Disclaimer: I don't own HHE and all that jazz. Just Rory and the Keeper.
Warning: Rated T for language and suggestive thoughts
Whoa! Two chapters in one day?! How 'bout that? Sorry, but, now, we are with Stabber. Don't be mad at me for that cliffy last chapter! Please! Alright, here we go!
Pain is a good thing. It lets you know you are still alive.
When consciousness returned to me, the first thought I had was about the lingering pain in my skull. I groaned quietly and my breath blew sand into my face. I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was lying on my stomach on the ground, that much was obvious. The sand was cold. I listened for any sound I could hear, but was met with nothing. 'Damn.' I thought, then winced again as my head began to throb. I moved my fingers to test for any damage, then my toes. Everything responded appropriately. I dragged one arm up to rest a hand next to my face, then the other. With a grimace, I managed to push myself up off the ground, but my triumph only lasted a moment before I dropped back down to the sandy floor. The impact made me lose my breath with a huff and I snarled slightly.
Feeling weakened, I wracked my brain for memories of what happened to me. I recalled speaking with the Keeper and that annoying little brat Cerberus. I remembered telling him about Hades and how he got upset by my words. Then, it all went black. 'He knocked me out!' The memory made me furious and I forced myself into a sitting position.
My vision went dark momentarily as the blood rushed from my head. I sat and breathed for a good while before I felt normal once more. I glanced around. I was sitting in a dusty room with only a small circular window for light. It was all boarded up and a tiny glow of light smiled through a gap in the wood. My eyes fell to the floor in front of my boots. Drag marks wound in the sand that led out the door. I leaned my head back and sneered.
"Damn him. Fucker dragged me in here an' left me. He better be goin' ta see Hades or I'll kill 'im." I froze at that and sat up straight. Hades! The Keeper was going to go talk to him about the lack of birthing in our Clan. 'How long have I been out? Has he already spoken to Hades?' My mind reeled and I stood, balancing against the wall. My head throbbed in time with my pulse, but I pressed the heel of my hand to my head and ignored it. I stumbled out through the doorway and into the other room.
It was familiar to me, with an arched roof and mirrors instead of windows. The main part of the chapel was still as dark as it was when I first came to speak with the Keeper. I glanced at my own visage in the mirrors. My face was just as ugly as I remembered and I looked away. There was a batch of candles lit nearby that illuminated the walls. I moved over to them and picked one up in one hand. The little thing did not provide to much light, but it was enough. I moved on, searching through the room for anything that could tell me how long I had been there or where the Keeper was.
After long moments, the ache in my head grew worse, so I stopped. I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my head. As I waited for the pain to ebb, I noticed that a sound had become apparent. I waited, listening, and I heard what sounded like singing. My head snapped up and I began to follow the lilting sound. It led me down a hall that wove and dipped like one of the tunnels in the mines. The sound grew louder. It reminded me of a lullaby, sweet and soft. I sped up, curiousity becoming a driving force. I sharply turned a corner and skidded to a halt.
The room I had come to was sparse and small, with a single mirror on the wall. The singing was coming from a corner of the room. I could clearly hear now that it was a male's voice and the words were perfectly enunciated. He sang:
Like a ship in the harbour
Like a mother and child
Like a light in the darkness
I'll hold you a while
We'll walk on the water
I'll cradle you near
And hold you while angels
Sing you to sleep.*
The song ended and the voice began humming the same tune. I cleared my throat after a minute and the voice went quiet.
"Who are you?" The voice chuckled a bit before answering.
"You know me, Stabber. Don't tell me ya don't recognize mah voice." The twang in the words gave it away. Annoyance made my jaw clench.
"Cerberus...?" I barely contained the growl as it rode through my words. The voice laughed full out this time and the boy's face emerged from the darkness.
"Ah ha! Ding, ding, ding! That's right! Good guess, a-mi-go." The three syllables were enunciated dramatically. I balled my hands into fists in an attempt to bite down the urge to strangle the other mutant.
"Was that you singin'? Or, is there someone else here?"
"It was me! Don't ya like mah singin' voice?"
"No."
"Awwww! Yer an ass." The boy pouted, but quickly, it was replaced by his broad smile. I winced as another wave of pain licked the inside of my skull. Cerberus frowned and walked forward to stare very closely at my face.
