Without looking away from the fox, I said, “The army is back on the hunt, and the Bakshazani is pushing them hard. We are going to have to pick up the pace if we want to stay ahead of them.”
I looked up to see the frozen expressions of Kam and the girl. Kam unfroze first, sounding incredulous, “You got all that from one yip?”
The girl unfroze next, but she laughed. “I never will get used to that, will I?” Her question was directed to the fox, who, to my surprise, shook his head avidly.
Kam and I both opened our mouths to ask a question, but the girl pointed to our foreheads and said, “Ask them! I would think they would have told you about us by now.”
I thought you would have figured it out by now! Bione quipped. Then it clicked: Duh, they were spirit animals! We had already talked about this! Well, spirit animal…
Kam seemed to have figured it out too. He turned to the fox and began, “So who’s spirit animal…?” The fox answered his question before he could finish it, rubbing up affectionately against my leg. It gave a short series of fox noises, which included yips, growls, and purrs. I generally understood what he was saying, which was more or less, “I am at your service. If you need any monsters dealt with, I’m your fox!”
Kam turned to the girl. “Then you are…?” She nodded. We shared a baffled expression. Kam continued, “Don’t take this the wrong way but, you don’t really look like an animal. You look more like a human than anything else.”
She smiled, and in the blink of an eye, her wings appeared. “Well, you are not wrong; I most certainly am not an animal.” The fox, Ranger, interrupted with an offended yip. The girl continued, “Oh quiet, you! You know I didn’t mean it that way! Anyway, I am not really a human either. I am what you would call an angel I guess, though many of the stories about me are wrong. It is rather complicated, and as Ranger said, we are short on time. How about we walk and talk it out?”
We nodded in agreement and began walking at a fast pace. After a minute, she began: “First off, my name is Arianna. I usually go by Ari though. I am not technically an angel, but that is what I am always confused with. I am actually a Norse Valkyrie: a female Viking warrior. A man by the name of Holbrook, with the help of his brother, saved my life. I dedicated my life to his service, and every time your spirit finds a new body, I am reincarnated as his protector. As a bonus, I get some super cool wings. With my promise to become the protector of his spirit, I became what many myths refer to as a guardian angel.”
Ranger rubbed up against my leg, giving a yip. I understood him, but it wasn’t like he was speaking. It was more like he communicated through body language. It was like charades: I didn’t know exactly what he is saying, but I got the picture.
He was saying something along the lines of, “My story is the same, but I didn’t get any wings.” Then he barked at Arianna.
Ari nodded at the fox, adding, “Ranger is what the Greeks called the Tesmeusan Fox. They told stories about how he was uncatchable by humans, which was pretty much true. They never got a very good look at him though. He was pledged to your service the same way that I was pledged to Kam’s. He got caught in a bear trap, and the man that Phelix was inhabiting got him out of it. We can talk more about that later. Right now, we need to figure out where Hector is. He doesn’t know that Nyka and Donovan are not traitors and might still be hunting them.”
Ranger gave a slight nod of agreement, but Kam said, “Hold up. You haven’t proven to me that they didn’t do those things. All evidence is to the contrary right now.”
I was slightly shocked that he would say that. Quite frankly, I was hesitant to believe it from the beginning. Bione broke in suddenly, I am very skeptical as well. Still, some evidence would be nice to solidify my doubts. True, it would be nice to have some basis. Otherwise, Kam will think that I believe Ari because I like Nyka. I don’t need to give him any more excuses to give me some brotherly love.
Arianna seemed to be slightly stunned. Ranger gave an annoyed growl. After a few seconds of shock, she finally spoke, “You mean you really believe Nyka and Donovan are going to attack the Myrmidons? Did you listen to nothing that Donovan said when he got back? He was set up. Someone tricked him into thinking the Acephali were getting ready to attack, and that the Argonauts needed to act first. Someone pretending to be Vienna sent him on a secret mission to do so. When he came back and told her all of this, she acted like this was the first time she had heard it.”
Kam still didn’t look satisfied. In fact, he looked downright angry. “So, you are claiming that Vienna is a traitor then? That still doesn’t explain what happened to Daniel. Did someone trick Donovan into killing him too?”
The accusation surprised me, and I finally had to speak up. “Kam! Where is this coming from? You really think Donovan would do that?”
He whirled on me furiously and said, “I didn’t think so before, but there is nothing else that can explain it. They betrayed both of us! They made us think they were something that they weren’t!”
My mouth fell open. I hadn’t realized that he felt betrayed. You have to understand, betrayal is one of the worst things to my brother. It was pet peeve #1; something that he never forgives. I never understood it, but nonetheless, I always made sure to stay on his good side. He prizes loyalty above anything else. If he felt betrayed by Donovan and Nyka, nothing short of absolute proof would convince him otherwise.
Ari spoke, “I know it seems like that, and I am not doing a very good job of explaining it. All I ask is that you give them a chance to explain what really happened.” She spoke with surprising gentleness, as if she knew what he was feeling.
Kam thought for a few seconds, before finally replying, “Fine. I will give them one chance to explain. Now, where are they? You said they weren’t far ahead of us?”
