Dark Travelers Ch. 02

"Can't you go away and leave us alone?"

He crossed his arms and didn't answer.

"What are you going to do to me and my sister?"

A roll of the eyes and a yawn.

"You're an asshole."

Utter dismissal; he turned his back on her.

Andi was half-tempted to try and rush him, but thankfully thought better of it. She gave up trying to get answers and waited for whatever that was going to happen, to happen.

Back in the now empty house, Taters whined and trembled in the closet. His human had not told him he should stop 'staying', so he remained.

7.

Anya felt the cold. She felt the bruises on her face and the pain in her arms and hands. She felt her feet start to sting with the freezing temperature as she was led towards the barn, where she assumed she'd be killed. She felt all these sensations, but they were far away and unimportant. There was a strange roaring sound echoing in her mind. Strange, but also rather soothing. It calmed her as she walked along. Was actually quite lovely, this numb feeling, it even blocked the fear.

Kirik watched her closely. Her face was impassive. Her eyes, vacant. It was impossible to get even a slight read on her thoughts. Such a drastic change from her lively performance earlier. Those high-pitched sounds she'd made had been especially enjoyable. He was beginning to become more and more intrigued with this odd little female.

And the way her kin had flummoxed his brother earlier! The look on his face had been priceless. That had been just too entertaining. Who'd have ever thought that little scrap of a girl would be brave enough to strike a creature such as he? Extraordinary, really. Even more so when he'd been told she had been found cowering under a sleeping platform. Too, too funny. He even allowed himself another grin before he entered the barn where he'd told Kael to take the girl and wait.

"Anya!" Andi cried upon seeing the two appear in the doorway.

She rushed to her sister and peered into her blank face with worry. "Anya..? Anya! What did you DO to her?!"

This last bit was screamed in accusation after her queries elicited no response from the dreamy-eyed woman.

"If you do not cease your screeching I shall cut out your tongue," Kirik snapped.

Andi jutted her chin out, not especially wanting to call his bluff, and turned her attention back to Anya.

"Hey," she whispered, smoothing her hair back and shaking her gently. "Anya? It's Andi. It's alright. Please talk to me," she murmured softly.

Anya blinked slowly and recognition seeped back into her eyes, "...Andi?"

Andi nodded, "yes, it's me." Then she saw just how tightly her sister's arms were bound. The thin ropes were cutting into the tender flesh.

She forced herself to speak respectfully to the hateful beasts who stood to the side, quietly talking with one another. "Excuse me, but these ropes are hurting her arms. Are they really necessary? Look at her, she's not going to try anything. Can't you cut her loose? Please?"

Kirik regarded her with annoyance then approached the pair. He studied his knots for a moment, and then deliberately pulled on one specific end. The bindings dropped away and the rest of the life flashed into Anya's eyes again.

She gave a loud sigh of relief and began to rub both wrists vigorously, trying to make the feeling come back into her hands. Slowly but surely, a tingling sensation began to be felt and grew stronger, becoming almost painful as the blood rushed back into her extremities. With the returned feeling came the bite of the cold and she gasped again, this time in shock.

"Fr-freezing," she stuttered, beginning to tremble.

Andi quickly grabbed the blanket from the hay pile and wrapped it around the both of them. The two huddled together, staring fearfully at their captors, unsure what to do or what would happen next. Anya had regained some awareness now, mostly due to relief at the sight of her sister still alive. She didn't even seem to be injured at all.

"I was so worried about you," she said in a low voice.

Andi nodded and clung to her tightly, trying to absorb as much warmth as she could. "I saw you on the sofa when you were knocked out. I thought you were going to d-di-" her breath caught and she struggled against tears again.

Anya turned to peek at the two brothers. They were locked in an intense conversation, they hardly seemed to notice the two were still standing there. She began to wonder if perhaps they'd be able to make a run for it. Not a great idea, she decided. The only other place they could flee was back into the house. Their night clothes were no match for this weather. It would defeat the purpose of escape if they ran into the forest only to freeze to death.

