After [A Journey of the Twins Novel] (12 page)

"Here's some jerky.” She held out the meat.

He opened his eyes and focused them on the offering; a haunted look filled them. “I have to drink again ... soon. After what I've had to endure recently, the blood from the men helped, but it's not going to last much longer."

A chill ran up Shyanne's spine, making the hairs on the nape of her neck stand straight. She tried not to show it, and knew she failed. “Would it help if I had Drizzle bring you something?"

"Yes. However, it has to be alive. I can't drink from something that is dead.” He closed his eyes again and tried not to think about what he had witnessed from his sister.

Shyanne put two of her fingers in her mouth and let out with a high-pitched whistle. Drizzle appeared, seeming to melt out of the countryside.

"Is everything okay?” he asked, looking in Drayco's direction.

"Drizzle, can you go hunting for Drayco? He needs to drink again and could use your help."

The cat never took his eyes off the dark twin. “If it will help him to stay in control, I'll do it. For that reason alone. I am not a nursemaid for his every whim."

"One thing,” Shyanne added as he turned to leave. “The creature you bring back has to be alive. You can't kill it."

He stopped and stared at her. To his credit, he didn't say anything. Drayco kept his eyes closed and listened to the conversation. He knew better than to speak right now.

Drizzle grumbled to himself as he disappeared, bits of his words overheard by the twins. “Helpless ... nothing ... but ... not a nursemaid ... get you something ... get it back when you're done..."

"I don't think he likes you anymore, Drayco,” Shyanne chuckled. She sat next to him in the shade under the tree.

"It's not that. He remembers the reason I had to leave in the first place."

"That was a long time ago. You're in better control of yourself now, right?"

"So far, little sis. So far.” Drayco took the jerky from her hand and stared at it, unable to meet her eyes.

They ate in silence while waiting for Drizzle's return. Shyanne finally broke it.

"Drayco, why do you think this Boss wants me?"

"I don't know. I do know that we'll find out once we locate him.” He was glad to have an excuse to set the jerky aside.

"I wonder if there are other people out there hunting for me, or if those two were the only ones."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes.” He thumped her on the nose like he used to do, bringing a smile to her face.

A noise from behind caused them to glance over their shoulders. Drizzle was returning with something big hanging from his mouth. He dragged it awkwardly on the ground between his legs. It was a deer. The cat had somehow stunned it and managed to bring it back before it recovered. He brought the deer to Drayco and dropped it at his feet.

"I did what was asked. I kept it alive."

"Thanks, Drizzle. I'm sorry you had to do this."

"I'll do what I have to if it will keep you under control."

The twin nodded his head in understanding. He picked up the deer and threw it over his shoulder. A small stand of trees stood a short distance away. He disappeared around them to do what he needed to survive.

Shyanne realized she had been holding her breath during the exchange and let it out slowly through pursed lips. “I wish you didn't have to live this way,” she whispered softly.

Many men had died over the years because of her sword. None of their deaths had affected her like this. Drizzle seemed to sense her discomfort. He relaxed his head in her lap, purring in his soothing way. Shyanne scratched him affectionately behind his ears. Staring off along the horizon, she tried to think of better times, times before the virus had ruined everything.

Her brother emerged after what seemed like hours, wiping at the corner of his mouth. The deer was not with him. The virus had made it possible for him to rejuvenate himself with any living creature's blood, regardless of what type ran through its body.

Shyanne put a hand to her neck when her brother appeared; the recent events were still vivid in her mind.

Drayco grimaced inside. Things had changed between them. Love was still very much evident. Unfortunately, something new had entered. Fear.

"I left the carcass for you, Drizzle. It's the least I can do for you helping me.” He walked over to Shyanne.

The cat waited until Drayco was next to his sister before he wandered over and disappeared behind by the trees.

