Chapter 9 #2
The events of last night come rushing back to me.
Cold dread rinses through me. Not only had I snuggled up to Caius in the night, I could see the wet patch of drool where I had been sleeping moments before.
Heat spreads across my cheeks, and I work hard to stuff my embarrassment down.
It serves him right; he deserves far worse.
“You couldn’t have given me some space last night?” I shift the blame to him.
Caius smirks. “You’re the one who snuggled up to me.” He flicks his gaze to his shoulder. “If anything, I should be angry with you.”
“You invited yourself! I don’t even want you here—”
Caius springs forward, clamping his hand over my mouth. I shove him hard in the chest, and he loops his free hand around my waist to catch his balance. But with close to forty kilos on me, he ends up dragging us both down.
Sprawled out on the tree branch, Caius clutches me tight, shifting his head up just enough to whisper in my ear. “There are voices down below.”
I squint at him until he removes his hand from my mouth. “Keep your hands to yourself or I’ll chop one off so you learn the lesson.” I hiss into his ear, loud enough that I hope it hurts, but when I pull back, Caius is smiling.
“I’ll try to remember.” He releases me, and I roll to his side. Scooting forward on our bellies, we peer over the edge of the branch to get a better view.
Voices carry up from the forest floor. I hadn’t heard them before, but they’re close now.
“Don’t you think we should have found them by now?” A feminine voice asks.
“Not if they traveled through the night.” That voice—it couldn’t be…I shift positions, trying to get a better look.
“I thought you were supposed to be smart.” The woman responds. “Don’t you see this canopy? How could they possibly travel at night in this?”
“They could have brought glow globes.”
“What, and invite all the local monsters to dinner? Seriously, you’re so lucky I found you.”
The owners of the voices finally come into view. I can’t believe my eyes. I spare a glance at Caius, but where his eyes had danced with light before, they now rage with dark storm clouds. Caius sets his jaw, and with the grace of a shadow cast by a flame, he drops to the forest floor.
I work to stifle a laugh as I watch my best friend struggle to draw his camp knife at the sudden intruder.
Cressida, on the other hand, moves nearly as fast as her brother.
She draws a short sword and lunges toward Caius, who sidesteps her advance, and without drawing his own weapon, proceeds to disarm Cressida, placing her into a submission hold.
“Yield,” Caius growls.
Cressida taps her leg, and Caius drops her arm.
“And that is why I will never let you join the guard.” Caius trains that tempest on his little sister.
“I have all the skills needed for the guard and more. Both you and I know it. I did track you here, didn’t I?”
“Because I wasn’t concerned about covering my tracks. Only a fool would charge out into The Above alone,” Caius says.
Cressida gives Caius a smirk.
Caius growls and turns his attention to Dom. “And you.” Caius trails his gaze over my best friend. Dom is slightly taller and broader than Caius, but he’s no fighter. “Pathetic.”
Dom’s cheeks flush, but he sets his jaw and holds his tongue.
Caius looks from Dom to Cressida. “But I guess you’ll have to do. You will keep my sister safe. If you leave now, you’ll have plenty of time to get back to the canyon before dark—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Cressida interrupts.
Caius peers down at his little sister. “You are not coming with me.”
Cressida crosses her legs and sits on the forest floor. With a defiant look on her face and her arms crossed, her posturing is so distinctly like Caius that I have to work to stifle a laugh.
Caius growls and turns away. “Get down from there. We have ground to cover!” He yells up to me before disappearing into the forest.
Dom finally tilts his head back, and I smile and wave before collecting my things and climbing down.
I stomp toward Dom. When he extends his arms to sweep me up into a hug, I shove him hard.
“Ouch.” He rubs his chest. “What was that for?”
“For coming after me, you idiot.” I throw my arms around him, pulling him into a crushing hug. “What were you thinking?”
His muscles relax as he wraps his arms around me. “I was thinking my best friend could use some help saving Bǎodela.”
I let my arms drop to my side, forcing out a long breath. “Dom, this is dangerous.”
“Don’t you think I know that? Damn it, Ollie, you should have told me.”
“I couldn’t...if something happens to you because of me—”
“Stop being so self-sacrificing. Bǎodela is my home too, and you are my best friend. We are doing this together,” Dom interrupts.
I offer my friend a wary smile. “I don’t know if this ends with us coming home.”
Dom clasps me by the shoulder. “Then let’s have one last adventure together.”
I clasp my hand over his. “One last adventure then.”
