by Janet Durbin
The mercenary who had argued with the woman on the porch went down next. The thick scent of blood on him was more than the creatures could resist. He died before he was able to hit any of the spiderbats with the short knife in his hand.
Ruben pulled his sword free and swung it in all directions as he ducked and dodged the erratic flying creatures from hell. The rest of his mercenaries were trying their best to save themselves in the same manner.
Long talons snagged clothing and cut the skin underneath as the winged demons flew around the room looking for more food. The smell of fresh flowing blood had created a feeding frenzy, and the spiderbats were attacking anything in their path, including themselves.
The twins watched in horror as men and women went down under the grotesque attack. Drayco saw Ruben make his way toward the main room, then stop as the number of creatures swooping at the people grew.
He nudged Shyanne and said, “I'm going to try and free Joseph and Drizzle. With this distraction going on, no one will notice another person amongst them."
Shyanne looked at her brother, concern in her eyes. After a second, she said, “Be careful, Drayco."
She knew better than to try and talk him out of it. Precious time would be wasted arguing, and the spiderbats would kill their friends in the meantime. Besides, the same thought had crossed her mind, as well, but Drayco would never allow her to go into the killing melee. If Ruben saw what they were doing, he would try to stop it. She was good with a sword, but not against someone like Ruben, who was larger, stronger, and more devious.
Drayco slipped inside the window and dropped to the floor in a low crouch. He waited to see if anyone noticed the stranger amongst them before moving. They were too busy trying to survive against the spiderbats to see a tall, dark stranger in their midst.
A man covered with spiderbats ran past Drayco, yelling and thrashing, trying to get the creatures off. He fell to the floor in a heap. After only a moment, all movement stopped except for those caused by the black monsters.
The mercenaries’ numbers were dropping quickly. Some had fled out the front door. Others were valiantly trying to save their fallen comrades. Over two dozen spiderbats lay about the room dead or flopping around, unable to fly.
Drayco saw Ruben across the room. He swung his great sword high at the creatures trying to get at him. Scrapes and cuts covered his upper body, and blood dripped off his left elbow from a long gash in his upper arm. A couple of scratches were on his face. They had crusted over long ago.
The dark twin made his way to the prisoners, keeping his back flat against the wall to create as small a target as possible for the spiderbats. Joseph watched him, unable to speak due to the gag in his mouth. Drayco reached him and removed it.
"What are you doing here? If Ruben sees you, you're dead,” Joseph whispered harshly.
"Saving your butt,” Drayco muttered back while attempting to untie the bonds that held the man's arms.
"Where's your sister?"
"She's outside waiting to help us when we get out of here."
"Don't waste time trying to untie the ropes ... cut them. Hurry, before Ruben notices you're over here!"
Drayco pulled a small dagger out of his boot and sawed at the rope. He had to be careful because he did not want to cut Joseph's wrist in the process. Drizzle watched, and waited. He knew Drayco would get to him when Joseph was freed.
"When I get you loose, go to that window over there. Shyanne's waiting.” Drayco tossed his head in the direction of the window he had come from.
The rope fell to the ground after a few more slices. Drayco directed the blade toward the captive's ankles. In as much time as it took to blink, the fair-haired man was free. He assisted Joseph into a standing position and made sure he was able to move toward the window before turning his attention to Drizzle.
Drayco took a couple of steps toward the cat, but hesitated when he heard Joseph hiss in pain when the blood started circulating more freely into his numb hands and feet. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the difficulty his companion was having, though he had managed a couple of steps before stumbling to his knees, unable to go any farther.
"I'll be back, Drizzle. I promise. I have to help Joseph first."
The cat gave him an understanding nod.
Drayco made it back to the struggling man, avoiding the spiderbats that flew directly overhead. He grabbed an arm and pulled it over his shoulder as he put his own arm around Joseph's waist.
"Go help Drizzle. I can make it,” Joseph insisted.