"What?" I snapped.
"I hit ya hard agin, huh? Damn, I'm sorry, bud." He seemed genuine. I sighed loudly.
"It...it's fine, Cerberus. How long have I been out?" The boy leaned back and looked thoughtful for a few ticks. Then, the stupid smile came back full force.
"3 days, a-mi-go. Long time. Worried I killed ya." I was floored. 3 days? Had the Keeper already seen Hades? What if he hadn't found what I had said? What had happened to Rory? My mind stayed on the girl's well-being. I began to envision all the things that could be done to her. Rape, starvation, torture? Hades was a sick bastard. There was no telling what he could be doing to her right now. I stopped myself at that and tried to keep calm. I still wasn't even sure why I felt this way about the female. She was no different than any other girl we had kidnapped.
Except that she liked me. I did not frighten her. She did flinch at my hand, but that was more of a trust issue, I told myself. This girl, despite being broken and violated, still found something in me that was desirable. Otherwise, she wouldn't smile at me the way she did. I wanted her to want me. She made me feel good. Being wanted by someone was something I had never experienced before. This girl needed me, wanted me, to protect her. That's all that mattered, right? I felt important to her and that made her important to me. I looked back to Cerberus, who was watching me intently.
"Did the Keeper see Hades?" I asked, "Is he back yet?"
"Oh, yeah, he saw 'im." I waited, expectant. Cerberus just smiled. I grew angry again.
"And?"
"And...?" I slammed Cerberus against the wall, a hand on his throat.
"What did he say? Tell me!" At my outburst, the boy's face grew hard and a frown took his normally happy face. His eyes rolled back in his head to reveal their whites and his own hand latched onto my wrist. I watched in disbelief as he slowly removed my hand from his throat and stood tall. He turned his face to the right, baring his mutation to me. It appeared almost as if another face stood out on his cheek and temple.
"Don't you EVER touch me again." His voice was menacing and he spoke very slowly. I felt afraid and I dropped to one knee as his grip tightened on my wrist. Something in my wrist cracked. Pain shot up my arm to my shoulder. For what felt like forever, he held me like that. When he let me go, I pulled my arm to my chest, agony rolling through to the bone. Cerberus' body language was still dominant and he stood stock still. I waited, not wanting to make him angry again. He reminded me, in that moment, of Hades. All primal rage and hatred, not the playful, obnoxious boy I had grown used to seeing in Cerberus.
"The Keeper has gone to see Hades. He returned and was not pleased." His speech was still slow and he sounded almost mechanical. "Your words were true. Hades can no longer produce offspring. This means that he must be removed as Clan leader."
"All mates he has taken may now be claimed from him in the old way."
"What is the old way?" I asked, quietly. The boy was motionless for a moment, then he answered.
"Fight him. Defeat Hades and claim all that is his. If you cannot defeat him, then another must. If none can, then your Clan will be dispersed. But, Hades cannot be leader any longer." I sighed heavily. Fight Hades? I couldn't win that. I knew I couldn't. I would need help. Lots of it.
"Does the Law say anythin' about asking for help? Can I ask my Clan mates ta fight Hades with me?" The boy was silent again. His eyes rolled forward and he turned his head to the left to show his other mutation to me. Again, I noticed that the mutation on his face seemed almost like another head growing out of the side. I was confused, but stayed silent. When he spoke, his voice changed once more. Instead of the rough, aggressive, mechanical tone, now it has taken on the old papery voice that I remembered from my conversation with the Keeper.
"You may ask for help, Stabber, but you must understand that, if you do, those that you ask for help may try to stake a claim of what you earn from defeating Hades." I nodded, glancing downwards. My mind was muddled with thoughts about Hades and the girl and the fight ahead, but I could not get past the vocal change in the boy.
"Can I ask ya one more thing?" Cerberus inclined his head.
"Speak."
"Are you the Keeper?" At this, the boy laughed, but it was not the loud gasping laughter that he normally exhibited. This laugh was quiet and gentle, almost feminine.
"I am."
Again, I was floored. Cerberus was the Keeper? I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. The jumpy, spastic boy who couldn't make sense to save his life was also the old, quiet Keeper? I stared at him, gaping like a dead fish. As I watched, the boy shifted his head so his face was straight forward. A grin stretched his lips and he ruffled my hair a bit.
