She positioned the litter beside him, and by alternately pushing and pulling at his unconscious form eventually managed to
maneuver him atop it. Once she had him lying safely across the tarp, she used some more vines to secure him.
Colby pressed her hands against the small of her back and
stood up, stretching. She blew a stray bit of hair out of her eyes and gazed across the swamp at the sun. The morning had long since passed and she knew it would take the better part of the afternoon to drag her improvised litter to the cave. Shouldering her backpack once again, she looked at the sleeping stranger.
"I sure hope I'm doing the right thing," she whispered. Turning her back on him, she knelt to grasp the sticks and started off, dragging him behind her.
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Chapter Two
"This one will make you strong. Yes, strength, that's what you're lacking."
Xavier heard the madman whispering to himself, his dry voice like the crinkling of fallen leaves. Looking around as best he could, Xavier found himself in Scholar's operating room. Tables, cupboards and counters filled the space, each cluttered with braziers, bubbling pots and glass flasks filled with a bizarre assortment of materials. It smelled of blood, acid and dried herbs.
Scholar drew nearer and though Xavier desperately wanted to run, he couldn't. Iron bars held him down against a bare metal table.
One across his chest held his tentacles and arms tight to his sides while another pressed his ankles onto the cold surface. A light so bright it seemed magical flicked on above him and blinded his sensitive eyes but did not affect his ears. He could still hear the breath hiss past the old man's lips, right next to his head and he tensed, anticipating the pain he knew would soon come.
Scholar's hands, sweaty and hot, poked and prodded him. A maniacal cackle echoed in the air of the laboratory as he looked down at Xavier on his operating table and gushed, "Now this is going to hurt a little, but when I'm done you'll be the strongest creature on Aphanasia."
Xavier felt the scalpel press against the skin of his chest and begin to cut.
His scream woke him.
He was in a small cave. A cheery fire crackled nearby and the girl from the swamp sat on one side while he lay on the other. He sat up slowly, testing each muscle before putting any weight on it. The girl watched, but made no move either to help or run away. After several minutes, he sat upright, staring across the fire at her.
She spoke first.
"I'm glad to see you awake," she said calmly, her eyes holding his. "My name is Colby."
Though his throat felt like a desert, he croaked, "Xavier."
"Oh, I'm sorry, you must be thirsty." Colby picked up a nearby water skin and brought it over. She didn't move as though she were scared, but still stayed as far away as possible while handing it to him.
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He accepted the bottle with a nod of gratitude. As she returned to her spot on the other side of the fire, he tilted his head back and poured its contents into his mouth. The water was warm and tasted slightly of the leather it had been held in, but it was wet. He cleared his throat, took another drink, then nodded and smiled.
"Thank you, Colby. I owe you my life," Xavier said, pleased it no longer hurt to speak.
"So, you are friendly." She sighed and he could see much of the tension flood out of her body. "I was half-worried you were going to eat me when you woke."
Her words stung, but Xavier laughed self-deprecatingly. "No, I may look like a monster but I'm not one."
"What are you then?" Colby asked, and her face flushed with color. "What I mean is, what race? I've never met anyone like you before."
"Nor will you." Xavier looked into the flames while he considered her question. Eventually he looked back up at her. "I don't know what I am anymore. I was a man once."
"Before Scholar captured you?" Colby prodded gently.
Xavier stiffened. "How do you know about that?"
"You've been having nightmares about him ever since I
brought you here this morning. I managed to piece a little bit together."
"It's been a whole day? Drek."
Colby giggled, "I didn't know people said 'drek' around here."
"What? Oh, well, I say it. Can't speak for anyone else."
She stood and dug around in her backpack, pulled out a small
grey bar about the same thickness as a man's finger but with the texture of clay and handed it to him.
"You must be starving. Here, have some of this. It tastes like dust, but my mother swears it's good for you."
Xavier accepted the food with a thankful nod, tore a chunk off with his teeth and chewed it a long time before swallowing.
"Anything that tastes this horrible has got to be good for you."
Colby joined him in his laughter, and some of the tension
between them dissipated.
"You're not from around here then?" Xavier asked.
"No, I'm from," she paused and then waved a hand
dismissively and said, "elsewhere."
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Deciding not to push the matter, he picked a different, though similar question. "So why are you here?"
Colby paused again, chewing on the corner of her lip before
speaking. When she did, she seemed to be picking her words with great care. "My brother is sick, he's infected with vampirism. But the Reptar have a stone, a magical one, which may be able to help him."
"The Reptar? You don't want to go see them, especially not alone, they can be pretty dangerous."
"I don't have any choice. I have to go, and I have to do it quickly."
Xavier paused, and tilted his head so far to the side that one of his curving horns rested on his shoulder as he regarded Colby. "Then why did you stop to help me at all? Especially since I look like this,"
he added, gesturing with his hands at the tentacles that undulated around him and the horns on his head.
