by J E Reed
“Exactly.” They both laughed.
“Seriously though, do you think we’re far enough away?”
“I won’t know anything until we’ve scouted the perimeter, but the rain washed away our tracks days ago and with a river separating us, I’d say we’re as good as we’re gonna get.”
Zak looked up. “So, we’re really going to live in the trees huh?”
“It’ll ensure we’re ready if anyone does come for us.”
He eyed her. “You look ready to fall over.”
Her head was swimming, and her magic had tried warning her, stinging its way through her veins like an angry hornet. “I might have overdone it.”
“You still haven’t recovered?”
“Creating perimeters every night kinda prevents that.”
“Every night? Vixin we’ve been moving for over a week.”
“I’m aware.”
He stared at her. “So much for only looking out for number one.”
“I guess your bad habits are rubbing off on me.”
Zak chuckled. “Come on, if anyone deserves to dry off, I think it’s you.”
She followed him and when Zak placed an arm over her shoulder, she didn’t push him away.
~~~
Vixin didn’t rest. She built, creating paths and archways that weaved themselves between the trees. Thick trunks twisted around one another to serve as pillars that reached toward a second story.
Vixin leaned against a trunk, allowing her magic to settle. The stinging had grown more painful by the hour, but there was still a lot to get done before she could allow herself rest.
She watched those running back and forth on the ground and wondered what would happen when she finally finished. Was she content to live a simple life while someone else tackled the hard part? It might be fun to test her abilities in a different way.
“You know, that wicked grin prevents you from making friends.” Zak handed her a steaming cup. “Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not, you wouldn’t approve.”
He leaned against the opposite wall she’d been working on. It didn’t have a roof yet, nor anything in its center, but once she finished, it’d be a sturdy home.
“Sticking around to enjoy the boring life?”
She took a drink. “What makes you say that?”
Zak patted the wall behind him. “You’ve been working on this all morning. I assumed it was for you.”
Vixin averted her gaze. “Actually, it’s yours.”
Zak stared at her then turned to study the wall. He walked a few paces to his right and craned his neck to view the branches she’d been forming above.
Zak point. “You’re really going to make yourself climb all the way up there?”
“It’ll be good for me. Besides, I can’t have anyone sneaking in on me in the middle of the night, now can I?”
“And if they try?”
She took another drink. “Let’s hope Sam can get to them before the toxin sets in.”
Zak gave an exasperated sigh. “What’s with women and poison?”
She shrugged. “I suppose it’s in our genes. Just like men and their swords.” Zak chuckled and they both turned toward those running back and forth below.
“You won’t get bored?”
“With what?”
“The simple life. Skipping out on adventures that could get us killed.”
“Last I checked, we still have at least one to tackle.”
He smiled. “Right, but after that. Am I going to wake up one day and wonder where you ran off to?”
“Have I given that impression?”
“Not recently. I just want you to know that I’m not the only one who’d miss you. Sam doesn’t shut up about you either.”
Vixin clicked her tongue. “Well, if Sam wants to keep his arms intact, he’ll keep his distance.”
“You haven’t broken mine yet.” Zak brushed the hair away from her shoulder.
“Yet,” she emphasized and gave him a playful smile. “So, about this last run.”
“No need to worry, I already have a team on it. They’ll be back in a few days, we’ll make a plan, then presto, we’re set.”
“Good, because I need new clothes.”
“And furniture,” he added.
Vixin barked out a laugh. “Plan to carry a couch out now?” She gestured him inside his new home and tugged at the vines in the floor. They rose, twisting around one another until a loveseat formed in the corner. “There, all you need now are cushions.”
Vixin turned, but Zak was there. Close. Too close. His breath hit her face and her stomach twisted in knots. Zak’s hand grazed her cheek with a feather-like touch. “Would you really break my arm?”
Vixin slowly shook her head, not trusting herself to form words. Her mind raced as Zak leaned in and—
“Zak, how long are you going to laze out on me up there?” Sam called from outside the door. Vixin sidestepped before Sam entered and she could have sworn she heard Zak growl. “Come on man, you’re the one who said we had work to get done.”
Zak gave her an apologetic look. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”
~~~
Days passed with Zak’s assurance that whoever he’d sent out on the scouting mission could more than handle themselves. After their last encounter, she wasn’t so sure.
Vixin glanced at the horizon line and signed, tugging at her magic to patch the final hole in her roof. She inched her way down the steep slope, then dropped off the side, grabbing the ledge to swing herself through the large window.
A fresh breeze filtered through, hitting the sweat on her face as she stood in the circular space. Sure, windows meant someone could sneak in, but she had measure in place to ensure they never made it out again.
She’d placed her home high above the others with a single vine dangling from a hole on the outskirts of the floor. Zak had shaken his head at it, but it wasn’t as though she wanted visitors anyway.
Vixin circled the open space, the inside still completely barren as she contemplated what she’d like to find within.
Flowers. She decided.
