After [A Journey of the Twins Novel] (28 page)

The people separated as she barreled through their midst. They did not want to be trampled by the crazy woman on horseback. She circled around and came to a halt. In one fluid motion, she slid off the horse and put her sword away. Brey was already amongst the comrades. Randolf was arriving with Drayco.

Ruben walked up to Sheena, a frown covering his face. He flashed a smile and picked her up in a huge bear hug. She kicked and laughed, making it hard for the big man to keep hold of her. He let go and started toward the other two.

"Good to have you back with us, Brey. You too, Randolf. Where's Viola?” Looking around, he finally noticed the man tied to the trailing horse. “What have you brought us?"

"Something you'll enjoy for sure.” Randolf walked over to the prisoner and grabbed a fistful of hair. He jerked the head up so Ruben could see the face.

"You! I never thought I'd see you so soon—especially after our recent encounter—and in this manner. How wonderful this day has become.” Ruben smiled. “Randolf, I want a full report. Andrew, see that his horse is taken care of. Romero, put this trash somewhere close so we can keep an eye on him. We'll camp here for the night instead of moving on."

The band of mercenaries relocated to the opposite side of the trees, out of the direct view of the road. No fire was started so as not to attract passersby and the horses were tethered to keep them from wandering.

Ruben led Randolf out of earshot from the rest. He could tell by his mannerism that Randolf needed to talk privately. They spoke of the events that had transpired since the smaller group had become separated from the larger, and about how Drayco had killed Viola by drinking her blood. A couple of times the two looked toward Brey, but he never noticed. He was too busy trying to get Sheena to disappear with him into the trees.

Later, before darkness covered everything, the mercenaries sat in a circle talking. Drayco, secured in both hand and foot, sat on a fallen log next to Ruben. Drizzle lay behind the group, secured in the same fashion. He looked a bit thin, but seemed to be holding up well under the circumstances.

"Look, kitty, a new plaything for us to have fun with. Don't you wish you could play too?” Ruben smiled slyly at the cat. “Too bad, though. All you can do is watch."

The leader of the mercenaries stood up and faced Drayco. “I've been given orders not to kill you. Nothing was said about what condition you had to be in when I turned you over. I plan on having a bit of fun first."

He pulled a small, thin knife out of his boot and held it up for the all to see. They started to cheer the big man on.

"Let him have it for Viola ... Cut him, cut him good ... Make him bleed ... Cut a finger off...” On and on the words flew. The crowd leaned in close; anxious to watch the suffering about to be inflicted on the man they felt had caused them so much pain.

Drayco sat perfectly still, showing no fear. He watched with cold eyes, his head held high in defiance, as Ruben advanced. The big man stopped the knife inches from Drayco's face. With a flick of the wrist, a small seam led from the corner of the left eye to the area beside the nose. Small streams of blood ran down his cheek and onto his shirt.

"Oops. Did I do that? I hope it didn't hurt ... much.” He chuckled with the rest of the mercenaries. “I've made such a mess of your shirt. I guess we'll just have to get it out of the way."

The knife started to cut again. Ruben made no attempt to prevent the slim, sharp blade from coming in contact with the skin underneath. The shirt hung in tatters around the dark man's waist by the time he was finished. Several streams of blood flowed freely on his chest and back. None of the wounds were deep.

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 sure 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.