She shrugged and shifted uncomfortably under the weight of
his stare. "I couldn't just leave you there to die, especially after you spoke."
"I still don't get it. You had no idea what manner of creature I was. I could very well have jumped up and devoured you when I woke."
"But you didn't."
"You had no way of predicting that."
"I couldn't just let you die!" Colby snapped, then took a deep breath and looked across the flames at him. "Where I come from there are many forms of intelligent life, growing up as a human I was the minority, the freak."
She blushed again at her choice of word, but didn't take it
back. "I couldn't grow up there and not come to understand that appearances mean nothing and that you can't judge anyone based on them – especially after watching the discrimination my brother was subjected to. I was frightened when I saw you, but you spoke and I couldn't just leave you there to die." She spread her hands out at her sides, before letting them drop back into her lap with a sigh. "I just couldn't."
He was curious about where she'd grown up, and her brother,
but decided against asking any questions right now. He had more immediate concerns. Scholar's men hadn't given up pursuing him. By helping him Colby had undoubtedly saved his life, but she'd also put her own in danger. His mind wrestled with the situation, turning it
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over and over and inside out, seeking a solution. Only the crackle of the fire and the sound of their breathing interrupted the silence in the cave. Finally, as the silence started to become awkward Xavier nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you didn't. Let me come with you. Let me offer you what protection I can while you look for this stone for your brother."
Colby met his gaze and held it. "I can't wait for you to recover, Xavier. Bayne could be dying even as we sit here. I need to ge
t the stone right away. I'm sorry."
"You won't have to wait. I can travel. Let me come with you."
he repeated truthfully. Despite his long night, lack of food and injuries from Scholar, he felt remarkably well. Sore, tired and hungry, but not nearly as poorly as he had at dawn. Besides, Colby had no idea the danger she was in already, nor the peril she was running to. The least he could do was help her as best he could, to return the immense favor she had done him. Anyway, moving was better than sitting in a cave waiting for discovery. Scholar's men weren't geniuses but they would find him eventually. "I can't stay here, the men from the castle will be looking for me. I need to run somewhere, since no one ever seeks out the Reptar, that seems as good a direction as any. They won't think to look for me there."
Colby caught her lower lip between her teeth and dropped her
eyes to her lap. Xavier didn't look away, and before long she looked back up at him and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Xavier."
"It's not safe to travel in the swamp at night," he said. "We'll leave just before dawn. You sleep, I'll take first watch."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely. You've been watching over me all day, it's my turn to return the favor." He stood cautiously, and then stretched, his tentacles swaying gently, as though in a breeze. Each muscle in his chest and arms was sore, but not as much as they had been before he'd collapsed. Not even close. He only winced once, when he flexed his wounded chest muscles, but even then it wasn't unbearable.
"Besides, it feels good to stretch out and move again."
He handed Colby the blanket she'd given him while he'd lain
unconscious.
"Thank you," she whispered, wrapping it around herself and curling up on the ground beside the fire.
Long after her slow, even breathing told him Colby slept,
Xavier sat, gazing silently into the flames but not really seeing them.
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The fire crackled and danced across the logs, causing the shadows of everything, from Colby to the boulders that peppered the floor, to move and twist at its whim. All save one.
His own shadow stood fast, resisting the shifting light. Often when he moved to watch his slumbering companion, his shadow
hesitated before following suit. After some time his shadow stood and began to pace the small cave, though he himself remained seated by the fire.
"They're out there ye know," the shadow hissed.
Xavier let his head fall into his hands and sighed. "I know. I hadn't noticed earlier, but the silence betrays them. No insects chirp and no night birds call. I know they're there."
"She don't," the shadow stated flatly, jerking its head in Colby's direction.
"I know."
"I told ye ta kill the guard. Least it woulda given ya a head start ‘fore they knew ye were missin'."
"I'm not a murderer."
"Bah, ye don't know what ye is," the shadow mocked, waving his tentacles derisively.
The shadow's dry laughter sounded like a desiccated corn husk being tugged off the cob. It sent shivers down Xavier's spine. He gritted his teeth and flexed the muscles of his tentacles, trying to blot out the sound and looked back into the flames, thinking. Even his tentacles stopped swaying and rested peacefully at his side.
The shadow continued to pace. Its tentacles flailed violently around it, and occasionally one pounded angrily into the palm of its hand.
"They're jus' waitin' till their backup gets here."
"That's what I thought too. You suppose they'll attack at dawn?"
"I s'pose it depends on how long they bin waitin'."
"I don't think they were there when I woke up, but I don't know. They could have been there the whole time I slept, just waiting for a sign that Colby wasn't alone."
"If they've 'eard ye talkin' I 'spect they know she's not alone an'
they won't waste time."
"Yeah, I expect they do." Xavier sighed. Standing slowly, he moved closer to the mouth of the cave and peered out. The sky hadn't begun to lighten yet, but the stars had grown faint.
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"Kill 'em," his shadow whispered, but Xavier shook his head.
