The Fig Tree

The Fig Tree (chapter four)

Journey

There was a thick silence when Isabel finished. Nathaniel was looking at her as if she'd gone crazy but Alastair only seemed surprised for a second.

"I'm fine with that," he said with a wicked smile as he stood once more.

"Isabel, stop!" Nathaniel said as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "This has gone too far!" Isabel pulled away from him.

"I know what I'm doing, Nathan," she said sternly. Nathaniel glared at Alastair who just smiled. He put an arm around Isabel's waist and held her close to him.

"Shall we be off then?" he asked. Nathaniel suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from him.

"I'm going too," he announced. Alastair made a face.

"You do realize how likely the chance is that you will die, no? The only reason I'm going to protect Isabella is because I need her to be able to return my powers completely. But you are completely expendable to me, boy."

"He's not to me," Isabel said as she pulled away from him. "I need him since you don't seem like you will be any fun to talk to and to shoot an arrow through your hand if you ever touch me again!" Alastair just shrugged, as always and sat back down on the stump. She looked at Nathaniel. "What about Catherine? Who is going to take care of her?"

"I asked one of the women in the village to do so until I returned. I didn't tell her why." Alastair shifted impatiently where he sat.

"Well, are we going or not?" he asked, irritated.

"I actually didn't think I would get this far," Isabel admitted with a weak laugh. "So I don't have any food..."

"Don't worry," Nathaniel said after returning from picking up a bag he had dropped by the edge of the trees. "I thought you might try to go find Victoria so I packed food for both of us." Isabel smiled but suddenly heard Alastair making a sound as if he were gagging, but when Isabel turned around, he had already composed himself.

"Shall we leave then?" he asked with a smile and Isabel and Nathaniel nodded. Isabel pulled the dagger out of the ground and slid it slowly into its sheath.

"Can you tell me one thing, please?" she asked. When Alastair just stared at her she continued on. "Is there a chance that your mistress killed Victoria as soon as she took her? Could she already be dead?"

"No," Alastair answered. "Angela likes to play with her toys before disposing of them. My guess is we have a few weeks before she even thinks of killing your sister." Though there was still the possibility of her dying, Isabel was glad Victoria was still alive.

"There is one last piece of business we need to take care of before we leave." He held out his hand towards her but Isabel just stared at him. "We have to shake to seal the deal. You promise to help me regain my powers and my heart and, if not, give me your heart as a replacement. And I, in turn, promise to help you save your sister and never harm anyone who lives in your village, yes?" Isabel thought about this for a moment trying to see if he had left anything out, but realizing he hadn't she nodded.

"Deal," she said. A wicked smile curved the demon's lips and he grabbed her hand. Burning heat shot down her arm and brought her to her knees. She would have screamed but the pain in her chest made it impossible to do anything. The demon suddenly let go and Isabel put a hand over her chest. The skin just above her left breast stung and she noticed a mark there as if someone had been drawing on her skin. It looked like a large blooming rose with a long stem twisting all around it and thorns all over the stem. "What did you do?" she demanded when her breath returned. Alastair quickly pulled his shirt open just enough so they could see he bore the same mark in the same place as Isabel.