by Ain Soph
My head snaps in Dryden’s direction and I push him away from me, breaking his eye contact with Edric. “You need to stop. Now. You’re taking it too far, and that was completely out of line for you to say.” I turn around to face Edric in the back seat and take in his red face and shallow breathing. I should have stepped in sooner before Dryden continued. I put too much faith in him, and he took a low blow at Edric. “You’re both taking this too far. We’re all on the same team. There’s no reason to fight.” I’m running out of patience with the friction between our group and I don’t understand where it’s stemming from. Edric doesn’t trust Dryden, that much is clear, but why? Because he’s a threat? Dryden hasn’t done anything to either of us to warrant that kind of accusation.
Edric frown and looks back and forth between Dryden and I. “Why can’t you see how dangerous he is, Luxem? I’m just trying to protect you. I told you that’s my mission. Why won’t you just let me do it?”
I groan and run a hand through my hair, “Dryden is not a threat to two well trained mercenaries, and I can protect myself, Edric! What do you think I’ve been doing these past five years?”
I lean against the front seat with a sigh, waiting for either Dryden or Edric to add to the conversation. Instead, Dryden opens the car door, slamming it on his way out. I glance at Edric’s face in the mirror to see him looking out with window, sorrow etched into the fine features of his face. How did everything go so downhill? We finally have something. Why is everything falling apart now?
I need to cool off. I need to fix things with Edric. I need to bring Dryden back to the car so we can finish driving to Timberwood. I’m sure if I think harder, there’s even more I have to do, but for now, I’ll start with cooling my own temper down. Maybe I’ll just take a walk around the area. It seems like a decently safe place. I exit the car and look around to see if there’s a trail or something similar nearby so I can get some exercise. Instead, I spot Dryden in a field just beyond the treeline. I stroll over toward him, taking my time so I can enjoy the nature around me. Vibrant flowers. Cascading leafy branches. Gurgling streams. And the setting sun shining golden rays through the trees. It’s picturesque here- probably one of the most beautiful locations I’ve ever passed through- and I can barely enjoy it because I’m so worried about Edric, Dryden, and the mission.
I finally catch up to Dryden and follow his gaze over the hillside below us. The field he chose to relax in is past the trees, giving us a clearer view of the sunset. I enjoy it for only a brief moment before turning toward Dryden, ready to talk about getting back on track for the mission. Before I can say anything, Dryden speaks first, never breaking his focus from the setting sun, “I think we should set up a camp here for the night. I know we don’t have that much longer to drive, but the tension in the car is getting to me, and I just want to take a break from it. We need to figure ourselves out before we get to Timberwood.”
I stare at him for a quick beat before weighing our options. Edric and I already pushed the mission back with our argument this morning. I don’t to put it off even further, but Dryden’s right. I don’t have much of a choice. Edric’s becoming a hindrance to us, and I need to talk to him- again. I should at least try to get to the bottom of his behavior. While he’s acting like this, I don’t want to sit in the car for another two and a half hours. It’ll be filled with either silence or arguing. What I want is for the three of us to work together as a team, but to make that happen, I need to find some way to convince Edric that Dryden’s not a threat. I have no idea why Edric’s so stuck on the idea that hes dangerous. He’s probably going to bring up the favor Dryden promised Artia. I doubt it’s anything too shady, but it’s a good idea to have the whole story before going to Edric.
I look sideways at Dryden and take a deep breath. I don’t know what I’ll do if he refuses to answer. That certainly wouldn’t help convince Edric that Dryden’s someone who can be trusted. “Hey, Dryden…?” He turns his head toward me and cocks an eyebrow. “What’s the favor you’re doing for Artia? She was determined to come with us from the very beginning, so what did you say that changed her mind?”
Dryden sighs and gives a dry laugh, “I don’t know if it’s going to make me seem like a very trustworthy person, but I told her she could steal a car from the auto shop. That way, she can finally make the escape from the Void that she so desperately wants. I’ll just deal with the fallout from it when I get back home.”
