Ray's eyes darted to Dio… and to her horror, he had collapsed once more, lying motionless, barely breathing.
He was in worse shape than she'd thought…
"I didn't do it!" she shouted.
It sounded much less certain than she had intended.
Those who had managed to stand only hesitated for a heartbeat.
Then they rushed at her.
Ray saw them coming and almost surrendered to whatever she deserved.
Two men... I killed two men...
Memories of her moments with Dio flashed through her mind.
She couldn't leave him to these people, who would likely tear him apart in their blind rage and panic. What happened to her didn't matter; she was ready to pay the price for whatever she had done.
But she wouldn't drag him down with her.
Now she understood: Gima had spoken about her. Gima had warned them all about her, about what was hidden inside.
But it is only light!
The light that had comforted her. The light that had made her strong enough to save Dio from death. Of that, she was certain.
As the crowd almost reached her, Ray made a decision: She would trust the light again. It would protect her, guide her, and allow her to save Dio once more.
Inside her, everything turned white, bright, and warm. The fear for Dio, the fear that had gripped her only moments ago, evaporated.
Then she noticed - no one was attacking her.
No one hit her.
No one kicked her.
Everyone had stopped, some even backing away.
Others, still lying on the ground, squinted their eyes.
And then Ray realized there was light around her.
Blinding, dazzling light.
A white, flickering trail swept past her face. Although it should have been blinding, she could stare into the brilliant radiance without difficulty.
It felt familiar...
Fascinated, Ray understood that it was the light she had found within herself. The light that brought comfort. The light that gave her security and drove away fear and darkness.
"Stay away from us... please, I don't want to hurt you, but... stay away..." Ray gasped.
She tried to take a step forward, but her legs suddenly felt heavy and sluggish. She swayed, but managed to stay on her feet.
"She's finished! She can't do anything anymore! The witch is done for!" cried the old man, still kneeling beside the unconscious Gima.
Ray wanted him to stop, wanted him to be silent... And as if her wish had been heard, a tiny white wisp detached itself from the flickering blur around her and shot, humming through the air, toward the man.
It zipped past two terrified women who scrambled out of the way just in time.
At the last moment, Ray managed to direct the wisp into the ground, only four steps away from the old man.
A scorched, blackened mark remained, and thin steam rose from it into the weak breeze.
Ray had to summon every ounce of strength she had to stay on her feet and keep the light alive within her mind.
She was playing for time.
But her time had run out.
"Ray, what are you doing...?" she heard Dio mutter.
"Stay away from me! I can't control it completely! I might burn you!" she managed to gasp, without turning around.
A sharp pain stabbed through her temples and dug deep into her thoughts. The shimmering light swirling around her seemed to weaken, and it grew harder and harder to focus on the brilliant glow in her mind.
It wouldn't be long now. Then it would all be over. For her, and for Dio...
Maybe there's still a way... Somehow... Damn it...
"Riders! There are riders coming!" a woman suddenly screamed, pointing away from the commotion.
Ray forced her gaze in the direction the woman had gestured. She struggled to maintain the light in her thoughts and keep the shimmering haze floating around her. Her last remaining defense...
Is rescue close? Or will they execute me for what I have done? Maybe, at least, they will protect Dio...
She knew she was lost. But she had done it for him. She had saved his life.
And wasn't that what mattered most? Wasn't he her home now, her safe harbor? Yes, with him, she had felt safe, even amidst the strangeness of this world. He had shown her the light when they had walked together through the dark of the forest. That had to mean something, even if it all ended now...
Or had he somehow enchanted her? Planted feelings in her that weren't truly hers?
No. I don't want to believe that.
The only truth that mattered was that the light was saving her from a terrible fate.
She had to hold on.
Maybe she could convince the approaching riders...
"AWAY! GET AWAY FROM HER! BACK, ALL OF YOU!"
Suddenly, a deep voice thundered through the clearing, its echo rumbling the ground beneath them.
But the people around her didn't listen, determined not to let Ray escape.
She could see it. On the sweat beading their faces, in the trembling of their clenched fists.
The light inside her flickered briefly, and a fresh surge of pain ripped through her body. Golden strands of hair fell into her face, threatening to distract her. Ray tasted blood and felt warm drops running down the corner of her mouth.
The glowing shimmer that had still been swirling around her began to flicker more violently, and at last, she sank to her knees.
Once again, every eye was fixed on her. Once again, she was the target of dark thoughts and terrible fear oozing from the crowd.
"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU FOOLS! I SAID BACK OFF!" someone shouted again, this time much closer, and full of anger.
Ray no longer had the strength to turn toward the voice.
All she wanted was to cling to the light.
She failed.
A choking sound escaped her throat as the shimmering haze finally died.
Not a heartbeat later, the people around her lunged toward her again, but she hardly noticed. Certain that she was now at the mercy of nameless horrors, she let her arms fall limply to her sides and waited.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then her hands and the ground around her lit up in restless, glaring red patterns.
A loud crackling filled her ears.
When Ray looked up, a wall of flames was rising around her. The fire was bright, flickering between white and blood-red, burning like a terrible suppressed rage.
If she had stretched out her hand, she could have touched her flaming prison. Yet strangely, she felt no heat, despite being so close to it.
Slowly, her breathing calmed, and she forced herself to think clearly again.
At least her body was safe for the moment, and she would not immediately suffer whatever horrors the others had intended to inflict upon her.
But who has just arrived? Riders? What were riders again?
She couldn't remember… yet she had the feeling she should know.
Probably just the exhaustion.
Of course… riders!
People who traveled on large animals.
They had come on animals to… do what? What were they planning?
Had they seen the light when she had tried to save Dio?
Had they come to investigate?
Had they seen something like this before? Might not judge too quickly, might even help?
"BACK OFF! GO OVER THERE! BRING YOUR WOUNDED! ALL THE WOUNDED!! TAKE CARE OF THEM! BUT STAY AWAY FROM THE WOMAN AND THE FLAMES! I SWEAR I'LL BURN ANYONE WHO GETS NEAR HER!" roared the voice.
"She burned my eyes! SHE BURNED MY EYES!" Ray heard someone nearby weeping. "I just wanted to help her, calm her, keep her safe, and she…"
Ray felt sick.
She pitched forward and barely managed to catch herself with her palms on the ground.
Why had she done that? Why had she hurt that woman? Had there really been no other way? The woman had only wanted to protect her, just like she had wanted to protect Dio… But why had she held her so tightly…?
Ray squeezed her eyes shut and began to sob quietly.
She felt the tears run down her cheeks, mixing with the blood that clung sticky and unpleasant to the corners of her mouth.
"QUIET! SILENCE! WE'LL SETTLE THIS LATER!"
Then the fire vanished, and as Ray hesitantly lifted her head, she could finally see what was happening around her.
Further away, near the babbling brook, were the people who had previously stormed at her and then crawled back in retreat. They stared at her bitterly but dared not move. Their gazes darted about nervously, as if they feared some unseen threat.
To Ray's immense relief, she spotted Dio there too, still dazed and barely responsive. He lay a little apart from the others, and it was clear they were deliberately avoiding him.
At least they didn't seem to try harming him anymore.
Or maybe they had realized that she alone was the real danger?
They are probably right about that. Damn it!
She tore her gaze away from the cowering figures and turned around.
The sight before her almost took her breath away.