Dom crouches beside his pack, sinking his fingertips beneath the dried pine needles into the packed earth to send his prayers to The Below.
“Guārgia light our way. Kōngqìairea speed our steps. Ilunahēi'àn protect us from your creatures of the night.” Dom brings his splayed fingers to his brow, inhales deeply, then crosses his hands over his chest before snatching his pack from the forest floor and falling in step beside me.
“You didn’t want to ask Iāngsua to cook your meals? Or Xiakibǎoshí to fill our path with riches while we’re at it?”
“Do you think I should?” Dom pauses, a grin plastered on his face as he fakes sinking toward the ground again.
“Come on.” I loop my arm through his and pull him along.
Dom chuckles. “No, I think Guārgia has us covered. She is the light. But I didn’t think seeking out her counterpart could hurt.”
“And Kōngqìairea?” I ask.
“The goddess of air has always kept us safe on our climbs. I thought it best not to forget her.”
“Very wise of you.” I lean into the comfort of my best friend. But something plagues my mind. The conversation I never had with him. “Dom about the union—”
He clutches my arm tighter, leaning his head toward mine. “You know, if you didn’t want to unite with me, you could have just told me. There was no need to run away into The Above.”
I look up into his deep brown eyes, and he winks.
I push out a long breath. “You’re the brother I never had, but we both know that a union wasn’t going to fix this. You may have saved me from taking the blame, but Bǎodela would still fall.”
Dom nods. “Now that’s settled, should we catch up with your…traveling companion?” Dom starts walking in the direction where Caius disappeared. “I can’t believe you brought him.” The disapproval in Dom’s voice stings.
“I didn’t invite him. Much like you, he just showed up. Maybe you two have more in common than you think.”
Dom snorts. “Not likely. Anything I shared with that man died long ago.”
I glance back to find Cressida trailing silently behind us. It unnerves me how quietly she moves, like Caius. I’ve just turned my attention back to the trail before us when a loud thud rings out behind. My heart races. I spin to find Cressida face down in the dirt; Caius crouches down by her ear.
“And now you’re dead,” Caius says.
Cressida is just rising to her feet as Caius brushes past me. “Seriously, Caius, are you going to pick on the girl the entire trip?” I ask.
Caius pauses, stepping so close to me our noses nearly touch.
“You could use some lessons yourself. All of you.” Caius steps back and waves at our traveling party.
“This place is unlike anything you have experienced in The Below.” Caius clamps his mouth shut and nods, then begins walking again.
He is out ahead of the group, hands tangled in his hair, but I can hear him muttering quietly to himself. “Quiet…they are not yours to take.”
The trail curves slightly, and when it straightens out, Caius is gone. I jog, trying to catch up with him, but he is nowhere to be seen.
“Caius!” I yell, and then my world tilts, the canopy replacing the trail as my back hits the ground.
Caius shifts his weight to hover over me, rasping in my ear. “And now you’re dead.”
“And you’re an ass,” I choke out.
Caius extends a hand. Begrudgingly, I let him pull me to my feet. His grip tightens, and he pulls me close, dropping his voice. “Learn to be quiet, or the sleeping beasts will come out to play.” He lets go of my hand and charges ahead once again.
When Caius disappears for the third time, I groan. “Is he going to be like this the whole trip?”
“Most likely,” Cressida says in a singsong voice. “Either that or he’ll keep it up until we learn our lesson.” She grins, and I find the strange delight she is taking in all of this unnerving.
The next time I see Caius, he has Dom pinned to the ground under his boot.
“And now you’re dead,” Cressida chirps in her mock sweet voice.
Caius glares at her.
“Don’t worry, brother dearest. I’ll be ready next time.” The way Cressida lilts her voice prickles the hairs on my neck. While everyone was afraid of Caius, no one talked about Cressida. Maybe they should. I get the feeling that she is just as dangerous as her big brother, maybe more so.
Cressida was indeed not ready the next time, or the time after that. Caius is relentless in his mock attacks until finally Dom snaps.
“Enough! If you drop me one more time, I swear to Iāngsua I will strangle you in your sleep.” Dom’s nostrils flare. I’ve never seen the gentle man this angry.
Caius cocks his head to the side and then lets out a wild laugh. He grabs Dom by the shoulder and brings him close. “I’d like to see you try.”
While Caius never agreed to relent, he stays within sight for the rest of the day. The light from behind the tree trunks shifts to gold. Long shadows stretch out before us, and I’m struck with homesickness, missing the way the light shifts from yellow to rose at this time of day in The Below.
Caius halts. “We should make camp.”