by Brindi Quinn
And so we walked. I next to him. Silently. Through the oddity within the bunker.
We’d been this way ever since descending the ladder. Immediately following the torture comment, Nyte had said something witty about my ability to drive him crazy, but I hadn’t paid attention. I was too sick. Torturing the person you love by just being around them was sick. All because of what?
Emulator.
That’s right, I still needed to find out what that meant, but Ardette had been so tight-lipped up until now that chances were slim there. Maybe Grotts would be the best choice. But first we needed to focus on saving the trapped people. Even if they might not be Rend and Scardo, they still needed rescue.
And still we walked. Our hands only a foot apart. Both of us struggling to resist. Both of us struggling to remain sane. Both of us struggling to remain us.
“I just don’t get it! Look at this weird one over here! What are these?”
Kantú was frolicking about like a child at Mooncoming, intrigued by this damned oddity that I didn't care about.
“I told ya, Kantoo. Even we’ve never seen anythin’ like this.”
“Hmph. And why do you sound so surprised about that? I’ve told you a thousand times that those good for nothing officers enjoy keeping us in the dark. A real shame your pet stayed above ground, little one. Bet he could’ve shared some of that sacred knowledge with us. Not that I really care all that much.”
But Ardette did care. He cared more than I did anyway. He was intrigued. I could tell by his voice.
But that’s neither here nor there.
“Did Druelca have stuff like this at their castle, Ardette?” asked Grotts, much more freely displaying his fascination.
Ardette forced a yawn to mask his own.
“Um, no,” he said dryly.
“Yeah,” continued Grotts, “I dunno. I’ve seen lots of stuff from the time of you-know-what, but I’ve never seen this sorta thing.”
“How about you, Greeny?” droned Ardette. “Do the Elves have things like these stored away at Sredna?”
Nyte was silent.
Ardette persisted. “Ignoring me, are you? And you too, my cherry pit, are you ignoring me too?”
I was.
But this was the sort of thing that Ardette thrived from. Most certainly sporting a beaming smile, he swooped in between us and leaned at me. “Snap out of it, would you? Just because he’s going insane, doesn’t mean you have to too. Rather boorish of you if you ask me.”
No. I don’t care about any of this.
Nyte also ignored the comment even though neither Ardette nor I had previously told him that he might be ‘losing his sanity’ soon. Maybe he hadn’t caught it. Or maybe he thought Ardette was just spitting nonsense. Or maybe he already knew . . .
Trying for a rise elsewhere, Ardette leaned at Nyte. “So, if I do things to her, are you going to step in, or just let me get away with it? Should we find out?”
Nyte frowned but said nothing.
I wasn’t in the mood for this sort of thing. I was too distraught over the weight of Nyte’s torture to pay it mind. Things would stay this way. Nyte and I needed time to be numb. It seemed Nyte agreed, for the most part.
I thought he’d remain that way, staring and silent, no matter what, but when Ardette let out a deep laugh and brought his hand to my cheek, Nyte unexpectedly reacted with vigor. He shot his staring gaze at Ardette with a flared nose of loathing and brought his fist around from the side. Ardette leaned back and dodged the swing but left his hand against me. It was cool and refreshing and almost instantly drew me back into the moment.
Huh? What was I doing?
I shook my shoulders and immediately started coming to terms with how I’d been carrying on.
It was something like . . . self-pity?
I again shook, this time my head.
Yes, most definitely self-pity. But how can I feel something like that at a time like this?
I wanted to wallow further, but Ardette’s hand was cool against my flushed cheek. A touch of comfort to let me know I still existed.
And what’s this place? I looked around. Nyte’s fist was again raised, but I ignored it. This place, this oddity, is . . . confounding. I studied the oddity, and it was like my eyes were focusing, though my vision had been fine before.
And then I realized:
I care. I have to care. Caring about nothing will only serve to push us deeper into the bindings of our circumstances. I have to care!
“I do care,” I said aloud without really meaning to. “I care!”
Ardette smiled a bit but left his hand at my face and asked, “You care? About me? Not that it really comes as a surprise at all. As one of the men you care for the most-”
“No,” I said, a little embarrassed at my unintentional utterance, “I care about the oddity?”
“The ‘oddity’?” asked Ardette.
“This place. Nyte, look around. Are these more machines?”
“Huh?” Nyte dropped his readied fist, shook his head, and looked around the room. “Uh- machines?”
It was amazing. Most certainly worth noting. The space was tight. We were in a hallway, but it was a hallway unlike any I’d ever seen. Hallways are somewhat normal, I guess, but the thing about this particular hallway is that weird things lined its sides. Weird? How else could I describe them? They were certainly weird, made of metal and another material that was light and looked kind of like hard, unpliable wax. Obsidian-like fronts, black and glassy, were boxed by the strange material, and all sorts of colorful buttons with strange characters adorned their bases.
“Wow,” I said, my voice a murmur.
“Well then, marvel away.” Ardette finally removed his hand and stepped aside. By the time I lifted my gaze from the machines or whatever they were, he was already gone into the dimness ahead of us.
Thank you again, Ardette.
