by Janet Durbin
Drizzle squirmed against his restraints. A sound of utter frustration escaped from the cat at his inability to help his friend. Drayco remained quiet throughout the entire session. He had not flinched or made a sound as the blade cut into his flesh.
"My, we are a tough one, aren't we? Now, what can I do to get you to scream? Hmm, I think I have it."
He put the tip on the knife one-quarter of an inch into the right side of Drayco's neck and dragged the weapon down over the nipple of the left breast, slicing the tip in two. Drayco was unable to hold back this time. He screamed as the pain enveloped him. Blood shot from the neck wound, causing the people nearest that side to be sprayed. Drayco almost fainted, but Ruben dropped the knife and grabbed his hair. He slapped the bloody face back and forth several times.
"You will not pass out on me!"
The flying blood hit Brey in the eyes. He shouted, “Hey! Watch what you're doing!” and reached up to wipe it off with his shirtsleeve.
Ruben let go of the prisoner and was upon Brey in seconds. He grabbed the unsuspecting mercenary by his hair and dragged him over to Drayco, where he forced his face against the bleeding neck. Randolf kept the dark man upright.
Ruben bellowed, “Drink! Drink you ass-wipe of a dog! Drink like your life depended on it, because it does!"
He watched the surprised man try to push away, but the powerful hand holding the head was too strong. He forced the jaw open to allow the flow of blood to enter into the mouth. In response, Brey gagged and tried to spit out the sticky substance, but other hands were holding him now, preventing him from doing so.
Ruben pulled Brey away from Drayco and instructed Randolf to hold pressure to the bleeding neck wound. He indicated for Romero to hold take over holding the offensive man in his grasp.
"Why are you doing this to me? What did I do?” Brey cried.
Ruben leaned in close, and said, “You left one of our party alone, and she died because of it."
The big man glanced in Drayco's direction. His eyes were shut and the flow of blood from the neck wound was stopped thanks to the pressure held on it. His skin had whitened considerably, and was wrinkling. The hair on his head had pale streaks running through it. It was graying at the temples. He looked like he had aged 20 years in minutes.
"How was I supposed to know he was going to come along and kill her?"
"You didn't. But you should have planned on it. We never leave one of ours alone.” The next sentence came out low and menacing. “Don't worry, though, you'll not have to concern yourself about it again."
Brey's eyes widened and he started to thrash about. Sheena assisted Romero in holding the struggling man, a look of smug satisfaction on their faces. The thin knife appeared once more. Ruben reached up and neatly slit the neck of the man he considered worthless. Blood spurted out of the wound like a geyser. He grabbed the back of Brey's head and lowered it to Drayco's mouth.
The dark man had not seen what transpired between the mercenaries. The pain to his body was so intense, he forgot about the world around him. The blood loss from the knifing was substantial, but not life threatening, even in his weakened state.
Drayco felt something pressed against his lips and tried to pull back. Hands prevented it. Unexpectedly, the taste of blood hit his tongue. He drank tentatively until the needs of his body took over. He latched onto the neck like a leech and sucked as hard as he could before the offered life form died.
As instructed, Randolf continued to hold pressure to the wound on Drayco's neck. Ruben indicated it was okay to release his hold when the remembrance of watching this done to Viola became evident on his face as he turned away in disgust. He did so and backed off as quickly as possible. The thing from hell never knew it; he was lost in the need to drink. He indicated for Romero and Sheena to maintain their hold on Brey in case the dying man attempted something.
As he looked on, color returned to the ash-white skin and the wrinkles disappeared. The hair lost all of the gray color, returning to its black sheen. Drayco continued to suck on the neck long after the pulse quit. Ruben finally pulled him off and slammed him to the ground.
"Enough, dark one, he's dead."
Drayco lay there, gasping. He felt every ounce of the pain to his body return full force. The gash to his neck reopened; Ruben indicated for one of the men to hold it. Andrew reluctantly came forward.
