Chasing Tarsa
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 22979
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Tarsa, showing a surprising turn of foot, ran on, barefoot. Having
originally been abducted from her bed, she wore a plain linen nightgown
and over it Fred's cloak, which he had given her for warmth. Skye followed
her as he had been ordered. Fred, slowed down by his armour and by the
lingering effect of Tarsa's knee to his groin, lagged somewhat behind.
As Fred ran, he wondered why he was bothering to pursue Tarsa. Judging by the scene of destruction ahead of him, Father Suivant who had hired him was almost certainly dead. Also keeping Tarsa safe until the ceremony at which she was due to officiate no longer appeared relevant, since it seemed that there was no longer any prospect of that ceremony going ahead. The trouble is that, in spite of the way she's treated you, you like the girl, a voice at the back of his mind said. Not that you'd ever admit it to her, but you admire her spirit and her bravery. Who knows what effect her recent possession, or whatever it was, will have had on her, though. Although she's not showing any obvious sign of being harmed by it at the moment, surely something like that must have had some lasting effect? The temple complex occupied a substantial walled area on the edge of town, on the rising ground towards the knoll. As well as the temple itself, the complex contained living quarters for the priests and priestesses and their servants, as well as various facilities such as a library, refectory and laundry. As he drew closer, Fred could see that, thanks to its largely stone construction, there was little that was on fire within the complex itself. However the great wooden gate that had formed its main entrance had been flattened, so that whoever had torched the town must have gained access to the complex as well. Since it didn't look like he was going to catch Tarsa in time, he hoped that whoever it was might have left by now. Tarsa went through the gateway, Skye following close behind, with Fred some fifty yards further back. As Fred passed through the entrance, he realised that there was no sign of any of the temple guards. Nor were there any dead bodies to be seen. Surely the guards would have tried to defend the gate and some - if not all - would have fallen there?
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JH
12/15/2002 6:39:11 AM
Extending Enabled
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