They both drew back and turned terrified eyes up at Kirik as he approached them again. Pleased with this reaction, he offered them an almost charming smile.

"I don't suppose you can read this, can you?" He asked, eyes on Andi.

He wasn't very hopeful but he showed the scroll to the younger girl, who only scowled at it and shook her head. Stymied but unsurprised, he rolled it back up carefully and stored it in a small compartment in his armor. He was silent for a moment, then said something to his partner.

The young male threw both hands up in the air and began protesting loudly, gesticulating emphatically at the two women. Kirik's eyes blazed yellow, patience stretched very thin, and he snarled some threat. Whatever it was, it had the desired effect. The younger stopped speaking instantly. A nervous expression seemed to flit across his face before it was expertly masked. He muttered something in response and turned away.

Kirik glared at him for a second more before squatting in front of the two of them. All smiles again, he regarded Andi further, "You're called Andi, are you not?"

Puzzled, she nodded.

"Greetings Anya and Andi. I apologize for the late introductions but I had business to attend to. My name is Kirik. That is my brother, Kael," he pointed to the sulking male still standing by the entrance.

He stopped for a moment, and then added as almost an afterthought, "we're not from around here."

Speechless, the sisters glanced at each other, eyes wide, then back at him.

"It seems I made a mistake in assuming that all humans could read that script. Now that I think back on it, it seems like a feasible excuse. I cannot read all literary works in my alphabet either. So, my next question is; do you perhaps know of a human - preferably nearby - that could decipher this?" He finished, waiting expectantly for either to answer. He seemed calm, even reasonable now. A disconcerting change from his previous ferocity.

Anya's mind raced, and a small hope surfaced. "There is an old scholar who lives out yonder. Way out beyond the mountain and down the beach. In a lighthouse. He's rumored to actually be a very old wizard."

Kirik's eyes flared brightly for a moment then dimmed as he tried to hide his eagerness, "you say this wizard can tell me what it means?"

Anya shrugged a shoulder, "if anyone could it would be him. But it's a fair ways off from here."

He narrowed his eyes and absently toyed with the grip of one of his many blades. He hated to waste any more time, but what choice did he have? He cursed inwardly, berating himself for not thoroughly researching this mission beforehand. These humans were turning out to be much more difficult to work with then he'd expected.

"You know the way?"

Anya nodded, "aye. I took a trip by it once, when I was very small. But we shall have to go around the mountain. It will take days. It's a fool's errand besides; he doesn't accept visitors. Ever."

Kirik grinned at her, "we'll just have to convince him somehow, won't we?"

Anya swallowed and tried not to stare at his frightening leer and pointed teeth, but her gaze kept returning. Horrified fascination perhaps. Crazy thoughts kept surfacing for no reason that she could discern. Would those teeth harm her if he kissed her or would he be gentle? Would his skin be as smooth to the touch as it looked? She shook her head, trying to clear it. She felt as if she might be going mad.

Kirik seemed to misinterpret the shake as refusal. The smile vanished and he jerked her forward by an arm, "you WILL take us there. Both of you. Or, I'll just kill the two of you right now and be done with it. I can easily find another human who will want to live and agree to show us the way."

Andi gasped in fear and Anya's mouth fell open in dismay. "But why? Why do you need the both of us? Let her remain! I'll take you," she pleaded.

Kirik frowned and tightened his grip on her upper arm, "better odds of getting there if we have two tour guides. One of you may perish along the way, you realize. Besides, I've the feeling we'd be tattled on and pursued if we left her behind, don't you? Don't worry, I have complete faith that the two of you will cooperate fully with the correct encouragement. In fact, I think you'll work very hard to keep each other alive, won't you."

Anya finally grew angry as the seriousness of their plight sunk in. She managed to twist her arm free and stand a bit taller, "fine. We'll go. But if you want us to survive beyond tonight, you'll have to let us gather some supplies and proper clothing for winter traveling. Otherwise we'll freeze."

Kirik clapped his hands together once, "excellent! And again, don't despair. I may even let you live when this is all over."