"The longer you squabble with me, the longer it takes me to get back to Drizzle. Now shut up and get moving.” Drayco practically dragged the man toward the exit, causing Joseph to gasp as the pain intensified with each step. They were a little more than half way to the window when a shout came from across the room.
"Hey!” Ruben bellowed. “Where do you think you're going?"
Drayco urged the hurting man to go faster. They were almost to the window when he glanced over his shoulder. The powerful mercenary was charging in their direction. Just as he thought their chance of escaping was gone, a spiderbat landed on Ruben, causing him to yell and spin around, trying to get the deadly creature off. The dark twin took the opportunity given to them and moved as quickly as possible toward the exit.
"Drayco ... let me go. The pain is going away and I can stand better."
"Then let's haul it, mister. That spiderbat won't keep him busy for long."
Shyanne was there when they made it to the window. She reached in to help Joseph crawl through. As he cleared the opening, a bellow of rage echoed throughout the room. Drayco spun around to see Ruben, free of the black monster, rushing their way. He faced the charging bull of a man, pulling his sword ceremoniously out of its sheath.
"Drayco ... No!" Shyanne shouted. She tried to enter the room, but Joseph grabbed her and held her back. “What are you doing? Let go of me! He can't take that animal on by himself!"
"Shyanne, get the horses ready. I have to free Drizzle. I promised him,” Drayco said, his voice calm. “And the only way I can do that is to face this idiot once and for all. Joseph, make sure she goes. I don't need her in the way."
Grim faced, Joseph said, “Let's go, Shyanne. We can wait for him with the horses.” He moved away from the window, dragging the screaming woman with him. It was a struggle in his weakened state, but he managed.
Their retreating shouts were quickly covered by the sounds of the pounding rain, crashing thunder, and the battles raging on around the room. Drayco focused his attention on the big man barreling down on him. Ruben was twice his size in muscle mass, but they were about even in height. He wanted to go to Drizzle. Regrettably, that had to wait until he dealt with Ruben.
Their blades met with a clash of scraping steel. Drayco knew better than to try and overpower the more muscular foe. His only chance at winning was to evade the blade being swung at him for as long as possible until he found a weakness or an opening. He turned aside the bigger man's steel and ducked to the right.
Ruben flew past the dark twin. He skidded to a stop and spun around to face his adversary, sword held in front of him, ready to swing when an opportunity arose.
"You will not take what is mine,” Ruben snarled.
"You cannot claim something that is not yours to claim."
The two men faced one another, each sizing up the other. Suddenly, Ruben faked a thrust, which caused Drayco to leap sideways to avoid it. The big man's follow-through was fast. It caught Drayco off guard.
A foot planted in the middle of the dark man's stomach forced the breath out of him. The blow sent him flying through the air. He landed on his back, gasping. Ruben was on him with the speed of a striking snake. Drayco rolled out of the way, barely in time, as the sword hit the very spot he had just vacated. Ruben tried several more times to pierce the man rolling beneath him. He missed each time.
Drayco knew he could not stay down much longer and survive. He threw a leg out wide and swiped t
he big man's feet out from under him. Ruben hit the floor with a resounding thud. No one noticed what was happening between the two combatants; they were too busy fighting for their own lives.
Drayco scrambled to his feet. Before he could make it, Ruben was already on his knees. The big man brought his sword upward in a wide arch. The blade whipped past Drayco's face. He fell backwards to avoid it, but was not fast enough to get away clean. The blade bit deep into the flesh across his right cheek. Blood flowed down his neck and onto the front of his shirt. Drayco straightened and kicked Ruben in the face, knocking him down again. When the mercenary sat up, blood ran down his chin. His teeth had cut the inside of his mouth.
The spiderbats sensed the new flow of blood coming from the combatants, and attacked. Hoards of them converged on the two men. Drayco and Ruben were forced to divert their attention away from each other and onto the flying messengers of death. The glint of steel bounced off the surrounding walls as they swung their swords not at each other, but at the black creatures in the air above.
