Dark Travelers Ch. 07

Kirik narrowed his eyes at his sibling. The boy seemed to be much too pleased with himself for completing a mere scouting duty. "Did you search everywhere?"

The juvenile chuckled secretively and nodded, "yes, brother. Everywhere. I was very, very thorough." He took a seat on the couch again, laced his fingers together behind his head, and leaned back comfortably.

The elder frowned. Kael was behaving very suspiciously. For a moment, Kirik was stymied; then he raised his brows in realization. "What have you done?"

The younger was the picture of innocence. "What have I done? Nothing. You're always accusing me. What an unkind big brother you are."

Kael was sulking as he spoke this last bit, but Kirik saw mischief lurking underneath. "You know perfectly well what I mean. What did you do to her?"

This time, a brief expression of stubborn petulance flashed across the youngster's face. "I did what I've every right to do. She's mine, so I made her mine."

Kirik raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. This would only complicate things further. "I'll not have your libido distracting you from your goal, Kael. You need to focus on the task at hand."

The juvenile lifted his upper lip in a sneer, "I am not distracted. And if I am, I'm not the only one." He leveled a pointed look at his elder brother.

Kirik sighed and shook his head, "did you harm her? Will she be even more of a burden now? If she slows us down, I'll have to-"

Kael's eyes flashed yellow. "You'll do nothing to her," he interjected swiftly. "Besides, she's fine. I did not injure her. She might walk a bit funny for a day or two but-"

Kirik clapped both hands over his ears and shook his head. "Enough! I don't need to hear any more!"

The younger sibling grinned, pleased. "Does it sicken you, big brother? Wonderful! I have found another way to be a bother to you. Oh, what fun times will be had!"

The elder glared down at his brother, "see to it that you do not lose concentration, otherwise I will take appropriate measures."

Kael grew very still, his gaze boring into Kirik's. "And what measures might those be?" He asked softly.

"If that girl hinders you, us, or this mission in any way, I WILL kill her."

"Do that, and I shall kill yours."

"Then we will fail. The witch is necessary to us. Her sister is not."

The juvenile appeared mullish, but Kirik had a point. "I will not lose focus, elder. You've my word."

Kirik was appeased, "make certain you don't. This is the last I will comment on the matter."

Kael nodded, still looking a bit more displeased than he had when he'd first entered the room. Kirik found a certain amount of satisfaction in this; it meant that at the very least, the boy wasn't thinking with his cock any longer. For the time being, of course.

Ever since Kael had discovered the joys of women, he'd gone rather overboard. His reputation among the clans had spread quickly, and he'd become quite the terror of the Feylak girls. Still though, he had never allowed it to sully his battle performance. The boy worked and honed his skills as diligently as he ever had. Perhaps he was underestimating Kael. Surely the human girl wouldn't be able to affect his brother's focus.

Of course not.

"So, did anything happen while I was up there?" Kael asked, mostly to change the subject.

"Indeed. The good news is; the old man has found another answer to our puzzle. The bad news is that our party has increased by one."

The juvenile widened his eyes and straightened up, "what?"

Kirik nodded, "you heard me. There is some sort of potion that needs to be prepared in order for the transfer to work. He has the list, he knows where most of these items are, and so he shall come along."

Kael sighed and fell back against the cushions once again, "this is beginning to become bothersome."

"Welcome to adulthood, youngling. It only gets more difficult as you go on."

The younger brother grumbled and rubbed his hands over his face. "It's lovely to discover that there will be so much to look forward to."

Anya reappeared from the washroom with a substantially lighter-looking travel pack slung over her shoulder. The two brothers both turned to look as they heard her enter. She stopped short, uncomfortable with their scrutiny.

"What? Have I missed something?" She asked, uneasily.

"Nothing that concerns you," Kirik replied, dryly. He wondered what her reaction would be when her sister told her of Kael's recent attentions.

He doubted she'd be at all thrilled.

She stood there a moment longer, wringing her hands together anxiously, before nodding and peering around uncertainly. She'd no idea what she ought to do with herself now. The younger brother had taken a seat directly in the center of the couch; and there was no way she was going to sit next to him. Anya wondered if she was still required to be nearby, or if she could finally go upstairs and get some sleep.

