Chapter 15
In many ways, the village looked exactly like the one I’d spotted the first day on my way to Kimera. It had an abandoned feel to it; no children running, no stray animals begging for food, no one calling out a greeting. I almost expected tumbleweed to pass through this ghost town, picking up dust as it went.
But nothing moved. I felt a chill of fear creep down my spine and knew that my old self would probably have strongly considered running away or playing ostrich. But I was the new me, the one determined to save my parents and prove to myself that I could, that I was my own person. I jutted my chin, grabbed each man by the hand and started forward. A low growl made me stop.
I turned to Riley, ready to snap at him that it wasn’t necessary to growl at me, when I noticed how rigid he was. Quickly glancing to my left, I discovered how deathly pale Scott was and I swallowed hard. The growl hadn’t come from Riley nor Scott, but behind us.
Releasing hands, we turned as one and my already frantic heartbeat started going into overdrive. There were three Wogs before us but I couldn’t tell if they were the same as before.
“Why is it that they can creep up on us that way?” I murmured.
“Maybe it’s in there genes,” Riley answered. “After all, I can do it; it’s in my genes.”
“Riley, my Taser is in the middle pocket.”
Slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, Riley reached behind me, unzipped the bag and pulled the Taser which he handed to me. To my right, Scott was pulling his gloves off and then he shoved them in his back pocket.
“Any plans?” Scott asked.
“Nope, you?”
“Maybe if I get my hands on them . . .” He flexed his hands and I shivered.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Scott!”
He turned his head slightly and I saw him grinning. I had told him the same thing the first time we faced the Wogs.
“If only I had transformed, I might have heard them! I can fight better in my other form.”
“What if we covered you?” Scott said tightly, “How long do you need?”
“Just about a minute, it’s during the transformation that I’m most vulnerable.”
Cover him? My mind was reeling. How were we supposed to cover him? How long would Scott and I last against these three beasties? As if sensing our intention, the Wogs padded closer and I knew we had to act now or lose any advantage. Instead of backing off, Scott stepped closer, snatching the Taser from my hand. With his left foot, he kicked at the farthest Wog, somehow shoved at the middle one and jabbed at the last with the little electronic device. Then he grabbed my hand and ran.
I looked over my shoulder to find all three Wogs hot on our heels. “That’s one hell of a chance you took that not one of them would stay behind with Riley!”
I was panting, gasping for breath. I suddenly felt dizzy and weak-kneed and I knew that only Scott’s pressure on my hand and the hot breath on my heels were keeping me going.
“It was the only plan I came up with! I was hoping they’d be insulted to have been attacked.”
“Why would you think that? They’re only animals, aren’t they?”
“I don’t know, but I- ”
“Scott!” I stumbled, fell to my knees. They were shaking so hard I thought they might shatter if they came into contact with each other.
Scott didn’t give me time to breathe, he tugged me up with surprising strength, lifted me in his arms and ran faster. I struggled, “Put me down, you’re weak!”
“Stop struggling or I’ll- ”
Too late. He tripped and we both went down hard, me skidding several feet on the hard sand, scraping everything I owned and then some.
I looked up and a second later, the first Wog was on Scott but before he could get to him, Riley crashed into it and sent the beast flying.
“Riley!” I called out as a second beastie ran for him. Immediately, Riley whirled and pounced, not giving the Wog a chance at him. Scott was still down, his cheek pressing against the sand. I had other matters to worry about; the third Wog was coming for me. I dragged myself into a sitting position while simultaneously not trying to black out and keeping the pain at bay. I needed to keep a cool head and figure out what to do because neither Scott nor Riley would be of much help.
The Wog’s blood-red eyes flashed hungrily as it licked its chops and stalked closer to me. It was confident in its stride; it knew I was defenceless. Maybe I was giving it superior intelligence and a heightened awareness but I wasn’t about to underestimate this beastie, not while it regarded me as its next meal. Was it only a coincidence that the pack had found us here? Unless it had a very sharp nose or a great sense of smell, I couldn’t believe that it had tracked us. A coincidence was a little far fetched to my liking. So, what? They had been waiting for us? In the very village my parents were kept hostage? No, definitely not a coincidence.
I fell on my butt and stretched my arms behind me, as if to prop myself up but my right hand was searching frantically, searching for a weapon, anything to help me out. All my fingers found was sand. And more sand. I took a fistful of the grainy stuff and waited for the animal to make its move.
I flicked my eyes to the right; Riley and the Wog were rolling around, snarling and snapping and Scott was on his hands and knees, shaking his head almost vehemently. I backed up slowly, feeling my way with my hands and knuckles, still hoping to find something more concrete as a weapon.