But the oddities were calling to me.
“What are these?” I asked again.
It was pointless, though. The rest of the group had already debated it while Nyte and I slugged along in depression. No understanding had been reached, and asking wouldn’t serve to bring any about.
“I do not know,” muttered Nyte. “It is very overwhelming, though, is it not?”
I looked over at him, and he was studying one of them intently with his chin in his hand. That was more like him. Curious. Engaged. I liked seeing him like that.
A smile crossed my moping face.
I studied him while he studied the thing for a moment until he looked up at me with excitement and a grin. “Miss Havoc, do you not feel a draw to touch them?” The grin was bright and charming.
I blushed.
This was good. I liked it like this. If I cared about the bunker’s interior, it would put my mind at ease a bit, and I could just enjoy being with him.
“A draw?” I asked. “Now that you mention it, it is kind of hard to resist, isn’t it?” It wasn’t a lie. Indeed, the bases’ many colorful buttons all looked appealing for some reason. Incredibly fun to push.
Nyte tapped his chin. “And you know that resisting has never been easy for me.”
I let out a soft chuckle. That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. For both of us.
“What do you think?” I asked, peeking over his shoulder. “Should we push one?”
Nyte shot me a sly glance. “Are you afraid of what might happen if we do?”
“No!” But it did feel a little dangerous.
“All right, Miss Havoc, I will test it out. Fear not.”
“Psh. Like I would!”
He stuck out his hand and held it above one of the buttons. A red one with large white symbols.
I inched a bit closer.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded and he took a deep breath. I did the same and held it.
“All right then.” He lowered his finger until it was just above the button.
I braced myself.
�
�EYAAAAAH!” But the button would remain unpressed, for at that moment, Kantú let out a chittering scream from down the hall, making us both jump out of startledom.
“Gah!” With heart pounding in my chest, I in turn let out a cry.
Nyte stiffened but then bent forward and laughed. “Ah, I fear heart failure.” He turned back to me with a look of exhaustion.
I giggled but then, “Still, what’s she yelling for all of a sudden?”
“Kantoo?!” Grotts was ahead of us. He sounded like a worried mother. “What is it?”
“Kantú, are you all right?” I called.
But she said nothing in reply.
Uh-oh.
That familiar panic started to creep in, and after another moment or two without answer, Nyte dropped his grin and together we hastily made our way in the direction of the commotion.
“Kantú?!” I called again.
This time she answered, but her response delivered no relief.
“It’s a-a-a bone-man!” she squealed.
“Bone-man?!” What the heck does that mean? “Hold on! We’re coming!”
Nyte shrugged and we quickened our haste.
When we reached the frantic Squirrelean, Grotts was already there. She was clinging to his side behind her tail and shakily pointing at something sticking from the wall, but I couldn’t clearly make out what it was. It was hidden by the shadows cast by my lightsong.
“A bone-man?” I asked, panting. “Like a skeleton?”
“Yeah!” she cried. “There’re lots of them! They’re stuck in the walls!” She clutched Grotts even tighter and added, “We’re gonna get cursed!”
Cursed!?
I pulsed the orb to cover a greater area.
“Huh!” I gasped.
Kantú was right. There were indeed a dozen or so skeletons jutting from the walls of the bunker’s hall. It was almost as though parts of their bodies were frozen within the structure – like they themselves were somehow a part of it. Their clothes had, for the most part, disintegrated, but atop their heads were remnants of strange, tattered cloth hats, a dusty white in color.
Nyte walked to Kantú and placed a hand on her trembling head. In response, an unwanted tinge of jealousy kicked my chest.
A touch that I long for but cannot receive.
But I pushed the thought away along with the kick.
“You do not need to fear a curse,” Nyte gently told her. “These bones hold no malice.”
“Yeah, Kantú,” I said. “We’ll be fine. We haven’t really disturbed them or anything.” I patted her shoulder even though I didn’t actually know what I was talking about. Curses and the like were not included in my areas of expertise, and the truth was, the skeletons made me feel really, really uneasy.
Continuing to quiver, Kantú looked up at Grotts for verification. Grotts nodded.
“So,” I said, “is it even worth asking if anyone knows what this is about?”
“Been fused, haven’t they?” Ardette was to the left leaning against one of the machines. I hadn’t really noticed him before.
“Fused?” I asked.
“Hardly worth noting.” Ardette straightened up and walked over to us but only brushed the question off. “Just a lackluster legend from a long time ago, though I thought that one took place on a boat, wasn’t it? No matter. Daems have the most uninteresting fire-stories.”
I wanted to press him but decided against it. I would wait for a less skeleton-encumbered time to ask him about these ‘uninteresting stories’ that I was sure to find at least a little interest in.
“Well, anyways,” grumbled Grotts, “let’s git through here as quick as we can.” He looked down at Kantú with worry in his eyes.
She nodded wildly in agreement. “Please! Before they curse my tail!”
Ardette bent down and neared her face with a bright but visibly-annoyed smile. “Are you certain your pet was right about these trapped people? We’ve been here for quite a while and we’ve yet to-”
“Wait!” Nyte stiffened and cut him off.