The dark twin stretched out on the ground. He laced his fingers together under his head, crossed his feet, and looked up at the sky. Shyanne stretched out next to him and assumed the same position. She remained silent, observing him with a sideways glance. His bad eye was back to normal and the bruises and cuts were gone, thanks to the rejuvenating powers of the blood.

The vision of his sister's reaction when he reemerged from drinking the deer's blood returned. He felt that once their mission to find the Boss was over, he might have to leave again—for her sake. He had finally found his family. But had he really found the missing part of himself, or was that part forever gone? Only time, and Shyanne, would tell.

When Drizzle was finished, the twins climbed into their saddles and started down the road. The cat ran ahead, scouting the area before them. They spotted him occasionally. For the most part, he remained hidden. Half a day into the ride, a thin trail of smoke appeared on the horizon. Drizzle returned and reported to Shyanne what he had discovered. He gave Bravaro a wide berth.

"A town ahead was attacked."

"Did you see who did it?” Drayco asked.

"No. The only movement I saw was the buzzards flying overhead or the ones feasting on the dead. The attackers were gone."

"Just in case, let's use caution. They could still be in the area.” Drayco urged his horse forward. Shyanne followed.

As they topped the hill just outside the town, they stopped. They were looking down on absolute carnage. Some of the buildings were burnt completely to the ground; others were partially scorched, while others remained untouched. The source of the smoke became evident; the partially scorched ones were still ablaze. Bodies lay everywhere. The smell of blood, mingled with the stench of seared flesh, saturated the air.

Drayco and Shyanne rode into town with Drizzle leading the way. Buzzards disturbed by their arrival took flight. The ones sitting in nearby trees screeched their displeasure at having to wait, but wait they did, until they passed.

"Oh Drayco, even women and children weren't spared.” She felt a lump of bile rise in her throat, but managed to keep it down as they rode to the center of the town and dismounted.

"Let's look around and see if there's any survivors,” Drayco said.

Shyanne walked over to one of the partially burned homes and looked inside. She turned away quickly and stumbled from the door. The sight of what lay inside was more than she could take. Leaning against a post to support her wobbly legs, she vomited the little bit of jerky from the last stop, then dry heaved when nothing else came up. She knew without a doubt that there were no survivors in there.

A doll lay in the middle of the road, dirty and broken. She walked over and picked it up. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged it close; picturing the face of a smiling child it had once belonged to. Drayco came over and wrapped his arms around his sister in an effort to comfort her after having to see so many atrocities.

"Why would anyone do this? Why would they kill all these innocent people?"

"I don't know, little sis,” Drayco said as he smoothed her hair. “I don't know.” A moment later, he pulled back. “Shyanne, we need to check this building out. Are you able to go in, or do you want to stay out here?” It was one of the untouched buildings.

"I can go in. After 200 years, I'm used to death and dying ... just not when it's so extensive ... and so pointless. It caught me off guard, that's all.” Shyanne wiped the tears off her face and set the doll down on a bench near the house full of death.

Drizzle stayed outside so he could keep watch. The twins went through the doorway and looked around. Everything from clothing to foodstuff to hardware items were visible. It was a general store. A splattering of blood covered some of the items on display near the back. Drayco moved farther inside to get a better look in that direction.

A middle-aged woman was on the ground near a back wall. Her clothes were torn and her throat slashed. A large pool of congealed blood surrounded her. A younger man lay face down next to her, also in a pool of blood. Something about him caught Drayco's attention. He went over and rolled the man onto his back. A moan of pain escaped with the movement.

"Shyanne! Get over here, quick!"

She ran to her brother's side and knelt next to the injured man. Several slices marred the material covering his chest and arms.

"A survivor,” he told his sister. “I only hope he'll continue to be so. He's lost a lot of blood."

"We have to move him. We can't leave him here."

Drayco checked out a door he had seen in the opposite corner of the shop. He hoped the room beyond was what he thought it was. “Hey. There's a room back here. It looks like living quarters. We can move him in here."