"I'm not a murderer."
The shadow threw up its arms and tentacles, in exasperation.
"Fine, be a martyr, but don't ferget the main thing 'bout martyrs."
"What's that?" Xavier whispered.
"They're all dead."
The shadow fell silent and stopped pacing. It slid across the cave and took its usual spot on the side of Xavier opposite the light and began mirroring his movements, albeit with a slight delay.
Xavier's shoulders slumped as he moved back into the depths
of the cave. Dropping to his knees at Colby's side he reached out a hand and shook her softly.
"Colby," he whispered, "Colby, I'm sorry, but you need to wake up."
"Wha...what is it?" she murmured, obviously fighting through the layers of sleep that held her.
"Men followed me from the castle. I don't know how they
found me so quickly, but I think we're going to have to make a run for it."
Colby sat up slowly, a frown marking her features. "I may be able to help. It's the least I can do after marking the trail for them."
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Chapter Three
"You marked the trail for them?" Xavier frowned in confusion.
Colby nodded, and looked at the ground. "I didn't think. When I came to find the cave I marked the way with chalk so I could find my way back. I should have known—"
Xavier shook his head. "There's no way you could have." He paused then continued, "Did you say you might be able to help?"
"Yes," Colby whispered then tossed her blanket off and moved to her pack. "I didn't come here completely unprepared." She pulled out several scrolls of yellowing parchment, each rolled tight and sealed with wax.
"What are those?" Xavier whispered.
"Magic," Colby answered, her eyes glinting with excitement.
"Magic? Are you a mage, then?"
"A mage?" She sighed. "No, but these scrolls have been enchanted so I only need to read them to cast the spell."
"Oh," Xavier said, drawing the word out. "What kind of magic?"
"Nothing too fancy, I didn't expect I would need to escape from a cave." The gravity of their situation kept him from laughing at her attempted joke, but he offered her a half-smile. "However, if we get creative I think we can pull this off. They aren't too-too smart are they?"
Xavier shook his head, "No, they're thugs mostly. Paid to take orders, not think for themselves."
"Good," Colby nodded and looked down at the labels on the scrolls. She set one aside, tucked the rest back into her bag and then pulled out a leather satchel. Xavier raised an eyebrow but fought his curiosity and remained silent as she opened it and peered inside.
After some searching, and just as he was reaching the boundaries of his patience, Colby pulled out a small packet of folded and labeled parchment. Grinning at him, she nodded. "I think we can do this."
Xavier glanced nervously out of the cave entrance, saw the sky beginning to pale where it met the horizon, and replied, "I'm glad you think so, but you need to let me in on the plan. It's almost dawn."
Brandishing the envelope, Colby explained, "This is filled with an herb that, while useful for making poultices, will create noxious
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smoke if I burn it. Not just a little bit either, I'm talking about great, black clouds that last for several minutes from only a few leaves."
Xavier allowed the slim ray of hope he'd nursed since she'd
first explained the scrolls to grow and penetrate his pessimism. With enough smoke to obscure their route, they might manage a slight head start before their would-be attackers followed.
"And that?" he asked, gesturing with a tentacle toward
the scroll Colby had kept out of her pack.
"An auditory illusion. I thought it might come in handy if I wanted to evade hostile Reptar, but it will work just as well against hostile men." She shrugged, smiling faintly. "If we manage to get out of here I've also got a map. It's very old and ridiculously out of date, but it beats nothing."
Xavier's smile grew and, grabbing things with his hands and
tentacles both, he began to break down camp and gather Colby's things for her to pack. "It's the best chance we have," he whispered,
"but we need to hurry."
Colby squished everything he passed her into her pack and in a few short minutes the camp no longer existed. Only the fire
remained, still blazing bright.
Xavier shouldered Colby's bag, then held the packet of herbs
tightly in one hand and suspended it over the flames. He watched as Colby unrolled the brittle-looking scroll. It crinkled with age and fine bits of parchment fell away from the edges to dust the cave floor. She held it carefully out in front of her.
"Ready?" Xavier asked.
Colby nodded and began to read. Words fell from her lips,
slowly at first, but rapidly gaining momentum until they tumbled over one another and became a low, indistinct drone. Suddenly she stopped talking and closed her eyes. A moment of silence, disturbed only by the popping fire and the pair's breathing stretched into two, then three.
Finally, Colby opened her eyes, met Xavier's gaze, and nodded again. He dropped the packet into the flames. The fire nibbled at the parchment slowly, as though checking it for taste, then the
illusionary sounds of their coughing began and Xavier realized their timing was off. Luckily the fire liked what it had consumed of the packet of herbs and quickly ignited it. Within moments the dried herbs were alight and great black smoke began to billow forth from
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the campfire. It wasted no time in filling the cave and pouring out of its mouth.
They filled their lungs with some of the last clear air, and then, while the sounds of their choking and cursing continued, they followed the smoke out of the cave and into the swamp.
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