Reapers - Thirteen Brothers

LI -- Doubt

I ordered my body to move. No joy.

I closed my eyes as Conrad's blade took aim to my chest. I accepted my doomed fate and wished all the pain away. Struggling was futile. We couldn't win. All we could do was run. But I was tired. So tired of running without getting anywhere when deep down, I knew it would come to this end.

"Conrad! Stop this nonsense!" a male voice said.

I heard the clangor of blade against the dull surface of a Cataclyst. Someone had intercepted the blow that was meant for me.

First person that came to my mind was Vincent. When I opened my eyes, I saw Old Man Amos parrying Conrad's attacks with his gnarly grayish yellow Cataclyst. Couldn't say I was disappointed at all.  Better saved by an old man in a not so shining armor than not saved at all.

"Do not get in my way, Amos!" Conrad snarled, his blade slashing vehemently at the old man. "Look what they've done to my face!" With every word, blood spurted from his soggy eye socket.

Unmoved, Amos barely twitched a facial muscle. He just kept deflecting the rapier off his face.

"The Master wants them both alive. I shall see to that," he answered in a leveled tone.

The hole in my head started squirming. The flesh patched up on its own. Subtle cracking sounds that accompanied the mending gave me a hint that flesh might not be the only thing that was broken. It felt like an invisible cave man was bludgeoning the hell out of my skull.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Vincent running along the edge of the cliff. The barrier rippled bright red as he scoured it with the huge talons of his Cataclyst. He carefully eyed the other familiars who were still occupied with the battle between Conrad and Amos.

Can you get up? Vincent asked through the link, sounding a bit hopeful.

I wanted to scream. What part of me sprawled on the ground like a stunned lizard made you think I can stand up? I snapped at him.

Some savior he was.

Vincent just cursed out loud. He shook his head exasperatedly and dashed back to the stream's bank.

A couple of the Cairo's cronies blocked his path before he could reach me. One of them was the bald African guy Vincent fought in the stream a while ago. The other was an Asian familiar with dark spiky hair.

"Two to one?" Vincent smirked at the two. "No fair. You should've brought more of your friends."

I concentrated and tried to move my hands. It took a while and a lot of effort but eventually the numbness disappeared. The pain in my head was so intense I had to fight the strong urge to pass out. Shakily, I pushed myself up just to fall down again. The throbbing doubled. Blood dripped over my eyes.

I had no choice but to wait the repairs out while Conrad was still busy fighting Amos. Still, I considered myself lucky.

Amos grabbed Conrad's Cataclyst, pulled and jabbed his elbow into the young man's ribs. With a yelp, Conrad head-butted the old man. They both stumbled away from each other.

            "What are you standing there for?" Amos barked at the white-robed familiars who seemed to be waiting for his orders. "Contain him!"

Two of the familiars quickly went behind Conrad and seized him by the arms.

"Let go of me, you insolent fools!" Conrad kept thrashing about. "I'll have you beheaded for this!"

Gingerly, I felt for the wound on my forehead. A thin layer of flesh was forming over the bones and the bleeding had receded. It had to do for now.