000 of You
A bone jarring explosion rent theair again. In front of her, several men burst apart, sending blood and bodyparts flying into the air.Govaheld back as her mindfrantically tried to assess the situation.These people were dying, andshe knew at some point she would follow them. But not until she foundMuam. She had to find him first so they could face theirdeaths together.
She lookedaround her. They were in some open area where several streets converged. Tallbuildings like massive sentinels stood along all sides. She was within a groupof people in ordinary clothes. These people brandished sticks and otherimplements she couldn’t identify as they advanced toward another group blockingtheir way.
Large,metal, cylindrical-shaped objects were pointed at them. Situated beside andbehind these objects were men all dressed in identicalclothing.Those men had to be the military. But instead of brandishing swords, most ofthem carried small versions of the tube-like object. To the rear, one of themsitting astride a horse raised his sword.
“Fire!”
Thecylindrical-shaped objects boomed, sending something she couldn’t see oridentify into the crowd of people gathered with her. More of them shrieked asthe invisible weapons ripped them apart. In the billowing smoke, the armyraised their smaller versions, and the loud pops coming from them echoed andrebounded off the walls of the stone buildings. The screaming never ceased asblood poured between the rocks set into the ground.
Frantic,she looked around for someplace to hide. Someplace where she could remain outof sight until she could locateMuam. Seeing a smallalcove with a recessed door, she slipped into it and peered around the cornerto observe more of what she assumed were villagers mounting an assault on thesoldiers.
It was abloodbath. The military was well-armed and better trained. The villagers seemedto have no organized plan of attack. They were attempting to overwhelm thesoldiers by sheer numbers and gut determination. She had seen such attacksbefore, in several of her past lives, where the leaders of such armies tried toovercome the other with nothing more than bravado and prayers for luck.
“Halt! Dropthe pitchfork!”
She whirledaround, giving a little squeak of surprise.Muamhadfound her, but the grim expression on his face was not that of her beloved. Hewore the uniform of the opposing army, and was holding one of the weapon tubes,which he shoved toward her. “I said drop the pitchfork, or I’ll have no choicebut to fire!”
“Muam! It is me!Gova! Do you notrecognize me?”
Her pleamust have touched something inside him. That, or the sound of her voice. Heseemed puzzled, detached. Giving a little shake of his head, he looked back ather, and his golden eyes widened. “Gova!”
“Take him!”
Three ofthe villager men suddenly appeared behindMuam. Onesnatched away his weapon as the other two grabbed him by the arms and threw himonto the rocky ground.Muamgrunted when his back andhead struck the rocks, and his eyes momentarily glazed over with pain.
The man who’d taken his weaponaimed it atMuam, andGovaknew this was to be his death. Even as she understood it, even though sherealized it was inevitable, something made her intervene. A heartbeat beforethe man made the weapon explode inMuam’sface, shethrew out her free hand, knocking it to the side. The weapon went off, and thestones in the road shattered, sending shards into the air.
“Miriam!”The man tried to backhand her. She side-stepped to avoid being hit. What shedidn’t expect was for one of the other men who had attackedMuamto come up beside her and wrap his arms around hers, pinning them to her side.She struggled to free herself, but his arms were like ropes of iron.
The manwho’d tried to slap her angrily raised a fist. She felt her jaw and cheek gowhite with agony from the punch to the side of her face. She tried to screamfrom the pain, but the sound caught in her throat. Blood filled her mouth.Govaspit, and bits of teeth fell to her feet. Facing theman, she spat again, and was satisfied to see a glob of blood strike his chin.“Hit me again, and I will claw your eyes out!”
The manlaughed. He raised his hand to strike her again, but one of the other menblocked his way. “We don’t have the time to fight among ourselves. Kill thedog, and be done with it!”
“No!”Govathrew herself on top ofMuam,shielding him with her body as she turned to face them. Her mind raced to findsome way to protect him and keep him alive a bit longer. Just a little longer.Long enough to let them share a kiss and few words of hope and love. “No! Wecan use him…use him…as a hostage! We can barter with him!”
“For what?”her attacker demanded.
“He’salready one of the king’s pawns,” another man sneered. “Kill him now. We needto go. Quickly.” He glanced around the corner. “They’re starting to advance!”
“No!” Shebatted away the tube weapon again, enraging her attacker even further. Insteadof aiming it a third time atMuam, the man pointed itat her head.
“If youwon’t let us kill the dog, thenyouwill,”he directed in a dark voice.
Govastarted to shake her head when a hand grabbed afistful of her hair and jerked it back. At the same time, the third man, who’dremained silent all this time, picked up the pitchfork she’d dropped and placedthe pronged end at her exposed throat.
“Kill thedog, Miriam. Or we’ll kill him, and let you watch before we take turnspunishing you for your treasonous actions.”
Her hairwas released, and the tube weapon was shoved into her arms. Her attacker grabbedher hands and manipulated them until she was pointing it atMuam’sface. The man’s rough hands began to squeeze, and she knew she couldn’t resistthese insurgents anymore.
Fightingtears, she managed to catchMuam’seyes. “Forgiveme,” she softly begged. There would be no final kiss. Not even a few words oflove to sustain them until their next life and encounter.
Muamswallowed and sighed. “MyGova,”he breathed.
The tubewent off, turningMuam’sface and head intopulverized flesh and blood.Govascreamed and droppedthe weapon as the three men began to laugh. They were not prepared for her towrest the pitchfork from their grasp. Placing the pronged end against herthroat, she sprinted toward the stone wall across from them, impaling herselfupon it when the end of the wooden handle hit the building.
She neverhad the chance to see the three men die when the French troops discovered themhiding in the shop’s doorway.
Chapter 16