"I want the wounds on this man dressed immediately. I want no more blood loss to occur. Do I make myself clear?"
Eight voices rang out as one. “Yes, Sir!"
Ruben walked toward Wind Racer. He heard the mutterings of the others, but chose to ignore them. They knew they had it good and would do nothing to mess it up.
* * * *
Shyanne and Joseph entered the clearing with the ruined hut. A saddled horse was grazing in the grassy field surrounding it.
"Joseph! That's Drayco's horse!” Shyanne gasped when she got a better look at the animal.
The horse raised his head as they neared. Joseph slowly dismounted and made his way to the creature, whose full attention was on him.
"Bravaro, remember me? We had a great adventure together."
The ears flipped back and forth. Joseph continued to work his way toward the horse, his arm extended, talking softly as he moved. Shyanne stayed where she was and watched in silence. If she made a move now, she might drive the animal away.
Joseph reached Bravaro and grasped the dangling reins. He gave the horse a pat on its damp neck. The horse calmed under his rubbing hands. Sweat ran from underneath the saddle, covering his body. It looked like he had run a long way. Joseph led the animal to the ruined hut. He removed the saddle, grabbed a brush out of a saddlebag, and started to brush him down. Shyanne dismounted and moved to his side.
"What do you think happened? He would never leave Drayco unless he was forced to.” She looked the horse over.
"I don't know. He must have run for several hours to get in this kind of shape. Look at the amount of sweat on him.” He continued to rub the horse down as he spoke. “What I'm wondering is what happened to Drayco?"
When silence was his reply, he looked at her. Her head was down. Joseph walked to her and pulled her against his body. She looked up at him; tears filled her eyes.
"I hope he's all right. I will never forgive myself for not helping him if anything has happened."
"I haven't known him all that long, but I get the feeling he is a very resilient man. No matter what the situation is, he'll be okay. I know it.” Joseph spoke with such conviction.
Shyanne smiled. “Thanks, Joseph."
"Let's get the rest of the animals bedded down before it gets too dark. It's already hard enough to see.” The pair gathered the other horses and secured them next to Bravaro.
The fair-haired man removed the blanket rolls from the back of the saddles and spread them out afterwards. All three horses were given grain and water before he sat down next to Shyanne.
She admired how he reacted to each crisis. He was calm and under control where she was chaotic and reckless. All she could think about was finding her brother. He was so weak when they had gone to sleep last night. He might be lying somewhere, dying, or worse ... dead.
As if Joseph was reading her mind, he said, “We'll take off at first light and find out where Bravaro came from.” He sat up and looked around when he remembered the grangoor. “By the way, this is the spot where the mercenaries met with ill-fortune."
The crickets sang and night birds sounded off in the darkness. If the grangoor was close, all would be quiet. He relaxed and leaned back onto his arms. The air had a cool bite to it. The woman next to him shivered. He picked up one of the blankets and draped it over her shoulders. She snuggled into it.
"I want to thank you, Joseph, for being the wonderful person you are. Without you, I would be lost.” She sighed and lowered her eyes. “I know Drayco will be found and that he'll be okay. I can feel it in my bones."
"We will find him.” Deep inside, he was not su
re if he would be alive or not.
Shyanne brought her eyes up to meet his. She reached up and put her arms over his shoulders, causing the blanket to drop to the ground behind her. She leaned in and gave him a soft, tentative kiss on the right side of his lips, followed by a kiss to the left side.
Joseph was not sure how he should respond. Shyanne answered the question for him. Her next kiss was on the lips. At first, it was soft. It did not stay that way. He responded to her growing need with an emotion he had not felt in a long time.
Joseph kissed her face, her cheeks, her lips, then moved down to her neck. Shyanne leaned her head back, her eyes closed with pleasure. He pulled away, holding her at arms’ length. She looked at him in question. He simply smiled. He reached up to the strings woven through her shirt and untied them slowly. She smiled back and watched his actions with longing. When the strings were undone, he lifted the shirt. She reached her arms up, causing the man in front of her to disappear until the shirt was out of the way.