Horace glanced up and saw her indecision. "You look exhausted, dear. Why don't you get some rest? I've all I need from you for the time being."

She grimaced at the word 'dear' but nodded slowly. Anya turned to give Kirik a questioning look, wondering if he'd allow her to leave his sight. "I trust that will be all right? I'm very tired."

The elder nodded and gestured towards the stairs. "Go on and sleep. You'll definitely need it."

Anya frowned, confused; having not been in the same room when Kirik and Horace had had their discussion. Kirik didn't offer anything further, however, so she shrugged and began to climb the steps.

She grew weary about halfway up, and paused to catch her breath. She wondered why she was so light-headed, then remembered that neither she nor Andi had eaten very well over the last several days. Tomorrow she would ask Horace if he would allow her to prepare a proper meal for the lot of them. She rather missed simple tasks like cooking. Sighing, she began to ascend again.

***

Andi wept.

To say she was confused would be a gross understatement. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more undone than she did at this moment. The sarcastic, unforgiving head-voice that had suddenly decided to pipe up wasn't helping matters in the least, either.

You liked it, admit it. The voice murmured.

"I didn't!" She whispered back, fiercely.

No? You certainly were sounded like you were enjoying yourself.

"Shut-UP!" Andi hissed, clasping her hands over her ears.

Thankfully, it did. The girl sniffled and swiped her hands over her cheeks, attempting to dry her tears. She sat on the bed, fully-clothed now. It'd taken awhile for her to find the courage to do so, however, even after Kael had left.

Andi had remained motionless the entire time he'd been redressing himself. With his back to her, she could see the several long, parallel scratches she'd inflicted trailing down his back. She'd had a moment of savage triumph at this sight, when he'd buckled the last strap into place and turned to regard her once more. Andi cringed back into the mattress, horrified that he might come at her again. He hadn't, though. Rather, Kael had merely crouched, retrieved her articles of clothing, and tossed them over to her.

"Vrilit lurlvaz, Hrila. Ozt orla vrat, ril zan," he'd said quietly.

After, he had turned and left her, without so much as another look back.

As the door clicked shut, Andi remained frozen in place for several moments. Then, as if she had suddenly realized herself, she began to scramble madly to dress. During her rush, she wasn't mindful of any aches or pains. Now, however, she was a medley of them. Her shoulder throbbed where he'd bitten her. Her nipples were tender and sore. And she didn't even want to think about how she felt between her legs. The numbness had worn off, leaving her feeling raw and used.

Slowly, she reached a hand down into her pants and gingerly tested the wounded flesh. When she retrieved it and peered at her fingers, she saw that they were streaked with a bit of blood and some other fluid. It was an opaque, pastel blue in color, and rather sticky. She made a face, suddenly realizing what it was, and quickly wiped her hand off on the carpet; disgust apparent on her features.

After, Andi shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. She closed her eyes and tried to take a couple of deep breaths, attempting to maintain some sort of calm. What she really wanted to do was go back downstairs and cleanse herself. But that would mean seeing HIM again, and she just couldn't bare to.

What about tomorrow? The voice asked, sweetly.

Andi shook her head; unwilling to consider tomorrow. She didn't even want to think about five minutes from now. She'd never felt so wretched in her entire life. What was even worse were the tendrils of guilt that were beginning to curl around her.

Guilt. Because deep down, she HAD enjoyed it.

A light knock on the door. Andi jumped, heart in her throat.

"Andi? Are you in there?" a voice intoned softly.

Anya.

Andi almost called out to her, then changed her mind and dove under the covers. Just as she'd settled, she heard the door creak open and another whispered, "Andi?"

She didn't answer, but pretended to be asleep. She couldn't talk to Anya about it just yet. If she told Anya, she would have to re-live it all over again and it was just too soon. Besides, hadn't Anya warned her not to antagonize him? And now look what she'd gotten herself into.

Just look.

Andi squeezed her eyes shut and didn't move as she felt Anya climb into bed next to her. As her older sister cuddled up against her, Andi finally found some comfort in her warmth and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

21.

The sisters slept soundly for the first time in several long, arduous days. In the morning, the sun rose without them with it.

