Authors: Sebastien Blue
“
Well maybe it's time we brought the fight to them!” shouted
Manday, rallying the Hybrids to anger.
With a few of the frontline Hybrids picking up handfuls of rocks and firing them at the openings of the caves, the fight was on!
As the Blemmyes came out of their caves to see what had landed, they heard the roar of the Hybrids and gathered to attack.
The Hybrids stood side by side and with one row in front of another, they measured two hundred
(yards, metres?)
long and three wide.
The first row of Hybrids threw their rocks into the bodies of the Blemmyes with deadly aim, driving them back a bit. They quickly knelt so the second row of Hybrids could throw knives, spears and rocks. They in turn knelt, leaving the third row to do much the same. With their rocks, spears and knives ripping and tearing away at the Blemmyes’ flesh, they continued like this for hours until all the Blemmyes had been beaten back or killed. All the while, Natalia, Catalyst and Kaylec remained trapped in the massive crowd of Hybrids.
Sitting there after the fight was done, Natalia looked around until her eyes met with Catalyst’s. He was just as shocked as she was.
“
You call us Humans murderers, killers, heartless and cruel –
well what was that, Catalyst?” asked Natalia, stunned and sick to her stomach.
Hearing the pain in Natalia’s voice and the words she spoke, Manday felt she was owed an explanation.
“
Child, every few weeks at least one of us is attacked by those creatures. Sometimes they'll gather and charge us trying to feed, and we beat them back but they come and they come, time and time again, they just don't stop –
but not this time. Never again am I going to sit back and wait for them to come hunting any of us,” said Manday as he realized he was trying to explain something to someone he didn't care for to begin with.
“
Now let’s celebrate!” yelled one of Manday’s new followers.
Turning from Natalia and heading back to his lagoon, Manday led the way for the Hybrids.
Although reluctant, Natalia and Catalyst did the same knowing they had very little daylight left and wouldn't be able to travel during the night.
Ten minutes later, they were sitting and watching the Hybrids singing and shouting as they danced around Manday’s small piece of paradise. They filled themselves with ale celebrating their blood bath victory.
Natalia was too upset by the day’s events to join their party. Having seen what a Mugwad/Human hybrid looked like, as Catalyst was kind enough to point one out, she was just too drained to even want to ask what the Mugwad half was. It had a tiny little face and huge swollen skull set on top of a barrel chest, thick hands and tiny feet. Natalia simply chose to accept that the creature looked like a crooked Human throwback and left it at that.
Grabbing her blanket from the fitsall, Natalia lay beneath a tree and fell asleep. Drifting in and out of sleep and having one nightmare after another, by the morning she crawled from underneath her blanket completely exhausted.
Taking the pouch of tea from the fitsall Natalia traded it for some she could drink. Downing a cup and not caring that Catalyst was still sleeping, she gave him a good shake.
“
Come on get up, let's go,” demanded Natalia with her voice still shaking. She forced a cup of tea into his hand. Not wanting to spend another minute with these creatures, Natalia packed her blanket, took the fitsall and walked away.
Two minutes later with his tea in hand and his eyes only half open Catalyst ran after Natalia spilling tea all over himself.
“
Natalia, will you please stop!” called out Catalyst.
Turning and stopping, Natalia watched Catalyst stumbling his way through the plants as he caught up to her. As he did, he could tell how upset she was.
“
Okay, Natalia, just sit down for a minute. Let's talk –
just start from the beginning,” said Catalyst, knowing that when his Mother did this with him he always felt better at the end. With any luck, he would be able to get Natalia to realize the things in his world didn't always work like they did in hers.
“
What's wrong?” continued Catalyst.
“
How can you even ask what's wrong? You saw the same thing I did yesterday, and with all the nightmares I suffered last night how could you expect there to be nothing wrong?” replied Natalia, looking at Catalyst in wonder and almost crying.
At that moment Catalyst could see that Humans were not the cold-blooded monsters everyone had always told him they were.
Seeing the drips of tea on her coat, the exhaustion in her face and the strain in her voice, Catalyst knew her day was going to be long. Doing the only thing he could at that moment to make things easier, he asked,
“
Why don't we just stay here until tomorrow and you can rest.”
“
No, I want to get as far away from this place and those creatures as I can,” replied Natalia, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she turned to walk away.
“
Okay, why don't I carry you then?”
“
No, I need to walk right now. I need to feel that I am getting away from here,” replied Natalia bluntly.
“
Well while we're going down the side of the plateau walk beside me. That way if anything comes from behind us we'll know at the same time. And if you’re walking in front of me you'll block me from seeing it,” said Catalyst looking for any reason to let Natalia know she wasn't alone, as he took her hand.
Walking through yesterday’s killing field with the scent of Blemmye blood still foul in the air as it seeped from the corpses strewn across the slope, they found it hard not to throw up as they gagged every time they came across one.
Doing her best to remember that these creatures were nothing but mindless killing machines brought Natalia little comfort and with the makeshift graveyard being their only choice, they kept on going.
With the sound of flesh ripping, Catalyst dropped to his left knee while stretching his right leg out in front of him as it dripped with blood from a bite wound. He turned to see what had bitten him.
Looking around, Natalia spotted a Blemmye spawn watching Catalyst, waiting for its chance to strike again. Not being able to take any more, Natalia ran screaming toward the spawn and kicked it as hard as she could, sending it flying into the mouth of a cave. There was a crunch and Natalia turned her attention back to Catalyst.
She saw he was now struggling to keep himself on his feet as he staggered for higher ground. Natalia reached him just as he began to lose consciousness and she dragged him up onto the largest boulder she could find.
