The Loved and the Lost (9 page)

The slow motion stopped and, with blinding speed, the moving mass of Guilietta's head slammed into the oppositely moving cannon blow of Feltrino's gloved fist. Guilietta crumpled to the ground.

Hansum felt himself lunging forward, “I'LL KILL YOU!” but Arimus grabbed him.

“Control yourself, Hansum,” Arimus urged.
“Remember that Guilietta survives all this.”

“I'LL KILL YOU, I'LL KILL YOU!” Hansum screamed. He was totally out of control and tearing himself away from his teacher. Arimus had hold of him only by the fabric of his sleeve.

Just then, Lincoln came skidding around the corner. He stopped right by Feltrino and Ugilino, staring down incredulously at the unconscious Guilietta. Lincoln turned as Arimus shouted his name.

“Lincoln, help me hold Hansum back. Quickly!”

Lincoln ran and grabbed Hansum around the chest, blocking his way.

“I've got to save Guil!” Hansum cried. Arimus got a better hold on the frantic youth and brought his mouth close to his student's ear.

“No, you mustn't,” Arimus said forcefully.
“If you try, you'll most likely be forbidden from continuing your
time travel training.”

“I've got to save her now!” Hansum cried, moving his free arm to his neck.

“Lincoln,”
Medeea shouted urgently,
“he's trying to touch his emergency node. If he gets to it, he'll slip into the 14
^th
-century and you won't be able to stop . . .”

“Arimus, his emergency node!” Lincoln shouted, grabbing his friend's free arm as well as twisting his leg around Hansum's knee, as he had learned in his self-defense training. He pushed Hansum as hard as he could, bringing the bigger boy, and Arimus, to the ground.

“Hansum, you must not do this!”
Arimus shouted as they fell.

Lincoln now lay with his entire weight on Hansum's arm and chest, stopping him from reaching the emergency node.

“If we save her now,” Hansum cried with frustration, “it changes everything.”

“But she survives, she survives,”
Arimus pleaded in the boy's ear.
“Think of the long game. Control yourself. Learn.”

“Ya,” Lincoln added, trying to sound calm. “Remember, right now Shamira and I are running to the palace. Your younger self will be hunting Feltrino down with the Podesta's men soon.” Hansum stopped struggling. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Oh, well done, Lincoln,”
Medeea said proudly. She jumped on the pile of people and Lincoln felt her throw her arms around him and give him a big kiss, right on the mouth.

“Lincoln's words are wise,” Arimus said.
“And by their tomorrow, Guilietta and you will be
in the bosom of the della Cappa family.”

“Including us,” Lincoln added.

Hansum opened his eyes and tried to look at the scene.

“Let me up,” Hansum said, exhausted.

“Learn your control, as I know you can.
Accept the pain, it's part of the plan.
And know by accepting it, you may find a way
to save your wife on another day.”

By now Feltrino had dumped the unconscious Guilietta into the back of the wagon and tossed a blanket over her.

“You didn't say nothin' about hurting her,” Ugilino argued, grabbing Feltrino's shoulder. But for his trouble, Ugilino got Feltrino's sword stuck in his arm. Blood poured out. Then Feltrino started screaming and swearing at Ugilino, telling him to get lost.

“But I'm your squire. You said . . .” Feltrino slashed Ugilino's face with his dagger. The astonished Ugilino ran several steps away. Feltrino laughed and berated him.

“You, my squire? A filthy peasant like you? And such a fool? Oh, I might as well kill you now,” he said, taking a menacing step forward. At that, Ugilino turned and ran. Feltrino did not follow, but laughed wildly and re-sheathed his weapons.

There was a stirring in the wagon. Feltrino turned around.

“What's this?” he said. A groggy Guilietta was pulling herself to a sitting position.

“Now Hansum, observe,” Arimus said.
“You must not turn away.”

