Just An Excerpt

This is just an excerpt from a new novel I’m working on.  I would love feedback, but no flames.

“NO!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to get the attention of the griffin approaching Cameron.  It turned, its large eyes piercing her where she stood.  It ruffled its feathers when it saw her and started advancing on her in large strides.  Laura’s eyes widened as she realized the consequences of her actions, and she backed away slowly, scrabbling on the gravel when she neared the edge of the cliff.  Cameron growled and all she saw was a blur before he was on the creatures back, pulling out feathers and clawing with his bare hands at the skin underneath.  She could only watch in awe and horror as Cameron unleashed all of his anger on the animal, still just mere feet away from her.  Then, as if in slow motion, the griffin swung about trying to claw at the man on its back.  One winged claw clipped Laura on the shoulder, and she felt a brief fire on her arm before, as if in slow motion, she plunged off of the cliff.  Immediately aware of her weightlessness, she struck out at the cliffside, finally snagging a clump of brush sticking out of the rock.  Her shoulder jerked and tears came to her eyes as agony raced up and down her arm.  Hot liquid raced down to her elbow, but she refused to look at her shoulder, afraid of the damage she might see.  Swinging up her other arm, she clambered for a foothold on the cliff face.  Finally in position to start climbing, she risked a glance down the scraggly rocks, and gasped out loud at what she saw.  Water, barely visible at the distance down it was, still thundered as it rushed through the canyon.  Gulping audibly at the lump in her throat, Laura turned her face back to the sky.  The top of the crag was not far, but with her right arm almost useless, she nearly cried out at her predicament. 

            “Just like back home.  Come on girl, can’t wait around all day,” she spoke softly to herself, moving her right foot and left hand up in sync.  “You still gotta rescue that man up there.”  Inch by agonizing inch she found her way up the vertical face until she could see over the edge.  Curious over the lack of sound, she peered over and gasped a strangled breath at what she saw.  The griffin lay on the ground, its head at an unnatural angle, with a bloody rock on the ground next to it.  She gazed about, her heart pounding as she searched the area for Cameron.  She finally saw him, not far from the griffin, a pile of brush concealing his body from her.  He was sprawled face down, a hand outstretched in her direction, with blood pooling the ground around him, turning the dust into a black mud.  Tears sprang to Laura’s eyes as she scrambled the last few inches as fast as she could, and sprinted to his side.  She fell to her knees shaking her head in denial.  Gently, she grasped his shoulders and turned him over, surprised to see him gazing up at her through glassy eyes.  He smiled softly and relaxed into her hold. 

            “I thought you were dead,” he gasped through bloody lips. 

            “I’m not that easy to kill,” she replied, tears falling on his face, smearing the dried red there into rivers of liquid lining his cheeks.  She stared at his beautiful face, smiling though her heart was breaking inside.  She had seen the hole in his stomach where he must have taken a claw while killing the evil creature next to them.  The love of her life was dying in her arms.

            “I got him.”  The statement was ended in a fit of coughing that left her body shaking and Cameron trembling in pain.  “I thought I’d lost you.”  He brought his hand up to her face and she held it there reveling in its warmth, his touch reassuring and heart wrenching.

            “You’ll be okay,” she smiled, but her eyes belied the truth that they both knew. 

            “No, I won’t,” his smile was radiant in what was to be his last moment.  “But you will.  Just remember, I love you.” 

            Laura tried to speak past the lump in her throat, but could not return the words she had waited so long to hear.  With a knowing smile, Cameron again grasped her hand, gasped his last breath, and died.

            “Oh my God, NO!” She wailed, sobs racking her body. “No, no, no!” Laura clasped him to her body, as if holding onto him as tight as she could would bring him back to her.  It was in this moment of greatest despair that Laura found hope.

            Thinking back to the elves in the wood and their powers of healing with life force, Laura concentrated with all her heart and soul on the methods taught her in that short time.  Yes, she could now heal small cuts and bruises, but she had never given another back life.  Just when she had lost all hope, she felt warmth envelop her body.  Looking down in awe, she saw a glow surround both Cameron and herself.  Closing her eyes again, she put her whole self into healing her love.  Slowly, she felt the warmth beginning to fade, and so she pushed herself to transmit more, thought harder, and physically held onto him tighter, yet she could not get the warmth back.  Finally, as if in a dream, she was jerked out of her trance by rough hands shaking her.  As if through a fog a comforting and familiar voice tried to bring her back to her senses.

            “Laura, Laura, LAURA!” Cameron yelled, still shaking the non responsive girl in his arms.  Her eyes were halfway open, but they did not acknowledge him at all.  For the first time since he had awoken from that unnatural sleep, he saw that she had indeed been wounded.  Her jaunt in healing may have left him better than new, but she had given too much of herself, and he could see all of her cuts and bruises had formed again, freely bleeding now that they were reopened.  Blood flowed from the wound in her shoulder, and he grimaced at the torn skin where she had been clawed.  Glancing down at himself, he saw his blood-soaked clothing, but feeling underneath he could feel not even the remnants of his old scars.  Thankful as he was, this awakened a new fear for the woman in front of him.  She slumped to the side slightly and he changed his position so that she could lie against him.  She was gasping shallow breaths, and her heart was thudding in her chest.  Regretting the action before he took it, he reared back and slapped her hard on the cheek.

            Laura took a deep breath as her eyes finally opened all the way.  Blearily looking up she saw Cameron’s worried eyes and realized she must be in heaven.  She tried to lift a hand to his face, but she could barely lift a finger.  Her whole body felt heavy, and lethargic, and her limbs were tingling.  Mouthing the words I love you at her angel, her eyes finally rolled back and she fell into a deep, deep sleep.

