Chapter 46 - Choices

“Go back.”

“No.”

Leon’s snarl of frustration was met with only silence, and tension so dense it was almost palpable drenched the moment as it stretched uncomfortably.

Finally, a frustrated growl was cut short before it rose up Leon’s throat, and instead the young lord of House Draxas glared balefully at the sources of his frustration. His eyes were blazing with barely contained fury, and even a hint of madness could be glimpsed hiding behind those roiling depths. It did not matter that the targets of such fierce fire were just a small girl who barely looked in her teens and a terrified child.

There was no longer any room for weakness. Not anymore.

“For the last time, this is the end of the road for this sad little expedition.” Leon’s eyes shifted minutely over Leena’s shoulder, towards the distant treeline beyond. “Your precious Yellow Zone should be a few hours’ march that way. Now run along while you still can.”

“No,” came the quiet but calm reply once more.

Leon grit his teeth so hard he could hear bone grinding against bone, and his hand clenched involuntarily over the hilt of his sword.

“We no longer have anything to do with each other. I never wanted you. You are just a burden. Sky..” Leon winced at the pain that knifed into his heart, but soldiered on. “We have already paid too high a price. We should have simply left you two useless ingrates to die.”

Emil’s face crumpled as though struck by a physical blow, and tears once again began sliding down the little boy’s grimy cheeks. However, Leena’s only reaction was to stand there impassively while her eyes never left Leon’s.

After a brief pause only punctuated by Emil’s quiet sobs, Leon finally could not bear the little stand-off any longer. There was simply no time for this nonsense. Skyle had been taken by that damnable flying beast just moments earlier. As soon as Leon had shaken off the initial shock and grief, he had gathered his wits about him and made what was likely one of the most important, yet easy decisions of his young life.

He would go after Skyle.

Important, because he knew it was a matter of life or death. Easy, because he had chosen death.

Leon was not under any illusions as to whether Skyle would survive the attack. During his time with the army, he had heard many stories, and seen even worse. Any soldier worth his salt knew that the moment a magic beast managed to snatch a victim and ran off, that poor soul was as good as dead. In fact, basic training taught every recruit that they should either struggle viciously to force the beast to kill them quickly, or if all else failed, simply end their own lives before the unspeakable horror awaiting them later on befell.

After all, most beasts liked their meat fresh. Very fresh.

As for himself, Leon knew he would be helpless without Skyle’s guidance. God only knows how many deathtraps they had been able to avoid thanks to his tracking skills, to say nothing of his supernatural vision. Though he felt the loss of his first true friend keenly, the loss felt even more painful as he reflected on how vulnerable he felt without Skyle.

Thus, he thought with a self-deprecating sigh, it would be death for Skyle, and death for Leon. Hopefully, Skyle would die quickly and painlessly. Most likely, he was already dead, perhaps his neck snapped by the impact alone as he was snatched off the ground. Maybe he survived the initial impact, and was instead squeezed into an unrecognizable lump of meat between the great beast’s claws. Leon could run through all these scenarios in his head with more calm than he would have thought. Perhaps it was because he knew that such a quick death would be far more merciful than the one Leon himself would get, in his mad and hopeless chase.

Well, not completely hopeless. Not quite. There was still a tiny, insignificant speck of hope that maybe Skyle was still alive. That he could be saved. This, Leon told himself, was precisely why it had been such an easy decision. Had Leon no chance whatsoever of ever finding his friend again, he likely would have had to deliberate long and hard as to whether he would rush to an almost certain death simply to avenge Skyle. Hell, if he was completely honest with himself, he knew there would be no avenging. Let alone finding the damn beast, how would he kill what he could barely even see?

No, the choice would be between retreating like a coward to weasel out some kind of compromise from this cruel world and find a way home by himself, or assuaging his guilty conscience by spilling his own blood in penance for his failure to keep the one person he had truly wanted to protect.

What did he care about a sniveling little brat and this stubborn bitch? The lizard dogs could feast on their bones all day for all he cared. If only Skyle and Leon hadn’t saved them. If only they hadn’t been arguing about what to do with them, instead of staying alert in this damn death trap of a forest.

