After [A Journey of the Twins Novel]

by Janet Durbin

  Shyanne squatted next to Drayco and wrapped her arms around him. She knew if he didn't come around soon, they'd risk discovery when a replacement came for Brent. The fear at what she had just experienced was still fresh, but she had to bury it deep if she was to help her brother. Shyanne talked to him in a soft, soothing voice, combing his hair with her hand while she spoke. She felt his body start to relax.

  Drayco listened to his sister's words. She sounded calm, not in the least bit disgusted. I only hope her eyes match the tone of her voice. He slowly looked up.

  A pink hue blended with her tanned skin, and the blood made sections of her hair stiff. With dread, he gazed into her blue eyes. Although they were filled with caring and love, she was unable to hide the fear he saw deep inside. He reached up and grabbed one of the hands holding him, giving it a gentle squeeze. He knew for her sake, and for the sake of the others, he had to pull himself together. With a sigh, he stood up.

  He extended a hand and helped her to her feet. “We have lost companions to find."

  Shyanne watched his face transform from that of a lost child to that of a steely soldier. After a brief pause, she nodded her head in agreement. “Let's go."

  Drayco followed Shyanne toward the camp. His stomach was still in complete knots, but he gave no indication of the inner turmoil on his outward appearance. Through the years, he had learned to hide his feelings, even from those who thought they knew him well. The twins wove their way through the rocky terrain toward the glow seen earlier. They dropped to their bellies and crawled quietly onto a shadow-covered rock to observe the camp's activities below.

  Tents were pitched in a circular pattern within a sizeable clearing amongst the rocks. About two dozen people strolled between them, going about their business. Fires burned in several places, lighting up the area, and accounted for the glow they had followed. In the center, a man was tied to a large wooden post standing upright from the ground. His head hung down and his arms were at a painful angle behind him.

  "Joseph. Drayco, there's Joseph.” Her whisper was soft; he almost didn't hear it.

  Drayco put a finger to his lips and pointed over her shoulder. A guard stood on another boulder several paces away. His back faced them as he watched the outer perimeter of the camp. The man never turned around. If he had, he would have seen the twins crouched close by. They moved deeper into the shadows to avoid being seen while they continued to check out the area, and look for Drizzle.

  A mountain of a man emerged from a large tent close to the captive. His long, black hair was tied back to keep it away from his strong, handsome face. His body appeared to be one giant muscle, not an ounce of fat showed anywhere. His arms and legs were as big tree trunks, and he towered above the people around him. Shyanne and Drayco looked at each other, seeming to think the same thing. This must be Ruben.

  They watched as the big man sauntered over to the prisoner. He stopped inches from Joseph, an arrogant half smile on his face, and seized a handful of hair. Jerking the bowed head upward, Joseph's bruised and battered face appeared. The glare he gave the big man said he still had some fight left in him, though. Ruben let go and words were exchanged.

  The prisoner must have said the wrong thing because in the next instant, Ruben backhanded him. Joseph recovered from the sudden blow and glared once more at the monster standing before him. The twins were too far away to hear what was said. They understood the body language well enough.

  Shyanne's heart ached at having to watch what happened to him, knowing she was unable to stop it. At the same time, it swelled with pride at the way Joseph handled himself.

  She frowned. These conflicting feelings are becoming a nuisance.

  It was odd that she cared for Joseph almost as much as she cared for her family. What made this man so different from the others, and in such a short amount of time?

  She returned her attention to the scene below. Ruben paced back and forth in front of Joseph. The twins could see his mouth moving.

  "I wish we could hear what he's saying,” Drayco whispered.

  "We can't risk getting any closer. We might be discovered, and that would ruin any chance of a rescue."

  "I know. But it's hard to see this go on and do nothing about it."

  "I know what you mean, Drayco.” Tearing her gaze from the prisoner, she glanced around the camp. “I wonder where Drizzle is. Brent said they didn't kill him, but I don't see him anywhere."

