Intervention Upon a String

Chapter Eleven

As the centaur's carried her away, Angelina gave them quite a struggle. She wasn't going to die without a fight and so she kicked and cursed as hard as possible. Finally, they silenced her with a sharp blow to the head and the last thing she saw before her world went black was Sysleis's sad and guilty face.

When she came to, her vision was fogged and her head throbbing. The centaurs had took it upon themselves to display Angelina like a witch at the Salem trials by tying her to a tree as if it where a spike. Judging by the pile of wood at the bottom, something told her she wasn't going to be displayed alive for very much longer. When she looked up, she met eyes with a dozen centaurs all glaring at her with hatred. Her entire body ached.

"Do you know why you are here?"

Angelina glared defiantly at the centaur who spoke. "I'm guessing it's because you're psychotic."

"You are hardly in a position to make insults." Swiftly, the centaur backhanded her with his massive fist. Angelina cried out and immediately tasted fresh blood upon her lips. "I suppose that hurt," the centaur said. "But that is no match for the pain you will soon experience. The pain we centaurs have felt when we are betrayed by our own kind when they fall under the spell of human lies."

"What are you talking about?" Angelina cried. "I haven't hurt or lied to anyone! When did centaurs become so bloodthirsty?"

"Far too long after humans," another centaur said and stepped in. "Do you think you can trespass into our forest and upset the balance of nature? What right do you have to harm another being for the sake of your own amusement?"

The centaur beckoned Sysleis to step forward. Shyly, he obeyed and hung his head before pleading with the elder of a striking resemblance. "Father," he said. "Please. I swear to you this is not her doing. She set me free. The bandage upon my leg is her own."

"Take it off at once, Sysleis. It is poisoning your mind and soul. Have you no shame? Do you wish for Firenze's fate?"

Sysleis hesitated and looked into Angelina's pleading eyes. He did not trust humans, as instructed, but he had to convince his family that she was not a harmful being. Yet, he didn't know how. The word of a young centaur was not enough. Sysleis's father nodded. "She dies at sunset."

One by one, the centaurs took turns cursing Angelina and turning their backs on her. It wasn't until Sysleis was the last one remaining that she finally relaxed slightly. The binds holding her to the tree were mercilessly tight. Her skin around her wrists and neck were raw and the only thing she could do to ease the pain was calm the tears welling in her eyes and relax. Sysleis approached her with an apologetic look. Behind him, a lingering centaur watched carefully.

"I cannot sway them alone," Sysleis whispered to Angelina.

"I know," she said and gave him a weak, reassuring smile.

Even her bravery wasn't enough to keep her tears at bay this time. Her sadness overflowed and despite the pain of the bonds, she could hold steadfast no longer and began to cry. Sysleis put a hand on her shoulder until the remaining centaur stomped his foot in disapproval and he had to quickly remove it to keep up impressions. "Do not cry," Sysleis said in a hushed voice. "I will find a way to get you free. Your trap isn't as easy as mine. However, I will stall them long enough to give you a second chance at life."

"I don't care about that!" Angelina sobbed.

The young centaur was befuddled. He cocked his head at her. "Do you not wish to be saved? Don't you care for your life?"

She continued to cry and shook her head. "Marcus. He's dead."

The centaur now understood and nodded. "Your mate."

This actually made Angelina giggle through her tears. If Marcus could have heard that... "No," she said and sniffled. "But he was my friend. He saved my life so many times and we were so close to home and now he's just....gone. It's my fault he's dead."

"Why is it your fault?"

Angelina shook her head. She didn't want to tell Sysleis that if she had listened to Flint in the first place, they would have been safe in the castle by now. It wasn't fair. Either way, an innocent life would have been lost. Despite her silence, Sysleis concurred with her thoughts. "It was me."

"What?" Angelina inquired.

"Before my family came, your mate said he tried to change your course of action. If you had not come to my rescue, you would have been safe. Yet you saved me anyway." He paused to wordlessly reach a conclusion. "I will return the favor."

Angelina furrowed her eyebrows. "What? How?"