Now, the first and likely only true friend Leon Draxas had and would ever know was dead, or wishing he were.

To make things worse, after Leon made the easy decision to follow Skyle to his death in the Black Zone, this stupid girl insisted on following him and continuing to make a burden out of herself along with the little brat.

“Look, I have no time for this. I don’t care what you do or where you go, but stay out of my way. We are done.” Leon spat out, the cold finality of his words burning in his eyes.

Leena’s own gaze did not so much as waver. The change that had come over this girl overnight was just unsettling. Ever since last night at the camp on top of the trees, her whole demeanor had undergone a subtle change that Leon could not quite point out, but had bothered him to no end. Still, it had only served to further spark the furnace of suspicion in his chest.

This was just a niggling feeling in the back of his head, a tingling in his gut that vanished like a ghost as soon as he turned the light of logic or reason upon it, but kept coming back the moment he looked away. These were the whispers of his gut instinct, and it was precisely because they were so elusive that he had long learned to listen close and listen hard to such warnings.

After all, they had saved his life more times than he could count.

It was at this moment when Leon opened all his senses in an attempt to register any possible clues to this feeling that his gaze met solidly with Leena’s. At this instance, and for what seemed the first time, Leon allowed himself to really look into the eyes of this girl who suddenly seemed to forget to avoid her eyes or shrink away from his regard. In this one instance when their gazes were interlocked and truly engaged with one another, Leon finally caught a glimpse of the answer. It was a fleeting shadow, no more. Still, he recognized in this young girl’s eyes a steely determination, a startling fire that burned quietly but fiercely nonetheless. Perhaps just as fiercely as the fire burning in his own heart ever since he had decided he would go after Skyle.

Leon found this revelation startling because this was not as simple as gratitude, such as wishing to repay her savior. No, this was neither as impulsive nor foolish as that. This was something else entirely. Narrowing his eyes, Leon’s mental finger finally managed to identify this nagging feeling at the back of his head.

Yes, he recognized this look back from his days in the army. It was the same look, he now recalled, in the eyes of one unknown soldier under his father’s command. The poor man, just a nameless footsoldier, had been selected along with a few dozen brave souls who had instantly stepped forward when the captain had asked for volunteers to hold off a bridge while the rest of the army retreated after a bad engagement.

How could Leon ever forget the wordless stare of the soldier as he stood by the bridge, watching the crest of the hill for certain death to arrive. Leon still recalled this moment clearly because epiphany had struck him at that moment as he rode away towards life while this soldier calmly awaited his death. This was not despair, nor resignation. It was duty, heavier than a mountain, yet borne with singular focus and steely determination to see a supremely important matter through to the end. This calm yet burning intensity, Leon realized, came from the strength of purpose.

“What do you really want with Skyle?” Leon grated out, his eyes narrowing further.

Leena finally showed some reaction to his words, blinking several times in surprise. It was a simple question, yet in this moment Leon knew he had her. His question had pierced straight into the heart of the matter just as unerringly as one of Skyle’s arrows.

The girl, to her credit, mastered herself immediately, and her inner thoughts were once again clouded behind that calm look.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. I’ve displayed nothing but aggression and mistrust toward you, so I doubt you’d follow me for any longer than you absolutely must in order to survive. As for going after Skyle, you and I both know its a suicide mission. Even so, you insist in accompanying me, even dragging that brat with you. You must know you will slow me down, and this is not in Skyle’s best interests. So tell me, what is it you want?”

“I merely wish to follow you and aid you as I best-”

“I need no aid from you, nor would I expect any. What can you do for me? Wield a sword? Summon a spell?” Leon cut in matter-of-factly.

“I can serve you as a guide-”

“You said you’ve never been inside the Red Zone, let alone the Black,” Leon interrupted once again.

“I can help you carry your burdens,” Leena began, then trailed off as Leon casually shifted his massive shoulders from side to side, joints cracking menacingly as muscles flexed and stretched his clothes taut.

“I will do anything I can to help,” the girl finished.