  "Ruben probably has him hidden in one of those tents. He knows you'll eventually come for your cat. When that happens, he'll have you. That's what I would do if I wanted to capture you."

  "We'll meet that son of a rizbak soon enough—but on our terms, not his,” Shyanne said through clenched teeth.

  The big man halted once more in front of the fair-haired prisoner. He leaned close, his nose mere inches away, his arms clasped behind him in a typical military stance. Joseph met the stare with his own cold, hard gaze, showing no fear. Ruben started to talk again. The prisoner kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer any questions. Suddenly, Ruben straightened up and slammed his fist into the side of Joseph's head.

  The hit rocked the captive sideways as far as the restraints allowed. He slumped over and did not move. Ruben observed the unconscious man, his arms folded in front of him. A sneer spread across his face. He turned and strode toward his tent when he knew nothing more would come from the one before him.

  He barked some orders concerning the prisoner to the nearby guards. They jerked to attention. One guard's response time was not fast enough for Ruben. He flew over and knocked him to the ground. A kick in the rear followed. The man leaped immediately to his feet and snapped to attention once the abusive commander backed off. With a satisfied nod at the quickness of the man's recovery, Ruben went inside his tent.

  Shyanne was shocked at how quickly the big man became violent with everyone, including his own people. She glanced at her brother. Drayco's face was grim, his jaw clenched. His eyes smoldered with anger. She looked back at Joseph's unconscious form.

  Drayco indicated with a hand signal that they should back off after Ruben disappeared inside his tent. They slid off the rock to the ground below, beyond the sight of the guard who stood near them, and crept back to where they had left Brent's body.

  "He gets such a thrill out of hurting people. You could see it in his face.” Shyanne's tone was as hard as the stone surrounding her.

  Drayco understood the meaning behind the words. She wasn't talking about the way the guard had been treated. She was talking about Joseph. His sister was getting close to Joseph, even if she didn't realize it. The small signs she gave off and some of the things she had said led him to believe it so. He wasn't sure if it was love, or simply infatuation. Either way, he felt it wasn't his place to say.

  "We'll make sure he understands what he did to Joseph is unforgivable, and we'll find Drizzle. This I promise you, little sis.” He gripped her shoulders gently.

  She glanced up at Drayco. “I promise you, brother, one day I will kill that man.” She crossed her arms in front of her and challenged him to say anything to make her change her mind.

  Drayco could tell by her mannerism that she would achieve what she set out to do. He held up his hands in a gesture of defeat and pretended to cower down from her. She relaxed and returned his smile.

  "We have to do something about him.” She tilted her head in the direction of the dead man. “We can't just leave him like that. They'll know something's up when they come to relieve him and find him not at his post."

  "I've been thinking about that,” Drayco replied. “I've got a plan."

  The dark man grabbed Brent under the arms and dragged him to the boulder he had stood guard on. “Shyanne, help me get him up there.” He leaned the dead man against the rock face and climbed up onto the boulder, then waited for his sister to come help lift the body up to him.

  She moved to Brent's body and tugged his arms upward, placing them in her brother's outreached hands. She grabb
ed the man's legs and helped Drayco lift him up, wondering what her brother was up to, but didn't say anything.

  Drayco could tell from the look on her face that she thought him crazy. He wasn't too sure how far off that thought was.

  To keep Ruben and the camp from suspecting anyone was there, he knew he had to make Brent's death look like an accident. He maneuvered the body into a sitting position, straddled the upper torso with his legs, and grabbed either side of the head. With a quick twist of his body, he broke the man's neck. Shyanne grimaced and looked away. Drayco wrestled the body into a standing position and moved to the edge of the rock. He let Brent drop toward a group of smaller rocks lying near the base. The body fell like a lead weight and landed at an awkward angle between two of the rocks. The neck Drayco had torn open now had a large chunk of stone imbedded in it.

