Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle) (39 page)

Before
Sarah
could scream
or Firon could get him off, Connor started laughing loudly
and menacingly
.
It sent a cold chill up
her
spine
and
that of
everyone else’s
.
Connor still faced forward and
looking at a stunned Immortal G
uard. His laughter slowly died from the cavern. His voice
remained
dangerously
calm for someone who was gett
ing his shoulder chomped
upon
.
“Is that the best you can do?” Connor laughed again
and turned to look at the face of the assailant
. “I guess it is.”

She watches as
Connor ball
ed
up his huge fist and bent his middle finger forward. Before anyone else had a chance to
aid
him, his fist moved faster than the Changer could ever hope to react. Connor arched his arm across his chest and punched the Changer
directly
between his eyes.
A sickening crunch was
heard
as
the sound of
his
punch br
oke
the bridge
bones
between
the attacker’s
silver eyes. The Changer roared in excruciating pain and let go of
her
mate.
Sarah
could see that Connor broke the skin between his
enemy’s
eyes and
both tears and
blood started squirting down his muzzle
and into his eyes
. He clutched his face and landed on the ground
,
writh
ing in pain. Connor smiled at her
like he wasn’t
in pain from his shoulder, but she
knew he was putting on a front
for
all
the others.
Sarah
could see where the teeth pierced through his
black shirt. She
was also glad his blood didn’t show
,
thanks to his black top.

She
glanced at the crowd and judged that Connor made an effect on
all
the observers
beyond intention
. Some cast
ed
worried glances and others were shocked
into
still
ness
. Inadvertently Connor just demonstrated that no one present was to mess with
those with him
. It was almost like Connor just ripped
the changer’s
head off
and put it on a pike
to
show he
was
the most dominant person
in the room
.
Sarah even
saw
her
grandparents
among
the crowd
and they were more shocked than any
one. She
learned
from their minds
that they wanted to see him hurt, but they were put back into their weak place twice in
one
day.

The Changer
continued
writ
h
ing in pain until Firon growled
menacingly and showed
off
his finger long fangs
.
Firon stood to his full height to look down at the offender.
“If you move another hair until I am finished
investigating
, you will die instantly by my hand.”
The lion stopped writhing
, but the blood continued gushing
from Connor’s strike
.
“You know the rules
set in our laws during a gathering
. For every m
urder attempt you gain fifty
years of imprisonment and the death sentence if you were to kill someone o
ut of cold blood. I saw no self-
defense in your eyes as you just attacked a person with their back to you
. You are already up to
two
hundred years by my count... Do not test my patience, Hatchling!”

“Firon?” Yellow eyes turned to
Connor
as he spoke calmly. “What is the punishment for binding someone up against their will?”

“That is twenty years per captive
, for all who are associated
.”
Firon crossed his arms acro
ss his breast. Connor turned to
looked behind
himself
and nodded.

Liz stepped
forward
to the
tall
Keeper and held up the gag and
chain
. “The three of them tied me up with
this. I’m the
manager
for Cabin O
ne. They jumped me and tied me up so they could get
to
their
sleeping
and defenseless
target
s
. I tried to help these good people, but the bindings
were far too tight for me to get any leverage to break them myself
in time
.”

Firon leaned down and opened his palm. Liz sat the items in his hand. He lifted them up to his nostrils. He took a few sniffs and leaned down to be on all four
limbs
. Connor and Mark moved back for the Guard to do his job as he walked forward. He sniffed the female first. He glared for the
conscious
lion to remain still, to which he didn’t have a choice if he liked
to continue
breathing. Then he smelled the last one. Firon then turned his head to smell both Mark, who’s blood finally started drying, and then to Connor.
Sarah
knew Firon could tell
her
mate was bleedi
ng profusely, but he didn’t reveal any emotion on
h
is
cool
reptilian f
eatures
. Firon pushed hard with his front hands to stand straight again.
“I could tell that your words were true, but your scents plus this evidence”
He
shook his closed hand which held the rope and gag.
“has sealed all
of their fates for the next two
hundred and twenty years.”
Firon looked to everyone
“This matter has been resolved. Go back to your quarters and get some rest.”

