Brotherhood Saga 03: Death (59 page)

“Fine,” Odin said.

In reality, he felt anything
resembling so, but he could roll with the punches and keep his companion from having to worry. What fear need he place on Virgin when he had managed fair well so far?

None.

With that thought in mind, he pushed himself to his companion’s side, then reached down to grasp his wrist.

“Are you all right?” Virgin asked, reaching down to tip Odin
’s chin up.

“
I should be fine if we don’t have to worry about passing over something too severe.”

“You think?”

“I do.”

“I
’m sorry I’m pushing you so hard, Odin, but—“

“I know. They
’re still after us.”

“And likely following our footprints. Damn this rain.”

“You think it’ll cover them if it gets any worse?”

“We might as well pray for the Gods to wipe them away with this rain.”

That doesn’t seal my worry any.

Unable to control the sigh
that followed, he stroked the top of Virgin’s wrist, pulled his hand away, then slid it down to his side, where he fingered the hilt of his father’s silver sword and tried not to think about just what would happen when he decided to lead himself down the dark road the book held.

Raising his head, Odin
narrowed his eyes and tried to discern the path before him, though through the haze of rain it was hard to see anything, much less the path most commonly used by Elves and other wayward travelers. “Can you see in this?” he asked.

“I can see all right,” Virgin replied. “Not well, but better than you probably can.”

“Your Elven blood must be kicking in.”

“I wouldn
’t necessarily say that.”

“Why?”

“Haven’t you had problems seeing most of the day?”

“Somewhat, yeah.”

Virgin reached out, took hold of Odin’s hand, then laced their fingers together. “Hold on to it,” the Halfling said. “Just in case.”

“Of what?”

“So you won’t fall or wander off.”

“Why would I wander off? You
’re right in front of me.”

Virgin offered no reply.

Content, Odin opened his eyes to find the world drenched in light he would rather not see.

How long it would take for the rain to stop he didn
’t know.

If they kept up the pace they were at, they had maybe a day-and-a-half left of wandering these woods.

Night came and offered not one bit of solace for Odin
’s shattered mind. Virgin, pressed with the fact that the rain had only worsened and their tracks were likely not being covered, urged them to move on, as he said the Elves would be forced to remain camped due to the weather.
They’ll come for us when the sun rises,
the older Halfling had said.
We need to gain as much ground as we can before they catch up.

How they would catch up Odin couldn
’t be sure. With a full day and some two night’s worth of travel already ahead of them, it would take a feat much larger than life for the Elves to cover that much ground However, as true as that seemed to be, Virgin seemed not in the least bit content with staying down for the night, especially given the rain.

Above, lightning cracked the sky.

The bird-like creature Odin had heard on their initial trip to Lesliana let out a wild cry.

“Virgin,” Odin said, squeezing the man
’s hand as he stepped over an almost-invisible root in the road. “We need to stop.”

“It
’s not going to do us any good, Odin.”

“The rain—“

“Will wash us away if we even attempt to bed down for the night.”

“But—“

“Think about this,” the Halfling said, turning to look at Odin in the light streaming off the single white orb hovering before them. “We can have all the time we want to rest after we get away from the forest. Now isn’t the time to stop.”

“Aren
’t you tired?”

“Aren
’t
I?” Virgin laughed. “Odin, I’m about ready to keel over.”

“Then we should—“

“Where would we stop, Odin?
Tell me.”

“I don
’t know!”

“Then why are we arguing about this?”

A rumble of thunder rolled across the horizon. Shortly thereafter, another series of lightning bursts arced across the sky and lit their world for one brief moment.

Though he couldn
’t be sure because of the rain, Odin imagined he had to be crying.

I can
’t take this,
he thought, allowing Virgin to lead him along.
I can’t, I just can’t!

How was he to continue
in this hellish situation feeling as though hius head would fall off his shoulders, with his mind turned to mush and his eyes almost unable to process what he was seeing before him? He didn’t know—couldn’t, exactly, know, because he was not allowed to stop and think—and while Virgin might think it was better for them to continue without pause, he didn’t think he could stand it any longer.

At that moment—when the demons in his head seemed far too much to bear—Odin felt as though he would simply collapse.

I can’t do this.

Odin tightened his grip on his companion
’s hand and ground to a halt. As bound by their connection, Virgin took one step too many and instantly stopped in place. “Odin,” he said.

“We
’re stopping,” Odin replied, tightening his hold to the point where he felt he could possibly hurt his friend. “I don’t care if we have to sleep in the rain, we’re bedding down for the night.”

“But—“

“If you want to go on without me, go. I can carry the book myself.”

“This isn
’t about you or the book.”

“What
’s it about then?
You?”

“It isn
’t—“

“I can
’t keep going in this weather or with this headache!”
he screamed, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the ebbing thunder and lightning. “I’m going to die if you keep pushing me like this!”

“We have to keep going, Odin.”

“Then
go!”

“I
’m not leaving you behind!”

“Then stay with me, goddammit! S
tay with me you fucking bastard!”

Virgin
’s eyes faltered, then fell to the ground.

No longer able to control
his emotions, Odin collapsed into Virgin’s arms and began to sob.