  Drayco jumped down from the boulder to inspect his handiwork. Something tugged at him; something was missing. Suddenly, he remembered Brent's sword and ran back to get it. Returning, he stood close to the group of rocks where the body came to rest. With his back facing the edge, he tossed it. It landed at such an angle that any observer would think it had actually fallen with the body instead of looking staged. Satisfied with the results, the dark twin walked around the area, brushing away his footprints with a gnarled tree branch he found trapped between some rocks.

  "What do you think?"

  Shyanne didn't say anything at first. Her brother's ingenuity impressed her. At the same time, it disgusted her. “It looks like the real thing. Good job.” She started down the pathway toward Jack's hiding spot. When she didn't hear footsteps following, she turned back to see why. Drayco was looking in the direction of the glowing camp.

  "Let's go, brother. We need to get out of here before that other guy returns. Besides, I want to wash this blood off me. I'm sick of wearing it."

  Drayco grimaced at Shyanne's words. Fortunately, his reaction went unnoticed because his back faced her. “I want to see their reaction. I want to make sure they think the death was an accident instead of intentional. You go on. Wait for me at the camp."

  "Do you think that's wise? Will you be able to get away if they don't think it's an accident and start hunting for whoever did this?” Shyanne stamped her foot in anger. “I already lost you once. Now that I've finally found you, I don't want to go through that again. I know you've changed, in some ways not for the better, but I still love you."

  His heart broke with those words. Recent events being what they were, he thought for sure Shyanne would reject him. He rushed to her and hugged her against his body. She hugged him back with all her might.

  "You have no idea how happy that makes me, little sis.” His words were little more than a whisper.

  "Yes I do, big brother. Yes I do."

  The twins separated. Shyanne reached up and touched her brother's face. “Be careful. I don't want to go on without you."

  He covered her hand. “Don't worry. You won't."

  He let go and disappeared into the field of boulders to find a hiding place to watch the enemy's actions unfold. He never once looked back at his sister. To him, that would be the same as saying goodbye without hope of ever seeing her again, and that was not going to happen.

  * * * *

  Shyanne waited until Drayco was gone before she made her way carefully through the rocks, leaving no trace of her passage. She had no desire to lead the people from the camp to her hiding spot if they suspected foul play.

  The branch off for the alcove appeared in no time. Shyanne moved the brush hiding the entrance and replaced it so that it looked natural from the trail. Jack nickered as she walked up to him, and bumped her in the chest with his nose. She gave his neck an affectionate pat before making sure he had enough food and water.

  I need to get this blood off. I'm sick to death of feeling so icky, she thought.

  She held up bits of her bloody hair and felt the stiffness crinkle between her fingers. Letting it drop with disgust, she gathered the necessary things to wash with. A small amount of water was poured into a bowl-shaped dip in the rocks, worn away with the passing of time and weather. She didn't use much, though. One never knew when an opportunity would arise for more water to be found, especially in this arid terrain of rock.

  She took a worn cloth out of her bag and washed the blood off her face and upper body. She tried to get it out of her hair, but there wasn't enough water in the natural bowl to do the job. She cringed at the thought of leaving it in so she scooped the filthy, red-tinged liquid out and refilled it.

  "I know I shouldn't waste so much water, but I can't stand this mess any longer."

  In short order, Shyanne had her hair clean and her clothes changed. The bloodied ones were buried in some loose dirt to hide the scent from any passing night dwellers. While putting everything away, a noise sounded near the entranceway. She picked up her sword and freed it from its scabbard with the adeptness of someone used to doing it. The noise sounded again, only this time it was closer. She hoped the mercenaries had not found her.

  All kinds of wild thoughts flew through her brain as she watched the bushes covering the entrance move. Remembering the rizbak incident, and the cruelness she had witnessed from Ruben, she put her back toward the wall and waited. She had been alive for 213 years and had seen many changes throughout that time; she planned on seeing more.

  The bushes moved again. Shyanne crouched in response, her sword held ready before her. Just as the tension was becoming too much, a small nose poked through. It wiggled up and down several times. A long set of ears followed.

