The Wand and The Scepter

Chapter Sixteen - The Curse of the City

"Oh, my!" Perri gasped and she tried desperately to pull herself out from underneath the fallen man. Eudo's head lolled on his shoulder, his eyes staring absently like the poor man was on the verge of fainting.

She pulled herself free and grabbed one of the curse breaker's shoulders and Arati arrived to take the other. Together, they heaved the wizard back within the safety of their spell.

As one, the two witches turned their gaze up at the wall, where two men now pointed in their direction and talked excitedly among themselves.

"They saw us," Perri whispered and drew her wand.

"They don't know what they saw. They're arguing about it."

"I don't think they're wizards." Neither of the men carried a wand. They both had bows, and one of them fit an arrow to his string.

"They know about us, though," Arati said. "Wizards. They have some among them."

The guard drew the bow back, and Perri could see the man's muscles flex with the exertion.

"Cast your Shield Charm!" Arati hissed.

The two threw their spells up just in time, for only seconds later, there was a twang, and the missile sped with incredible velocity toward them.

Arrows fly much faster than Perri ever realized. She never saw the projectile once the archer released the string. One second he held his bow bent, the next there was a thunk and an arrow protruded from the ground less than a foot beside her.

Perri sighed. "Thank goodness!" she breathed. "He missed."

But Arati did not look so relieved. "He didn't aim at us. He aimed at the area. His arrow just vanished from his sight. Look!"

One of the guards ran away along the wall while the other drew another dart from his quiver.

"The guard's gone for reinforcements. Wizards!" said Arati. "And that blasted guard is going to keep shooting in the hopes of hitting one of us."

"What do we do?" Perri asked quickly, panic beginning to rise.

The two looked up in time to see the man draw back his bow.

"Disapparate! Now!" Arati reached down and grabbed Eudo by the wrist and vanished with an audible Crack!

The image of base camp and its bonfire came into Perri's mind, and she thought hard on it. She staggering backward suddenly, her concentration broken as something struck her belly. The pain came next, a sudden stabbing pain that shot throughout her body. Legs wobbled underneath her, and she fell to her knees. The wall... the guards... I never left.

Her gaze dropped to her robes. An arrow shaft protruded from her stomach, blood now soaking her robes. Immediately, she began to shake, as it threatened to take over her body.

"I—have to get—out of here," she stammered as she tried to focus on the camp. It was too hard. In her condition, the base was too far away to Apparate to. It had to be somewhere nearer.

The stone! The dark gray obelisk rose from the sand in her mind. The ground around it was flat, gravelly. The wand in her hand helped her focus as she concentrated on her destination, then she Disapparated.

When she came to, she found herself on her knees. The shouts of guards approaching the spot where she had been drifted to her, but she hardly noticed them as the wound from the arrow overwhelmed her.

Perri knew she must heal herself or die. Carefully, she moved her hand around the side of her waist to her back. The arrowhead protruded behind her, along with at least four inches of shaft.