"Losing my family via banishment will bring me great pain. But compared to the agony I would feel from gutlessly letting an innocent being die; it is something that I will have to live with and happily abide. The stain upon my hands would be too great otherwise." Sysleis reared up on his back hooves slightly. Without another word, he began to gallop off into the woods.

The other centaur watched him frenetically. "Sysleis!" he bellowed. "Where are you going?"

Angelina would have liked to know as well. Instead, the young centaur continued at full speed and never once looked over his shoulder.

The other centaur looked from her to Sysleis's retreating back several times before stomping his hoof. "What have you said to him?" he growled and crept up to Angelina.

"I told him that I really had to have a pee," Angelina said with a daring smirk. "And that your nose is crooked and you have a big ass."

Unsheathing an arrow from the satchel around his mane, the centaur scowled and swiftly raised it above his head. Angelina gasped and closed her eyes to brace for the heated pain she knew would come. Instead, the centaur cut her ropes and lifted her clear off the ground by her wrists. She stared into his dark empty eyes with fear and trepidation. His strength was frightening.

Breaking the sharp tension, several other centaurs came out from the forest to see what the commotion was. When they saw Angelina freed from her binds and in the hands of another centaur, they immediately assumed the worst. "Did she try to escape, Ares?"

"No. I cut her down. She still insults us and mocks us," the centaur said through clenched teeth. His breath was hot upon Angelina's face. "Leaving her to wait for her death is not punishment enough. She begs us to make her an example."

"An example of what, exactly?" Angelina snapped. "Of me being normal and you over-exaggerating everything?"

"Where is Sysleis?" another centaur asked with concern.

"He ran off. The human must have said lied to him again."

"No, I swear we really were just talking about your monstrously huge ass," Angelina said.

Ares jerked her silent and then looked at the other. "Find him. He was heading for the male. Make sure he is dead and then restrain Sysleis for disciplining."

At the sound of that statement, Angelina filled with hope. If Sysleis was going to find Marcus, maybe he was alive! Maybe they would find help together! Whatever his plan, he needed to do it quickly.

Two centaurs nodded and followed their orders, galloping out into the woods; hot on Sysleis's unseen trail. Soon after, Ares focused his attention back onto Angelina. "And you," he sneered. "If you find amusement in degradation and silly traps, we shall see how much you laugh when your lies and simple witchcraft do no more than take your life with every passing minute."

Angelina glared at him in silence. Oh God, Sysleis. Hurry.

When Marcus woke up, he was still unable to open his eyes; stuck in a limbo between consciousness and sleep. If the gaping hole in his shoulder didn't do him in, the one on his head when he landed on the rocks below the cliff should have. Unfortunately, waking reality was taking hold and Marcus groaned in pain. When he opened his eyes, he grimaced not because of his injuries but because he just wanted five more minutes of sleep. He forgot where he was and rolled lazily over onto his back which disturbed his wounds. The sudden intense pain ripped Marcus out of any hazy state he was in and he cursed loudly, finally snapping awake. Of course, in his frantic confusion, he tried to scramble to his feet using the sandy cliff wall as support but only slid down to sit with an exhausted sigh. He clutched his bleeding shoulder and panted in uneven and shaky breaths. Get a hold of yourself, Flint......Where the hell am I? Marcus glanced around and tried to piece together what happened but he was disoriented and his head was throbbing and oozing blood. For several moments he just sat against the dusty incline holding his shoulder and resting. Suddenly, the previous few hours came crashing into his memory with sickening speed. He remembered a centaur and an argument with Angelina...and she had started to take of her shirt. Oh, he liked that memory. But then the rest hit him; she was caught and he was shot and everything after that was a blank. He didn't need to figure the rest out. Angelina was in deep shit. "Fuck!" Marcus gasped and tried to stand up by holding onto a root protruding from the cliff. His aching body, however, refused to function.

"Young male!" an unexpected voice said from behind him.

Marcus nearly jumped out of his skin. He fell back against the cliff and saw Sysleis standing before him with a relieved smile. This was the last person he wanted to see. "Shit," he said breathlessly; his heart racing. "Don't DO that! What the hell do you want?"

