After [A Journey of the Twins Novel] (24 page)

Shyanne bandaged the arm in a sling and wrapped a rope around his chest to prevent both the sling and arm from moving freely. She inspected the welt and discovered it to be superficial only, not life threatening. The lack of blood, on the other hand, would be if was not resolved quickly. Joseph was lying Drayco back on the soft bed of grass when he roused. Shyanne went to her horse and returned with the little bit of water that remained.

"Drink this. I know it's not what you need. It will have to do until we can find what you do need.” She lifted his head and brought the skin to his lips, slowly pouring some water in his mouth so he didn't choke.

He tried to reach up with his right arm. A wince of pain shot across his face, reminding him of the foolishness of such a move. He reached up with his left arm instead. The hand shook badly and would have spilled the contents if Shyanne had not been holding the waterskin as well.

Drayco swallowed only a tiny amount before he indicated he'd had enough. “I can't take any more. It'll only set off the cramps again.” His voice was almost too soft to be heard. Closing his eyes, he laid his head back on the ground. “I already hurt enough as it is."

Joseph had heard enough. He leaped to his feet and declared, “I'm going to get you what you need, Drayco. It's the least I can do for causing this much trouble. If it hadn't been for me, you two would be fine right now."

Shyanne scrambled to her feet. “You have no idea how to bring back what he needs ... I do. I can't let you jeopardize my brother's life like that. I can't!” Her feet were shoulder width apart, and her arms straight at her sides. She had her hands clenched into tight balls. She looked like she was ready to take on someone four times her size. A glint of fire shone in her eyes.

Joseph glared at the distraught woman. “I can do this, Shyanne. Believe me when I say I will do everything that I can to help your brother."

A groan escaped from Drayco as he struggled into a sitting position. Shyanne instantly dropped to his side. She tried to get him to lie back again.

"Drayco, you have to rest. You don't have much strength, and I won't have you wasting it needlessly."

He looked into her eyes. “Let him do this, little sis. As long as you tell him what he needs to know, I believe he can do it."

"But Drayco..."

"No, Shyanne. Tell him what he needs to do. It's been a long time since I let this curse given to me by the virus go this far. I still remember the pain and want you here with me. I don't have much longer."

Drayco started to fall over. Shyanne caught him and hugged him tight against her body. When she looked up at Joseph, tears welled in her eyes. She tried to hold them back; they rolled down her cheeks as he watched. His heart broke with each tear.

She gave Joseph detailed instructions about having to catch something and bring it back alive for her brother to drink from. If the creature died, it would be of no use. He took in all the information given to him like a sponge.

When she was finished, he said, “I have it. I'll be back before dark—or sooner if I can."

Drayco reached up to the man standing a short distance away. For the moment, the pain had subsided. Joseph came over and knelt down. He grasped the outstretched hand with both his. It felt so cold.

"Thank you, Joseph. My life is in your hands. I trust you."

Those words, scarcely spoken above a whisper, hit Joseph harder than anything else in his life ever had. He barely knew Drayco and Shyanne, but it already felt like they were family. He knew the trouble he caused could never be forgotten, or forgiven, but he could attempt to make amends now.

"I will not fail you. I will return as soon as I possibly can.” He rose to his feet and walked toward the horses grazing a little way off. Shyanne stood and followed.

"Take Bravaro. He knows you and is a sturdy beast. I would offer Jack, but he's still too temperamental.” Shyanne was about to say something else when Joseph leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

As they separated, he said, “Take care of Drayco until I get back.” He leaped into the saddle and started toward the woods.

Bravaro was just as fast as he remembered. The horse reacted instantly to knee pressures, and turned on a dime when indicated. Joseph guided him to a path that became visible once they drew close to the vast forest. He dared not look back when he entered for fear his heart would break at having to leave Shyanne. He sighed with the remembrance of her lips on his and wished the feeling could go on.

His thoughts were suddenly brought back to the present when a small, low hanging branch hit him on the face, almost knocking him off the horse.

