The Curse Conduit

Nightwish came along side Uri as he knelt beside Declan, the horse nuzzling the injured knight gently with his nose. Uri winced, his own injuries gnawing at him as he pushed Declan onto his back, pulling off his armour and checking his wound, all he could hear were Beth-Elena’s cries, so loud, so painful, so very tortured, so grief stricken they cut him deeper than any blade.

Declan coughed and opened his eyes just a little focusing on his friend. “Bea…” coughing again he grimaced at the pain, blood trickling from his mouth.

“She is coming my friend. Hold on.”

Uri looked over to the others, Urian was knelt beside Danny watching unbelieving as his wounds stopped bleeding, and beginning to heal yet Danny remained unconscious. Urian felt so helpless, so unsure of what to do for Danny, for any of them. Urian’s own pain travelled through his veins as his heart melted for his friend, wishing he was in the cockpit of his plane.

Uriah shook Derek several times unable to wake him, like Danny his wounds had stopped bleeding but they were not healing, he looked so very pale, so much worse than he had ever looked before and Uriah was afraid that they were going to lose him. Their travels to the past had been for nothing.

The sound of galloping horses and the very audible cries of Elizabeth, Bethie and Beth-Elena jolted Uriah form his dark thoughts. As she knelt beside him looking down at Derek, Elizabeth squeezed Uriah’s arm. “Tell me he is going to live Uriah. We were supposed the save them, all of them.”

Bethie was now kneeling beside Danny sobbing and pulling on Urian’s arm as she did. “We saved him once Urian, he has to live! I can’t go back without him!”

At her words Urian wondered if they actually got back what would be waiting for them, with or without Danny. He pulled Bethie into his arms and held her, she cried and all he could do was hold her.

Beth-Elena’s cries gripped everyone as she pulled Declan into her lap. Her tears rolling down her own cheeks to rest on Declan’s. Looking at Uri all the pain and hurt in her eyes shot an arrow into his heart. Beth-Elena bit her lip trying to hold back her sobs as she desperately tried to smile down at Declan. “I love you Declan.”

Declan opened his eyes, looked into her face and smiled weakly. “I’m sorry.” Coughing, pushing his words over his lips. “I have always loved you my Princess. I do not want to leave you.”

Beth-Elena lent down and kissed him. “Then do not leave me my prince.”

Declan died with the image of Beth-Elena in his memory and her sweet taste on his lips. As she felt his life essences leave him it was as if all of Beth-Elena’s soul travelled on the primal, blood chilling cry that left her lips. She hugged Declan’s limp body to her own and Uri pulled her to his.

As Declan died both Elizabeth and Bethie let out cries of pure grief watching the life leave Derek and Danny. Uriah and Urian looked at each other pushing their own grief down so they did not have to deal with it. What they did come to realise was that as soon as Declan, Danny and Derek died they had lost the power to hear each other. Again both men looked at each other and then down at the palm of their hands trying to bring the little balls of energy to life. It was useless, the power was gone, their friends were gone and all they could do was hold the women that they loved, feel the anguish of their loss encase them; feel them tremble as they succumbed to the grief.

Their cries stopped every man on the battlefield; to some it was all too much. They had won the battle yes, but many a man fell to his knees in despair knowing what the death of these strangers meant. There was not one knight in the valley that day that did not know of Declan and Beth-Elena’s love.

The King had ridden down the hill after the women and he now knelt by his niece, she was still in Uri’s arms her face hidden as Uri held her head gently and she rested on his armour covered chest. In silence the King took her from Uri, cradling her in his own arms. Looking up to see her uncle just made her cry even more, her voice almost unrecognisable as she spoke. “Why Uncle? This is not right. We are to be married.” Beth-Elena broke down again and buried her face into his chest much the same as she had done to Uri.

The valley was quiet except for the grieving song that Elizabeth, Bethie and Beth-Elena sang.

At a loss as what to do Uri gathered Nightwish and with the help of a few knights got Declan on to the horses back. Patting the horse gently on the neck. “Be gently in your stride my friend for your hold a noble warrior on your saddle.” Uri would walk by Declan all the way back to the castle refusing to ride a horse himself.