I studied my Wog. Unlike other animals, these beasties had nothing to individualise them from one another. The same shaggy black fur, the high pointed ears and thick but short snout, the same blood-red eyes. They had no patch of fur to differentiate them, nothing at all. They were identical in every physical aspect, including the flashing eyes, snarls and foaming at the mouth.
Why wasn’t it attacking? I wondered. It had me cornered and we both knew it. Maybe it was wary because previously, I’d attacked the Wogs with my Taser and just now, Scott did the same. If they remembered the attack, the first one, did that mean these were the same? Or maybe they had some kind of mental link? At this point, I was ready to believe anything.
Without warning, the Wog charged and I swung my hand, sent the sand flying. As tiny grains entered its eyes and pebbles hit its snout, the Wog stopped and sneezed. Then, its eyes focused on me, it lowered its massive head and snorted, like a charging bull would.
An involuntary cry of fear escaped my lips as I hastily backed, no longer trying to find a weapon; only a way out. I hit something hard and, startled, I glanced over my shoulder; I had collided with the wall of a house. There was a door, a little further to my left, if I could only . .
The Wog snorted louder and pawed the ground but right before it could charge, Scott appeared, looming above us both and he laid both hands on the terrifying beastie. “Scott, no!”
I scrambled to my knees, my fear forgotten. Any second now, the Wog would turn on my friend and shred him to pieces. I needed to be ready to interfere, needed to-
What?
The Wog’s eyes rolled back in its head and it collapsed. Just like that. Whoa.
I knew my eyes were wide and hesitant as I looked at Scott. He wasn’t faring any better than I was; the right side of his face was scraped, bruised and bloodied, his dark green shirt was torn at the right shoulder and he was favouring that very same arm. His green eyes were wide and dark, filled with sudden comprehension about who and what he was. Had he just killed the Wog with his bare hands?
“You’re a drainer,” Riley said flatly.
Scott stiffened and I pulled my gaze away from his. I turned to Riley who was fully dressed and limping. I scrambled up and to him, “Are you okay? What hurts?”
Riley grimaced. “That stupid beast managed to sink its teeth in my leg before I finished it.” He looked down at me and concern etched itself in his face. “What happened to you? Did you get into a fight with a cheese grater?”
It was my turn to grimace; I hadn’t thought the damages were that bad. “I fell, Scott carried me but I was struggling and we both fell.” I shrugged. “I’ll live.” We both turned to Scott who was rising slowly, slapping at the sand on his jeans. “So, which one of you wants to tell me what a drainer is?” I asked.
Both were silent until Riley finally said, “Someone who can drain the energy from any living life form; animals, plants .. . people.”
“So that’s what happened!”
Both turned to me with a ‘huh?’ look on their faces.“It’s why I blacked out the first time I met you, isn’t it?” I asked Scott. “We both had our hands on your wound to heal you.” I chewed my lip. “And now? Now too? When you were pulling me? That’s why I suddenly felt so weak?”
Scott didn’t say a word but he nodded his head ever so slowly. I noticed he no longer was looking me in the eye and that worried me. Why was he hiding from me? Did he think I would judge him for who he was?
“So, that’s why the gloves. I wondered about that although I should have known.” Riley’s voice was laced with anger. I looked up; his dark eyes were set on Scott who still wasn’t looking at us.
I curled my arm around Riley’s waist for two reasons; One, his face was taut with anger but I thought maybe I could see the pain in his eyes from the bite and I wanted to offer support. Two, I wanted to gain his attention, which I did, immediately. “He didn’t know what he was doing, Riley; he doesn’t remember anything,” I said softly.
“Not the first time, Shanna, but I knew I could do damage with my hands this time when I removed my gloves.” Riley and I both turned and confronted Scott’s direct stare. “I told you from the start that I felt like they belonged on me and the rare times I’ve removed them, I made sure not to come into contact with anyone. I did this instinctively and I trusted my instincts since I couldn’t remember anything.”
He lifted his hands and brought them up to his face, staring at them as if they were alien life forms instead of the hands he’d had for twenty plus years. I decided that telepathy would have been a cool tool to have right about now because I knew Riley wanted to talk to me; he kept glancing at me, opening his mouth and closing it again. Obviously, he didn’t trust Scott any further than I could spit. Trust me, that wasn’t very far.
So what now? We were in enemy territory to retrieve my parents. I had one guardian dog with a protective streak a mile wide and a drainer with no identity. Scott had just saved my life, again, which meant that I owed him. I couldn’t just leave him here and pray he’d find his way back home. I didn’t know if I trusted him enough to allow him to continue on with us. Besides, his own magic could be of use to us, if he didn’t use it against us.