“Well, look!” She pointed ahead of us. I followed her finger and found that the city we had been aiming for this whole time was now right in front of us. Not far ahead of us, the dirt road we were walking on gave way to beat up asphalt. There were a few buildings here and there, and the farther down the road I looked, the less farmland I saw.
We kept walking. Within an hour we were walking on a sidewalk with a park on one side and a school on the other. I saw kids playing on a playground, and that seemed stranger to me than the bandits. Now that I knew about all of these dangers in the world, I felt like those kids should have an armed escort. A sign by the road said, “Welcome to Dinuba!”
Ari pointed at two people relaxing under a tree in the park. I instantly recognized them as Nyka and Donovan. They saw us and got up to meet us with smiles on their faces. Evidently, they were happy to see us, which confirmed what Arianna had told us. They really did think we were here to help.
Nyka ran up to me and gave me a hug, which totally made my day. All of my doubts about her melted away. It felt good to know that she was genuine back at the castle, not just putting up an act. “Boy am I glad to see you two! Ari told us that you were right behind us. Where is Hector?”
I shrugged and she looked at Kam. He was hanging back and definitely DID NOT look excited to see them. Arianna explained that we hadn’t seen Hector, then went on to tell them what we were actually here for.
As she explained, Donovan’s left eyebrow started to creep up higher and higher. Both of them were completely shocked that Daniel was dead. Nyka even had to wipe a tear away. When Arianna said that we thought they were traitors and we had come to capture them, Donovan’s sword appeared on his back. He didn’t reach for it, but his message was clear: Don’t try anything.
Kam eyed the sword but didn’t respond. I could tell that he was tense though. I saw his left hand curl up, as if he were preparing to summon his bow. If they didn’t have some really good explanations, I was going to have to either break up a fight or choose a side.
24
We may or may not Have Started World War 3
KAMARON
Before I continue where Garrett left off, I need to explain a few
things. First, I did not appreciate the accusation against Vienna. She was the one person I really felt like I could trust, other than Garrett. And yes, as Garrett explained, it is true that betrayal is a very big no-no for me. Loyalty is a VERY big deal to me. I have had a few friendships end because someone stabbed me in the back.
When Arianna explained that we thought they were traitors, the look on Nyka’s face was almost enough to prove her innocence. The look of hurt on her face told a very convincing story before she even opened her mouth to tell it: Her good friend Daniel was alive last time she saw him, and she has now found out he is dead. On top of that, she was now being accused of murdering him.
Donovan’s response told a very different story. The sword appearing on his back told me that he was prepared for a fight. I resisted the urge to summon my bow, but I watched him carefully for any aggressive movements. I did notice Garrett and Ari giving me a concerned look though, like they thought that I might attack him!
Nyka started on her side of the story, which matched very well with Ari’s. She told us about how Donovan convinced her that he was framed. She decided after the meeting with Hector and Vienna that they couldn’t wait any longer. In order to prove Donovan’s loyalty to Argos, she took him with her to find the Myrmidons. Daniel wanted to go to, but she had convinced him to stay behind and explain where they had gone. She also would need him to organize some backup for them in case they ran into trouble.
After she had finished explaining, I believed her side of the story. She was very distraught that Daniel was dead. You can’t fake tears on cue. Donovan, on the other hand, looked highly suspicious. He didn’t attempt to explain his part of the story any more than what Ari and Nyka had already told us. After conferring with Phelix, I said, “I believe you. Let’s go find the Myrmidons.”
I chose not to voice my doubts about Donovan. I decided that I was just going to have to keep an eye on him. If he did anything out of line, I was going to be there to catch him. I did notice that he pointedly kept his sword handy.
Garrett kept throwing suspicious looks my way, but he didn’t say anything. He probably noticed that I had given in too easily. I would have to explain myself later; right now, I was ready to move on.
Nyka explained her theory about where the Myrmidons had settled, which was nearly identical to Hector’s line of reasoning. Garrett and I nodded in agreement once she finished. She looked at the sun high in the sky, as if trying to decide something.
Finally, she looked at us and said, “If we leave now, we might reach the Myrmidons before nightfall. No guarantees though. Our other option is we could stay here for the what’s left of the day and get a fresh start in the morning. That might give Hector enough time to catch up to us. What do you guys think?”
“I kind of like the idea of renting a couple rooms somewhere and sleeping in an actual bed personally,” Garrett said. He smiled, possibly attempting a joke, but everyone else took him seriously. They all shook their heads vigorously, even Ranger!
“Hotel rooms…” Nyka growled. “They are more dangerous than most monsters. Many an Argonaut have fallen to the horrors of hotel rooms.”
Garrett and I both laughed, until we saw the serious expressions on their faces. “Wait, seriously? What, do the blankets swallow heroes whole?” I said incredulously. Garrett chuckled again.
Donovan replied, “Do you have any idea how many myths and stories there are about house guests being murdered? And even more dangerous, most of them are covered in germs and horrible bacteria. Steer clear of hotel rooms.”