Bethie’s grief was boiling, simmering and turning into rage as she shook Danny trying to wake him. “You can’t die! You can’t leave me! You hear me Danny! You can’t leave me!”

Just as Urian was about to wrap his arms around her again she pushed him off not wanting to feel his touch and a cry the likes of which no one had ever heard before escaped from her lips. Bethie flung her arms out open at either side of her, lifted her head to the sky and let out such a mournful cry it chilled the very air. That was not all that happened, the earth trembled, thunder rumbled above and the atmosphere crackled with electricity. Everyone but Elizabeth looked to Bethie to see shafts of light escape from her eyes and mouth up into the sky. As she lowered her head and placed her hands on Danny once more the lightning struck. It struck Danny underneath Bethie’s hands. Everyone heard it, everyone saw it. Bethie screamed. “DANIEL!” Thinking that Danny would vanish. Instead he coughed and began to breath, everyone else held their breath. Danny coughed again, opened his eyes and looked into the face of the woman he loved. “Beth.”

Bethie smiled at him, leaning down and kissed him. “Yes it is me.”

He coughed and winced. “What happened?”

Bethie did not want to tell him he had died. Sensing her trepidation Urian stepped in. “You tried to be a hero again.”

Urian’s words made Danny laugh, again wincing. Danny twisted his head trying to see the others. “Derek, Declan?”

Bethie sucked in her breath and squeezed his hand as Urian looked over to Uriah, as their eyes met he knew the answer even before Uriah shook his head.

Danny looked to his friend. “Both of them?”

Urian just nodded incapable of speaking the words.

Elizabeth had done much the same as Beth-Elena and was cradling Derek in her lap rocking gently, eyes closed, humming quietly as the tears rolled down her face. Bethie’s powers had been lost as Danny took his first renewing breath but Elizabeth’s had been engulfed in her mourning, dying with Derek. All she had for him were tears, the pain of a future lost and the anguish of a love that would not get to grow.

With Beth-Elena riding back up the hill with Declan and a few of the King’s favoured knights, John and Marcus among them and Bethie holding a living breathing Danny in her arms, Urian and Uri joined Uriah at Elizabeth’s side.

Her humming grew in volume; the murmur changing to words and Elizabeth began to sing a Hymn her Grandmother had sung at memorial services when she had been younger.

God of our fathers, Known of old,

Lord of our far flung battle line.

Beneath whose awful hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine;

Lord of hosts be with us yet

lest we forget, lest we forget

As her words trailed off forevermore to settle into the hearts of every knight who heard them, grief-stricken Elizabeth let out a tortured cry. “Derek!!” And in a swift move, so swift that Uri never saw it coming Elizabeth grabbed the knife from his side and sliced it across the palm of her hand. Urian and Uriah realising what she was about to do both rushed her, pulling the small dagger from her hands before she could make the fateful cut on Derek’s hand. They had been to slow to stop her from cutting herself.

Uriah held her as she struggled to be free while Urian gave the dagger back to Uri. “Let me go! Uriah let me go!”

Instead of releasing her Uriah held her as she continued to struggle while she stood. “He’s gone Lizzie, He’s gone.”

“Let me go! He was supposed to live!”

Uriah held her until he felt her relax a little. As she did he stood back and looked into her eyes. The change he saw worried him, the light, and the life had gone. “Let’s take him home.”

Elizabeth looked to Uriah, tears streaming down her face, bitting her lip. “Home? Home does not exist.”

Her eyes darted around and rested on an arrow near her feet as Bethie and Danny came to join their friends.

Bending down, with blood dripping from the cut in her hand, Elizabeth picked up the arrow, turning it over in her hands a few times. When she looked back at Uriah he was mortified. Her eyes were dead, no life, no tears. “No Lizzie, please no. Derek would not want this, I don’t want this. Please don’t.”

As he took a step closer to her Elizabeth put the arrow to her neck. “I don’t want to live without him, I can’t.”