“I
’m sorry,” Virgin whispered, stroking Odin’s spine from his neck to the small of his back. “I’m so sorry, Odin.”

“Just… let me sleep.
Please.”

“We
’ll sleep, we’ll sleep.”

“Where?”

Virgin raised his eyes and regarded their surroundings.

For a brief moment, Odin couldn
’t help but wonder whether or not his friend would be able to find a safe place for them to bed down.

This is it,
he thought
I finally convince him to stop and there’s no fucking where to sleep.

Slowly, as if unsure his convictions held true, Virgin raised his hand and pointed toward a tree. “There.”

“There?”

“The base. It
’s raised above the ground and hollowed out.”

Though he could barely see because of the light and
the fact that his eyes were beginning to go out of focus, Odin could just barely make out the structure Virgin was speaking of. Hollowed either by nature or some animal, it appeared just large enough for the two of them to squeeze in.

Without a word of response, Odin freed his hand from Virgin
’s grasp, fell to the mud on his hands and knees, then crawled beneath the hollowed-out tree.

Inside, where not a hint of water touched his body and only dirt and earth reign
ed supreme, he pressed his head against the inside of the trunk and opened his eyes just in time to see Virgin crawl in with him.

“Is this all right?” Virgin asked.

“It’s... fine,” Odin said, unable to keep his eyes open when the orb of light began to fade. “I can’t… Virgin, it’s—“

“Don
’t worry. I’m not afraid of the dark.”

Is he?
Odin thought.

At that particular moment, he couldn
’t beg but wonder whether he himself was.

He slept through the storm and the hellacious agony it offered. At one point, it seemed as though the animal that had hollowed out this place had returned, for once during the night Odin opened his eyes to find a pair of backlit eyes glowing in the rain before them. It, however, did not bother them, as it seemed intimidated by the fact that two very large and obviously-grown somethings now lay within its.

It
’s all right,
he vaguely heard Virgin say.
It’s gone.

Shortly thereafter, Odin
’s mind was made of nothing but sleep.

He dreamed of things that young men dream
when they dream. Of the way the world worked, his friends, his family, his kingdom, country and place—he imagined Nova and Katarina back home with a baby in their arms and Carmen jumping excitedly at their side, waving her arms in the air as she beckoned Odin from the horse that carried him into the country.
Odin! Odin!
she would cry, then run forward and jump into his arms.
You’re back! You’re back!
There would, of course, be much rejoicing, many laughs, and many more tears, and there would, be the king, who would likely be stern but apologetic, and he would whisper softly in his ear,
I’m sorry for all that you lost.
Then there would be Dora, strong and angry Dora, who would likely scorn him plenty with eyes harsh yet calm and tell him of the things he had missed—how, in his absence, the king had been distraught, the kingdom uneasy, the world unbalanced—though not once would she say he had left for nothing, as in her mind she would know quite well what had happened and what madness could consume a man’s mind. But nothing, Odin knew, would be lost on the matter, for at his side was the man he loved and the book that would secure the future he knew would soon come within the next summer’s eve.

When morning finally ca
me—short, sweet, and with the sounds of birds in the air—Odin opened his eyes to find the outside world completely devoid of rain but covered in a thick haze of mud. Virgin, who had not yet waken from his slumber, continued to sleep at his side, his breath easing in and out of his chest like a child sleeping in its cradle. The sound itself was enough to comfort him, despite the fact that the headache still persisted, but he somehow managed and pressed his hand against his companion’s damp chest before pressing his lips to Virgin’s stubbly cheek.

“Wake up,” he whispered.

Almost immediately, the older Halfling’s eyes opened. “Is it dawn?” Virgin asked.

“It is.”

“We need to leave,” Virgin said, easing himself out of the hollow place within the tree. “Are you feeling any better?”

“All I needed was a little sleep.”

“Good.” Virgin paused when Odin emerged and pushed himself to his feet. “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard yesterday, Odin. I had no right.”

“I understand. Here—spread your arms.”

Virgin did as asked, though frowned when Odin pushed his hands out. “Why?” he asked.

“I
’m drying you off.”

He burst from his hands white fire and waved it across Virgin
’s body—first along his chest, along his arms, then down his legs and eventually to his shoes. Once the process was completed, and when magic warmed brightly the air, he channeled healing light into his companion’s clothes to warm him one step further before Odin used the same mechanism on himself. In all, it took but a few moments for the act to be completed, but by the time it was done, he felt he had properly dried the two of them for the day’s travel.

“There
’s times and moments like these that make me wish that I have it,” Virgin said, gesturing Odin onto the mud-slicked path. “Then I realize how much agony it brings most people and tell myself there’s no point in it.”

“It
’s sad that you were born without it,” Odin said, “but I guess you’re right.”

“How do you think?”

“There’s no need for you to ever worry about being burdened by it.”

“Are you burdened by it, Odin?”

“Not really, but at times I feel like I should be.”

“How come?”

“It seems so easy to have the world in your grasp and be able to do anything about it,” he said, careful to navigate over one of the many tree roots protruding from the path before them. “To be able to kill with one simple thought, to start fires when there is nothing flammable in the area, to bring water from the deepest pits in the ground and drink it from your hands—there’s limitations to it, I know, but sometimes… well… it seems like I’m practically invincible.”