Teeth and claws that felt like tiny needles dug into Drayco's skin as he tried to get free of the mass of black bodies. Ruben was having the same problem. More and more spiderbats eager for the taste of blood forced the men against the outer wall.
The sheer number of spiderbats convinced the big man that he was not going to win this battle, with either the man next to him, or the spiderbats, and decided it was time to leave. He forced his way over to the big cat and grabbed him up with one arm.
He bellowed, “Let's get out of here, people!” and ran out the front door into the downpour.
Drayco was pinned against the wall by the spiderbats and could only watch in frustration as his friend, whom he had promised to free, was carried away.
"Drizzle!” In a fit of rage, he yelled, and swung his sword with greater power and speed. He tried to make it to the door, but was driven back by the sheer volume of spiderbats trying to get at him. The blood that still flowed from his cheek was driving them mad with the need to feed.
A few of the remaining mercenaries struggled to get through the door, and made it. The rest were either unable to get away, or were dead. Drayco was completely exhausted from fending off the creatures and failed to notice the window behind him until he fell through it. Shyanne and Joseph were there to drag him away from the opening.
A couple of the black creatures came out with him, still clinging to his clothes. The main body of spiderbats refused to follow. They turned back to the dryness inside, and the feast awaiting them therein.
Joseph and Shyanne kicked the ugly things off the dark man and watched as they flopped around on the ground, unable to fly due to the moisture rolling off their bodies. Two drowned in the growing number of puddles caused by the rain; one remained attached to the man on the ground. He threw it off and rose to his feet. With the power of someone angry at the world, he brought his sword down hard, slicing the creature in half.
Drayco glared at Joseph and Shyanne. “What are you doing here? I told you to wait by the horses!” He was furious at them for not following his instructions.
"We did wait by the horses,” Shyanne yelled back. “When it took so long for you to come out, we knew you were going to need help, so we brought them with us.” His sister pointed to where Jack and Bravaro stood a few yards away.
"What about Ruben? Did you see him? He had Drizzle with him and was probably heading toward the horses.” He started that way. Shyanne called to him.
"Drayco, wait. We saw him.” Her voice grew softer, her anger reduced. “It's too late. They rode out of here just before you tumbled out the window."
"We're not even sure which direction they went. We lost sight of them after only a few paces because of the rain,” Joseph said.
The dark man's shoulders sagged. He had failed, failed Drizzle miserably. That was something he would never forgive. Shyanne and Joseph moved to either side of the distraught man; they put their hands on his shoulders.
Shyanne noticed the slash on her brother's face, and the blood on his clothes. “Your cheek looks bad. It needs to be taken care of.” She tried to touch his still bleeding wound; he jerked his face away.
Drayco shrugged off the hands on his shoulders and walked over to the horses. Bravaro nudged him in the chest once he was close enough. The dark twin automatically reached up and rubbed the animal's nose, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
He was furious, furious with everything—the spiderbats, his sister, Ruben—but mostly, with himself. He felt he had let everyone down, especially Drizzle. The frown on his face caused pain to run down the right side of his cheek. He ignored it.
Joseph started to go to Drayco. It was Shyanne's turn to hold him back.
"Let him work it out. When we were younger, all the family had to do was give him space to think. He'll talk when he's ready."
The three of them stood in the rain for what seemed like hours. In reality, it was only minutes.
The rain became less of a torrential downpour and more like a spring shower during the wait. The noise of the spiderbats feasting inside grew louder than the soft pattering of raindrops against the ground. Shyanne and Joseph decided it was time to move closer to the horses and get away from the sickening sound of slurping and crunching.
Drayco stood with his head tilted forward. His hair was thoroughly soaked, effectively hiding his face from the approaching couple. When he looked up, the fingers of blood winding down his face and neck made it appear as though he had a bright red lightning bolt shooting across it. A haunted determination filled his eyes. Shyanne thought it gave him an almost evil look. Her spine shivered in response.