My eyes widen in disbelief, “Steal a car? You’re new to the Void. Your reputation isn’t set yet. Isn’t that going to be bad for business?”
Dryden nods, “It might. But I understand why she wants to leave the Void. And it’s not like she cared about this mission. All Artia wanted were resources.” He shrugs his shoulders and gives me a small smile, “Besides, I have a pretty strong feeling she would have stolen the car from right under our noses if given the chance. Her not coming is probably safest. Otherwise, we would have been stuck here, stranded.”
I still don’t quite understand, “But, why would you let her steal a car, Dryden? The Void is an amazing place, and the only reason Artia wants to leave is because she’s bored. How does boredom justify theft? I mean, mercenaries do their fair share of theft. I’m not trying to act high and mighty here, but…”
“But, you see me that way? High and mighty?” Dryden finishes. I sigh and give a slight nod in embarrassment. He laughs under his breath and looks back toward the setting sun. “I don’t think Artia’s just bored. Something isn’t right about the Void, and I think she felt it to. She acted like she was almost… threatened by something there. I don’t know. I don’t know how to explain any of it. It’s just unsettling.” I have no idea what he’s talking about. I didn’t notice anything out of place about the Void, but then again, I was there for such a short amount of time, I doubt I would have. I motion for Dryden to continue. I want to hear more about his observations. Usually, I have pretty good intuition, even though I still tend to air on the side of caution. With the Void, I didn’t any foreboding or paranoia. It seems like a place I can move to and actually be happy. Dryden sighs, trying to find the right words to explain his feelings. “I didn’t notice anything out of place at first, but after a couple of day, I realized that there is just something… off about the people living in the Void. Every interaction with them just somehow feels hollow, as if they’re just shells of people. It made me feel crazy, like I was the only real person in a sea of nothing. If Artia’s lived in that environment her entire life, then I have no doubt it was making her crazy too. Her indifference to the world around her seemed forced- sort of like Ulric, actually. To be honest, I’m not even sure I want to go back to the Void when this is all over.”
I shake my head, “Even if your intentions were innocent when you promised Artia that favor, I feel like Edric’s going to use it as a black mark against you. I have no idea what’s going on with him, and I want to sum it up by saying it’s jealousy, but honestly, I doubt that. I’ve never seen him act this way, and Edric and I have been through a lot together.”
Dryden stays quiet, looking down at the ground in front of him. After a moment he raises his eyes just enough to peer into mine. “I think you should talk to him, Luxem. His temper is putting the mission in jeopardy, and I’m not even sure temper is the right word for it. I know you want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I think he’s dangerous, and he’s unstable. Talk to him, but be careful.”
I sigh and push my bangs back from my eyes. I know Dryden’s right, and I plan to sit down and have a serious talk with Edric. But, I’m nervous. He is unstable, and he does seem dangerous, and I have no idea what set him off to the point of this behavior. As much as I don’t want to acknowledge it, a part of me is becoming more and more terrified of Edric. He’s someone I’ve known my entire life, but now, he’s truly a stranger to me. He’s always been intense and possessive, but this was something entirely new. I have no idea who Edric even is anymore.
I start back toward the car without replying
, leaving Dryden alone in the field behind me. There’s nothing more to say. Now is the time for action. I walk as slow as I possibly can, though, dreading my inevitable conversation with Edric. At some point, during Dryden’s and my conversation, Edric got out of the car. He’s now leaning against it, absentmindedly playing with the lighter he used to catch Loka’s car on fire. I fight every instinct in my body telling me to turn around and run in the opposite direction. I take another step toward Edric, snapping a bundle of twigs under my boot. Edric’s head jerks up and he glances through the trees at Dryden before giving me a wide, familiar grin. My heart jumps at his usual smirk, and I can’t help but wonder if maybe I’m overreacting. He’s obviously still the same Edric that I’ve always known- just paranoid about Dryden. I return his smile with one of my own and lean against the car beside him. Edric puts his lighter away and keeps his hands in his pockets, kicking the leaves in front of him.
