Outlander Ch. 05

They joined the circle of sailors surrounding the combatants just in time to see the Outlander and Monch circling each other.

"Shall I put a stop to this, Captain?" Kairn asked.

Garek glanced questioningly at Ithos as if to ask what his first officer thought.

Ithos shrugged. "Good opportunity to see what he's made of," he said.

"I agree," Garek said and then shook his head at Kairn. Kairn raised his eyebrows but made no protest.

"Father, are you sure this is wise?" Ava asked, staring at the Outlander with concern.

"We shall see," Garek answered glancing at his daughter curiously.

Suddenly the watching sailors shouted in surprise, and Ava sucked in a breath.

"Aramon, son of God! The Outlander just bloodied Monch's nose," Kairn exclaimed. He sounded thrilled. Garek quickly turned his attention back to the fight.

Monch wiped his nose with the back of his fist and stared at his smeared blood. He returned his gaze to the Outlander who stood with his fists up, waiting. He was surprised by the Outlander's rudimentary fisticuff skills. It was time to see just how much he knew. He smiled and shuffled toward his opponent. He quickly closed the gap and threw three quick punches.

Jack tucked his chin and covered his face with his arms in time to absorb Monch's quick but heavy blows. He quickly threw a counter punch but the big man had already moved out of range.

Monch studied the Outlander's defense and moved back in. He threw two punches at the Outlander's face, and when Jack raised his arms to deflect the blows Monch hooked a punch under Jack's arms and into his stomach.

Jack's breath exploded from his lungs from the force of the impact. He fell forward, gasping in a futile attempt to draw air into his lungs. Agony exploded in his knees when they hit the hard, wooden deck. He could see Monch playing to the crowd as he labored to breathe. After what seemed an eternity, his lungs opened and sweet air rushed in, allowing him to climb painfully back to his feet.

Seeing him rise, Monch was ready for a new assault. This time the Outlander blocked the body shot, and Monch quickly diverted his attack back to the head, landing a glancing blow to the side of Jack's face.

Jack staggered, stumbled, and crashed to the deck on his side. Once again, Monch played to the onlookers as he waited for his opponent to recover. Jack realized that Monch was just playing with him. In a pure boxing match, the bigger man out-classed him. If he were to have any chance of winning, he would have to change tactics. "Come on, asshole," Jack taunted as he staggered back to his feet, attempting to goad Monch into a reckless charge. "You hit like a woman."

Monch only smiled at Jack's insult and continued to circle him menacingly.

"Why is the Outlander trying to make Monch angry when he's already losing?" Ava asked, worry evident in her voice.

"He is being smart," Kairn answered her, never taking his eyes off the combatants. "When you are losing an engagement, you must attempt to change the parameters of the conflict. The Outlander hopes to make Monch angry enough to make a mistake."

Jack wanted Monch to come at him, but when the other man finally charged, he was faster than Jack had anticipated. He tried to duck under Monch's furious onslaught of punches and tackle the bigger man around the legs, but one of Monch's meaty fists landed on the top of his head. A blinding light exploded behind Jack's eyes and he crashed face first onto the deck.

"Father, how long are you going to let this go on?" Ava demanded anxiously, but Garek said nothing.

Jack was confused and for a moment didn't know where he was. Then his wits returned and he crawled up onto his hands and knees. He knelt there panting for a second and then stood, his knees groaning in protest.

Monch had been sure the fight was over and was already receiving congratulations from his cronies when the other sailors began cheering loudly. He turned around to see the Outlander stagger back to his feet. He was incredulous. Didn't the man know when to stay down? He was through playing. It was time to put the Outlander down for good.

Pain wracked Jack's entire body, but the agony only fueled his determination. He raised his fists and motioned Monch to engage him. When Monch got close enough, Jack swung as hard as he could at the big man's face. He put every ounce of desperate strength into the punch, but his right knee buckled, sending the punch wide.

Jack never saw the fist that landed with explosive force on his face, nor did he remember falling. He was just suddenly on his back on the deck staring up at Monch. He could feel blood running out of his nose and tasted a hint of copper as some of it ran into his mouth. His only thought was he had to get up. He struggled to sit up but before he could, Monch grabbed him by his hair and yanked him into a sitting position.