“Then turn around and go home.” Leon’s voice dipped slightly, and now his tone softened just a hair. “Let the boy go to his family and friends. Staying here will inevitably get him killed. You and I both know that. He deserves a future, don’t you think? Turn back. For the boy.”

Leena’s mouth opened, but for the first time she seemed at a loss for words. Her gaze shifted down towards the small boy in her arms, and countless emotions seemed to flash past her eyes. It only lasted for a brief moment, however, before the same insane calm returned to her eyes. Her hands tightened only ever so slightly over Emil’s shoulders, but when her eyes met Leon’s once again, he knew what she would say.

Without bothering to wait for the same inevitable reply, Leon turned around and set out. Already, he had wasted far too much time.

As expected, Leena’s answer came from behind his back.

“No.”

Hearing footsteps behind him, Leon did not even bother to turn around this time. Not anymore. He was done with this farce.

“I don’t care where you go. Just keep your distance from me girl. This is the first and only warning: I will not hesitate to cut you down if I must.”

Emil, the little brat, whimpered, but Leon was past caring.

“I understand. Thank you,” came the crazy girl’s voice, and Leon had to suppress a shudder.

***

“Burn!”

After a blinding flash, visible shockwaves spread through the air as a deafening explosion rumbled in his ears.

A howl of agony was cut off short as a charred object crashed into a young tree, snapping its trunk in half. Clumps of flame sprayed all around the area of impact, and eager tongues of fire quickly spread down the ruined tree. Errant leaves rained all around from the heavy impact, but the mangled corpse slowly slid down to the floor and did not show any signs of life as it smoked and hissed under the hungry flames.

Chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath, Leon leaned heavily on his sword as he knelt on the mossy rocks. His eyes, however, never stopped scanning the surroundings. No sounds other than his gasping breaths and the cracking of the fire spreading before him could be heard. Quiet, but not peaceful. Never that. This had been the painful lesson of the past six hours.

The smoking corpses of several massive spiders lay spread out in a circle around him, each easily the size of a small horse. They had glistening shells of an iridescent green and fearsome fangs that dripped with smoking venom. Eight hairy legs, each thicker around than his own legs, ended in wickedly sharp tips. He should know; his shoulder had a finger deep gash in it that he hadn’t even felt until he noticed the damp blood pouring from the wound. At least it did not seem to be poisoned, unlike the fangs.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Leon’s eyebrows twisted into a scowl as his eyes searched around and counted again, even knowing that the result would be the same.

Only four. There had been five of the monstrous creatures when he had first been ambushed. Three had dropped to the ground all around him, cutting off any avenues of escape while one leapt straight for his head from an overhanging branch. The last one, Leon had barely caught a glimpse of as it swiftly skittered across another branch.

Now the third time he counted still yielded the same number. The first one still lay in smoking ruins, as his fireblast had directly burst its abdomen into a gory mess even as he rolled away from it. The second beast he had managed to nearly bisect with the red hot tip of his fire enhanced sword, while the third monster he had stunned with a fire shield before driving two feet of steel into its head. That had been his first mistake, as the massive beast had not died immediately and only quick reflexes had kept Leon from being decapitated by its sharp claws. A pulse of fire energy down the length of the sword had liquefied its brain then. The fourth spider had been more problematic, as the giant creature had grown frenzied in its attacks as it watched its fellows die. He had finally dispatched with a quick succession of three fireblasts. The first missile had blown off two legs, then the second bolt blew away three more. That had finally sent the miserable beast crashing to the ground, where the final blast had finished it off.

It was only now that Leon recalled there was a fifth.

Glancing over his shoulder, Leon let out a deep breath as he weighed the value of two strangers’ lives against the small sliver of hope that he might find his friend and save his life. As expected, it was a quick and ruthless calculation, and instantly the balance tilted one way.

“I warned you. I told you it would be your death and now its on your own heads. First Skyle, and now you. Ah damn it,” Leon muttered in the silence that followed, finally using one last pulse of his fire energy to scorch away the remaining hints of greenish blood staining the blade of his sword. The smoke stung his eyes and Leon squinted past the tingling it produced.

“Damn smoke,” Leon told himself, his chest still heaving as his heart hammered against his chest. “Just some damn smoke, right Skyle?”