“I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting, Luxie. I just want to protect you, and I really do feel like Dryden’s a threat. I can’t rationally explain why- just call it a gut feeling- but my instincts have never been wrong before. There’s just something dangerous about him, and you’re the only family I have left. I can’t lose you too.” Edric turns his body toward mine and grabs my shoulders. I can see the sincerity in his eyes, but it’s irritating that Edric won’t take my own judgment about Dryden into consideration. “And, I know my behavior’s irrational, Lux. I know. But… I can’t control it. I know that sounds crazy. I sound crazy right now, but it feels like some outside force is driving my words and actions. I reach this point where something in my brain just shuts off, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
I remove Edric’s hands from my shoulders and hold onto them as I place them back by his side. I feel for him. I don’t want Edric to suffer. But, he’s relying on emotion over logic and it’s threatening to destroy everything I’ve worked for. “Dryden isn’t the threat you think he is, Edric. I trust him, and he’s more than willing to help us with this mission. The entire reason we even have this lead right now is because of him helping me overcome whatever block I had about Lucie’s disappearance.” Edric scoffs and rolls his eyes, yanking his hands from mine. “Edric, please do not make this harder than it already is. You can be as suspicious of him as you want, but for the sake of all of us working as a team, could at least try to cooperate?”
Edric blankly stares at me for a moment before coldly backing away. “Let’s stay here for the night, then. We’re all tired and maybe a warm campfire is just what we need. Everything will be fine, Luxem. Don’t worry about it so much.” Now is probably a poor time to tell him that Dryden had that same idea. I search his face, looking for some sign that he actually means the words that he’s saying, but I can’t bring myself to fully believe him. His body language and tone don’t match what he’s saying, and I can’t read what’s going on in his head. Edric continues, “We all just need to relax, and after that, and some rest, we’ll be good to go, tomorrow.” He waits patiently for me to respond, but I have a hard time finding my words.
“I wanted to come talk to you so that we could smooth things over and come to some sort of an agreement…” I drift off, hoping that Edric’s able to understand what I’m saying, but he just gives me a tight lipped smile and nods his head.
“And, we have. I’ll go grab some stuff for the fire. Don’t leave camp.” Edric strolls farther into the forest, leaving me at a loss for words. I wasn’t planning to leave the area around the car, but since when does Edric give me orders. He’s never been that controlling. I walk back toward Dryden to tell him about our plan for the night. Along the way, I find myself hoping that Edric’s walk will clear his head. I doubt it’ll have much of an effect though. Something in Edric is unstable, and I’m worried that instability will be dangerous and Dryden will be the one to pay.
“It’s a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
-Buddha
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Edric came back after almost an hour in the woods with everything we needed to start a fire, but even after lighting it, tensions are still high. Dryden and I sat by the car in silence until Edric returned, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I don’t know what he was thinking about, but I know my mind went immediately to its darkest corners- my parents, Lucie, Isoline, the Remnants, and Edric. As close as I feel to Dryden, Edric’s still my family and I’m worried about him. He’s not a violent person, and he’s one of the most easy going people I’ve ever met. Since seeing him again outside the Remnant camp, I’ve considered the possibility that we’ve grown apart multiple times. There was always a voice in my head telling me that too much has happened in the past five years for us to ever be close, and maybe that’s still true, but it feels like there’s something else taking Edric away from me, some outside force neither of us have control over. He’s slipper further and further away from me, and I don’t know what to do to stop it. I miss my best friend, my family, the boy I love- even if it’s not in the way he wants. I wonder if our conversation beside the car was the last straw- if he’s lost to me forever.
Now, the three of us are sitting around the fire in uncomfortable silence. There’s no relaxation like Edric wanted. Instead, we’re all impatiently waiting for it to be late enough for bedtime. It’s probably going to be hard for us to fall asleep with hostility still so thick in the air. All of our nerves are on edge. I know Dryden feels threatened by Edric after he tried to crush his hand, and somehow, Edric feels similarly threatened by Dryden. I’m stuck in the middle, struggling to stay afloat and keep all of us together. I sigh and try to think of some topic that we can talk about, but nothing comes to mind. It’s always me breaking the silence between us and I’m running out of ideas. Maybe if I keep the conversations strictly mission related, there will be nothing to argue about. I turn toward Dryden and keep my voice light. Not too much pressure. It’s just a conversation. “I think you’ll like Timberwood. It’s beautiful this time of year.” I keep a forced smile plastered on my face, and when Dryden looks over at me, he freezes for a moment, probably taken aback by my expression. I know I’m trying too hard, but I’m still unused to doing mercenary work in a group even with my attempts to learn. Even if I fail to bring the three of us together, I want to try.