"Do you yield?" Monch asked.

Jack only glowered at him.

Monch smashed his fist into Jack's face and Jack's left eye immediately began to swell shut. "Do you yield?" Monch asked again, his voice harsh.

"Fuck you," Jack snarled.

Monch slammed his fist into Jack's mouth. "Yield!" he demanded.

The blow had loosened Jack's teeth and split his lips. His mouth was rapidly filling with blood. Every part of Jack's body except his heart wanted him to quit, wanted him to do anything to escape the beating. He glared up at Monch's hateful face and refused to give the son of a bitch the satisfaction of making him quit. He said nothing.

Monch hit him again and Jack's arms dropped to his side. His eyes briefly rolled back in his head before he recovered enough to try to focus on his tormentor.

"Yield! Aramon curse you, yield!" Monch screamed, almost in desperation.

Jack turned his head as far as Monch's grip in his hair would allow and spit a mouthful of blood onto the deck. He looked back at Monch and tried to focus but his vision was blurry and there seemed to be two of Monch hovering over him. "No," he croaked and peeled his lips back in a rictus of a smile, showing his bloodstained teeth.

Monch didn't know what to do. The Outlander would not yield. He looked around helplessly as though looking for someone to tell him what to do.

"Father, enough," Ava said angrily. She had winced with every blow that Jack had taken, and now was beside herself with worry.

"I've seen all I need to see," Ithos said.

"Me too," Garek said. "Kairn, break it up."

"Aye Captain," Kairn said and strode into the circle that had formed around Jack and Monch. "Enough!" he yelled and the watching sailors and sea dogs hushed. "Monch, let him go."

The big man sighed in relief and actually looked grateful as he released his grip on the Outlander's hair. Jack collapsed and the back of his head rebounded off the deck with an audible crack. He slipped into the blessed peace of unconsciousness.

"I didn't start it, sir," Monch explained desperately to Kairn. He suddenly realized that he might be in a lot of trouble. Despite his constant belittling of the man, Monch knew how important the Outlander was.

"I know," Kairn said, regarding the big man distastefully as though he wished it were otherwise.

"What in Aramon's name is going on here?" They turned to find Garek's wife, Emma standing in the doorway leading to the Captain's Quarters. Every man present flinched at her tone, her husband included. Her eyes took in the situation as she strode purposely to the unconscious Outlander.

"Sorceress Emma, we have an injured man here," Kairn spluttered as he pointed at Jack.

"I can see that," she snapped. "I can't be out of sight for a moment without you men behaving like boys just off your mother's apron strings." She took a deep breath as though to calm herself.

Garek nodded when his wife glanced at him. Her eyes said that he would be getting the rough side of her tongue when they were alone.

"Carry the Outlander to his quarters," Emma commanded. Grelik and Charuk quickly leapt to her command as she turned to her daughter. "Adept, come with me."

"Yes, Sorceress," Ava said and darted to her mother's side. Normally she would have called the older woman mother but when Emma was angry, it was more prudent to addressl her by her formal rank.

Grelik and Charuk hoisted Jack up between them and headed for Jack's quarters, followed by the Covenant Witches.

"Ithos, see to things here," Garek said before trailing after his wife and daughter.

"I've never seen a man get knocked down so many times," Kairn said to Ithos as they watched the small procession of people carry Jack below deck.

"Is that how you saw it?" Ithos asked, turning to look at the young lieutenant.

Kairn looked confused. "How did you see it, sir?"

"You say that you've never seen a man get knocked down so many times, but I would say that I've never seen a man get up so many times," Ithos explained.

"I didn't think of it that way," Kairn admitted looking thoughtful.

"Tell me Kairn," Ithos continued. "Who do you think the victor was?"

Kairn took a minute to think through his answer. "I would say that they each won a victory," he said carefully.

Ithos nodded. "Explain."