He instantly regretted that last question. For no sooner had he spoken the words, he knew it had been the wrong question to ask at the wrong moment and to the wrong person.

Already, he could hear his friend's simple, yet unequivocal answer. As expected, he did not like it.

Not at all.

***

In the end, Leon only had to backtrack a few hundred yards. Earlier, he had been moving swiftly using a military marching pace, a swift movement technique he could maintain for an entire day of forced march if need be. Still, that was thanks to his fire enhanced strength and stamina. No young girl, let alone a small child, would be able to keep up with such a grueling pace.

So it was with great surprise that Leon arrived at the intersection of two thick clumps of trees not three minutes from where he had slain the four giant spiders. In the narrow space, Leena was desperately trying to fend off the last of the giant spiders. It kept trying to lunge forward to try to find purchase on any part of the small girl it could lay its fangs on, but Leena moved with surprising dexterity in order to keep her small knife between them.

“Leap back!” Leon shouted, at the same time flinging the firebolt he had condensed into his palm. Even though it was near maximum range, the beast had been preoccupied enough that it did not see its impending doom.

The ball of fire smashed solidly against the side of its shell and instantly exploded into a furious shower of flames. The force of the impact flung it sideways against one of the clumps of trees. The thinner branches immediately gave way but the sturdier trunks held fast as the spider was brutally smashed against them. Leaving a trail of green sludge, the still flaming body of the spider slowly slid down to the floor where its many legs lay twitching.

A pale faced Leena lay breathing harshly where she had landed from her leap along with Emil. They both looked miserable, the boy bearing a sickly face that was drained of all blood as he huddled miserably against Leena’s side.

“Any bites?” Leon muttered.

“I.. I don’t think so,” Leena gasped.

“I warned you to go back,” Leon growled furiously, stalking towards the unfortunate pair.

“So.. so you did,” Leena acknowledged, and though her hands were still trembling her stubborn eyes hadn’t lost their fire.

“You are slowing me down,” Leon pointed out in no uncertain terms, looking down.

“I did not ask you to come back,” Leena pointed out.

“You dare-” Leon began, fuming. “I should have let you die.”

A brief pause ensued, then Leena once again surprised Leon with her answer.

“Maybe you should have,” the young girl whispered, as though to herself.

Looking into her eyes, Leon had the feeling that perhaps she truly meant this.

Leon brought a hand to his temples, futilely trying to knead away the pain in his head while trying to decide what to do with them.

“Why did you come back?” Leena asked suddenly, and Leon found that he was unwilling to answer. Maybe it was that he could not answer.

After all, why had he come back? It was out of character for him to do such a thing. He could not justify risking his own exalted, precious life, let alone the fast diminishing sliver of hope of being able to rescue Skyle.

Hah. Rescue Skyle? He could barely hold back a helpless, self-mocking sneer. How could he, even in the unlikely event that his friend was still alive? Indeed, what rescue? Perhaps deep down Leon already knew all this was simply a tantrum, an inept gesture of defiance in response to the deep wound Leon had only just begun to feel, let alone understand. Hadn’t he already become completely numbed to loss?

This sparked a whole series of unwelcome questions, and this only made his head hurt even more. Worse still, the questions refused to go away.

Why give Leon the unexpected hope of finding one true friend only to dash it to pieces the very next moment? How could the ashes of his heart be so easily stirred back to fiery coals through a mere handful days in the company of one admittedly extraordinary soul?

And inevitably, there was the main question that had burned in Leon’s mind every moment, every second since Skyle had been taken: Why him? Why Skyle? Why not me? Why?

Now, tormented as he was by this buzzing swarm of questions with no good answers, this damn girl had to add yet another?

“Because it wasn’t just smoke,” Leon blurted out, grasping at the first answer that came to mind. At least, that made it one less question. One less, amongst a legion of them.

Leena’s expression made it clear she had no idea what Leon was talking about, and that suited him just fine. At least now it wasn’t just him anymore that was wandering lost and confused - literally and figuratively.

This time, Leon didn’t say anything else as he simply turned around and moved away, not even when he heard footsteps following behind.