Resting Catalyst’s silver head on her lap, Natalia tried desperately to keep him awake, shaking him, pouring water over his head and giving him a good hard slap on the face.
Catalyst began to whisper to her. “Natalia...you...you...got...to...go... “
“
No, I'm not leaving you,” interrupted Natalia relieved to hear his voice.
“
There's a...plant...a flower...blue...silver...you need to...get it for...the bite,” whispered Catalyst.
Lifting his pant leg Natalia could see where the Blemmye spawn had sunk its teeth in and with the festering pus coming from the wound, Natalia could see it was getting worse by the minute.
“
Where am I supposed to get this flower?” asked Natalia in a braver tone of voice, hoping to lend Catalyst strength.
Fighting to stay awake, Catalyst used what little strength he had left and pointed off into the woods across from them.
Looking in the direction Catalyst pointed, Natalia did not like the look of the way she had to go. The trees were all dead and she could see nothing green at all in the woods. They seemed to be made of death itself.
Giving Catalyst one last sip of water she took the Atropos Styx from the fitsall and placed the jar in his hand. Then she headed off to find the flower or plant or whatever it was that was a blue, silver something.
Walking deep into the woods, Natalia couldn't help but wonder why Anastasia hadn't come to rescue her son as she had before when the spirit had them trapped. Did she know? Were they so far away she couldn't tell? Was she on her way?
Natalia wasn't aware that in order for Anastasia to feel that Catalyst needed her help, he had to feel terrified. Having come to trust Natalia as much as he did, and slipping in and out of consciousness, there was no way for Catalyst to feel afraid.
Hearing the snapping of a twig and the rustling of leaves around her, Natalia began to feel she wasn't alone. Turning to her left, then her right, then back to her left again, Natalia could swear she saw something from the corner of her eye. Moving faster and faster through the woods, Natalia looked desperately for the blue and silver plant as she tried to keep a watch out for her own safety, only to feel a hand land on her shoulder.
Spinning around and jumping backwards, Natalia almost had a heart attack as she looked at the tall, dark cloaked figure standing in front of her, pulling back the cloak as though an attack were about to take place
“
What are you doing out here alone, Human, and where's your Krusnik?” asked Manday as he looked about.
“
It's Natalia, not Human, Mandy, thank you very much! Catalyst was bitten by a Blemmye spawn and he's infected with its poison. He sent me to find a blue, silver flower or plant,” replied Natalia in a tone of voice that was mixed as much with fear as it was with anger for Manday having scared her the way he did.
“
Do you know where I can find a flower or plant like that?” asked Natalia hating what she just had to do.
“
Ah, you mean the cure. Yes I do know where you can find it and I'm quite sure you want me to tell you, perhaps even show you?” asked Manday condescendingly as he looked down his nose at the Human.
“
Well I won't; however, you are headed in the right direction and I'm sure you'll come upon it soon enough. A word of advice though, Natalia,” offered Manday.
“
What?” asked Natalia, wanting to get away from him.
“
If I were you, I would try and catch a Glimpse before it caught me,” laughed Manday as he walked off into the trees.
Angry and embarrassed by the way Manday had treated her and twice as frightened of what was out there, Natalia had no choice but to keep going. She wanted to run but knowing she could miss the cure, she had little choice but to walk and ignore her feelings.
Coming upon the flowers she was looking for, Natalia stood confused. Some were blue, some silver, some darker in colour than others, but none were a blue-silver mix. Not knowing which one she should grab, coupled with her feelings of being watched getting stronger and the sound of a single twig snapping behind her, Natalia grabbed as many as she could, then turned and ran back towards Catalyst.
Catching sight of things that weren't there as she ran, it seemed to take three times longer to get out of the trees than it did to get in.
She finally reached Catalyst with the flowers in her hand and knelt down beside him. She had to shake him to wake him up. Catalyst opened his eyes.
“
I've got the flowers – now what?” asked Natalia, relieved Catalyst was still alive.
“
The petals...put...them...on,” was all Catalyst could say before falling back into unconsciousness.
Tearing a piece of her blanket and placing the petals over the infection that was now a dark green vile-smelling oozing pus, Natalia wrapped the wound hoping she understood what Catalyst had meant.
Sitting back while Catalyst slept and the cure had time to take effect, Natalia tried to rest as the hours passed but being in the makeshift graveyard and with the threat of the Blemmyes and whatever it was that was in those woods, Natalia could do nothing but worry.
Opening his eyes Catalyst came to during one of the few moments Natalia had actually dozed off. Seeing that she had been watching over him, Catalyst knew right then and there that was one act of kindness he would never forget.
Giving Natalia a gentle push, Catalyst sat up and removed the wrap from his leg. They saw that the infection had cleared up. But for a little redness and some bruising, Catalyst was now fine.
“
Thank god! I would not want to have to go back in there for more flowers,” said Natalia with a sigh.
“
Why not? That place is as safe as it gets around here,” said Catalyst, looking puzzled.
“
Yeah sure it is. I could feel I was being watched and followed the whole time I was in those trees,” replied Natalia.
“
I'm sure you were. The Glimpse are like that,” said Catalyst.
“
Now you have to explain everything all at once, Catalyst,” demanded Natalia throwing the wrap beside him.
“
Okay, the Glimpse are always around. Everyone sees them from time to time. You know you think you see something or someone out of the corner of your eye, you turn to look and it's not there –
well most of the time that's the Glimpse. They’re just having fun really. By the time you look twice they've blended into the background.
They’re more pranksters than anything else. Funny though, I thought for sure you would have known about them,” replied Catalyst, looking a little lost.
“
They’re like the Chameleon then,” said Natalia.
“
I don't know what that is, but sure, okay the Chameleon,” said Catalyst.