"They sleep too much," Kael complained to his brother.

"They are different than us."

Kael shrugged and paced impatiently. He'd attempted to go and wake them hours ago, but Horace had spoken up.

"The women are utterly exhausted. You two need to let them rest. Else this journey will only be drawn out further."

Kirik agreed amicably enough, feeling rather generous. They had come very far and had found out quite a lot. And seeing as they now had a definite game-plan, he was in a good mood.

"The wizard is right, Kael. Let the women sleep; we've a path to follow now. All will be well."

The younger brother shot his elder an irritated glare and had begun his restless pacing.

Now, hours later, it was wearing on Kirik. "Sit down, already! You're driving me mad."

Kael stopped and considered him for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, then began to pace again. Heaving a sigh, Kirik merely turned his attention to the old man. Horace was prattling on to himself and moving about in quick little bursts collecting anything and everything he thought he'd need for the trip, and perhaps a few items more.

Noticing the Feylak observing him, the wizard paused and tipped him a nod, "I must make sure to bring everything, you know. Can you imagine if I forgot the list of potion ingredients? I daresay you would be quite vexed with me, wouldn't you?"

Kirik nodded, "it would be regretful, assuredly. What do we need to collect first?"

Horace pulled out a long piece of parchment and squinted at it briefly. "Freshly ground Wyvern scales. Dreadful creatures. Even more so than yourself," he replied cheerily.

Kirik ignored the insult and nodded, "where must we go?"

Horace appeared surprised, "we must go to where they roost, of course. Where else would we go?"

Kirik shook his head, genuinely frustrated with the difficult way in which this man offered information. The wizard was indeed lucky he was needed, for Kirik was feeling a strong compulsion to rip his throat out.

Horace continued to watch the Feylak with bright curiosity. "Tell me, if you would, where you learned to speak the Common dialect with such perfection?"

Kirik held up a hand and gestured to a finger with a ring on it.

Horace nodded knowingly, "ah. A Ring of Tongues. Very impressive. Where ever did you manage to acquire one of those?"

"I don't believe it's any of your concern, wizard," he replied coldly.

The old man clicked his tongue against his teeth in a chiding manner. "Gracious, you're a grouch. I can only imagine how this trip will go. But it will be very interesting! Yes! Of that, I've no doubt at all."

"Will you be babbling on about nothing the entire way?"

Horace nodded, "it's very likely. I find I get a certain amount of joy from watching your frustration, you see."

"Clearly."

"Now, now! You ought to be gratified! Everything seems to be going your way. Come on, give us a smile." The wizard waited with an exaggerated, hopeful expression.

Kirik glowered at him and turned away, tilting his head. He'd heard gentle sounds of stirring from above. Kael stopped pacing and also glanced upwards, face brightening. Arching a brow at this, Kirik took a seat on the sofa and contemplated the next task. Acquiring scales from a Wyvern didn't sound very difficult, but the wizard had said they must travel to where the beasts go to roost. Did that mean, then, that they'd have to contend with an entire colony of them?

He sighed tiredly. If it must be so than so be it.

Soft footsteps were making their way down the stairs. Kirik turned to look and saw the dark-haired woman cautiously peering down at the three of them from the top of the last flight of steps. Kael looked behind her but saw no sign of the other; the juvenile's features darkened slightly. The elder noticed this and frowned.

"Kael," he began.

The youngster tossed a quick look over to him, "brother?"

"I want you to go out and see if you can't catch us something to eat. It will give you something to do until it is time for us to leave."

Kirik wasn't especially hungry and was rather doubtful that the boy would find any sort of edible creature on the broad expanse of sand, but he didn't like the way Kael was beginning to behave where the girl was concerned. He needed a distraction.

Kael stood there for a moment, clearly unenthusiastic about this new duty. "There is nothing out there to catch! It's naught but desert and salt water!"

Kirik shrugged, "go anyhow. I don't recall it being your place to question my authority."

The younger brother tightened his hands into fists but nodded in acquiescence. "Yes elder, I'll go now."

With one last look upwards, Kael strolled to the front door and left, slamming it behind him.