Ardette’s smile flinched. “Fine. Go on interrupting me. See how rude your boy is, my cherry pit?” He folded his arms sulkily and leaned away from Kantú.
“Quiet!” Nyte was rigid. “Do you not hear something?” He bent forward and cupped a long ear.
I strained my ears but heard nothing.
“Yes!” he said after a moment. “There is someone calling! This way!”
“Call-” I started to ask.
But he grabbed my sleeve and bounded down the hall, dragging me after him before I could finish.
Again my hand was too close to his in the stuffy passage. Just inches away this time. There was too much temptation there, but Nyte was staring ahead with determination. I knew he wouldn’t make a move. We were safe for now, if I could only hold out.
Don’t grab his hand. Don’t grab his hand. Don’t grab his hand.
We trotted farther and farther down the bunker’s hall.
I could tell by their delayed footsteps that Grotts, Kantú and Ardette were a short ways behind. More machines lined the way, but there were no other skeletons to welcome us. As we continued, I started to also discern the shouting Nyte had described. It seemed to be a man, but the voice wasn’t silky enough to be Scardo. Then again, had I ever really heard the hunched man yell before?
And then, as we neared the source of the shouting, I realized that I recognized the voice from somewhere before. It wasn’t Scardo. It wasn’t Rend. But it was someone I knew. But who?
“Hello?” I yelled.
A garbled call answered.
“We are coming!” shouted Nyte.
And then we saw it: a giant sphere of crystal cage jamming the hallway and encasing three people, two of whom were lying with closed eyes. I instantly grew urgently excited.
Rend! Scardo! Are they sleeping or are they . . . But I didn’t want to finish the thought. They were sleeping. They had to be. I’d leave it at that. Constrict myself from all other possibilities.
“Nyte, it’s them! And . . .” I stopped near the edge of the cage and stared, dumbstruck, as my eyes fell on the third person – the person that had been calling to us.
But how?! The third trapped person is . . .
“Friends! You’ve come!” cried a soft, young voice, brimming with excitement.
I continued to stare. “Darch?”
Yes, somehow, someway, it was most certainly the dark-skinned, azure-eyed Magir from Yes’lech.
“Splendid!” Darch clapped his hands together. “The Pure Heart remembers my name!”
“Eh-”
“Cousin!” Nyte frantically ran to the crystal bars. “What is wrong with her?”
“She’s in torpor,” explained Darch. “But she’s fine, though. Don’t worry. I’ll explain later.”
But Nyte wasn’t at all contented by the answer. He continued to peer through the bars at her with quick, worried movements.
“And Scardo?” I asked, eyeing his limp form uneasily.
“Oh, he was a bundle of nerves, stammering about not keeping your appointment, so I put him down too! He needed a break from himself, if you know what I mean.” Darch tapped the end of his glasses knowingly.
That did seem like Scardo.
“But what’s this cage thing, and why are you he-”
“Darch!” boomed Grotts from behind me. “I thought that was you callin’. How’d-” But he stopped abruptly when he saw the others within the sphere. “Er- what’s wrong with those two?”
“Grotts! It is good to see you! And you as well, Kantú!”
I swiveled around to meet Kantú and to convey my blatant awe over the discovery of Darch, but the now-energetic Squirrelean had recovered from the skeleton incident entirely and was excitedly pouncing towards us.
“Hiya!” She saluted Darch, seemingly not at all as surprised as I was.
Is this really happening?
I looked on, still a little astounded, while Kantú and Grotts bo
th started to jabber excitedly through the bars at the pleasant-as-ever Magir.
But not everyone was so chipper about Darch’s sudden appearance.
Having taken a leisurely pace, Ardette was last to arrive at the crystal cage. “Ugh!” He stepped into the yellow light of my orb and groaned loudly when his eyes fell upon the newcomer.
“Well hey, Ardette!” beamed Darch.
Ardette groaned again, this time even more obnoxiously. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, not even attempting to play it cool.
“Ardette!” I scolded. But his hostility surprised me more than angered me. Rarely did Ardette so blatantly act out without even a hint of game or ulterior motive, and even when he did, that usually only happened when the two of us were alone.
“Beats me why he’s here.” Grotts shrugged.
“Damn meddlesome Magir,” continued Ardette with a scowl.
Luckily, Darch had taken no offense at the comment. He continued to beam intently at Ardette with joy-filled eyes.
But still, what’s with Ardette? He’s being so rude! And carrying on without his mask in front of everyone?
I studied Ardette’s scowl for some answer to my internal wondering until Grotts elbowed me and whispered,
“Don’t let ‘im fool ya. He says that, but the two of ‘em are actually real close.”
“Close?” I said under my breath. “Yeah right!”
At first I thought he was kidding, but when I glanced up at the gruff man, his expression was sincere.
“Er- they are?” I asked, confused. Then why was Ardette behaving so foully?
“Watch ‘em long enough and you’ll understand,” explained Grotts from the corner of his mouth.
“Besties?” whispered Kantú knowingly.
Grotts nodded and winked.
‘Besties’? Oh geez.
