by J E Reed
“The same.” Gamertags, what the hell did that mean? She’d dabbled in a few games here and there, but most annoyed the hell out of her so she’d never played long. But she’d also used the name Vixin in an assortment of online forums and learning centers.
Silence filled their little camp again until Anton asked, “Care to share yours?”
“It’s Vixin.”
“Guess that’s better than Blitzer.” He tried to laugh, but it was strained, and she didn’t return it. How did any of this make sense? Why were they tagged to begin with? Did the bracelets have tracking devices in them?
Vixin examined the small stone and then ran her fingers along the braided leather. Smooth, nothing out of place. She tried to pull it off, but the material seemed just tight enough that it wouldn’t fit over her hand. She pulled out her knife and sawed at the leather. Sawed and sawed and sawed, cursing to herself as she tugged and pulled at the material to no avail.
“What the hell are these things made of?”
Anton shrugged. “I couldn’t get mine off either.” She tugged at it again, but some unseen force kept the bracelet intact and unmarred by her knife. Leather didn’t do that. Leather stretched; leather could be cut. So, what was this?
Vixin finally gave up and stared at the darkness beyond the trees. “It’s not important right now anyway.” She hoped. What if they were the game? What kind of messed up situation would she have to be in to become the hunted? Sure, human trafficking was a thing nowadays, but did some sicko want to hunt people for sport?
It still didn’t explain why the bracelets simply wouldn’t come off. Indestructible material didn’t exist, though her father might have disagreed with her in the moment. Maybe they’d found some—Vixin shook her head. Conspiracy theories weren’t going to help. Not right now.
Vixin threw another log into the fire, sending a mass of sparks through the air. She laid back and folded her hands behind her head. She could run through possibilities tomorrow. Right now, all she wanted to do was sleep.
Anton cleared his throat. “Um, Vixin?”
She sighed. “Yes?”
“Do you think you could teach us? How to defend ourselves I mean?”
She didn’t open her eyes. “Maybe. If you let me sleep.” Vixin heard his little sound of triumph and rolled her eyes. Maybe she’d lose them in the woods tomorrow, disappear behind a tree before they took notice.
Her father’s disapproving scowl appeared in her mind. She would have argued with him, but like always, he would have eventually won. Fine, she’d help them, but as soon as she found civilization, they were on their own.
~~~
Three days passed and Vixin seriously considered killing them herself. They complained endlessly. First it was food. Then it was water. Then food again. Then Blitz’s feet hurt. On and on and on. If a bear came their way, she’d welcome its ferocity. It’d get Blitz first and Anton would foolishly try to save him while she sprinted away to enjoy her freedom. They reminded her exactly why she didn’t mingle with people her own age.
“Need food.” Vixin hurled another rock at Anton, successfully hitting him in the shoulder. At least the two idiots gave her good target practice. He hissed and rubbed at the area then glared at her. She glared right back.
“Can you stop doing that?”
“Can you stop complaining?”
“But I’m hungry.”
“I don’t hear Blitz crying about it.”
They continued in silence, passing tree after tree with no end in sight. She knew how large forests could be, but the thought of spending more than a week with two crying fools following her had Vixin wishing she’d been stranded somewhere else. Maybe somewhere she’d be required to kill and eat them.
Vixin grimaced at the thought. Maybe that was going a bit far. Neither had much meat on their bones anyway.
She paused to examine a downed tree, the branches cut and dragged off. Another sat a few paces away, though it had been cut into manageable pieces. Tracks lined the area, human tracks.
“Finally!” Anton cried.
Vixin fetched a stone from her pocket and hurled it at him, striking the boy in the head. He turned on her, but Vixin placed a finger to her lips and panic covered his face. Both boys mimicked her actions and hunkered behind a tree.
Vixin crept forward until a wall entered her view. A wall that circled around what she could only assume to be a camp. Two armed men stood at the gate, both holding—spears? What was this, the middle ages?
Anton crept up beside her, leaving Blitz to look like a helpless child. Honestly, he probably was, but she wasn’t about to pick on the kid anymore. He still hadn’t said much, and that made him better company than Anton.
“Why are we hiding?” he whispered.
“Where do you think the boys who attacked you came from?”
His face paled. “I assumed they’d woken up out there like we did.”
She raised a brow. “With weapons? Without a care in the world?” She shifted her attention back to the guards. “I’m willing to bet this is their home base and if those are the kind of scoundrels they staff then I’m not walking in announced.”
“What are you going to do then?”
Vixin glanced down at her soiled clothes. She hadn’t had a bath in days and was sure she smelled just as bad as the boy kneeling beside her. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a change of clothes.”
Anton’s mouth gaped. “Clothes? That’s what you’re thinking about right now? What about food? Weapons?”
“I suppose they would come in handy too.” She gave him a teasing smile, then scooted away from the wall. Blitz and Anton followed and gathered around her. “You two stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Anton protested. “No way, you can’t do that by yourself.”
“Why, because I’m a girl?” He opened his mouth to respond but seemed to think better of it. “If you tried to come, you might as well make a bullhorn and announce yourself to the world.”