"Whoa! Bravaro, you silly beast, watch where you're going,” he quipped as he rubbed where the branch had hit. The horse never faltered in its forward motion, ignoring the man on its back.

"I guess that's what I get for daydreaming, huh guy?” He leaned over and gave the broad neck a pat. “Back to business. We have to trap something fast."

He followed the path deeper into the trees. Nothing moved. No crashing through the underbrush; no chittering sounded from above; nothing. Joseph decided to get off and look around for tracks. He saw some, but they were old.

Another mile or so down the path, a particularly thick patch of growth stood before him. Rays of sunlight shone through the trees at the entrance; they disappeared a few paces inside the tunnel. It looked more like a cave than a forest. No other paths led from the main one. Joseph considered not going in until he remembered his parting words, and the pair waiting for his return. The only other option available was to backtrack and find another path. That was not something he had time for right now.

"I guess we go in, boy,” he said to the horse. With a slight tug of the reins, he led him into the darkness.

Day became night in a matter of seconds. Joseph knew about some of the creatures that roamed in the night and hoped none of them were here. He looked back the way they had come. Daylight shone brightly through the opening in the trees. He considered leaving the horse behind, but ditched that thought. If he needed a quick exit, he wanted the animal near.

Faint rays of light tried to weave their way through the dense foliage above. A few made it as far as the lower branches, allowing Joseph to see where he was going. He could barely make out the path and the surrounding trees, but that was about all.

Unlike the other section, he heard creatures moving deep in the forest. None came close enough for him to trap. He also heard the flittering of wings as birds flew from branch to branch. Again, none came close enough for him to capture. While he cursed every living creature on the planet, the light shining through the trees grew darker. Night was coming. Joseph wasn't looking forward to spending it in these woods.

He still had not captured, much less spotted, anything before the last rays of the sun disappeared. With a heavy heart, he considered going back. Just as he chided himself for being so weak, an orangish-yellow glow bounced off the trees ahead. He stopped, trying to see what caused it.

A fire. Someone's got a fire going ahead.
Joseph tied Bravaro's reins to a tree branch and moved forward to investigate.

The flashes of yellow and orange danced through the dark trees, beckoning him to come join in. He saw a break ahead and crouched low. The path opened into a small clearing with the remnants of a hunter's shack in the far corner. One wall of stone was still upright; the other three were gone. Rubble lay all over. Part of the mess had been cleared and six people, two women and four men, sat around a fire burning in the center. Horses were hobbled close by to prevent them from wandering away.

"What are we going to do now? We've lost track of Ruben,” a woman asked.

"I don't know, Viola. I do know we have to wait until morning to try and find the trail,” one of the men answered.

"He'll be going to Grandfield. That's where we always go after we've trashed a town, or had a bit of fun, if you get what I mean,” another man sitting next to her said.

"Of course he will, stupid. Seth, you amaze me sometimes.” Viola shook her head.

Seth made a move to grab his knife. Another man reached up and stopped him. “Don't do it, Seth, you know she can tear you apart."

"Probably with one arm tied behind my back,” Viola mumbled sarcastically.

Seth glared at the man who had stopped him, then at Viola. With a snarl, he pushed the man out of the way and fell onto the woman. They wrestled on the ground for a couple of seconds before getting up and returning to their seats, laughing.

"You two are worse than kids,” a quiet man with black hair said.

"Like you're any better, Garth"

Joseph recognized the people sitting by the fire.
These are the people that killed my friends and family.
He remained calm, even though his blood boiled.
If I could get my hands on one of them, I could take him or her back for interrogation. Then Drayco can finish up from there.
He listened in as they continued with their conversation.

"We best get some rest. We have a long ride ahead of us, and a lot of explaining to do when we catch up with the rest. Viola, you take first watch. Seth, you relieve her. I'll follow you. We'll each take two hours.” Garth watched to make sure his orders were followed before getting into his blankets.

Viola muttered under her breath, “Don't know who died and left you in charge.” She followed the instructions given to her anyway.