"Well? What did he say?" I stared. Cerberus stared back, his smile dying from his face. "Wha'?" He asked. I shook my head and stood, brushing my knees off with the hand that wasn't throbbing in pain.
"Nothin'. So, tell me, Cerberus. When did you go crazy?" At that, the boy laughed and I swore I could hear more than one voice.
"I didn't. Yer the crazy one, Stabs, a-mi-go." He bounced up to me and tapped my nose. I waved his hand away as one would do to a pest. He giggled maniacally and twirled in place.
"So, are ya gonna go home now?" He asked. I looked at him, unsure how to answer. Cerberus gasped at me. "Ya know?! Ta see yer girl?" I nodded slowly, holding my wrist in thought.
"Yea'. Yea', I'm gonna go see her."
"Hope she hasn't left ya!"
"Shut up, Cerberus."
I jogged away from the chapel, glancing back every once and a while. The dusty white building slowly disappeared from view. I never thought I could be so thankful to see a holy place leave my view. As I ran, my head began to hurt again. The pain rocketed through my neck to my eyes and back. Trying to ignore it, I pressed on.
The sun was just settling on the horizon, bathing the sky in a soft lavender. I cleared bushes and moved quickly over small ditches. The scent of chamisa pollen paired with pinon made me inhale deeply. I was glad to be rid of the moldy smell that the chapel seemed to be clutching to. Eagerly, I picked up my pace and began to skid downhill. I knew that the downward slope meant I was getting close to the mines. Rocks and little tendrils of sand followed me down and I nearly tripped once. The ache in my temples grew worse as my heart rate picked up, but I ignored it. In my mind, I could see the girl. My girl. Her hazel eyes looking into mine as if I was all that mattered to her. Her long legs and her soft skin, unmarred and alien in my touch.
I shook my head, needing a clear head for this. I jumped over a bush and continued skidding down the hill. Once on the flat, I stopped to get my bearings. I waited, listening. A coyote yapped and chattered nearby. He was not a threat to me. I heard crickets beginning to sing their night music. Judging the area to be safe, I glanced around myself. To the left, the hill dropped down out of sight. It would be quite the climb, or drop, down. At my right, was the path to the mines. It was rocky and it followed the thin stair that the hillside created. I knew that Letch had seen me leave the mines. He would have moved Rory. Missy would have forced him to if I wasn't there. I turned back to my left and moved to the edge of the cliff.
In the growing dark, I could not see the bottom. I kicked a rock over the side and waited to hear the impact. After about 28 seconds, a short sharp clack could be heard. 'So, it's about 20 feet down. Not bad.' I rolled my shoulders, hissing at the pain my wrist felt at the barest movement. I would have to be fast.
I turned around and crouched. Bracing my hands on the lip of the cliff, I lowered myself down so one leg dangled down. My foot tapped a small rocky lip and I tested it by letting some of my weight rest on it. It didn't break, so I lowered my other leg. I extended my arms so I was practically hanging from the lip. My wrist screamed and fire shot down to my shoulder. My head throbbed.
"Fuck." I cursed out loud. I breathed quietly and rested my other foot on the first ledge I found. In this manner, I picked my way down the cliff. Foot here, hand there, other foot there. I was slow moving and it made my wrist hurt so badly I thought I would scream. I knew it was sprained or worse. After a few minutes, I glanced down. I saw that the ground was visible now. Another minute and I would be down. With a stabilizing inhale, I tried to find a foothold a bit below me. I felt one and moved to put my weight on it, but right has I did so, the little rock protrusion broke under me. Without even time to curse, I fell. The fall felt slow, as if time had been stretched. Then, I hit the ground.
The impact took the breath from my lungs. I wheezed, trying to suck in enough air to moan or shout in my agony. If my head had been hurting before, it was practically unbearable now. I tried to roll to lay on my side, but the lack of breath made almost everything impossible. So, I laid their, gasping in vain for air and fighting a black out. I felt like I was broken inside and that thought scared me. The taste of blood that entered my mouth did nothing to belay that fear.