Her creamy skin shone in the moonlight. Joseph leaned over and kissed her exposed body. She wrapped her arms around his head, running her fingers through his hair. A moan escaped from Shyanne's lips as she pulled his face harder into her chest. Joseph sat up and took his own shirt off. He watched her for a second, observing Shyanne's beauty before helping her to lie back on the blankets. They kissed again, their need for each other growing with each stroke of their lips, with each touch on one another's body.
Shyanne helped Joseph undo and remove the rest of his clothes. He, in turn, rose to his knees and helped her. Their eyes met in the faint glow of the moonlight. The love he had seen in hers yesterday shone as bright tonight as it did then.
He moved up and down her body, tasting everything as he went. A long time had passed since she had been with anyone. She relished the touch of his lips on her skin. Ripples of ecstasy washed over her like an ocean wave on a sandy shoreline. As they flipped the blankets over themselves, they became one not just in body, but in mind and soul, as well.
* * * *
Drayco lay still long into the night. He was exhausted, but sleep eluded him. The slices to his neck and chest were bandaged. He could not shift his head far without feeling as if the wounds would rip open. The other cuts were minor, and the incredible healing powers of his body were already hard at work. He turned his head and looked at Drizzle. The big cat was awake, watching him.
The rest of the party was asleep except for the one standing guard. Ruben lay next to Drayco, his back facing him. As he watched, the big man rose to his feet and went to the lone individual.
"Get some sleep. I'll take over from here.” Paul murmured his thanks and moved toward the other sleeping forms.
After watching Paul lie down and roll into his blanket, Ruben returned to Drayco. He squatted next to him and whispered, “Let's walk."
He cut the bonds securing Drayco's legs, but left the ones on his wrists intact. Ruben supported him while he walked several yards from the main group before stopping. Drayco was still weak from his experience and nearly went down as his legs gave out. Ruben grabbed him, preventing it from happening. He set the dark man down carefully before sitting across from him.
The wind coming from the open plains had a bite of cool air to it. Fall was just around the corner. The leaves of the surrounding trees would change colors before long, and winter would arrive shortly thereafter, covering everything with a snow-white blanket. Travel would slow down considerably once that happened.
Ruben glanced sideways at Drayco, “What is it about you and the girl that the Boss wants?"
Drayco stared into the night, refusing to talk.
"I wanted to let you know how much I admire your courage and devotion to your friend.” He pointed at the big cat with a long piece of field grass. “Most people, including the ones I travel with, would not have been able to take what I gave you without breaking down. And they would not even consider doing it for a humecat."
Drayco wondered why the one person in this entire post virus world he intensely hated was telling him this.
"I'm talking to you like this because I wanted to let you know it's nothing personal. I've been paid to do a job, and I do it, regardless of who it involves. If the circumstances were different, we could be friends. I just wanted to let you know that."
Drayco could hear the sincerity in Ruben's voice, but knew better than to trust him. The man was a paid killer and he could probably talk an old miser into giving him gold just because he asked for it.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know.” The big man sighed. “What I'm curious about is what the Boss wants from you? Can you tell me that much?"
The dark twin considered not answering; he decided there was no harm in doing so. “I don't know what the Boss wants.” He shrugged his shoulders. The movement brought on a wave of pain, causing him to wince.
Ruben saw the facial expression. “Sorry about that, had to do my job. If I let you get away with whatever you wanted, I'd lose face.” He gave Drayco a half smile. Assuming a thoughtful pose, he continued. “What is it that the Boss wants? Do you have special powers? Are you a demon? What?"
"I don't know.” Drayco's thoughts raced. What was so special about him and his sister? He and Shyanne were nothing. They didn't have money or power, so what was it that made the Boss want them so badly?
"Oh well. Thought I'd ask. Just have to wait until tomorrow to find out. We'll reach Grandfield by noon. Then you'll be in the hands of the Boss.” Ruben shrugged his own shoulders in the same fashion Drayco had and got up.
