Leaving the Horse

Chapter 29

I grasped some dirt in my free fist as I extended my legs to stand. The very strain on my muscles made me feel like I would pass out. My head reeled with stress. I care for her way too much to do this.

But would I be doing her a favor by allowing the insanity live? Would I be helping anyone?

No.

There was no argument there.

Pacing several yards from where Jauda laid, I ran a hand through my hair as I stressed over what action I needed to take. I gripped the handle to my sword tightly, fearing that at any moment it may disappear.

I had to come up with a plan and stick with it.

I will wait until she wakes up. If she still shows signs of madness, I'll run her through.

I still wasn't sure if I could kill Jauda if the time came. But it was the best plan I've had so far so I decided to stick with it.

Satisfied, but still shaky over what the possible outcome of this could be, I decided to clear away the dead bodies before she woke up. The sight was horrible to me. If she woke up and by some chance was sane again, she would be horrified to see what she had done.

The corpses were stiff under my touch. The roughed up skin felt horrible under my grasp and I resisted the urge from my stomach to through up.

I can do this.

I finished the terrible deed as quickly as possible, ignoring the cracks and tearing of tendons and ligaments as I dragged the mangled bodies into the bushes.

Starting a carefully small fire with my magic, I controlled its path as I wrinkled my nose at the smell of burning bodies.

"Rest in peace." I murmured. Some of the victims were evil while the police were innocent, but either way I felt sorry for the way they had to die. No one deserved that sort of death.

Once the deed was done, I went back to Jauda after washing my hands and sat back down/ I decided to calm my racing heart by looking at the sky.

The sun was fading in the horizon, radiating bright rays across part of the sky. Reds, oranges, pinks and yellows streamed across, only slightly clouding the stars that were beginning to appear. The moon was on the other side, surrounded by black and dim purple that was still receiving some of the sun's rays. The white moon was rising as it chased the sun away. Wimp.

The foolish thought made me chuckle. Being stressed really brought out the worst in people.

I gazed back down abruptly as Jauda moaned and shifted he position on the ground.

I stumbled to my feet in panic, grasping the sword tightly in my hand. I couldn't control my hands from shaking. This was it.

I watched through narrow eyes as Jauda rubbed the back of her head. She coughed harshly, before she began to sit up.

"Jauda?" I asked tentatively.

Jauda's head whipped around to stare at me through tired purple eyes.

Purple!

Relief flooded through me. Did this mean she wasn't mad anymore? I needed to be sure.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Uhhh..." Jauda hesitated, cringing as she must have touched where I'd strike her with the butt of my sword. "Not really. I have a terrible headache."

"Do you remember anything?" I asked quickly. She already feared her magic. I may have just made it worse. I had no idea how I would get her to try learning to control it if she knew she could go mad as well.