"You're alive!" Sysleis exclaimed.

"No thanks to you, prick. Why the hell did you shoot me?"

"I didn't. My father did. Don't worry; the arrow is small."

"Where's Johnson?" Marcus said in a strained voice as he tried to stand. Sysleis pushed him back down.

"Wait. I've some medicine for your wounds. Hold still."

From his satchel he unearthed a small cloth damp with herbs. Naturally, Marcus pushed it away.

"I don't need it," he said. He slowly attempted to stand once more but was still dizzy. Again, Sysleis pushed him back down and this time, pinned his back against the cliff. Marcus was actually thrown off by the centaur's strength and sat immobilized.

"I know what pride is," Sysleis growled. "And if you valued it like you truly pretend to, you will stay still. Or would you rather limp behind me like a lame dog?"

For once, Marcus had no smart-ass response. He glared warily at Sysleis and finally obeyed. The centaur had a point after all.

"Forgive me," Sysleis said in a softer tone. "I could not gather enough to heal you completely; only enough to take away some discomfort."

Carefully, he wrapped Flint's shoulder with the cloth the best he could. For several seconds, Marcus could feel no difference in the pain--that is until the herbs seeped into his wound and relaxed his muscles like a hot bath. Marcus felt sleepy again. He clutched his shoulder now not in pain but in desperation that the new feeling of euphoria wouldn't go away. Unfortunately, Sysleis didn't let him bask in it. "We've no time to waste," he said. "Hurry and stand. We must save your mate."

As Marcus unsteadily got to his feet, he chuckled. "I wish Johnson could hear you call her that."

"She has."

Marcus straightened up and looked at Sysleis expectantly. "Really? What did she say?"

"I'm not sure. The other centaurs interrupted us. But I am in debt to her now and I promised to save her life. However, I couldn't do it alone and have come back to retrieve you. She will be most relieved that you are alive."

Marcus scoffed and brushed off his arms. "You think that dinky stupid arrow can kill anyone?"

Sysleis blinked. "...And then you fell head-first onto some rocks 30 feet below a cliff."

"Right," Marcus said, clearing his throat. "Survived worse. Especially with that daft woman following me. So what are they going to do to her?"

"They will kill her at sunset."

Marcus simply nodded. "I guess I have to save her and all that shit?"

"If you'd like."

For a dramatic effect, Flint paused and pretended to actually need to think about this. Then he smirked. "I guess so. Let's move it."

Before they departed, Marcus quickly looked down and around him for something he direly needed. Spotting it, he smiled and knew then that everything would work out. After he picked up his wand, he was ready to get his woman back.

Sysleis. Please, hurry. Angelina's head hung in exhaustion. Once again, she was tied to a tree but this time hanging only by her wrists. The rest of her weight dangled from the rope and tortured her shoulders and to make matters worse, the centaurs were not showing mercy. She was hung for their degrading. They flung dirt and mud at her, shot their arrows so close to her that she felt the wind zing by her ears, and jeered at her for hours. Despite it all, Angelina refused to cry. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction that they were harming her even though she was cold, tired, and really quite scared. The day would be ending soon and so would her life.

"So, here's the plan. You run in there and do your centaur speech shit, distract them, I'll hex them all to oblivion, save my bitch, we win. Ok?"

Sysleis glared at Marcus with offense. Obviously the man hit his head harder than he thought. "Do you honestly think your little toy wand will have any effect on them? This isn't going to be easy, young male. Do not underestimate the power of centaurs."

They were running stealthily through the forest. Sysleis had to remember to slow down for the injured man and took advantage of the lack of energy spent to go over strategies. However, Marcus wasn't finding the little jog so easy. He was sore and tired and his head was absolutely throbbing but he complained not one bit and continued on. Somewhere back in the forest, he realized that he could simply run for the castle and be safe and never even worry about Johnson again. This made no sense.

"We need a strategy," Sysleis said. "Two males against a family of centaurs are little if any match."

Marcus boasted his chest. "Just because you're chicken shit doesn't mean I am too. I'm going in there and I'm going to beat as much ass as I can."

