Chapter 21

Like a roaring lion Kharon charged her, but, oddly, didn’t raise his weapon to strike. It didn’t matter what his intentions were, Gypsy was ready for him. Ducking under his bulky frame, Gypsy brought the blade of her saber across the abdominal gap in his armor, cutting him deeply. Kharon trotted a few feet past her and stopped, falling to his knees. He’d made a careless mistake and Gypsy knew why; he thought she was still under the spell of Primal Fever and incapable of hurting him.

But just as Titan had promised, her feelings for General Kharon had evaporated for now. It was just like her love and desire for him had never existed and try as she might, she couldn’t recall what they’d ever felt like. A vague sorrow shadowed her triumph as she advanced on Kharon.

He remained as he was on his knees and she knew his real suffering ran much deeper than the wound in his gut. But even though she knew it in her mind, her heart was anesthetized. Gypsy raised her saber and a new hunger tempted her: the need for a kill. It took all her self-control not to attack him while he was down. “Get up so I can look you in the face when I kill you,” she growled.

Kharon didn’t move. Instead he did the last thing she expected him to do. He dropped his saber and hung his head. “What’s happened to you?” he asked.

Gypsy moved closer, taking cautious steps until she was in front of him. The thought occurred to her to kick his saber away but she decided against it. She wanted him to get up and fight. “I got a little help from a friend.”

“What kind of friend has the power to heal broken bones in seconds?” Kharon asked.

The reminder of her injured ankle sparked her temper. She leaned down until her face was mere inches from his, “Release me from this marriage or I’ll butcher you on the spot.”

Kharon locked his eyes with hers. Shaking his head slowly back and forth, he said, “You will remain my wife until death claims one of us. I won’t live without you so I will never let you go.”

Gypsy gritted her teeth and kicked him in his wound for revenge. Kharon grunted and doubled over in pain. “Damn you, Kharon! I can’t believe I ever loved you,” she spat at him.

“Nor I you,” he replied. His voice was strange, tortured.

Gypsy pushed his saber closer with her boot but Kharon made no move to pick it up.

“The fever has been taken from me and is gone forever. Take up your weapon and let me prove it to you.”

“Destroy my body like you have my soul,” he rumbled. “Finish me or I swear I will never rest until I have you back again.”

Gypsy shook her head. Cautiously she knelt down and retrieved his sword, sliding it through her belt. “That’s a waste of time. The connection is gone. I hate you and I’ll never put myself in a position to be captured by you again. I won’t kill you in this vulnerable state but someday we will meet on the battlefield and you’ll be forced to fight me. Good bye, Kharon.” She headed for the cell door the general had left open in his haste to grab her.

“You’re making a mistake by not killing me, Gypsy,” he said, his hands over his ruined belly and covered in his own blood. “Someday, I will have you back. I swear it.”

“If you ever try, I will kill you for sure, Kharon.” She pulled the cell door closed and glared in at him. “Your feelings for me will fade. Go back to Golda or your three wives. I’m done with you.”

* * * *

Gypsy’s escape from the kingdom came about much easier than expected. Every guard she passed was sleeping and every hallway she traveled was vacant. Titan must still be helping me. There is no way anyone could be this lucky.

When she reached the huge double gates that exited the fortress to freedom they were wide open to allow a caravan of vendors to pass through. No one seemed to notice her as she slipped out into the darkness. It was almost as though she were invisible. Of course there couldn’t have been a stray hyperia wandering around. That was probably asking too much.

Fortunately Gypsy had traveled to this very place earlier in the year so she knew her way home. On foot and in her weakened condition it would probably take her a couple of days. She stayed off the main roads, anticipating Kharon’s pursuit. Instead she weaved her way through the underbrush and hunting trails, staying close to the rivers and streams for access to water. One of the many things she could thank her father for was teaching her how to survive with no supplies. There had been many training sessions where she would come home injured, half-starved and shaking from dehydration. Gavin was merciless and more than once she had convinced herself that he was secretly trying to put an end to her career. All of that punitive brutality made perfect sense to her now. She knew without a doubt that she could survive long enough to get home.

For the next two nights she slept in trees and under shrubs. Not only did she not encounter any of Kharon’s men, she didn’t encounter anyone at all…not even a robber. Again she thought that maybe she was getting some lingering help from her grandfather. All she did for three days was walk and sleep. She was too exhausted and frail to hunt but she did manage to forage for a few edible plants. The only thing she had to keep her company were her thoughts of Kharon. Having spent so much time alone in the past few weeks she would have imagined that all of her thoughts would have been purged. Of course that was until Titan had sown some spores of doubt about her feelings. Was it possible that she really did love Kharon or was Titan finding another way to amuse himself?

Why couldn’t I kill him? He betrayed me and I let him live. I had both motive and opportunity and I failed just like Gavin predicted. There had been no excuse as the Primal Fever was gone, even if only temporarily.

It didn’t matter anymore. She had escaped and would be home in a few more hours. There were more important things to think about. The past few weeks had wreaked havoc on her mental as well as physical condition. She had lost a lot of muscle mass and would have to work on building herself back up if she hoped to finish the Academy. Gypsy also decided to take Titan’s advice and learn as much as she could about the fever and how to control it…just in case Krull couldn’t cure her. Even if Krull could develop an antidote to this Primal Fever she knew in her soul that Kharon would never put the marriage aside. Gypsy was going to do everything she could to ensure that if she crossed paths with Kharon again, the relationship was going to be on her terms.