Her words and actions sent a ripple of panic through the little group and until he spoke they had forgotten that the King was still with them. “Dear Lady. Only those that have lost can know your pain.” He swept his hand through the air to take in the others. “But we have lost and the pain is unbearable. Do not ask us to carry the pain of your death as well.”

Elizabeth looked from the King to the others one by one. Once her eyes rested on Bethie her tears began to flow again, her chin quivered and she shook her head.

Bethie walked to her with compassion and sisterly love covering her face. “Please Lizzie…” Still looking Elizabeth squarely in the eyes she gently took the arrow from her blood stained hands and gave it to Uriah. Bethie tore a piece off her dress and began to wrap Elizabeth’s injured hand. As she did several droplets of blood ran down Elizabeth’s arm reaching her elbow and falling to the ground. Three small droplets, tiny unseen red tears fell, all three silently splashing onto Derek’s cheek.

Uriah’s eyes never left Elizabeth as Bethie tended to her. They had lost Declan and Derek, he did not want to lose Elizabeth as well but her eyes spoke volumes. She was already gone. He had seen the same look in Beth-Elena’s eyes in his dreams. She maybe breathing but her soul had already started its journey through eternity in search of Derek. Uriah knew they would need a miracle to save her. Danny, Bethie and Urian also understood that this time the curse had taken both men for her payment. As Elizabeth nestled under Uriah’s protective arms the others prayed in silence.

Bethie let out a little gasp and grabbed onto Danny. “He moved. Danny, Derek moved.”

Thinking that she was traumatised by grief Danny was about to console her when he saw Derek’s right hand twitch just a little. Again Bethie grabbed his arm. “You saw that. Please tell me you saw that?”

Danny nodded not daring to take his eyes off Derek. Urian and Uriah and the King looked to Bethie. “As god is my witness I swear he moved.”

Uriah was about to explain the scientific reason for a bodies involuntary movements after death not wanting anyone to get their hopes up when Derek breathed in hard and then let out a groan.

They all watched as his chest rose and fell with each new breath. The King knelt by Derek’s side. “Master Derek?”

They all waited a few moments and the King spoke Derek’s name once more. This time he got a response. Derek opened his eyes and looked directly at the King. In a voice so weak it was as if death still had a hold of him, Derek spoke. “I don’t feel so good.”

Everyone smiled, they had not heard his words but they had heard him. All except Elizabeth, with Uriah’s arm still around her she stared off into some unseen place, no emotion, no recognition that she understood that Derek was alive.

Uriah turned her to him so he could once again look into her eyes and once again pain gripped his heart. She was fading and faster than he had expected. Placing both of his hands on her shoulders he shook her a little. “Lizzie, Lizzie. He’s alive. Derek’s not dead. Do you hear me?”

Nothing, she was not staring at him or passed him, she was staring through him. Again he tried to reach her. “Lizzie, please!”

The King beckoned to Uriah. “Bring her here Master Uriah.”

As Uriah guided Elizabeth to the King and Derek, the King pulled Derek to a sitting position, letting him rest on his knees. “Master Derek, it is your voice that will bring her back from the shadows between life and death. Yours and yours alone.”

Uriah pulled Elizabeth down to her knees; it was like she was in a trance just staring off into nothing.

While he struggled with the physical pain that gripped his body Derek also struggled with the sudden fear that gripped his heart as he looked into Elizabeth’s eyes. Uriah was right, she was leaving them. Derek’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Elizabeth……Lizzie……I am right here. Don’t leave me.”

Nothing, she just stared off into the distance. Bethie began to cry and Danny held her. Uriah and Urian once again saying a silent pray.

“Lizzie………” Derek took her uninjured hand in his own and squeezed it ever so gently. She blinked, he was sure off it. To make certain he spoke her name again. “Lizzie….”

Again Elizabeth blinked, her zombie like stare disappeared and she looked at Derek. He squeezed her hand once more. “Hi.”

She smiled weakly. “You came back.”

“Yes I did”

Elizabeth’s tears began to flow once again, tears of life, a relief to all.