 

            Cameron looked over at Laura again as he built the fire up.  Her chest rose regularly with each breath and the bandages on her shoulder and shallower cuts were still a stark white against her pale skin.  ‘At least the bleeding has stopped’ he sighed to himself.  He had been beside himself with panic when she had passed out in his arms.  The brief warmth he had felt as she finally let him know how she felt faded quickly when she had gone limp against him.  The only thing keeping him from losing his mind with worry was that she had a steady if faint pulse, and she was taking deep, regular breaths.  He carried her gently to the stream they had passed on the way up the cliff.  He worked quickly to strip her of her dirty clothes and clean and bandage her wounds.  Digging through the packs the Trimerans had sent with them, he pulled out an herb for pain and yet another to disinfect her cuts.  Once patched up, he blanketed her in a soft coverlet and laid her on top of their two sleeping rolls.  He considered clothing her, but at the way she cried out when he tended her many wounds, he had decided to spare her that pain.  She had yet to move from the position he had left her in.

            Walking slowly, he knelt down at her side and briefly felt her forehead for fever.  Finding her cool, he moved his hand up to brush her hair back.  She really did look much younger asleep.  Laura’s head moved slightly into his palm and she turned toward him, but did not open her eyes.  It amazed Cameron the emotion that swelled within him at this small movement.  It still surprised him how quickly he had fallen in love with this spitfire, especially after their first meetings.  Now that he had, he vowed to protect her with all his might.  “Kinda hard when you’re giving up your life just to heal people,” he muttered despondently, though he knew he wasn’t mad at her.  He was mad at himself for getting them in the situation to begin with.

            Laura turned more at the sound of his voice and tried to fight her way up from the dark haze that had descended over her.  Something soft brushed her hair away from her face, and she leaned even more into the touch.  “Hmm,” she mumbled sleepily through dry lips.

            “Laura?” Cameron asked tentatively.  He stared at her face, willing her eyes to open.  “Laura, come on honey, open your eyes for me.”

            “M’kay,” she answered, and on the third attempt she got them to blink open wearily.  “Waz goin on?” she asked glancing around and finding herself on the ground.  She tried to lift her head, but it felt as if it weighed a ton.  She barely got an inch off the ground before falling heavily back onto the rolls.  “What happened?”

            Cameron would have laughed out loud at the look on her face if he weren’t so worried.  She was propped on the rolls with her head halfway off, still leaning into his still palm.  Her eyes were big as saucers and she blinked owlishly up at him.  Apparently the herb had kept her from feeling anything as of yet, but she would.

            He slowly slipped his hand underneath her head, and then scooted over until she lay on his lap.  Looking down at her he sighed.  “You nearly got yourself killed, that’s what’s going on.”  He sighed again as she just stared at him and quirked his mouth in a slight smile.  “How do you feel?”

            She blinked up at him then narrowed her eyes as she tried to remember what had happened.  A flood of images came at once and she surged up in his arms.  She turned to face him, grasping at his shirt and arms, finally coming to rest on his face.  Her breath hitched sharply and she looked at him, panicked.  “Are you okay?”  Her voice raised an octave.  “Last time I saw you…”

            Cameron grabbed at her quickly, stilling her frantic movements and made her look into his eyes.  “Laura, I’m fine.  I’m fine.  You healed me.  You…you really hurt yourself to do that…” his voice faded as he thought again at what she had given for him.  It scared the hell out of him.

            “Cameron, I…you’re okay?”  Relief washed over her in waves, and with it came pain that she had not yet felt.  She gasped and her vision wavered for a moment. When she could make out more than blurs she felt Cameron lowering her back down with care; concern painted across his features.

            She took in deep breaths and after a few moments the aching was at a bearable level.  Opening her eyes she stared at Cameron.  He was digging something out of the packs, and then suddenly he was back by her side. 

            “God, I can’t leave you alone for a second.”  He smiled thinly at her then moved to investigate the bandages.  “At least you didn’t open them again, you freak.”  He may have been jesting, but his voice was rough, and she could hear the emotion behind it.  He was worried.  She was puzzled at how much that touched her.  She knew he loved her didn’t she?  What more could a girl want?  Her thoughts flew her awareness as he pushed on her tender shoulder and she shrieked in pain.  Dots flashed before her eyes.

            “Don’t do that!” she bit out.  Whatever else she had to say was lost in the ether as Cameron brought a cup to her lips and helped her drink.  “What’s this?” she asked after drinking it down greedily.

            He smiled.  “Something for the pain.  You’ll probably be out of it soon, so anything important might need to be said now.”  He looked at her expectantly, and she squirmed a little, nervous and annoyed.

            “Why’d you give me something to make me sleep?  I’ve been asleep.  Besides, you need me…”  Her sentence was broken by a yawn, and she could feel lethargy thrumming through her, as if it was running through her veins.

            Cameron chuckled at her.  Even immobile and drugged she was arguing with him.  “Yes, I do need you.  More than you know.  For that very reason, you need to get your rest.  Now go to sleep.”  He watched her struggle for a few more seconds, then her eyes drifted close and she heaved a great sigh.  He brushed her hair away. 

            “I love you goober.” And with that she was asleep again.

            “You too, Princess.”

 

            Cameron was still asleep the next morning when a weak slap brought him awake.  He jerked up from his position at Laura’s side and looked around in the early morning light then down in worry.  She was staring at him sullenly with the cutest pout he had ever seen.  “What? What happened?”

 He laughed out loud at her response. 

            “I’m naked!”