  A smile crept onto her face as the creature emerged. “A jack rabbit! All that worry over a jack rabbit.” Shyanne lowered her sword.

  At the sound of her voice, the rabbit whipped around to get away from her. Instead, it became ensnared in the bushes. Seeing the frantic struggles, Shyanne rushed over and lifted the mass out of the way. With the flat side of her sword, she shooed it in the right direction down the pathway before she could change her mind and make a meal out of it.

  "Thanks for the scare, little one,” she laughed softly to herself as she set the bushes down. “If we meet again, I will make a meal out of you."

  The chilly bite in the air caused her shoulders to shake. Shyanne put her sword away and fetched her blanket. She wrapped herself in the thick material and sat down to wait for Drayco. The lack of sleep and the wild events of the night were taking their toll on her. Her eyelids became heavy. She leaned against the stone wall and thought to herself, Drayco won't be long, I'll just close my eyes for a second.

  Soon, the only one aware of the passing night was Jack.

  * * * *

  Drayco left his sister and went into the rocks to scout out a position in which to observe the body. He discovered an ideal niche not too far from the site. The overhanging slab of rock created a dark recess that would hide him from any angle, and leave the area he watched un-obscured. Before crawling into his hiding spot, he made sure no evidence of his passing remained to give his position away. Half an hour went by before the man who said he would send a replacement returned.

  "Brent! Brent! Where are you, you lazy bum. Have you fallen asle..."

  The man stopped and gaped at the body sprawled at his feet. His mouth hung open. It stayed open as he cupped his hands around it and shouted for help. “Hey! Hey, get over here! Something's happened to Brent!"

  Drayco heard the sound of running feet; the stone beneath him vibrated in response. A half dozen people ran into view, weapons bared, heads turning in several directions, trying to see what was going on. The shouting man pointed to the body among the rocks. The mercenaries started to talk rapidly, their voices bouncing through the gaps in the rocks. A hush fell over the group as the moon cast a huge shadow in front of Drayco's hiding spot.

  Ruben strolled into sight. His manner was calm, his voice strong, his posture full of arrogance.

  "What's going on here?"

  "Sir, something's happened to Brent
.” The man jumped to attention at the same time he barked the words.

  Ruben sauntered over to get a closer look at the body. After walking around as far as the rocks allowed, he stated, “Appears to me he fell and broke his neck. See the odd angle?” The mercenary bent over, grabbed a handful of the dead man's hair, and lifted. The rock fell out, exposing the wound on the neck. He let it go and stood up. “Captain, get a detail together and get rid of this trash. I have no desire to do battle with scavengers wanting this worthless thing. I don't care what you do with it, just don't leave it here."

  He reinforced his words by shoving the body off the rock grouping with his boot. He stood back, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched as a group of men gathered up their fallen comrade and carried him into the darkness.

  Drayco recognized the type of man Ruben was. The dark twin had seen it many times before. He was used to getting his way. If he didn't get it, he bullied everyone around him until they either gave in, or he killed them. One way or the other, he got what he wanted. A giant sword was draped across Ruben's back. Drayco suspected the powerful leader knew how to use it well.

  Ruben stayed after the rest of the group had gone, starring off at nothing. He appeared to be deep in thought. Drayco felt a twinge of doubt crawl into the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure whether they had gotten away with the plan or not. He waited nervously, afraid to move even a finger lest it draw attention to his hiding place. Suddenly, the big man nodded his head, as if satisfied with something he had been debating. He spun around and started back to camp. Drayco relaxed his guard for a split second, then slammed it back in place until he was certain the man was truly gone.

  Drayco emerged from his hiding spot, curious as to what Ruben was up to. He worked his way to where he could see the camp. Ruben walked up to the prisoner. He stopped in front of Joseph and said something before continuing to another tent located next to his. He pulled the flap out of the way and ducked inside. Drayco noticed a guard standing inside the tent.

  Drizzle must be in there.