Chapter 8 Setbacks
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shlyn wasn’t sure how long she was unconscious and she realized that she wasn’t dead by the way she kept slipping in and out consciousness. There were faces hovering over her each time, but if they were talking, nothing was making any sense. There was Blake and Gerard, her hysterical mother and the most constant face was Pandora’s.
“Pandora,” Ashlyn called softly.
“Well! Welcome back,”
Pandora greeted with a smile as she put aside a book she was reading.
“How long have I been out?” Ashlyn tried to pull herself up but cried
out with the pain from the muscles that simply refused.
Her gut was in burning, agonizing pain that brought back the memories of
the night before all too vividly.
“Just lay still. You are
still in rather sorry shape, you know. You’ve
been out for most of the day. You’re
not going to be doing a whole lot of moving around for a while.
Let me help you,” Pandora soothed as she helped to prop Ashlyn up with
some extra pillows.
“So what happened this time?” she simply asked.
“The intruder was hiding under my bed—that makes twice that something
has come for me from under the bed. Reminder
to have the legs sawed off! First it
was dark, so I couldn’t see. When
I went to turn the light back up, something smacked into my ankle,” Ashlyn
paused to study the plaster job done on it.
“Gerard’s handiwork?” Ashlyn asked and tried to wiggle her toes but
found that her ankle was too injured to let her.
Pandora nodded and waited for Ashlyn to go on.
“Anyway, before I knew what was happening, this man in black was all
over me and I couldn’t fight him off. I
could swear that I was dying, but before I lost consciousness I also could have
sworn that someone else had entered the room and began to fight with my
attacker. That’s all I
remember,” Ashlyn gingerly rubbed the bandage over her gut.
“That was when Blake entered the scene.
He got hurt himself, but nowhere near as bad as what happened to you.
He was able to call Gerard in who took care of you himself.
And you lost enough blood to need a transfusion.
Finch was the reluctant volunteer, and he passed out giving blood!”
Pandora giggled.
“Ow! Oh, that’s funny!
But please don’t make me laugh, it hurts!” Ashlyn begged as she held
her gut protectively. “Smile is
okay, but please don’t make me laugh!”
“Alright. Just let me give
you this broth. It will help,”
Pandora picked up the steaming bowl off the nightstand just as Jasra had come
in.
“You’re all right! Oh,
thank goodness!” Jasra sat on the bed opposite of Pandora and gave Ashlyn a
careful hug. “I swear, I’ll go
mad if I lose another child!”
“Mom, I’m going to live,” Ashlyn mumbled.
“Did you tell dad?”
“Of course,” she sat up now, holding her hand.
“What happened?”
“Mom, I wish I could tell you. It
came out of the blue. I was
attacked. I lived.
That’s it. I’m going to
be just fine. Really, I don’t want
you to worry so much,” Ashlyn tried to reassure her.
“But darling, that’s just it. I
do worry. I’m your mother.
It’s my job to worry. I
can’t afford to lose you right now. Your
brother hasn’t even been buried yet and you nearly joined him.
I just can’t have that,” Jasra smoothed Ashlyn’s hair away from her
face.
“I’ll be taking her to my shadow so she can recover,” Pandora spoke
up. “I can have her back in time
for Luke’s funeral.”
“That would be just lovely, my dear,” Jasra said with a smile.
“I’ll go and let you rest now.”
She carefully picked herself up off the bed and with a last smile at her
daughter, Jasra left the room.
“Let’s go then,” Pandora pulled out her Trump.
“I told Gerard I’d be taking you as soon as you were awake and
coherent.” Pandora stood up to
pull Ashlyn with her.
Ashlyn was as good as new in what seemed like no time at all.
As it only felt like two weeks to her, only a day had passed in Amber.
“Ashlyn! Nice to have you
back. You’ve sure missed out on a
lot. That’s three
you owe me!” Blake said with a huge smile that made Ashlyn turn red and shift
around on her feet a little.
“Thanks again, Blake. One
of these days I can return the favor somehow,” she said brightly.
“So what could I have possibly missed in a day?”
“Well, let’s see… Coral is at large and she’s still not quite
herself. Dworkin had removed the
Jewel but Coral had gotten away. We
were just about to come and see how you were before we go over to Dworkin’s to
get it,” Pandora explained.
“Wow. Take a few days off
and the whole multi-verse passes up your ass!” Ashlyn muttered as she rubbed
her temple.
“You ready to go?” Vincent asked.
“Sure thing!” Ashlyn smiled as he pulled out his Trumps.
The next she knew, they were all standing in Dworkin’s laboratory.
“Ah, Vincent! Good to see
you, my boy! And I see Little Miss
Accident-Prone is up and about!” Dworkin looked up.
Ashlyn wasn’t sure to just smile and nod or throw him a dirty look.
She kept quiet.
“Coral has managed to completely evade me, but I still have this.
Here you go! Better return
this thing, so get going already!” Dworkin handed over the Jewel to Finch, who
was standing the closest and started to shoo them away as if they were pesky
children and Vincent pulled out his Trump of Amber’s Main Hall.
“So where do you think the King is?” Vincent asked as soon as they
had returned.
“My guess would be the throne room,” Blake suggested.
Vincent led the way with Finch bringing up the rear.
The throne room door was found to be ajar and there was a strange
thumping noise coming from within.
Upon opening the door, Vincent couldn’t see anyone.
They all entered to find the place somewhat out of order—tapestries all
hung askew, coats of arms and other wall décor found on the floor.
“Wonder what they were searching for,” Finch commented.
No sooner had he said it than a huge, burly man came out of hiding from
behind the throne armed with a big rifle and was bringing it to bear in their
direction. He wasn’t recognizable,
and by the crazed look in his eye he looked like he wasn’t one to be messed
with.
“Give me the Jewel!” he barked at them and sent a blast into the
ceiling to indicate that yes, the gun did work and he wasn’t messing around.
With a yelp, Finch turned and bolted out the door.
Everyone seemed to be rooted to the spot for an instant.
The next instant, they were dodging the gunfire as it tore holes into the
wall behind them. As he brought the
gun to bear in Pandora’s direction, Ashlyn tried throwing her dagger at him,
but he seemed to know that it was coming and blocked it easily.
It was enough to distract him as Blake and Pandora started heading for
the door. Ashlyn was right behind
them when she noticed that Vincent had paused and sprung for the gunman.
Is he nuts?
He’s gonna get creamed! Ashlyn leaped after him, successfully
tackling him to the ground. As they
hit the ground the sound of the gun could be heard and she could feel a terrible
searing heat take over her leg. She
howled more out of anger than pain as she realized that she had been shot in the
leg. Vincent made it out all right
and Pandora had come back in to help her to the door.
The stranger was laughing wildly as he winked out and was nowhere to be
seen.
“You’re bleeding terribly! Let’s
get you down to the infirmary,” Pandora helped her up.
“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll just limp there myself!
Vince! If you ever pull that
kind of a stunt again, I’ll kill you myself!
I’ve been barely healed for half
a day and I get hurt again!” Ashlyn
raged as she began to head for the infirmary.
“Remind me to get my very own Trump for that place!”
“I’m sorry. Don’t know
what I was thinking,” Vincent muttered. Ashlyn
couldn’t say anything. She only
sputtered a little and gesticulated as if she were going to strangle him, but
held herself back. She threw her
hands up in a kind of defeat and limped away.
“Ashlyn, you sure you’re alright?” Blake asked.
“Honestly, I’m more angry than I am hurt!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bullet to remove,” she continued on
her way, muttering and cursing under her breath as she went.
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