Feltrino walked casually to the wagon and leaned an elbow on it, looking into Guilietta's bruised face. “You are made of more stout stuff than I supposed,” Feltrino said in a complimentary fashion. “That punch has felled many men for much longer.” It didn't look like Guilietta was aware of her surroundings yet. Feltrino put a hand on her chin and faced her toward him. “You're getting a pretty bruise, my little toy,” he said, admiring the raised welt on her cheek.

Guilietta blinked several times and appeared to be gaining awareness. Finally, she recognized her captor and her eyes and mouth sprang open. Feltrino smiled and reached for her.

“Please, no!” she screamed, but the bully's strong hand grabbed her neck and squeezed. A pitiful gurgling came from Guilietta's throat.

“Steady, my boy, steady,” Arimus warned.

Hansum closed his eyes, so as not to look.

“Open your eyes.”

Hansum did.

As Kingsley and Shamira dropped out of the whirling vortex, they stopped kissing. Their faces were bright and flushed.

“Now we can say we did it in a vortex,” Kingsley laughed.

“Kissing, at least,” Shamira smiled. “I wonder where everybody is?”

“Arimus said he was taking Hansum forward in time and wanted everyone to stay in the same timeframe. I guess he'll call when they're done. Do you think Hansum will have any problems? He was pretty emotional back at the house.”

“It's perfectly natural for him to cry after seeing Guilietta close up again. Arimus said so. I'm sure he's standing tall and passing any test Arimus throws at him.”

They were on one of the many winding narrow streets of medieval Verona.

“Do you recognize where we are?” Kingsley asked.

“I think we're just off the big market.” She looked around, and then pointed to a church spire. “There's where we were a few minutes ago, San Fermo. How'd you enjoy that?”

“Immensely. Seeing all the art that didn't survive to our times and the workmen working on the ceiling . . . incredible.” Then he looked around the street. “But one thing I hadn't appreciated was just how much trash there would be lying around. It's so dirty.”

“There was little sanitation and no understanding of germs or microbes back then. It's lucky we're back out of phase, so you can't . . . smell anymore,” she teased.

“You got me really good with that butcher's barrel.”

“Sometimes people gotta learn the hard way,” she smiled.

“Your point is taken,” and Kingsley bent forward and kissed Shamira again. She kissed back.

“Kissing in the vortex is one thing,” Shamira teased again. “But to kiss an unmarried woman in public is frowned upon here . . . if she's a respectable girl.”

“But when we're out of phase, are we really technically kissing in the 14th-century?”

“That's rather a philosophical question.”

“I've got an idea,” Kingsley said, looking around. They were alone on the cobblestone streets. “I learned this from a very kissable girl.” He took his finger and lightly tapped his right emergency node. The air around his finger crackled and blue sparks flew. He drew a circle in the air and a portal, the size of his face, appeared. “You now. C'mon. Just for a second. What's the harm?”

“Oh, you are a naughty boy,” Shamira teased.

“Well, this girl was very naughty too, and from the 24
^th
-century. They're the naughtiest.”

Shamira touched her node and drew a circle. The air cracked and a portal opened. The hot, fetid air of the city rushed in. They both crinkled their noses and put their faces through the opening. They kissed again, giggling.

“I don't mind the smell, if it's to kiss you,” Kingsley said.

Just then, the pounding of feet coming around the corner caused them to turn their heads. A stocky man tore towards them. His cheek was sliced and blood was streaming from it. He was holding his shoulder and his tunic was covered in red.

“Ugilino!” Shamira gasped.

He ran right through Kingsley and came screeching to a halt, like he just realized he saw something. He turned towards Shamira and Kingsley and his eyes bulged even more. From his perspective, all he could have seen were two faces suspended in air, staring straight at him. Shamira and Kingsley pulled back at the same instant. A blue spark snapped in the air and they were gone. Ugilino turned and kept running.

“Please, no!” a girl's voice screamed from the direction Ugilino had just come.

“That's Guilietta!” Shamira said. They didn't have long to run until they came around the corner and stopped quickly. There was the wagon with Feltrino, his hand on Guilietta's throat. Arimus and Lincoln were clutching at Hansum, not far away.