The night wore on. Joseph hoped the other two were faring okay, especially Drayco. He was plotting how to get one of the people separated from the others when a noise sounded in the woods off to his left. Seth was on duty and hadn't appeared to notice. He sat near the fire. A couple of times his head fell forward, then jerked upright. A yawn and a stretch always followed those incidences.

SNAP!

Joseph jerked his head around and focused on the area. Whatever caused the noise was circling around the other side of the camp. He glimpsed a darker shadow moving with stealth in the darkness. He hugged as close to the tree as possible and kept an eye on the area where he'd last seen the movement.

Seth finally heard the sounds coming from the woods and rose to investigate. He moved past the outer edge of the ruined building, away from the sleeping men and women. He never stood a chance.

A large, ill-proportion beast raced out of the forest and hit Seth in the chest, knocking the wind out of him before he could let out warning. The creature looked like it might have been a German Shepherd at one time. Unluckily for the mercenary, it had mutated into something that was no longer man's best friend.

Front legs that were longer than the back joined with the muscular upper body. Claws extended past the paws like those of a bear. Spiky hair covered the entire body, including the long, curved tail. Its heavy bulk kept the man pinned against the ground while the oversized mouth filled with razor sharp fangs tried to latch onto his throat.

Seth blocked the creature's attempts with his arms. He was not able to draw his weapon because of the suddenness of the attack. Instead, his thoughts seemed to be on how to get away from the gaping jaws snapping at him.

A grangoor,
Joseph thought as he watched in horror
. The beast must have been focused on the group in the clearing, which was why it missed the easier target close by.

Fortunately, the grangoor were loners. Unfortunately, for their victims, they were very aggressive and cunning. They could gut a man in seconds with its claws and drag the victim off where they could dine in privacy; something a thing a grangoor liked best.

The beast tried again to get at the throat; flailing arms kept getting in the way. It bit one of the upraised arms and dug its claws into the soft, exposed abdomen, ripping it wide open. Seth tossed his head back and screamed. The grangoor saw its opportunity and lunged for the now visible neck. The scream ended abruptly.

By now, the rest of the camp was up and moving. But it was too late for Seth. The grangoor had him by the throat and was dragging him toward the blackness of the woods, away from the annoying light caused by the fire.

Garth drew his sword and ran after the huge monster. “You'll not eat one of my people, you ugly beast!"

The others remained by the fire, unwilling to help.

"Come back, Garth, it's too late for him. Besides, Seth's always been a pain with all his wisecracks and practical jokes. With him gone, we can split the gold pieces he had stashed in his bag,” Sheena shouted.

Garth was hell bent on avenging his friend's death. The rest of the mercenaries may not have liked Seth, but he had. He barreled across the clearing after the beast that had disappeared into the forest, and stopped at the edge to listen. A noise that sounded like something heavy being dragged deeper in the darkness echoed through the trees. He was beyond thinking about his safety. He wanted blood, and dove into the thick growth.

Joseph saw the mercenary enter the woods behind the grangoor. He decided to take the opportunity handed to him and moved in that direction. Dragging noises sounded in the woods to his left. He worked his way over until he was close enough to make out the dark shape of the man. Joseph waited. He knew the intended victim would follow, and he hoped to capture him with little or no difficulty.

He hit the mercenary hard on the back of the head as he passed a tree and watched him crumple to the ground. The dragging sound hesitated; it continued within seconds. The grangoor had its meal and had no desire to bother the men close by, as long as they did not try to take its food.

The four remaining people grabbed their things up quickly and headed toward their horses. They shouted for Garth; no answer came back. They probably assumed he was either dead, killed by the beast that took Seth, or crazy. Whatever the reason, they were not waiting around to find out. Minutes later, they were riding hard into the night, leaving the fire still burning and two horses hobbled in the ruins.

The sound of dragging and the pounding of hooves grew distant. Joseph decided it was safe to retrieve one of the horses to carry his prisoner back on. He worked his way toward the fire, making sure to avoid the huge, bloody smear in the grass.