"Well, obviously Monch won the physical fight, but the Outlander never yielded and in the end it was Monch that looked for help," Kairn said and looked at the older officer expectantly.

Ithos smiled. "You will make a fine officer yet, Lieutenant," he said and then chuckled at the grin that broke out on the young officer's face. "The Outlander looks weak, but the eyes can't see beneath the skin to the heart that beats within," he said more seriously. "Make no mistake, Kairn, the Outlander has tempered steel at his core and for good or bad he will soon be a man to be reckoned with."

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"Put him on the bed," Emma said as the sailors carried Jack into his room.

Jack moaned but did not wake as Grelik and Charuk laid him on the bunk.

"Now, leave us." She glanced at the two men as they made their way to the door. "Wait," she said when she saw Charuk's face. She moved to him and cupped his face in her hands. She closed her eyes and Charuk shivered as the bruise on his face faded. "There. Now go," she said, already turning back to the Outlander.

She studied Jack for a moment then turned to her daughter. "Heal him, Adept," she commanded.

"Yes, Sorceress," Ava said, already moving to Jack's bedside.

After making sure Ava was focused on her task, Emma rounded on her husband. "What were you thinking?" she demanded. "You know how important he is."

"Peace, woman," Garek said. "I had my reasons."

"And what, pray tell, were those?" she asked coldly.

"The man has a hard road ahead of him," Garek explained patiently. "We won't be helping him if we coddle him as if he were in swaddling clothes. To survive, he must learn how to take care of himself. What do we do if he is too weak to face his destiny? I had to see for myself if the man has the strength to carry his burden."

She thought over her husband's words for a moment then her demeanor softened. "Just try not to get him killed before we reach the King," she said, and took his hand in hers to let him know that everything was all right. They smiled at each other and turned their attention back to Ava and the Outlander.

Ava appeared calm as she regarded the injured Outlander, but her thoughts were in turmoil. The Outlander's beating at the hands of Monch had distressed her greatly, and she was having trouble making sense of her feelings. She was angry at the Outlanders stupidity for picking a fight with such a dangerous man, but at the same time she was in awe of his strength of will. Her heart had gone out to him with each blow he'd taken, and she was irritated with herself for feeling this way when the Outlander made no effort to conceal his obvious disdain for her. Ava shook her head to clear her mind of the distracting thoughts and knelt next to the bed.

"Who's there?" the Outlander asked, stirring at last. He struggled to sit up. His swollen eye was closest to Ava so he turned his head and blinked blearily, trying to bring her into focus.

"It's Ava," she said gently. "Jack, please lie back and let me help you." It was the first time she had called him by his name. The sound of her voice seemed to soothe him and he relaxed back onto the bed.

She put one hand on the Outlander's forehead and took his hand with the other. He inhaled softly then sighed at the softness of her touch. She took a deep breath and opened herself to Aramon's gift. She let the power flow into her until she held as much as she could before releasing her connection to the leyline.

She pushed her mind into Jack's body. She delved deep, letting her consciousness flow through him, searching for his injuries. Her mind touched the scar on his cheek from the confrontation with the Kraken and a flash of irritation threatened her calm. He should have let her heal it and now it was too late. She continued on, cataloging his wounds.

When she was ready, she opened herself to his pain and gasped. She didn't feel his hurts as her own. She experienced them as though remembering injuries from long ago. Still, she was unprepared for the extent of his pain, particularly in his knees. She steadied herself and let the power of Aramon's gift flow over his injuries. Where she directed the power, wounds healed, cartilage knit, and bruises and swelling subsided. Her healing power washed him clean of all his hurts, and as the constant physical pain he had endured for so long left Jack, he sighed and slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.

When she was done, Ava staggered to her feet and turned to Emma. "Oh Mother, how could he stand it? He has been in pain for so long," she cried. Tears spilled out of her eyes and she threw herself into her mother's arms.

Emma exchanged a startled look with her husband as she held her weeping daughter.

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Author's note: I want to thank all the readers who commented on the previous chapter. I appreciate it more than you know and look forward to hearing what you think of this chapter. As always, I want to thank the guild for their support and my editor JillyB.