Elaborate flowers that would thrive and fill the entire room with a fragrance sweeter than honey. She’d start with one of her favorites.
The vines crawled their way from the ground, twisting around the structures below before reaching out from the branches that surrounded her domain. They crawled in through the windows and around her roof before the long, blue flowers budded and blossomed one by one.
The sweet aroma filling the air reminded her of a porch her and her father had sat upon in the early spring. One of their former homes in Ohio.
She’d never miss the winters there, even if it did bring its own pleasantries and vaguely wondered if they’d get deep snows here or if the climate would stay relatively warm. They were supposedly in some sort of simulation after all.
“These should be wrapped around every house.” Zak reached for the flower then hesitated.
Vixin giggled. “You can touch that one.”
A sly smile crossed his face as he brushed his hands across the delicate flowers. “Have to check, never know with you.”
“You should consider yourself lucky, I could be playing for the other team.” She sauntered toward him. “And trust me when I say, you wouldn’t have escaped my traps.”
“Not sure if that's supposed to scare or comfort me.”
“Both.” Vixin tilted her head. “How did you get in here anyway?”
He pointed toward her trapdoor. “Climbed.”
She raised her brows. “Wow. Didn't realize you had it in you.”
“After all the hell you’ve put us through, you didn’t think I could climb a rope?”
“Rope climbing isn’t just about strength.” She pointed a finger at him. “You’ve had practice.”
He shrugged. “Nothing like you've had. Though I do hold the school record for the fastest climb.”
“They have records for that?
”
“I live in a small town.”
“Well then Mr. Champion. Care to take on a challenger?”
~~~
It became a game. Who could climb the vines the fastest? Vixin had woven two vines around the second-floor railing and let them dangle to the ground.
Not even Zak had been able to keep up with her. He’d come close, close enough that her forearms had burnt from the exertion, but after reaching the top and dangling from a branch with careless abandon, Zak had declared her the winner.
She’d joked about visiting his school to steal his crown, but Zak had only smiled, stating he’d be happy just to see her in the outside world.
Vixin’s gaze lingered on the horizon. It’d been four days.
“They should have been back by now,” Zak said.
“Should we send out a search party?”
“I’d hate to spread us any thinner than we already are. Daniel is careful, he wouldn’t do anything reckless.”
“Maybe they're lying low somewhere or trying to shake someone off their trail.”
“Maybe.”
Vixin crossed her arms. “No sense in worrying about it now. They’ll get back when they get back. At least we know our enemies aren’t close.”
“Or they’re too close.”
Vixin cringed. “I could set up a perimeter, one that would one hundred percent ensure we aren’t caught by surprise.”
“And risk killing our friends?” Vixin didn’t comment. Zak sighed. “A perimeter would be good, just, nothing that could kill anyone, all right?”
Zak paced down the walkway, running his hands through his hair before locking his fingers behind his head. He wasn’t the only one worried.
Vixin let her magic glide through the trees and into the earth. She gathered seeds, transporting them to form a protective circle beneath and around their camp. She’d make it so that if anyone did come for them, it’d be the last thing they’d ever do.
~~~
Vixin sprouted another tree from the muddy ground. The rain had eased up, but still came far too frequently for her liking. At least it kept the river swollen.
Someone called from above, indicating for a branch to be extended. She complied and smiled to herself. At one time she might have told them all to figure it out on their own. But now they treated her like one of their own. Like family.
Zak had gotten what he wanted after all.
Vixin’s adrenaline spiked with the distant scream that echoed across the plains. She jumped to her feet, eyes scanning until she locked onto four figures running through the tall grass as if their lives depended on it.
Zak sprinted through the trees and into the open meadow before she made it to ground level. Five others followed; the rest stunned into silence.
Vixin’s stomach dropped, her heart skidding to a halt with it.
There are other things out there. Monsters, creatures like you’ve never seen.
She’d thought it’d been a ploy to keep her around. A scare tactic like the ones parents used to keep their children in line. She never imagined…
Her blood chilled when the beast jumped, clamping its powerful jaw around the slowest runner. Its friends joined the frenzy, ripping and tearing flesh while the young man screamed and screamed and screamed.
She let out a shuddering breath. She’d read. She’d studied. Hell, she’d killed, but this? Flesh torn from bone, blood dripping from the canines of a wolf. No… not a wolf. Something darker, something bigger, with more teeth and—a monster. And Zak was headed right for it.
“Stop!” No one listened. “Zak, I said stop!”
He swiveled, his body still moving toward the creatures as he gave her a frantic, pleading look. Those around him paused, glancing between her and their leader.
Vixin knelt, her arms shaking as she dug her fingers into the dirt. Her magic fanned out, seeking the seeds she’d buried around the perimeter. If their comrades could just get over that invisible line…
Another beast leapt through the air, sinking its teeth into their friend’s shoulder. His screams flooded her heart with a heaviness Vixin wasn’t sure she could bear.