I thought they were joking, but they all kept completely straight faces. I was considering questioning that, but Phelix spoke in the back of my head. Drop it. Trust me, you DO NOT want to get an explanation. That is one thing that never seems to change throughout history for some reason. Despite my questions, I chose to take his advice and let the subject drop.
Donovan spoke again, directing his reply at Nyka, “I think we should keep moving. From what Ari told us, you guys have a monster army on your tail. I would rather not fight them until we have an army of our own. And for all we know, they have already caught Hector. There is no sense waiting for him if we don’t even know he is coming.”
Arianna nodded her assent gravely. “I had forgotten about that. Even if we keep moving, they still might catch up to us before we reach the mountains. It’s open fields from here to there. No cities, no towns, no chance for help. Donovan can’t move very fast; he is still healing.”
“I’ll manage,” he replied. “I think we are in agreement that we should keep going, yes?” We all nodded.
Arianna turned to Ranger, “Why don’t you go and figure out exactly how far away the army is. You can keep an eye on them so we don’t get surprised. I will fly around and try to spot Hector. He doesn’t know the plan and he might not know about the army. He needs to be warned.”
Ranger gave a slight yip in agreement, and just like that, he disappeared. Arianna unfolded her wings and, without a second word, took to the sky. That left Garrett, Nyka, Donovan, and I standing in the middle of a park staring into the sky. Any passersby might have thought we were birdwatching.
“Let’s get going,” Nyka said after a few moments. We began to walk in the direction of the now-looming mountains. They were much larger than they looked a few days ago. Despite Donovan’s assurances that he was fine, he had a noticeable limp. I couldn’t help but feel for the guy. He had been walking with a serious injury for close to a week now. It’s a miracle he was still on his feet.
It wasn’t all for nothing though. For the first time since the journey began, we could see the fruits of our labor. The mountains got bigger as we walked, spreading in both directions across the horizon, as if coming out of a thick fog.
As Arianna had predicted, there was nothing but uncultivated fields as soon as we stepped out of the city limits. There wasn’t even a road, so we were stuck trudging through thorny fields filled with holes. Nothing too exciting happened, other than the occasional stop to remove stickers from our socks, so I will just skip to the fun part.
Just as the sun was dipping towards the horizon, a silver streak announced the entrance of Ranger. He gave a yowl which made all of us jump, then fell at Garrett’s feet. He was bleeding silver from a ragged cut across his side.
“They are coming! We have to hurry!” Garrett shouted. He picked up Ranger and cradled him, running towards the mountains. We followed his lead, simultaneously trying to retrieve bandages for Ranger’s wounds. I turned but didn’t like what I saw. There weren’t any silhouettes thankfully, but the army was kicking up large amounts of dust that told us how close they were.
We ran as fast as we could for as long as we could. The uncultivated fields of tall grass finally gave way to more manageable plains. Just ahead of us was a tree line, which brought a surge of hope. Those hopes lasted only a few seconds before they were dashed as Donovan’s leg finally gave out. He had been running on the injury for too long; in a cry of pain he crumpled to the floor. I lurched forward to help him up, but before I could, Phelix shouted a warning in my head.
My spirit empowered hearing heard the whistle of a sword just behind me. Time slowed momentarily as I whirled around, bringing up one of my own daggers to parry the strike. It glanced off my blade and hit the ground to my right. I swung at its owner instinctively, who dodged the strike. Before I took a second swipe with the other dagger, I recognized the swordsman.
It was Hector! He wore his full armor and wielded a wicked looking double-sided sword staff. It looked like a short quarterstaff with two slightly curved blades on both ends, one of which was embedded in the ground. He pulled it from the ground, preparing another attack.
“Hector, stop!” Garrett shouted so loud that Hector hesitated momentarily. “They aren’t traitors! They explained everything.”
Hectors face reddened, “Save it! You saw Daniel! They did that!” Before he could continue, a very astonished and angry voice behind me spoke.
25
Well, That Escalated Quickly
GARRETT
Time seemed to stop while I sat there trying to decide which side I was on. Actually, I was more trying to figure out what the sides even were! Hector attacks us, claiming Donovan is a traitor. Donovan attacks Hector, claiming Hector is a traitor. Nyka would almost definitely side with Donovan, but Kam would probably side with Hector. I was fully aware of his distrusting Donovan from the start, so him attacking Hector would be the last straw. So that left me as the deciding factor in a fight between my friends and my brother.
Got any advice for me, Bione? As cliché as it sounds, follow your heart. I chose you for your strong will and even stronger heart. In times like this, it is best to stick to those. You will find the right answer, but you have to trust yourself.
With that piece of advice, I now had to decide where my heart was in this. Not necessarily an easier question. I glanced in Nyka’s direction. She would side with Donovan without a doubt. I trusted her judgment, and she trusted Donovan. That decided it for me. Hector was a traitor. He was the missing puzzle piece that made the whole picture make sense.
Time unfroze and two blades collided with a deafening clang. Hector parried Donovan’s attack, using the force of the clash to spin the other blade towards Donovan’s face. Ranger leaped from my arms and I summoned my armor and weapons to defend Donovan. I tried to block the strike, but I knew that it was in vain. I hadn’t reacted fast enough.
The Wish Box Page 15