He came back and reached under the man's arms, grabbing his wrists and pinning them against his chest. Shyanne moved to the feet. As one, they carefully lifted the survivor and carried him to the room. They laid him on one of the cots. Shyanne started peeling away the shredded shirt to inspect his wounds.

"Drayco, can you bring me the waterskins, then go and see if you can find me some bandages? I need to clean these wounds before they get infected."

The horses were where they had left them, but Drizzle was gone. Drayco got the waterskins from Jack's saddle. The horse seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and didn't give him a hard time. He returned to the main part of the store where he found the requested items and brought them to Shyanne.

The bloody shirt was off and lying on the floor. It resembled a pile of shredded documents from a time far into the past. Drayco could see shallow cuts all over the muscular arms and upper body of the unconscious man. A large purple stab wound partway down his left side looked bad.

He must have used his body as a shield for the older woman,
Drayco thought. “I got the water and found these in the shop.” He handed her the waterskin and bandages then watched as his sister plucked out a cloth and wet it down. She began to clean the dried blood from the cuts.

"Thanks. The cuts aren't bad, but the one on his side will take time to heal. As far as I can tell, no major organs were hit. Most of the blood under him must have come from the elderly woman. He did add enough of his own to it, though."

The man on the cot tossed his head back and forth with every stroke of the cool cloth on his skin.

"Do you need my help?"

"No. I can handle this. You should check the rest of the town for more survivors, just in case.” Shyanne whispered quietly to the injured man as she worked. His face relaxed and his thrashing reduced with the sound of her voice. Drayco stood at the door, watching for a few seconds before he left.

He went from building to building, bypassing the completely burnt ones. All the people he found were dead. The most heart-wrenching find was when he saw a woman who had covered her child with her own body to protect it from the massacre, to no avail. The little girl was also dead.

"What would lead someone to do this ... and why? This was a complete slaughter.” A grim feeling had firmly set in the pit of his stomach by the time he finished his search. He had seen death of this magnitude before, although it had been a long while. It affected him deeply, nevertheless.

Drayco returned to find the survivor bandaged and resting peacefully. The man had sandy colored hair that fell to his shoulders. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and was as tall as Drayco. His face was strong, and yet, had a gentle look to it, his build muscular from years of hard work. Shyanne sat on a stool next to the cot, her head bowed. She looked up when she heard him enter.

"I didn't find any other survivors. I did see the tracks of many horses everywhere I went. Whoever did this, they were looking for something.” Drayco nodded his head toward the cot. “How's he doing?"

"He'll live. We found him in time."

"We need to gather the dead and give them a proper sending."

Shyanne looked down at Drizzle. “Watch over him. If he wakes, come get us."

Drizzle had returned while Drayco was out; he was lying next to Shyanne. The cat repositioned himself so that he could see the man on the cot better. “If I need you, I'll call."

It took the twins the rest of the day to recover all the bodies and put them inside what was left of the stables. They were sweaty and their clothes were covered with the blood of innocents by the time they finished.

Stepping outside, Shyanne noticed a bandaged and battered man standing at the entrance to the store. Drizzle was next to him. The fair-haired survivor was looking in her direction, but not at her. His eyes were focused on the building. He swayed badly. The cat and the doorframe were the only things preventing him from falling.

"Drizzle! What the hell is going on?"

"He insisted on getting up! If I had left him to get you, he would have fallen down. Then you'd
really
be happy with me, wouldn't you?"

She ran over, wrapped an arm around the man's waist, and ducked under his to support him. He leaned heavily on her and continued to look at the building she had just come from.

"They're all in there ... aren't they?"

"Yes."

"No others made it?"

"No. No others."

A look of such anguish washed over his face. He bowed his head to hide it. “Did you see a middle-aged woman with graying hair? She was working in the shop with me."

"She was beside you when we found you.” Shyanne felt his legs give a little. He managed to recover himself before he could fall.

His voice cracked as he said, “She was my mother."