Okay - Freewebs appears to be cooperating at the moment, so I'll try to get the rest of this part up.
Chapter 4 - Part 2
She turned and he quickly looked away, blushing fiercely. Either she hadn't noticed he had been staring stupidly at her or she pretended she hadn't noticed, so as not to embarass him further.
She poured a glass of water and handed it to him before pouring one for herself. Tim drank greedily, emptying the cup in seconds. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was.
His thirst momentarily quenched, he stole another glance at Ileeya. Luminous bluish eyes stared back at him. He could get lost forever in those eyes. He couldn't bring himself to look away. She returned his gaze for several seconds, and then, blushing, turned away. She was shy, that was kind of exciting.
As a distraction she picked up a couple of pieces of the dried meat and offered him one. Electric fire tingled in his hand where it had brushed hers. His eyes never left her face, but she did not look back at him. Ileeya collected a few more pieces, crossed the small cell, and sat down to eat them.
The water was refreshing, but the food did little to satisfy his voracious appetite. But, he thought, something is better than nothing. He had another glass of water to quiet his stomach.
Tim felt a sudden pressure in his bladder, obviously from all the water he had drunk.
"So, what do we do when we have to, uh, use the toilet?"
"The what?"
"Where do we go to, ahem, that is..." he crossed his legs uncomfortably and she got his meaning.
"Just knock on the door and tell the guard. Believe it or not, the people here are very particular about the cleanliness of their cells. They won't allow anyone to go in the corner. Knock on the door and say, 'Keeyak'."
He did so. There was a pause before the door creaked open and the guard grabbed his arm. The guard closed the door, locked it, and double checked it.
At the end of the hall they arrived at their destination. The guard opened the door for him, and Tim stepped into a dimly lit room. A wooden bench with a large hole in it sat immediately before him, and to his right was a wash basin and a towel.
'An outhouse', he mused. God, he hated outhouses. That seat didn't look too comfortable.
He went about his business and hissed a word of irritation, when of all things, he got a splinter in his butt. He could always ask Ileeya to remove it for him. He smiled at the thought and went about taking care of it.
An impatient growl accompanied by a loud rap on the door startled him. He swore under his breath and tried to hurry. He found the agonizing pain in the ass, removed it, and pulled his pants back up. He was just starting to wash his hands when another fierce pounding rattled the door.
"All right!" he yelled angrily.
The guard scowled at him and grasped his arm, muttering to himself. By now, Tim had reached his boiling point. He was tired of being pushed around by these goons. Tim attempted to twist away, but the guard's grip tightened on his arm, causing him to grunt at the pressure. He realized later that he should have given in and let it end then and there. But being stubborn, he didn't, and the aching muscles and fresh bruises he received wouldn't allow him to forget it.
With his free arm he elbowed back with all his strength. His blow landed in his captor's stomach, causing him to exhale forcefully. Tim took that free moment to easily twist out of the creature's grip. The guard reflexively covered his stomach where he was hit and winced as he struggled to draw a breath. Tim then punched him in the face, causing him to reel back into the bathroom. The guard stumbled backwards and landed on the 'toilet'. Tim grabbed the guard by his shirt and jerked him around so they were both facing the back wall. The guard struggled, but he didn't have enough time to react. Tim kicked him behind the knees, causing the guard's legs to buckle. The guard went down on his knees with a frustrated yell of anger. Tim proceeded to shove the creature's head into the toilet, then realized it wouldn't be as effective as on his own world since there was no water in it. He cursed himself as he felt incredibly stupid.
Tim was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled out of the lavatory. His arms were pinned behind him.
The guard by now had stood and brushed himself off. He sauntered over to Tim with a sneer on his face.
'Oh crap' thought Tim, as the guard's fist flew at his face. The blow landed on Tim's left cheek and nose, bloodying them.
The guard laughed heartily. They stood there glaring at each other, the guard and Tim, for a few moments before the guard started punching randomly. After several punches, Tim was released to defend himself.
Tim got another good hit to the guard's stomach and several to his face.
Then the guard connected a solid hit on top of Tim's already bruising left cheekbone. The blow knocked Tim to the ground. He was kicked several times in the shins, stomach and arms that were defending his face before the guard felt he had gotten his revenge. There was some muttered conversation and chuckling between the two creatures up above him. Tim was pulled to his feet and forced to walk back to his cell. He ended up half walking, half being dragged all the way back.
The door was opened and he was thrown in on the floor. He was dimly aware of Ileeya gasping and and yelling foreign, angry words at the guards. One of them gave her a sharp retort and slammed the door shut.
Ileeya bent over him and rolled him over. He was beginning to see a pattern here; entering the cell on his face and being rolled over by the soft touch of an angel. He tried to say her name, but was sharply reprimanded.
Ileeya ripped off a piece of his shirt, moistened it from the water pitcher, and used it to clean Tim's bloody face.
"Hey," he protested weakly, "this is an expensive shirt."
"Ssshhh."
Her touch was delicate as she dabbed at his wounds, and her face was compassionate. As weak as he was, he had to restrain himself from grabbing her and plunging his hands deep into her silken hair. It was almost unbearable holding back; just being near her made his heart race.
She stopped cleaning and cocked her head to one side, listening. Then she got up and stood near the door. She looked at Tim and put a finger against her lips, shushing him once again. It was then that Tim heard muffled voices outside the door. He couldn't understand them, but Ileeya was listening carefully. The voices rose in anger, then stopped completely.
"Aark is in trouble."
"Who?"
"The guard who assaulted you. Apparently you were not to be harmed. Aark was on strict command to keep you safe. Now he has to report to Kayrn, the captain of the guards."