The crowd scattered under Firon’s
intense
gaze. With his left hand he held all three prisoners
by their legs
and walked to the central staircase. He disappeared as he went down
ward
. L
iz walked closely with all of them. Sarah
saw for the first time that the blood had finally
begun to run
down Connor’s right arm and
began
dripping off his
curled
fingertips. Everyone was closely watching
them
and all seven of
them
put on emotionless masks to cover for what just happened.

They eventually
returned
to the lodge. Liz looked at all of
them
once the
reception
room
cleared
. Everyone scurried away under Connor’s raptor gaze. “I will have your room
s
re
paired
by the time you come back tomorrow. All of my rooms are full, but…”

Sarah
interrupted by saying “
They can stay with us for the night.
Unfortunately Connor also ripped our door off its hinges to help them out.
” Liz smiled gratefully
and said it would be taken care of
as well
.
“But first, Mar
k? Do you want to clean up before we go to our room?” H
e looked down at
the
dried blood on his chest.

He opened his mouth, but Connor spoke first. “Not just yet. I need his help
with something
first.”
Sarah
would be able to help with whatever he
had
issues with,
but she
didn’t say anything otherwise.

They
said goodbye to Liz and headed towards
their
room.
Jack
said “If you
have
need
of
us, you know where we will be.” Connor smiled and said “Thank you.” They left and
her f
ather took
the menacing
Haunt off his shoulder
. Sarah
bent down and lifted the fallen door off the hallway floor
. Connor was close behind and Mark and Kara glanced at each other before coming in themselves.

Sarah
placed the door easily back where it should be, but it
really
needed a repair job; badly.
She
turned to see Connor sitting
down
on the edge of the bed. “Mark, I need your help.” His face
finally
showed pain
as did his quiet voice.

“How can I help?” Mark’s
voice became
quick and
eager.

“Help me take my shirt off. When he bit me he dislocated my right
shoulder from its socket
.” She
suddenly realized that his right arm hasn’t moved since he punched the lion in the face. “My arm is in
pain and I need you to take my
ruined
shirt off quickly
,
with your claws.” He took a few breaths. “When you’re done, help me put my arm back in its socket.”

“I’ll be quick.” Mark quickly grew a set of claws that were sharp as razor. He stepped closer to Connor. Mark pulled Connor’s collar of the shirt out and sliced it down the front
,
in one
smooth
motion. He opened it up to show how bloody
Connor’s chest
actually
was.
Sarah
had to stifle a cry by biting
the inside of
her
cheek.
She
felt the
liquid
warm iron taste flow
ing
onto
her
tongue
from biting too hard
. The
n
Mark sliced the left sleeve next. In one stroke he shredded the right
sleeve and she
saw the wet red blood still trickling down Connor
’
s huge biceps.
M
ultiple and deep puncture wounds
from the bite crested over the top of his shoulder. She
could even see the muscle tissue in the holes.
Mark
tossed the bloody rag on the floor. “Shirt’s off. Are you ready?” Connor’s wordless
expression
said everything. Mark took his new right hand and grabbed Connor’s in a handshake fashion and lifted. Connor didn’t flinch or moan
, but his lips were pressed into a
tight
white line
. Then he placed his left hand over Connor’s
bloody
shoulder. Mark pulled with his right hand and pushed the bone back in the socket with the left.
T
he bone pop
ped loudly back in place and she felt more blood enter her
mouth. Connor didn’t
make any more sounds, but he tucked his hand into the inside of hi
s
armpit. “It’s back in. D
o you have a first aid kit?”

“I’ll get it.” Sarah
ran to the closet and opened his pack.
She
pulled the kit
out
and opened it. O
nly
the needle and thread
needed to be
out.
Sarah
jumped behind him and saw the full extent of his injuries. The holes on the shoulder were flesh wounds compared to these
beneath his shoulder blade
. Each puncture
there
was twice as deep and bloody
in his back
.
She
quickly said “Connor, hold your breath.” He did and became a stone statue. At a speed no one could hope
to match she
s
utured
each of the large holes closed.
She
stood and did his shoulders while he held the same breath
and
snappe
d the cored ends with
her
finger
s and
tied the ends. “Ok, breathe.” H
e did.