***

The youngling grumbled under his breath as he stormed down the beach. He was certain that Kirik had only sent him out on this lousy errand because he disapproved of what he'd done with the girl.

Hypocrite. Kael thought acidly, kicking at a bit of washed-up beach debris.

He wondered exactly how long he was suppose to search for game on this deserted terrain. Until he found something they could eat? What if there was nothing, no matter how hard he looked? Shall he stay out here for eternity, then? Perhaps he should bring back sand for them to consume.

Kael paused, gazing out over the water. The rolling waves and sea scent were actually quite nice and the corners of his mouth crept up into an unconscious smile. He'd never actually seen the ocean waves; the sea back home was completely frozen over and resembled everything else.

He was just considering trying to see if he could catch some fish when movement from way down the shore caught his attention. He turned quickly, facing towards the vague shape and squinting. What in the hells was that coming towards him?

The puppy bounded towards his Girl's scent. It had seemed like so long since he'd seen her. He really hoped that she wouldn't be angry with him for not staying. But, he'd missed her so; and when she failed to come back, he wanted very much to find her again. Then perhaps they would romp and play like they used to.

Taters was also terribly hungry, having found very little to eat while he was tracking his Girl. But! But, but, but! He knew he was very close; he could smell her strongly now. The next gust of wind carried an especially fragrant blast to his sensitive nose and he began to run even faster.

It wasn't easy, his strength was quickly giving out, but when he found his Girl he was certain that she would give him food. She had always provided generously before. The puppy began to bark excitedly, catching sight of a figure ahead of him. That was where her smell was coming from! He had found her!

Kael widened his eyes in astonishment when he realized what was running at him. It was that strange little creature that the Brat had not wanted to leave behind. How had it found them? He stood there, staring as the little dog came bounding up, tail wagging furiously.

Taters stopped short and whined uncertainly when he saw that this person-thing that smelled of his Girl, was definitely NOT his Girl. He had been fooled. In fact, this was one of the danger-things that had invaded his home; he could smell the unfamiliar odor mixed with his Girl's clearly now.

But...but this danger-thing still smelled very strongly of her and the scent was fresh. It wasn't at all like the stale, fading odor he had followed all this way. Maybe, if he made friends, the danger-thing would take him to his Girl. The puppy crouched down into the sand and belly-wiggled his way up to Kael, whining and trying to show him what a good little dog he was and to please, please, please not hurt him.

The juvenile cracked a grin at the beast's odd antics, causing the puppy to begin wagging his tail once more. That was the same face his Girl made at him when she was happy. Kael squatted down to get a better look and then reached out to touch the odd beast. Taters immediately covered his hand in sloppy, wet kisses and rolled onto his back, showing his belly in submission. The youngster was charmed at the puppy's behavior, and his grin grew as the animal continued to lap at his fingers.

After several moments of this; Kael made a decision, snickered, and scooped the puppy up. He would bring this creature back to the Brat; telling himself it was mostly to spite his elder. The youngling remembered the way Kirik had so vehemently protested when she had tried to bring the animal along with them. Kael could hardly wait to see the look on his face.

Besides, Kael thought smugly. If Kirik can add three humans to the mix, why can I not add one small animal?

The young Feylak marched back towards the lighthouse, absently stroking the puppy's soft, fur-covered head.

***

Kirik was immediately sure that the younger sister had not told the older one what had happened. There was no explosion of temper or accusatory stare. The woman only hesitantly made her way down the rest of the stairs, shooting timid glances at him the whole time.

"Where is your sister, Pretty?"

Anya gestured upwards and shook her head, "she hasn't woken up yet. I would have gotten her up, but I-I didn't know what was going to happen next."

Her expression was pained as she tried to phrase her next question carefully, "what...what IS going to happen to us?"

Kirik rose and observed her curiously. She looked quite unhappy and something tightened in his chest, "you can relax for now; you're still needed. The old man has told us of a potion that can transfer the message to your skin. We need to gather specific components to make this brew; which is what we will be doing next."

Relief was evident on her features when she realized that neither of them would be harmed.

Yet.

Horace appeared from another room with a small satchel hanging on his shoulder. "All packed!"

Kirik arched a brow, "it looked as though you were bringing along enough for three wizards. Changed your mind, did you?"