WE #23 ~ BK

He sensed distress coming from the squealing wriggling thing on the pavement. He inched forward and reached out, touching the soft skin. He wrapped his fingers around the tiny wrist, instantly calming the small child. He pulled it into his arms and rocked the sniffling thing. He petted it’s head feeling the pig tails. He guessed her only to be three. A soft cry escaped her throat. He placed his forehead on hers, his senses searched the inner depths with hidden eyes. She had suffered major damage to her eardrum. What was left of his heart sank.

She may never hear again. A connection was instantly made as images of his past tore through his memory. The last image he saw was the fire that stole his eyes. The last sound she heard was the crash that took her hearing. Tryveck cradled her in his long arms. He’d keep her. He’d protect her. Humans would shun her and taunt her. They would never accept her as their own. He knew that all too well when his race, his fellow Golgin’s turned their backs on him after the fire. Races were cruel to their own.

Tryveck straightened, standing to his full 8 ½ feet. His hardened grey skin, unaffected from the cold of the night, shielded the tiny girl. She needed a name he realized.

As he felt the warmth she gave off in her sleep, he couldn’t help but sense a hope and a purpose for his life. The name Althea rolled off his lips as he smiled down at her. She’d be his eyes and he would be her ears. He would never leave her. He would always protect her.

~~

Althea let a word roll off her tongue as she waited for Tryveck to catch up. 18 years and she still didn’t practice around him. She didn’t have to hear herself to know how stupid she sounded.

Tryveck placed his hand on her shoulder as he leaned closer.His presence soothed her anxiety.

She scanned the vast empty rocks. They were clear from trouble. “It’s safe.” Her slurred speech felt awkward. Tryveck rubbed her back to encourage her.

“The rocks are never safe.” He warned.

Her hearing began to return five years ago. She still remembered the first sound she heard. Tryveck explained over time that it had been the tweeting of a bird. It had taken them years to develop a way to communicate. And now that she finally could use words it had only gotten better.

“This is the best way to go. The river is flooded and the hills are even more dangerous. At least here we have cover.”

Tryveck followed cautiously behind her as she made her way through the rocks. He was always cautious of their travels. Always roaming from one place to another. Never safe he said. No one could be trusted. Who he referred to she had no idea. Humans were few and far between. She had only ever seen a handful of them in her life.

Tryveck’s hand slipped off her shoulder bringing her back to reality. Her hearing zoned out with her thoughts. She turned to see Tryveck laying on the ground, bleeding. She grimaced realizing she had led him astray. He sat up and straightened his leg.

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s nothing.”

She sighed as she watched his leg work to take care of itself. A scale slowly worked its way over the scrape. She’d grown accustomed to this. His body protected itself and healed itself. When an injury occurred a scale grew over the wound to strengthen the skin. Unfortunately the fire had touched his face and the scales grew over his eyes blocking the world from his view.

This process would take awhile. “I will go look ahead. Catch up when you are able.”

“Don’t go too far!”

Althea ignored him as she climbed over the rocks, adding to their distance. It was nice to roam free once in awhile. She reached the top surprised to find trees. She stood and looked out over the valley. A spell of dizziness swept over her. She lost her footing and slipped down the grassy slope. She bumped her way down the hill, tumbling  farther away. Suddenly she collided into something. It wasn’t a tree or rock. She opened her eyes and gasped. Her heart raced as fear surged inside her. A man stood to his feet as he brushed the dirt off his pants. He looked down at her.

She rolled onto her stomach and fiercely began to crawl away, gasping for breath but wanting only to be away from him. He lunged forward and grabbed her arms. She fought him, pushing him to the ground with her. He crawled over to her before she could get away. She let out a scream. Her heart beat so wildly in her chest she thought it would explode. Her hearing cut in and out from the fear and adrenaline. The man’s hands were on her wrists, pinning her to the ground. She shut her eyes from fear. They didn’t move. Everything was still. Her heart slowed down.