“Why aren't Arimus and the guys doing anything? DO SOMETHING!” Kingsley shouted. Arimus's head snapped around.

Feltrino laughed as he raised the arm holding Guilietta's neck, hoisting her up and almost strangling her.

“I must put you to sleep again, pretty one, until later,” and Feltrino drew back his other arm, clenching his gloved fist. Guilietta winced and closed her eyes.

“My sister! Guilietta, no!” Shamira screamed in terror. Neither Feltrino nor her sister could hear, but Shamira could see the reaction her fear had on Kingsley. He looked at Shamira and, without hesitation, pushed hard on his emergency node. The air crackled with blue flames and, pop, he was totally in the 14th-century.

“No!” Arimus shouted.
“The time is wrong!
The girl is strong!”

Hansum looked around when he heard the change of tone in Arimus's voice. There was Kingsley, charging toward Feltrino. It was obvious he had come into phase with the 14
^th
-century and couldn't hear Arimus.

Kingsley was big and he was fast. His participation in the ultra-physical sport of rugby had taught him how to run into a man with force and determination. He smashed into Feltrino and Guilietta flew back into the wagon as the two warriors crashed to the ground.

“Holy Gia, no!” Arimus exclaimed, the first look of panic Hansum had ever seen on his mentor's face. He spoke quickly to Hansum and Lincoln, even foregoing verse. “You must both help me. We grab Kingsley, keep Feltrino from getting his weapons, push Kingsley's and our emergency nodes, then retreat. No speaking, no fighting, no helping the girl. No matter what,” Arimus ordered, a finger pointing right into Hansum's face. Then the finger went to Hansum's neck, pressing his emergency node and then pressing his own. “Lincoln, now.” The air around the three cracked with a blue aura and sparks.

As they ran forward, Hansum could see Feltrino struggling ferociously under Kingsley's weight. The bigger man had the Gonzaga's arms clamped tight to his side, but Feltrino twisted unrelentingly. He was struggling to get one arm toward the dagger on his leg and the other to his sword. Hansum knew only too well of Feltrino's skill and lack of compunction to use either. The experienced Gonzaga knight bucked and elbowed under Kingsley's great bulk. He even twisted his neck and snapped his teeth, trying to find flesh.

“Get your hands off me, peasant!” Feltrino spat. “I'll kill you . . .”

When Arimus, Hansum and Lincoln reached the struggling men, Arimus clamped a hand on Kingsley's neck and put the other to his own. Hansum and Lincoln jumped with their full weight upon Kingsley, to keep Feltrino pinned.

“NOW BOYS! YOUR NODES! TOGETHER!” Arimus shouted.

Hansum was pushing his emergency node when he heard her voice.

“Romero?” It was Guilietta. He looked up and there she was, bruised and bloody, peering over the side of the wagon. He felt the electrical tingle of the others disappearing into the future, and saw the reflection of the blue sparks in Guilietta's eyes. His impossible dream of Guilietta once again looking into his eyes was happening. Then he felt Kingsley's bulk disappear.

“Guil . . .” Hansum began, when an elbow smashed into jaw and a fist hit his eye. He staggered back and fell to his hands and knees as Feltrino jumped to his feet, a dagger in one hand, a sword in the other. Static electricity was still arching off the cobblestones and the wagon.

“What the . . .” Feltrino began, looking around for his other assailants. His look of momentary confusion was replaced by a wry smile. “It's you, apprentice?” he asked. “All that fight from you? She must be good indeed to make you want to lose your life for her.” He slashed the air twice with his sword. “But I cannot stay and chat. I have a looker to deliver.”

Hansum surreptitiously reached down and grabbed a loose cobblestone in one hand and a handful of dry horse dung in the other. As Feltrino stepped toward him, Hansum flung the dung into his face, which made Feltrino wince and pause, and then Hansum lifted the heavy brick to attack. Screaming, he lunged at his enemy, but Feltrino whirled around, swinging his sword. The weapon's sharp edge met the brick, but first sliced clear through Hansum's thumb.