"Anya, are we going to die?" Andi asked, bleakly. She pulled a thick sweater over her head and tucked it into her snow pants and stood miserably in the middle of Anya's room.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to ensure we do not," she replied bluntly.

Anya bent to lace her boots securely, grabbed her traveling bag from her bedside table and searched the house, wondering what she ought to possibly bring for such a journey. In a quick, business-like manner, she went from room to room packing a couple of changes of clothing for the two of them as well as some basic necessities: two water jugs, some dried tea leaves, a hairbrush, soap, jerky and a box of crackers. She hoped having these familiar items with them would make it seem like they were just going for a long hike, rather than a forced march. Upon hearing her sister's sudden weeping, she broke into a run and followed the sound to Andi's room.

Andi stood there, clutching Taters and sobbing in complete misery.

Kirik was scowling at her and speaking sharply, "that mangy animal is not coming with us! Leave him at once!"

"No! I can't leave him behind! He's just a baby," Andi wailed, hugging the whining dog.

Anya grew alarmed, seeing the black anger on Kirik's face. She quickly inserted herself between Andi and him, speaking to the girl softly, "shhh. It's alright, Sweet. Leave him several bowls of food and water on the floor in addition to his own. He'll manage until we return, ok?"

Andi sniffled and drew an arm across her eyes, attempting to wipe away her tears. "B-but h-h-he'll be cold and lonely and s-sc-scared without me!"

"He'll be ok. I promise. Just think how happy he'll be to see you when we get back, hm? Please, Andi. Best stop fussing and just do as he says. Please," Anya gazed meaningfully into her sister's eyes, trying to convey how severe this situation was.

After several more moments of hiccuping sobs and sniffles, Andi reluctantly took Taters into the main living area and sat him on his dog bed. Under Kirik's watchful eyes she took several large bowls from the kitchen cupboards and filled them with dog food and water. She also left a pile of puppy treats and his chew bone accessible.

This done, she marched up to Kirik and glared up at him, squaring her shoulders, "I HATE you! If he gets lost or hurt it's YOUR fault!"

Anya paled as Kirik carelessly reached out, took hold of the girl's face, and shoved her back roughly. She flew back and landed hard on her rear end. "I assure you the feeling is mutual," he replied, unimpressed with her outburst. "You ought to stay out of my reach from now on, girl. This is your only warning."

"She will," Anya interjected swiftly. "I'll see to it."

Kirik cocked his head to the side, studying her with that quiet concentration again. The air was still and heavy once more, and she had no problem comparing it to when she was being spied on in the woods. Anya was bothered by this. He seemed to be growing a bit too curious about her for her liking. A faint blush tinged her cheeks as she broke the gaze and busied herself helping Andi to her feet.

Kael had appeared in the doorway, drawn by the clamor, and was curiously examining Andi's tear streaked face. Andi noticed this and became embarrassed, moving to hide behind Anya. The group stood there for a moment, awkwardly; then Kirik clapped his hands together once again.

"Time to go, then?" He asked, pleasantly.

Anya blinked, "now? It's the middle of the night and storming! We should wait for a break in the wea-"

"Time is of the essence," he interrupted roughly, pointing towards the front door firmly.

Andi hung her head and petted Taters once more, "I'll miss you, Tots. Be a g-good boy, ok? Stay."

The puppy's ears drooped and he looked up at his friend, eyes huge and sad. He seemed to know something was very, very wrong. He licked his chops, whined softly and laid his head on his front paws.

Anya's heart nearly broke upon seeing this. She glowered up at Kirik, resentment beginning to burn in her gut.

He only smiled his hateful smile and gestured to the door once more, "after you, m'lady."

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*Translations*

Harlin naustjat. -- Foolish female.

Talhaen zan, melitri triz narleel. Harl lurl harlin naustjat zan, lur tohnt -- Really now, that isn't kind. She's your foolish female now, you realize.

Melit harlin tri zelataz! Fral url krotz jhass lirotzut harlo? --This female is useless! Can I not just dispatch her?