Zak started running again, but Vixin shouted, “Zak, wait!”
“I can’t just let them—”
“Trust me!”
His look of helplessness tore through her like a hot blade. It was the same look he’d given her the day he thought she’d be tortured. His desperate gaze kept shooting between her and the two men still running for their lives.
They were tired. Slowing, but Vixin willed them on.
Just a little further.
She gripped the blades of grass in a fist.
Come on, a little further.
Almost.
Their feet crossed the line and Vixin’s magic ripped from the ground like a wild beast ready to devour its prey. Vines plunged into the creatures still charging and their howls of rippling pain echoed as beast after beast impaled themselves upon thorns as large as her arm.
Vixin screamed, letting her rage soak into the earth. Her magic grew in a wide arch, catching those attempting to circle around her structure. She kept pulling, shifting the plants this way and that.
This was her home.
This was her family.
And she’d be damned if she let this world take them away from her.
Ice spread across the ground, carving a path for his friends as it sailed toward the few creatures she’d missed. Vixin didn’t let up and their magic collided with the creatures together, blood dripping from both vine and ice.
One of their companions tripped, but Vixin wrapped them in a thorny embrace before the creatures could claim them. Zak’s magic slammed through two beasts before crawling along her wall to solidify the barrier.
Their comrades who’d been silent until now charged into the fray. Their magic wasn’t as strong, but with pinpointed accuracy they could eliminate the remaining threats.
And they did.
Silence stretched across the field and a soft whine started somewhere within the thorns. She relished in its suffering, whatever it was.
Vixin’s breathing turned short and shallow. Blood pulsed in her ears as she stood in the aftermath. Her eyes traced the long wall of thorns and her body trembled.
Bodies hung in the air like trophies, their blood either dripping to the earth, or rolling down near-translucent spikes of ice.
Zak used the hilt of his sword to break through the sphere guarding their friends. They emerged, shaken but safe.
Her breath still wouldn’t calm. Her body wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Are you hurt?” Sam stood a few paces away, his brows scrunched together as he looked her over. “Vixin, can—”
Chapter Nine
Warmth flooded her body. Too much warmth. And her bones ached so deep she thought she could feel it in her very soul. It was a part of her that hadn’t existed before this world. This terrible, wretched, confusing world.
Vixin opened her eyes to a starry void. A fire crackled to her left and Zak sat against the tree to her right. He gazed into the night, looking just as exhausted as she felt.
She shifted to sit up and Zak was there before she could protest. “Easy does it.”
Blood rushed through her head and she leaned against him until the dizzy spell passed. “I’m all right.”
“That’s the second time you’ve passed out on me. Not sure that counts as all right.”
“I just pushed it too far. Again.” She pressed a finger to her temple, trying to rub away the pounding. “I’m sorry, I wish I could have done something sooner.”
“Don’t be sorry. You saved two men, along with the rest of us.”
Vixin examined the faces surrounding them. Six in total, all circled around the fire. “Maybe we should head up, it’d be safer.”
Zak nodded and helped her stand. Her legs trembled, but Zak held her tight, tighter than he ever had. He nodded to someone and vines wrapped around their torsos. It was strange
to be lifted by magic that wasn’t your own.
She reached inward and hissed when her magic bit back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just sore.”
“Do I need to get Sam?”
Vixin shook her head. “Just take me somewhere quiet.”
Zak nodded and kept his arm around her as they hobbled down the pathway. Vixin kept her eyes glued to the ground, afraid she’d find someone with enough sorrow in their eyes to reignite her own.
Vixin hardly noticed where they walked until Zak turned into his home. He led her to the small couch she’d constructed days ago and sat her down before starting a fire in the opposite corner.
He didn’t say much, and part of Vixin wondered if Zak wanted her around right now. “Did you,” she paused, almost afraid to ask. “Did you ever lose anyone before I came along?”
The fire ignited and he threw in some kindling. “One, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault.” She waited, the small fire growing in its stone hearth. “He took his own life. It happened after we saw our first horde of monsters and barely escaped. The fear of being eaten alive consumed him and we found him with his wrists slit the following morning.”
Zak took a breath. “None of this is your fault. We knew the risks when we started, we just never thought… it’s hard you know? Seeing someone die when that person is someone you know.”
Vixin stared at the fire then looked at her hands. “Do you think staying away from the frontlines is the best thing to do?”
“Like you said, they’re not strong enough to fight.”
“But we are. We could offer our services in exchange for their protection. Safety in numbers and all that. Even if I teach them, no one can learn everything overnight.” She sighed. “They all hesitated today. It’s hard to admit, but they’re not cut out for this.”
“Are any of us? I will protect them. We’ll build bigger walls, set stronger traps, fortify ourselves until even those battling on the frontlines wouldn’t dare mess with us.”
“Sounds like you’re going to need a lot of help.”
“Yours is all I need. If you’re willing to stick around.”