Enchantment (67 page)

She
w
a
s
a
l
m
ost
on
top
of
him
when
she
stopped.

Str
y
k
e
r
couldn’t
believe
what
happened
next.
He
was
paral
y
z
e
d. Not
one
m
uscle
was responding
to
his
brain.
He
had
no
control,
but
Meeka
did.
She
was
inside
his
head.
Str
y
k
e
r could feel her blazing
fur
y
.
He
w
as
a puppet doing her
bidding. First, he dropped his
s
word, then his
other
hand
opened
and
the
shield
landed
on
the
ground.

Fear
w
as
not
a
feeling
Str
y
k
e
r
w
a
s
fa
m
i
liar
with,
but
the
acrid
taste
of
it
l
a
y
hea
v
y
upon
his tongue.
He
called
upon
his
gargo
y
le
for
m
,
screa
m
ing
it
from
every
facet
of
his
m
ind.
But
s
he w
a
s
there,
inside
his
head,
sto
m
ping
his
thoughts
until
there
was
nothing
left
in
his
m
ind.
He stared
blank
l
y
, waiting
for
her
to
finish
hi
m
, to
strike
the
death
blow.

Fury
lashed
at
Meeka,
an
u
n
stoppable
t
e
m
pest
of
e
m
o
tion,
of
heat.
Fla
m
es
roared
around her,
devouring
the
fear.
Thoughts
of
the
m
onster’s
revolting
touch
fueled
her
hatred
with
each pa
s
sing
second.
If
she
didn’t
stop,
he
w
ould
kill
Kerrigan;
kill
the
one
who
m
ea
n
t
the
m
ost
to her.
No,
s
he
w
ould
save
them
all…it
would
fall
to
her.

Through
the haze
of
rage in
her head,
a
m
asc
u
line
voice
y
e
l
l
ed
her
na
m
e,
the
faint com
m
a
nd at
odds
with
what
s
he
kn
e
w
she
had
to
do.
A
feline
roar
filled
her
ears,
but
she
pushed
it
a
side. Kerrigan
needed
her.
Foc
u
sing
on
her
e
m
otions,
on
her
desire
to
help
hi
m
,
she
could
feel
the p
o
wer
building.

A
heavy
weight
settled
on
her,
wrapping
her
in
strong
ar
m
s,
rocking
her.
A
deep
voice called
to
her.
“Meeka.
Stop.
This
is
not
real. This
is
St
r
y
k
er.
Y
ou
m
ust stop!”

Tre
m
ors
wracked
her
l
i
m
bs,
and
she
w
a
s
helpless
to
stop
th
e
m
.
The
fla
m
es
stopped,
and Str
y
k
e
r
l
a
y
un
m
oving
on
the
ground.
The
haze
left
her
vision,
but
the
strange
roaring
in
her
ears grew.

Kerrigan
shouted
from
so
m
ewhere
in
the
distance.
Blackness
clouded
her
head,
taking
her away
from
the
scene
as
s
he
cru
m
p
led
to
the
sand.
Kerrigan
crouched
down
and
held
her
in
his ar
m
s.
“
C
o
m
e
on,
bab
y
,
st
a
y
with
m
e.
I
know
y
o
u’
r
e
tired,
but
st
a
y
conscious.
Warriors
don’t black
out.
Stay
with
m
e.”

Meeka
fought
with
all
her
m
ight
not
to
give
way
to
the
blackness.
“
Take
s
o
m
e
deep breaths,”
K
errigan
encouraged.
“
That’s
it,
precious.
Your
color’s
returning
to
nor
m
a
l.”

The
blackness
receded,
leaving
Meeka
extr
e
m
el
y
thirs
t
y
again.
P
ushing
weak
l
y
at Kerrigan’s
e
m
br
a
ce,
she
struggled
to
sit
up.
“
Catz,
are
y
ou ok
a
y
?
Did
I
hurt
y
o
u
?
”

“I’m
fine,
Meeka.
Just
a
bit
singed.
You
didn’t
hurt
m
e,” Catz
r
e
sponded.

A
few
feet
awa
y
,
Meeka
saw
St
r
y
k
er
still
l
y
i
n
g
on
the
ground.
Her
hand
flew
to
her
m
o
u
th and
a sob escaped.
“What
have
I
don
e
?
”
She pushed
herself
out
of Kerrigan’s
lap
and
crawled
to Str
y
k
e
r’s
side.

Please
let
him
be
okay.
How
could
I
have
done
this?

With
her
hand
on
his
s
houlder,
Meeka
gent
l
y
w
hispered.
“
Str
y
k
e
r,
I’m
so
very
sorr
y
.
Please don’t
die.”
The
w
hispers
were
now
so
b
s
of
grief.
“Please
wake
up.”

A
nguish
and
regret
tore
through
her
bod
y
.

Str
y
k
e
r
m
oved,
struggling
to
get
up.
A
c
r
y
of
relief
rose
from
her
throat.
“St
r
y
k
er,
y
o
u’
r
e alive!
I’m
so
sorr
y
. Can
y
o
u ever
forgive
m
e
?
”
Meeka
pleaded.