"Have to take you back and tie you up again. Can't have you running off on me. Big money involved here.” He winked at Drayco, grabbed the back of his shirt, and lifted him off the ground with one arm as if he was a feather.
The shirt pressed hard into the bandaged areas covering his neck and upper chest. Drayco gasped with pain. Ruben's smile broadened. A hint of the evil hidden inside showed itself in the twinkle of his eyes. Ruben held the shirt tight for a little longer than necessary before letting it relax. Drayco's legs felt like rubber. They wanted to buckle out from under him, but he concentrated on keeping upright and they held. The pain subsided as the shirt relaxed. He let out the breath he had been holding.
Ruben thumped him on the back. “Glad we had this chat. I wish it would have been more informative, but ... oh well."
The pat on the back did him in; he fell to his knees. Pain rippled through his body once more. The mercenary leader picked him up by his shirt and dragged him to where he had laid prior to their chat. He threw the dark man to the ground. Drayco landed on his left side, the wind knocked out of him. Ruben bent over to inspect the bandages. After making sure no fresh blood showed, he secured his legs.
"You should have talked to me. I could have helped you. Now you'll have to deal with the Boss, and he's not going to be as nice. I've seen his work. By the time he's done with you, you'll wish you had chatted with me instead."
Ruben stood and looked down at the gasping prisoner, a stern look on his face. A moment later, he threw his hands in the air. “Maybe it was for the better.” He walked away, shaking his head as he went. “Who knows what I would have done with the information anyway."
Drayco lay there, wishing the pain would go away so he could think about what Ruben said, but it continued to make his life a living hell long into the night.
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Chapter Fourteen
The sky overhead was overcast as they drew near the town of Grandfield. The clouds were fat and gray, floating slowly to the east. No rain fell yet. Ruben was in the lead, Drayco's animal close behind him.
They did not bother to tie his limbs together. It would have been too conspicuous, and would bring unwanted questions to the group. In his present state, Drayco would not have been able to do much anyway. His right arm was strapped against his body again to prevent the wound to his neck and chest from opening, and all his strength was being used to keep himself upr
ight in the saddle. The cut Ruben had put on his face was scabbed over and itched.
"Finally! We're home!” Sheena waved her arms over her head. A huge grin covered her face.
"I can't wait to get to the bar for a drink,” Paul said. “And the company of a fine woman.” He glanced at Sheena as he spoke. She turned a deep crimson.
Andrew glared at Paul. He stated,” Back off, man, she's mine."
The two men made a move for their weapons simultaneously. Laughter broke out and they released their grip on their swords. Sheena moved her horse next to Andrew. She leaned over to give him a kiss. He turned his head away, then turned back quickly, giving her the kiss she sought before she could become offended. They had apparently played this game before because everyone groaned and rolled their eyes while the two would-be lovers acted out their parts.
Ruben looked back with a half-cocked grin on his face. “You two need to get a room or something. Take out your frustrations on each other in the sack. We're sick of seeing it."
The other mercenaries murmured agreement with his statement. Sheena and Andrew scoffed at everyone. They leaned over and kissed again.
Drayco looked back at a horse behind the main group. It had a blanket draped over its back, covering its precious cargo. The cover shifted occasionally. Unlike Drayco, Drizzle had his extremities tied. Ruben did not want the cat to escape before he could put his plans into action.
The group of mercenaries rode down the dusty road toward town. Bits and pieces of past technology lay about, taken from the nearby ruined city. The hood of a rusted automobile was a roof for a rickety wooden shed. Drayco saw what might have been a sign from a fast food place where chicken was sold used by a merchant to advertise his goods. A couple of cages filled with live chickens sat nearby. Other signs advertised tools, household wares, and mostly ... women.
The buildings had a dull, dingy look to them; most were run down and in need of repairs. Paint was peeling off and bare wood exposed to the elements. Some of the people had haunted looks in their eyes. Others openly glared at everyone that passed.
