Incognito

17

Zac let go and she didn't move away.

"I did not abuse you. I do not have the strength to break a man's arm. If I did beat someone up and leave him for dead, I would have left him and not let my conscience weigh on me enough to rescue him. If I did find a man I would seek revenge on those who had wronged him and make sure it never happened again to anyone else." Her voice was scary quiet. With the roar of the falls, he had to lean down to her height to hear.

He hated himself. Every doubt crept into his mind and they burned bright. The only way to quench the flame was in infuriate truths out of the mia with murderous anger in her eyes. She stomped on his foot and began to kick away, more flailing then swimming. Although pain ate at him, he pursued to the mia. He had to know more. Secrets were what he hated. He had to know why she lived in the woods. Why did she have Sir Martin's little girl? Who was the man he saw this morning?

Frantically he swam after her. The waters grew chillier as he neared the small waterfall until it was almost unbearable. Still, the mia flailed until she disappeared under the falls. Ducking under their roar he saw that she lead him into a damp, warm cave.

As he stood, he realized she reminded him of his mother. She cared so much about how the world it brought her to tears. It reminded him of the day his mother demanded he not be vain. The man stood hunched over, sobbing.

"Tell me about him, your beau. Does he know about the baby and Sir Martin?"

Turning around, she screamed in agony. "You are infuriating!  Can you not tell I wish to be alone?" A sob escaped their mouth and she covered it.

"Tell about the-"

"Her name is Prosper," Mia screamed. She sank to the ground and hugged her knees up to her wet cotton shirt. A shiver rolled through her.

Zac understood. The mia, infamous brigand and nefarious, rebellious woman was fragile. She was weak. He could tell through the little clothes she wore that the mia was a malnourished mass of muscle. She barely survived physically and cared not for her own health if the dark rings under her eyes had a story to tell. And Zac, wrenched Zacary Holden, had just officially broken her emotionally. He didn't deserve answers to questions that plagued him. He had broken her for no reason at all but selfishness. He sat on the moist floor and listened to her cry because it was the song his own heart sang.

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"She is a Martin." Zac had looked in such empathetic surprise that normally Mia would have laughed. "Her mother was Mrs. Martin the second. Sir Martin found out that is wife was with child and cast her out. Annulled the marriage he did. Said the babe wasn't his. Mrs. Martin spent nine miserable months in the poorhouse with me as her only companion and food source. She had Prosper to early and it...she could not...she did not make it. I thought Prosper was gone too. She was blue and silent. Babies are supposed to cry. All my friend asked of me was to keep her baby safe."

"So you thought running away would keep her safe?" Zac's voice was so deep it caught her off-guard.

"No, I took her home. But my sister and mother found out and it was only a matter of time before my father would find her and kill her. At first, I stayed at a friend's home. But I only endangered everyone."

"So you thought a life with a thieving young lady in the woods was a better life for her than a rich life with her father."

Mia could hear judgment in his voice. "Her father does not love her. He wished her gone and gone she is. Prosper..."

Prosper! Oh, the mia was calling herself several unkind words as she finally remembered her treasure. How could she be so foolish as to leave her out in the water? She had let her emotions take hold of her heart. She dashed through the waters and swam as fast as she could. Before coming to the forest the mia had never been on any water other than her bathing tub. She was strong and fear forced her to battle the currents. Prosper had to still be there. Prosper had to live. Oh dear God, what would she do without Prosper? It was as if her own life was on the line while water forced her further and further away from her treasure. It seemed the more she fought the harder she battled the harder the water pushed. A wave rose out of seemingly, nothing and she shrieked as it swallowed her. Never had the river seemed so strong. She came up disoriented and washed downstream. She knew that Prosper was upriver from the base of the falls but before the mia could even find the curtain she was engulfed. Her head hit a large stone and she found her vision failing and her head spinning as she sunk.

Every time she risked her life, Mia was sure she would fail. Eventually, an arrow or blade would hit her, or she could get beaten like Zac and that would be it. She would be gone. Never did she imagine herself drowning. She feared the cold and Richard's gang much more than water. And yet, water would mark her end. As it rushed all around her she felt herself dying. The water burned her nose as it entered and flew into her lungs.

Jesus, Mia pleaded, protect Prosper. If I must die, let her live. Don't let the water steal her also. I believe that you care for your sheep and Good, Good Shepherd, take her into your flock. Find someone who can care for her much better than I ever could.

Mia opened her eyes and gave up the fight. God would fight her battles and in His mighty name, she would win, live, or die.

As the mia, slipped away she felt flesh grip her leg. She heard a splash. Her last thought was that God had sent an angel too late.