“How will we know if you get in trouble?”
Vixin smirked. “I’m always in trouble. That’s half the fun, but those guys?” She jerked a thumb behind her. “Amateurs, just like the jerks who attacked you. Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.”
~~~
With the setting sun, Vixin crawled toward the small village, keeping to the shadows. She kept a careful eye on those patrolling the gate and surrounding area. Okay, maybe she’d lied to Anton a little. They weren’t complete amateurs, but they didn’t worry her either. She’d crept into enough places to know what to look for. And those usually had cameras.
Vixin’s stomach growled, telling her Anton’s idea for food might not be such a bad one. She could get it on her own, but that required hunting, and hunting required a weapon. Snares were always an option, but that required her to wait. And she wanted to find out where she was and escape as soon as possible.
Vixin ducked behind a trunk as one of the guards turned. She waited, counting the seconds it usually took for someone to dismiss a perceived threat. She took a breath and peered from the tree. In one swift movement, Vixin bounded from her hiding place, jumped to grab the wall, and hauled herself over without making a sound.
She pressed her back against the first house, angling herself into the deepest part of the shadows. A man passed by, looking far sleepier than she thought a guard should. She crept forward and peered into the first window.
Two people slept in a bed together with another four spread out across the floor. Too risky. She scurried toward the next house, swinging around the back to avoid the guard again. But several people occupied that one as well.
Okay, so they weren’t in chains. Maybe that group of boys hadn’t come from this place. Maybe she could have simply walked through the front gate, dropped off Anton and Blitz, ate a good meal, and been on her way.
But something in her gut warned against it. She didn’t know why, could never fully explain it, but her father had
told her to listen. He said instinct would keep her alive longer than any weapon.
Vixin leaned against the third house and crawled toward the edge to survey the center of town. Two guards drew her attention, again armed with spears as they stood outside the doors to another house. Either someone important slept there, or they’d just given away the location of their supplies.
Vixin circled around, sliding along the sides of buildings. She kept one eye on the guards, checking for any shift in body language that would indicate she’d been discovered.
She noted the broken side window. And the shards of glass left in place. They must have left them to prevent any would-be thieves from crawling through. She smiled, checked the guards again, then darted across the short expanse.
Vixin knelt below the window and silently jumped up, locking her fingertips along the edge. She pulled her body up, reached beyond the glass, and anchored her hand on the inside before pulling herself through in one swift motion.
She’d seriously have to thank her father for all those grueling workout routines when she returned home.
Vixin scanned the interior. No walls separated the small space into rooms. A few wooden crates sat against either wall, but even these people didn’t appear to have much. It made her curious, almost enough to leave and come back in the morning. Almost. That nagging feeling in her gut still told her to steer clear.
She headed straight for the weapon’s rack and ran her hands along the dozen or so pieces before settling on a pair of long knives. Vixin examined the edge, running her finger along the surface. Certainly not perfect, but both were far better than the pitiful knife stuffed in her boot.
She opened a crate and rummaged through the leather, finding a set of frogs and a belt that could be slung over her shoulders. She tightened them, creating new holes for the too large buckles, and secured the weapons to her back.
Afterward, it was clothes, most of which proved to be too large on her small frame, but with a few pieces of rope she made them work. Vixin stuffed a few others that she thought might fit Anton and Blitz into a satchel, then reached for the food.
She lifted another lid, but shouts from outside drew her attention. She paused, listening, and then a blaring horn sent her racing for the doorway. Vixin pressed her body against the wall as the door burst open, and she raised her forearms to brace against the swinging impact as a group of men rushed in.
They tipped the crates, grabbing whatever they could get their hands on. Vixin didn’t wait. She slipped through the entrance, but outside had shifted to a very different scene.
Fires lined the area, illuminating all her previous hiding places. Three individuals raced toward the building, each pointing at her, their battle cries echoing through the air.
Cursing her bad luck, Vixin shoved the bag behind her body and drew her new weapons. The first attacker swung, but she dodged to the right, using her blades to block her next attacker. Her foot collided with his shin and she ducked low to sweep his legs from under him.
Something wrapped around Vixin’s ankle and yanked her foot out from beneath her. Her elbows stung as she collided with the ground, but whatever had a hold of her began pulling. Vixin spun around, ready to cut herself loose, but the sight made her pause.
She blinked even as her body scooted across the ground. Was it a trick of the light? Were those plants crawling up her leg?
More greenery erupted from the earth like monsters that had a mind of their own. They wrapped around her wrists, pinning her tightly to the ground.
Panic flooded her core as a man wearing leather armor stalked forward, more vines connected to his arm. This was a dream. A nightmare. It had to be. She struggled harder, pulling at her restraints even as thorns bit through her flesh.
He raised his weapon and Vixin yanked harder still. Something deep in her gut responded. She didn’t understand it, but somehow, at her desperate command, things wriggled beneath the earth and shot out with her desperate cry. They impaled her attacker, and Vixin scrambled to her feet when her bonds slackened.
