Chapter 85: Awakening

                                    

                                          


                          
Amber picks up the blade and carefully wraps it in the severed ribbon, along its handle and its full length.
                          
"I bind you Hatchi you can no longer do harm to others. I bind you Hatchi you can no longer do harm to others. Hatchi you are bound by the blade and by the light, now and forever." She takes the knife and places it carefully in a velvet lined dark wooden box, locking it with a small brass key.
                          
Meanwhile Zak and Aaron scramble to me, between them they carefully turn me over and lay me back against Zak's chest as I sit between his legs still unconscious.
                          
"Tracy? Are you ok? Will she be ok?" He asks no one in particular, frantic with worry. He rocks me back and forth his arms around my waist, Aaron brushes my hair back from my face and feels my forehead.
                          
"Dude she's so cold!" His eyes wide with concern.
                          
"Get my hoodie, its over there. Billy can you get some hot tea, extra sweet." Zak quickly puts his friends to work as he rubs my arms trying to warm me with the friction.
                          
"Amber, can we do any more to help her?" Jay asks the witch who sits wearily at the table. A tired smile plays on her lips.
                          
"Our dear fighter has endured quite an ordeal and has expended a lot of energy. Its been a shock to her system but she'll be fine. She just needs rest and the continued support of her friends." Amber assures the boys. "Speaking of rest but you must forgive me, I feel the need to lay down and replenish myself. Please stay for as long as you need, my home is yours, just please be sure to lock up on your way out." She smiles again and with her hands on her knees she hoists herself from the chair looking tired and older than she had when we first arrived.
                          
"Amber?" Zak called before she disappeared inside. "Thank you so much, however can I repay you?" Zak's gratitude pours off of him making Amber's eyes crinkle.
                          
"Oh Zak seeing you both safe is payment enough, just be sure to look after each other and keep that knife out of harm's way. Tracy is going to need you to make sense of all she learned today, she will need your support and understanding. I will always be here for her too to guide her on her new path and impart the knowledge of our ways. But yes, you two stick together, remain faithful to yourselves and each other and all will be well and I will be satisfied at a job well done." Without further ado she vanishes into the gloom of the cottage.
                          
Aaron drapes Zak's hoodie over me and Billy returns with a cup of steaming tea. Zak continues to rub the feeling into my frigid body while whispering words of love and encouragement into my ear. Aaron gasps,
                          
"Bro her foot twitched, oh and she blinked! I think she's coming round!" His excitement getting the best of him as usual.
                          
"Ok Aaron calm down, don't freak her out." Zak frowns. "Its ok honey, your safe, its over, I've got you, come one now, time to come back." He goads me gently, I blink a few times squinting to see properly in the purple light of the dusk that had descended around us. I find Aaron, Billy and Jay all staring at me.
                          
"Ok what? Have I got something on my face?" I wipe my cheek with my sleeve. Aaron can't help but burst out laughing, mostly through relief. "What? Did I drool? Zak tell them to stop laughing at me!"I whine and turn to hide my face in his chest.
                          
"Come on guys give her some space." He shoos them away.
                          
"Its good to have you back pompom." Aaron chuckles as he and the others go to clear away the spell paraphernalia and tea things.
                          
"Back? Zak? What happened? I don't recall." I look up at Zak and see the trickle of blood drying dark on his throat and my hand flies to my mouth as it all comes flooding back. I choke down a sob as I recollect holding the knife to him, ready to plunge the blade into his neck at any given moment.
                          
"Oh my god Zak! No! I..!" But he cut off my words before I can even begin to apologise.
                          
"Sweetie, don't. You have nothing to apologise for. I should be thanking you. You fought so hard, you stopped him even with the suffering he was putting you through and he had a strong hold on you. You were able to stop him still. You truly are a fighter. Thank you." He caresses my cheek, searching my eyes with his, the intensity of his gaze has me almost losing myself.
                          
"But I hurt you, I almost killed you!!" I whisper, still distraught, shivering through cold and shock.
                          
"I've had shaving nicks worse than this." He brushes off the cut on his neck even though with the inch long wound and the trail of blood as evidence to the contrary I knew he was lying for my sake. "And it wasn't you, it was Hatchi who did this. You stopped him, you fought so hard! I'm so proud of you. So in awe of you. You're amazing. Tracy, don't you dare blame yourself for the actions of a demon!"His words fall on deaf ears as I remember the weight of the knife in my hand, its cool angular handle biting into my palm.
                          
"But..."
                          
"No Tracy!" Zak cuts me off again, his voice strong and serious." I will not hear of you blaming yourself. You were so strong, you were awesome, and we are both here safe and able to to tell the tale. I know it will take some time to convince you but I will not listen to you taking the blame in the meantime. " I look up at him with wide eyes not having the energy to argue. I knew this was an argument I would never win anyway. Stubborn arse Bagans! I was still shivering against the cold that seemed to have permeated my bones. Zak takes his hoodie and helps me into it properly, smoothing back my hair he pulls the beanie off his own head and slips it on to mine and pulls the hood up over the top of that. I smile at his unruly hat hair and he gives me a sheepish grin as he runs his fingers through it trying to tame it just a little. Giving up he pulls me up with him off of the ground and zips me into the over size jacket. As the zip reaches my chin he uses his finger to gently tilt my head upwards.
                          
"My amazing Tracy, I couldn't have survived this without you, its my turn now, I've got you, I'll fight for you, you can let go and relax." He bends to kiss me a slow and gentle kiss, wrapping me in his arms as I break away and nuzzle into his neck drawing on his warmth and affection. "I love you my ferocious bear cub." I smile at the pet name he has given me, cute yet fierce, I can live with that.
                          
"I love you too wolfman." I mumble into his shoulder and I revel in the rumble I feel vibrate through his body as he chuckles and kisses the top of my head.