"I promised Drizzle I would come for him, and that is exactly what I am going to do. Ruben will high tail it to the Boss with the hopes that we will follow.” He paused, glaring at them as if daring them to contradict him. “I'm going to do just that. I'm going to Grandfield and locating this Boss. Where I find him, I find Drizzle.” His fingers curled into tight fists.
"I agree. We need to go to Grandfield and find Drizzle,” Joseph said.
"But we'll have to be careful. A trap will be waiting for us for sure,” Shyanne finished his statement.
Drayco expected an argument. He closed his eyes with relief when none came. The loss of Drizzle had left a hole that would not be filled until his return. He had grown rather fond of the old fur ball since rejoining Shyanne, and he wanted the sour puss back. Before they could leave, though, he needed to stop the blood flowing from the slice on his cheek.
He reached up and traced the cut with his fingertips. It went from the top of his cheekbone to just above the corner of his mouth. He could tell from the look on Shyanne's face that it must be bad. She handed him a cloth. He took it and pressed it firmly against the skin to staunch the flow. The grimace that flew across his face almost certainly matched hers.
"I have to drink before we go. Since I'm not familiar with the area, I don't know if we'll find anything before we reach Grandfield.” The battle left him washed out. He knew he had to replenish what was lost before setting out.
"Some horses were left behind. I have a feeling that's all you'll find ... unless you're interested in spiderbats,” Shyanne teased.
Joseph had no idea what the twins were talking about. If Drayco needed to drink, all he had to do was fetch a waterskin. “Wait here. I'll bring you some water.” His words brought such a sorrow-filled look from the dark man that he wondered what he really needed.
"It's okay, Joseph,” Shyanne said softly.
Drayco gave his sister a thankful nod and walked toward the temporary stables.
After he left, Joseph turned to Shyanne. “What the hell is going on here?"
Shyanne told him the complete story—beginning with the virus, up to when she and Drayco joined forces again. It took some time, but at the moment, time was what they had.
Joseph stood with his mouth hanging open, staring at the woman talking to him as if she had come from another pla
net.
"You are the first person I've ever told the full story to,” she said to him afterwards.
"I can see why. It's hard to believe. I'm having a hard time believing it myself."
She looked at Joseph. “Why would I lie?"
"I don't know, Shyanne. I just don't know.” He shook his head back and forth.
His eyes showed the many conflicts raging inside. Care, fear, doubt, and a few others passed by. The final emotion to stay was concern. Shyanne wondered if it was concern for himself, or for the party as a whole.
"Will you go with us?” Her heart raced a thousand beats per minute in anticipation of his response.
He paused before answering. The sound of the gently falling rain was soothing. He looked up at the dark cloud filled sky, and sighed, “I will go with you and your brother to find this Boss. I have nothing left now. The mercenaries who attacked my town are scattered, or dead."
Shyanne released the breath she was holding and hung her head. When she looked up, he was watching her. She smiled. Joseph was beside her in an instant, scooping her close to his body. She turned her face upward to receive his affectionate lips. They held the kiss until Shyanne broke contact and turned away from him.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. This could never be,” she said, holding back the tears welling in the corners of her eyes.
"Why? Why could it never be? I love you, Shyanne. I know this now. Every time I look at you, I see the woman I have dreamt of since I was a young man. A woman who is strong and independent, yet vibrant and full of compassion. A woman who is so full of life even though she has seen so much death.” He grabbed her shoulders and tried to turn her toward him. She brushed his hands off. “I know you love me too, Shyanne. I see it in your eyes. Why can't you embrace what your heart is telling you?"
"Because ... because I'll just watch you die as I have all the others. I can't bear to do that again—not with you.” The tears finally ran down her cheeks, blending in with the moisture from the rain. She moved away, hugging herself.