Edric ignores me and keeps his eyes trained on the fire in front of us, but Dryden gives me a slight smile. It looks like he’s trying too. “I’m sure it is, Luxem. It’ll be nice to see where you grew up.” Dryden glances at Edric briefly before returning his gaze to me and staring into my eyes for a moment. It looks like he’s trying to silently communicate something, but I have no idea what it could be. “Where are we all going to sleep tonight?” he asks.
Edric finally looks away from the fire and glares at Dryden, “Luxem and I can sleep in the car while you find a nice patch of leaves. Watch out for bugs.”
Unbelievable. Even after our conversation earlier, even after he told me everything is going to be fine, Edric is still acting like this. I open my mouth to chastise him, but Dryden slightly shakes his head. He’s definitely trying to accomplish something from this conversation, but it’s still unclear to me. Last time I put faith in him though, he escalated his argument with Edric and pulled me into it. Would trusting him with Edric be foolish of me? He’s already failed once. I want to know what he’s planning though… If I’m careful enough, maybe I can put a stop to things before they escalate.
“I’ll sleep with Luxem.” Dryden says in a monotone voice completely devoid of emotion. His eyes are fixed on Edric with a sharp intensity, and both our heads snap in Dryden’s direction. My breath catches in my throat as I look at Edric in concern. Why is Dryden doing this? There’s no way I could have stopped him in time. I should have ended the discussion the second he looked like he was up to something. Why is he trying to lead Edric into an emotional trap? He’s already on edge. We should be trying to calm him down, not anger his further. Dryden shouldn
’t be baiting him. Earlier, he made it sound like he wanted everything to work out smoothing between the three of us. Now, he’s inviting conflict.
I lower my voice and turn to Dryden, “Stop. Now. Why are you doing this? You’re not helping the situation.”
Dryden ignores me and keeps his focus on Edric, “Well, what do you say? Earlier, I probably would have said Luxem can choose where she sleeps, herself. But, if we’re just going to pick for her, then I pick that she sleeps with me. Right now, you’re the threat. It doesn’t matter if you want to protect her, because you’re the only one bringing her harm.”
I groan in irritation, “What is this? Your egos fighting? I’m sick of being in the middle of you two. Dryden, I don’t know what you’re plan was, but it’s not working. It actually doesn’t even make sense. I’m done. I’d be happier to sleep in a pile of leaves. You two can have the car to yourselves. Work things out before morning.”
Both men ignore me. Edric stands and hovers over Dryden menacingly. When he takes a step closer, Dryden immediately rises to stand eye to eye with Edric. I remain seated on the ground, looking between the two of them in concern. I’m beyond irritated with both of them. I think they’re being idiots, but I don’t want a fight to break out. “There’s zero chance of that happening,” Edric growls. “You’re a threat to Luxem and I’ll kill you before I let you get that close to her.”
“Edric,” I breathe in disbelief. He’s threatening to kill Dryden and then tossing my name in there as though it’s all for my sake. “We were alone while you grabbed the firewood today and nothing happened. Nothing on me is harmed, so back off. Both of you. Dryden, don’t even say a word in response. I told you to let it go, too.”
Edric glances at me, the helpless look in his eyes catching me by surprise. It’s completely different from the murderous rage he had just a second ago. “I can’t stop, Luxem. I’m trying to control it and I can’t…” He drifts off into a whisper mumbling something under his breath, and I take note of the light sheen of sweat covering his face. Edric’s fighting something. I was right. There is something wrong with him, something beyond jealousy, and he’s trying to hold it at bay.