But if he’d meant us harm, he would have just let the Wog chomp down on us, right?
I gave Riley’s waist a slight squeeze letting him know we were on the same side before saying, “Guys, I started off on this journey alone, naively thinking I’d be alright. This little altercation with the Wogs proved otherwise. I need you both, need your help. What do you say?” Scott and Riley stared at each other for what seemed for an eternity until I said, “I can’t do this alone.”
There, it was said. I couldn’t do it alone whether I was pleased with that or not. What had made me think otherwise? Besides getting myself a job, I’d never done much on my own; I’d always depended on my parents. And once again, I found myself needing help.
“Where did you say your parents were being held hostage?” Scott asked.
Held hostage. I gulped. “At the Inn where they met.”
Scott met Riley’s eyes once more. “Where’s the Inn, do you know?”
“Yes. It’s further down this road, around a bend to the right.”
“Is there a chance we might have been heard?”
Riley seemed to approve of Scott’s thought process as he studied the other man and nodded slowly. “Technically, no, we’re too far away but we have no idea what this man is capable of or if he has any other surprises for us.”
“You think these are his?” I gestured to the motionless Wogs.
“Without a doubt. He’s back in the picture for the first time in months and this beasts make their appearance. Somehow, they’re connected. Shanna, think back to what you wrote, what you saw. Do you recall anything that could give us an idea what kind of magic this man possesses?”
I bit my lip and closed my eyes as images of the scenes I’d written flashed in my mind. Slowly, I shook my head. “No, nothing. Then again, I might not know that this is his magic; I’m still learning. But I read it to you, did anything seem odd to you?”
Riley sighed. “No, but I was tired and angry and under adrenaline. May I read it again?”
I started toward my discarded bag that I’d somehow lost during my fall but Scott stopped me. “Wait, the reason I asked whether we’d been heard or not was to find out if we were relatively safe.” He pointed to the house where I’d been previously cowering. “I thought maybe we could hide in one of these houses until nightfall.”
“Nightfall!” I exclaimed, “but my parents are here and they need our help!”
“Shanna,” Riley said softly, “Scott’s right. We’re all bruised and battered and we need to rest. You will heal naturally, and I suppose Scott will too but I need to get off my leg for a while.”
“Besides, we don’t have a plan and we may have a better chance under the cover of darkness.”
I glanced from one to the other. I knew that if I insisted, if I pressed on, they would follow me; it was there in their eyes. I felt my heart swell up with affection and gratitude for these two men who had proven their friendship for me. Worried, they had both run after me, had chased me down through the desert with no food or water to sustain them. And, together, we had beaten the Wogs. Okay, I hadn’t done much, but I still included myself in the ‘together’.
I looked at Riley’s grimace of pain and Scott’s battered face and I nodded bravely. “You’re both right; we need some sleep.”
I strode to the door of the dust-covered brown house and as I turned the doorknob, I heard their sighs of relief and knew I’d made the right decision.
“Shanna,” Riley called out, “Check the house to see if there’s anything we could use as a temporary bed. Scott and I will move the Wogs, in case their owner comes to check up on them.”
“Be quick,” I said, nervous about being alone in a stranger’s empty home. At least, I hoped it was empty.
It was. There was a small kitchen, two bedrooms, a small bathroom. In the living room was two Lazy-Boy-type chairs and a two seater couch. Everything was covered with sheets to protect the furniture from dust mites and such. I was coming back to the front of the house when the men came in, dragging their feet.
“Please tell me there’s a bed,” Scott groaned.
“There’s two, actually, and a couch, two chairs and- ” I stopped. Scott had dragged himself to the chair closest the door, had dropped into it, raising a small cloud of dust, and before the dust had time to settle, he was asleep.
“Draining has that affect on people,” Riley said with a light chuckle. “Do you have a preference for a bedroom?”
“Oh. I don’t want to- ”
“Sleep alone?” Riley asked softly, obviously reading my thoughts.
I shook my head. “No, not alone. Not here, not so close to him.”
Riley took my hand and lead us to the closest bedroom, what I supposed was the guest one. I was glad for that because I wouldn’t have felt comfortable sleeping in the master bedroom. That bed belonged to someone who probably hoped to be back one day.
We removed the sheet covering the bed and I was grateful for the homeowner’s care. As I slipped into the blankets, Riley said, “Let me transform, I’ll be of more use if something comes up.”
“In what form will you heal faster?” I muttered.
“Human,” he replied at once.
“Then stay human and come to bed.”
He chuckled as he slipped in behind me and pulled me to his warm chest. If I snored, I didn’t care.