She stared at his helpless form, blood leaking from the eight holes plants had made in his body. Plants. They’d shot straight through his middle, anchoring him to the ground. He let out a strangled cough and then fell still.
Vixin’s eyes widened, but the raging chaos surrounding her broke her from the shock. She took a step back, grabbed her weapons from the ground, and sprinted for the trees as fast as her legs could carry her.
Vixin ran past two people fighting, then took note of someone running beside her. She cast him a quick glance and they disappeared into the trees together. He eyed her more than once, his arms full of various items while hers only held the daggers. He offered a triumphant smile and Vixin snarled in return.
She refused to stop, her legs pounding in time to her racing heart, but the young man running beside her managed to keep up. Then more people joined. She took a count and slowed her pace, noting that most carried items just as he did. A band of thieves? Maybe this was the group those lanky men hailed from.
With their pursuers so close, she didn’t dare stop. With any luck, this group of people would simply think her a new member. Once they were distracted, she’d slip away unnoticed and find the two she’d left behind. With how Anton marched through the forest, anyone would be able to track them down. If they hadn’t already been caught.
The one still glancing at her finally slowed to a walk, and she followed suit when others did the same. Two fires illuminated the trees ahead. Vixin glanced to her right, her left, and then behind. A few dozen at least, though it was hard to judge in the dark. Too many eyes to disappear from without notice.
It couldn’t quite be called a clearing, but they entered a break in the trees and those carrying items dropped them in a pile at the center. The one who’d run beside her did the same and gave a passing glance to those surrounding the fire. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment, then passed by. She let out a soft breath.
The young man placed one foot on their small pile of riches and a broad smile crossed his face, but before he could give what she was sure to be a lengthy and embarrassing speech, Anton and Blitz were thrown at his feet. Vixin cursed under her breath.
“We found them lurking on the outskirts of the village.”
The one still standing atop their treasures turned to her. “They aren’t the only new faces.” She bristled, and those surrounding her took several steps back. “Did you follow us to avenge them?”
Vixin glanced around. Fear. Most eyed the weapons still in her grasp. At least they wouldn’t put up much of a fight if it came down to it. Her gaze drifted to Anton and the pleading look in his eyes. How did someone manage to become a captive twice in one week? It would be so easy for her to leave them. Get on with her life. Her father’s scowl returned.
Vixin sighed and put her blades away. “I have no affiliation with them.”
He left his pile, swaggering toward her. “Then what were you doing there?”
Vixin nodded toward the pile of goods. “The same as you it seems.”
He looked her up and down, those soft brown eyes betraying the outward confidence he tried to radiate. “Then I guess those belong to us now don’t they?” He eyed her daggers and the bag at her side.
Vixin smirked. “Then come get them.”
Tension floated between them for a long moment, then he burst out laughing. Caught off guard, her gaze shifted to others in the group who were also snickering, though some did let out a sigh of relief.
He held out his hand. “I’m Zak and this,” he gestured to those surrounding them, “is my family.”
Vixin eyed his hand but didn’t take it. “And?”
He cracked a teasing smile. “I'm trying to welcome you into the fold.”
It was her turn to laugh. “I’m not here to join your little fan club.”
He furrowed his brow. “Then why did you follow us?”
She shrugged. “Seemed the best thing to do at the
time, but I’ll be going now.”
“You’re new to this world, aren’t you?” Vixin ignored him and didn’t slow her steps. “Don’t you want answers about the magic?”
At that, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. “There’s no such thing as magic.”
“There is here.” Zak held out one hand and particles crystalized from thin air, forming a crystalline sphere in his hand. After a moment, the particles broke apart and fell to the earth like rain.
Vixin’s lips parted and her gaze traveled from one face to the next in search of anyone who’d be just as surprised as she was. None were.
“Come on, dinner will be ready soon.” He turned without waiting for a response to address Anton and Blitz. “I assume you’re with her?” They nodded. “Then you’re welcome too.” Zak helped the two boys to their feet. The rest of his crowd seemed to ignore her after that, settling themselves into a routine they’d probably done dozens of times.
Vixin stood rooted to the same spot, trying to piece together what she’d seen. It could have been a cheap trick. A ploy to add to his numbers. But...the vines. That certainly wasn’t a trick. She could still see the man’s blood seeping from his mouth. Through his clothes. Was his death on her hands?
She took a breath and finally seated herself against a tree, watching those in Zak’s company walk back and forth. Some manned the fires, others skinned animals, and the remaining few took stock of their new collection. She shifted her attention back to the trees. They shouldn’t linger. This camp wasn’t that far away from the place they’d just robbed. It would take nothing for—
“Don’t worry about them.” Zak tried handing her a chunk of cooked rabbit, the creature impaled on a stick, but she turned away. “Come on, take it.”
“I don’t need your charity.”
“It’s not charity. We all work to help one another. Everyone has a job to do.”
“You don’t know me or whether I’ll stay.”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You were there. You played a part.”
Her stomach growled and she eyed the rabbit.