“Shhh…” She finally heard.

She opened one eye as he let go of one of her wrists. He put his finger to his mouth and continued, “Shh.. I won’t hurt you.”

Her emotions stabilized.

He looked concerned as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He sounded confused, as to why would she act in such a manner. She wanted to smack him. Why not?

“Humans are not to be trusted.” She grunted as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.

He let her other wrist go and backed up, his arms in the air. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to scare you. Are you hurt?”

She didn’t answer. How could she? Tryveck had convinced her that humans were evil and wanted to harm her. Yet here one was now asking if she was hurt?

“Is this a trick?”

“A trick?” He laughed. “Why would I trick you? I don’t know you.”

“Exactly.”

Understanding washed over his face. “Ahh. Well, I promise I don’t want to harm you. You fell into me, remember?”

“No excuse.”

“I’m sorry.”

She still sat on the ground, unsure of what to do or say.

“My name is Caspian. What is yours?”

“Althea.”

“That’s a beautiful name.”

Suddenly the bushes rustled behind him. Three more humans jumped out, two men and a woman. The woman and Althea locked eyes.

The four jumped and stepped back. Althea felt Tryveck lift her into his arms. All the while she could not take her eyes off the wide eyed woman.

~~~

Marion fell to her knees, her head light and her breath short. She didn’t even know what to think. Caspian knelt beside her, worry written all over his face. “What is it?”

A tear trickled down her cheek as the forgotten memory played over in her mind. “All these years I thought I was crazy, that I made it all up. But I know now that what I saw was true.” She looked up into Caspian’s eyes. “My daughter is alive!”

Marion’s eyes fell on the broken flask at Caspian’s side. “Caspian!” She gasped as she pointed to the flask.

Caspian looked down and jumped to his feet as he grabbed his dagger and cut the flask from his belt. He stepped away as it fell to the ground, the remaining poison dripping to the ground. Caspian searched the ground then looked up at her with fear in his eyes. “There is no more Admantha oil on the ground. It must have broken when she….”

“No…” Marion didn’t like where this was going. It couldn’t be…

“It must have shattered when she fell into me... She may not have long to live.”

“We must hurry. How long does it take?”

“Six hours. Even if we found her now, the horses are so far away. We’d never make it back to the castle in time.”

“We have to try. Foster! Daniel!” The two huntsman ran to her side. “Run as fast as you can to the horses. Come back here and track our movements. There is no time to waste!” The two ran off instantly. She turned to Caspian. “We have to find my daughter now!”

~~~

Althea opened her eyes. Her stinging arm was bandaged up. That was why the man asked if she was alright. She hadn’t even noticed after the fall that she had been hurt. She tried to sit up but lost all energy to do so.

Tryveck returned and stoked the smoldering fire. “This is why you don’t leave my side.”

She didn’t answer.

“Did you hear me, Althea? You could have been killed!”

“How?” She spat back. “They didn’t seem evil.”

“They are liars. They will do whatever they have to do to make you believe them. Then when they have your trust they will stab you in the back. I do what I do to protect you and when you run off I can’t protect you. You are lucky I made it in time.”

Althea silently scoffed.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Tryveck sounded offended.

“Why did those three men look different?”

Tryveck sighed. “They all look different.”

“So only the men are different?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The woman looked just like me.”

Tryveck didn’t answer her.
“Tryveck, how is that so?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do know.”

“After all this time, you think I would lie to you?”