Sysleis was beginning to tense up. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut for he knew that not only would he be banished, but he would surely die alongside such a reckless human. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Finally, they reached the tree where Angelina was once tied to before quickly laying low behind a nearby brush.

"They moved her," Sysleis whispered.

"Moved her where? Why?"

Sysleis pointed ahead to where they passed the tree. "They had her tied there. That is where I fled to seek you."

"How the hell do you know? It's just a tree. She could have been anywhere," Marcus said and Sysleis glared at him. "Ah. Right. Centaur. So where the fuck is she now then?"

The centaur looked around worriedly, trying to formulate a plan in his head. This didn't look good for them at all. Sysleis was suddenly feeling very alone. As noble as his intentions were, every passing second filled his heart with dread. He would save these humans and his hands would be clean of their murder but what of his family? Would they accept him after he defied them so easily even if it was justified? Where would he go? It was too late to turn back now. He sighed heavily and accepted his fate with a nod. "I am going to move in closer to see if I can catch site of your mate. Stay here. If the others see you, they will not hesitate to kill you."

Silently, the centaur rose to his full height and galloped off. Marcus didn't have any other choice but to stay put and he laid low on his stomach. He cursed as his head pounded in his skull with every movement of his body; every breath. Here he was starved, tired, covered in dirt, and practically broken and it was all Angelina's fault. Why on earth was he saving her? I must have hit my head harder than I thought. None of this made sense. No more centaurs, no more Gryffindors, food and shelter less than a mile away; what the hell was he doing lying there on the ground? And then it dawned on him more than it did their whole adventure. His head sank and he sighed.

"Shit. I fancy the bitch don't I?"

He could have told himself that the moment he pulled Angelina out of the quicksand. Or the minute she offered herself to him in her drugged state and he refused. Not to mention when he nearly died saving her and her stupid unicorn about 2 billion times. Well, that settled it. He didn't just fancy her; he damn well fell in love!

"Fuck."

So, why was he just laying in the dirt following orders from a centaur? The castle was close; he could go there and get help but just about everyone and everything at that school was useless to him. Dumbledore couldn't even handle Potter let alone a herd of angry centaurs. As much as Marcus wanted to save Angelina all by himself, he wasn't an idiot and knew he'd take two running steps before he became a moving dartboard. Are you a Slytherin or not? Save your wench by any means necessary! Desperate times called for desperate measures. He was going to take things into his own hands now but could he do it? Marcus didn't really think he was going to find out by hiding behind a bush. He began to scramble to his feet when a shadow loomed over him followed by a cold female voice.

"Don't move. Put your hands into view, human."

Marcus froze and did as instructed slowly. Something told him that yet another arrow was aimed at his back.

"Where is Sysleis?" she asked.

"Where is Angelina?"

"She will die and you will too. On your feet. Try anything foolish and I will shoot."

Marcus kept his hands in view at the side of his head and carefully stood up. Slowly, he turned around and found himself staring at a female centaur of quite an amount of beauty. Her hair was red and flowing down her mane in soft curls and her eyes were a crystalline hazel. Her build was still that of a centaur but two sashes of oak crossed over her petite torso and covered her breasts.

"Where is Sysleis?" she growled again and aimed her bow at Flint's chest.

"Fuck if I know!"

"You are too weak and stupid to have harmed him. I know you have tried to manipulate him for he is young and innocent."

"You mean sane? I'm not fucking weak and stupid, bitch! Speaking of which, aren't you supposed to be off with the other horses killing innocent people lost in the woods?"

The female scowled and fired a warning shot into the ground before Marcus. He jumped slightly and tensed but remained unspoken. Saving Angelina would be extra hard if he was dead. "I will only ask you one more time and then I will kill you," she said. "Where is Sysleis?"

Well, this is an embarrassing way to die, Marcus thought and gulped. He already told her he didn't know where the dumb centaur went so he chose the next best answer on his mind. "Sod off."

Without a flinch or a moment's hesitation, the female raised her bow once more and prepared to fire directly at Flint's heart.