“I don’t know what I think. I am too confused!” Althea ignored the pain and stood up. She wanted to cry from everything. She took off running through the woods, weaving through the trees, trying to get farther away. Suddenly her head throbbed and she stopped. A seething pain tore through her arm. Her vision blurred. Her knees gave out as she heard her name.

~~~

Caspian surged forward and fell to her side. She had fallen just as he had seen her through the trees and called out to her. He cradled her head in his lap as he felt for her pulse. Thank the maker she was alive. But not for long. He had noticed earlier but now, this close to her face, he noticed her true beauty. Quite stunning actually.

He felt his sword slide out of his scabbard but before he could react he felt the steel tip against his neck.

“Get away from her now.” The deep voice bellowed from far above him.

Caspian gulped as he shifted his eyes up. The creature from earlier loomed over him. Caspian’s sword in it’s hand.

“Listen, you don’t understand. She’s badly hurt.”

“I am taking care of her, now leave!”

“No, listen, she has been poisoned.”

“Then that was your doing.”

“It was an accident…” The cold tip dug into his neck. He felt a trickle of blood down his throat. “You have to listen to me. She will die unless we get her back to our home.”

That seemed to get his attention long enough to stall him. In one swift motion, Caspian slid out from underneath Althea. He knocked the sword out of the creature’s hand.

The creature, now in a rage, wrapped it’s one hand around Caspian’s neck. Caspian grabbed it’s arm as it lifted him in the air. His feet left the earth as the air was slowly cut off.

“Stop!” Marion screamed. “Don’t kill him! He is her only chance!”

It’s fingers squeezed harder.

“I remember you. I saw you holding her, all those years ago.” The panic left her voice, replaced by tenderness. “I watched you cuddle her. Then I watched you walk away. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t yell for you to stop. Then all I saw was blackness. When I awoke, I was back in my home. My husband weeping by my side at the loss of our precious daughter. Everyone thought I was crazy. I thought I was crazy. Until I saw you today and remembered. Please, she is my daughter. I love her and without help she is going to die.”

Blackness had started to creep in on his vision when he was released. He fell to the ground and coughed as the air returned to his lungs. He gasped several times as he got to his knees.

“She is different than you. You will just end up hurting her.”

Caspian realized the creature was speaking to him. “I promise I will do my best not to. And if I do, I won’t mean it. I’ll take care of her, I promise. She needs to be with us.”

“She needs to be with me. I am the only one who can protect her.”

“But she is going to die if we don’t take her now.” Caspian argued.

Marion had dropped to her daughter’s side, caressing her face. A tear slipped down her face. “I don’t think she will make it to the castle.” Her voice quivered.

Caspian’s heart sank. It was hopeless.

A moment passed in silence.

“If I can save her, will you take care of her?”

“Yes. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”

The creature knelt on the other side of Althea. “It will be a good thing for her to be with you? You will love her?”

“Oh yes.” Marion was near sobbing.

The creature unwrapped the bandage on Althea’s arm, revealing the open wound, black from infection.

Marion was right, Althea didn’t have long.

The creature took Caspian’s sword and slit his palm. He placed his bleeding palm over Althea’s arm.

Marion and Caspian watched in silence as the blackness dissipated from Althea’s arm. Caspian gasped as he watched black veins slither up the creatures arm and up his shoulder to his neck. As soon as he let go, he fell backwards, his breathing ragged. Caspian stepped forward. Althea’s arm was smooth and clean. No sign of any injury. They were beyond confused.

Althea stirred, her eyes opened. She bolted up when she saw the creature laying on the ground.

“Tryveck!” She yelled as tears began forming in her eyes. “What did you do?” She hit his chest as a sob escaped her throat.

“I have always protected you...always done the best for..you. But now it is your mother’s turn. You have so much to learn. Remember what I taught you but be open to their words. They will care for you.”

“No, I want you.” She cried.

“There is nothing more I can do for you. It’s time you moved on. You’ll be alright.”

Althea bent over and kissed his forehead as he gasped.

Silence engulfed them.

Althea turned to her mother, unsure but needing comfort. She fell into her mother’s open embrace, wracked with sobs.

Caspian didn’t understand what had just happened but he knew things would not be the same when they returned. Fear stirred in his heart at the prospect of the missing heir returning. He tucked his feelings for the girl away. It was business from here on out. He still had a job to do...