Moments passed and breathing became easy again. The pain behind my eyes still persisted, but I managed to ignore it enough to stand fully. My whole arm was sore now and my shoulder felt wrong. I ran my hand up and down it, checking for any serious injury. My shoulder joint felt normal, if slightly bruised. My wrist felt out of place, so I assumed it was broken. I couldn't do much without seeing it. The light was fading and I decided to let it wait until later. With a stifled groan, I trudged on. the sand caught my feet every few steps and made me frustrated. The collective pain drove me into madness. I wanted to sleep, badly, and wake up with no more aches or sores. Then, the girl popped into my head. Thoughts of her kept me going.
The night drowned the world. Darkness became a blanket that silenced even the insects. Everything was still. All that could be heard was my harsh breaths and the shifting of the ground under my boots. I cursed and spat as I went, frustration tearing into me. My headache had become my constant companion, beating at me relentlessly while my wrist had gone numb. Still, I walked on. At some point in the night, I began muttering to myself. I wasn't sure when or what I was saying, but it gave me something to keep my mind off of everything else.
Morning came without warning. Or, maybe it did and I was just too unfocused to notice. The clouds had become little fluffy streams of pink and orange and the sky was a velvet gold. If I had stopped to look at it, I would have been stunned. Instead, I stared at the ground before my feet as it, too, turned into molten gold. Winding through the rocks and towering stone walls, I knew I was getting close. The test village was only a few more miles. What did Letch's blonde used to say? 'It's the second hill to the right and straight on 'til morning.' I never understood what that meant.
I wondered if Google would find me first. I heard he was a Watcher, one of the best in our Clans. I laid a hand against a rock, catching my breath for a moment. The rock was already warming from the heat of the sun. I spit on the ground and glanced up. The trail twisted up and away from me. I could see the hill and I knew that it was the crater that led to the village. My heart wanted to soar, but the pain dragged it down. I took a single step forward and was stopped by a shifting sound. I froze on the spot, listening. There it was again. Shff shff shff. I stood straight and looked around. I couldn't find anything that was a threat, so I wrote off the sound as a bush scraping against a rock. I turned back around and almost yelped in surprise.
A mutant stood in front of me, with his snake-like eyes narrowed in suspicion. I met his gaze, glaring back at him. I stood about a head taller than him and I was much more broad. This mutant was lean and looked like he would be much faster than I. A minute ticked by, then he spoke. His voice was rough, like he never used it, and it took me a second to understand him.
"You Stabber?" It sounded like he was gargling with gravel. I nodded the affirmative.
"You Goggle?" I asked, breathlessly. He nodded in return, then his eyes trailed up and down my body. He stepped around me, lightly touching my shoulder, back and legs. Then, he returned to my front.
"Yer hurt?" I started to shake my head, but then paused and sighed.
"Yea'. A bit. Nothin' too bad."
"Yer headed ta Jupes? Fer tha' girl, huh?"
"Yea'. Gotta problem wit that?"
"No. Gonna lead ya the rest o' the way. Headin' back tha' way mahself." With that, he turned and began walking. I followed him for about 10 feet before I had to stop. I felt like I was going to collapse all of a sudden. I closed my eyes to the pain in my head and felt myself sinking to the ground. Just before I thought I would fall, a thin arm looped around my back.
"Ya said you weren' hurt." Goggle's voice reached my ears. I chuckled a bit and looked up at him. His face was tight, like he was annoyed, but there was a trace of humour in his tone. He hefted me higher with a strength I didn't think he had in that wiry frame and took a step forward. "Come on, one step atta time. Tha's it." He said, encouragingly. I snorted at him, but did as he said. We continued like this up the hill and into the test village.
The walk seemed longer than it was. We moved at a slow pace with me stumbling and attempting to carry my own weight. Goggle stopped at the edge of the village and bent with me. He helped me sit and lean against an old car. I looked to him, confused and wary. He pointed to one of the houses. It was small and sky blue paint was peeling off of the roof.
"Imma go get Jupe and yer Clan mate 'Meleon. Don' try ta move." And he left, jogging up to the house and disappearing inside of it. I sat there, head and shoulder aching as I tried to stay focused. At one point, I must have drifted off because I awoke to someone shaking me.
"...ber. Stabber! You have to wake up." My head dropped froward onto my chest and I groaned softly.
"Thank God. Stabber, can you hear me?"
"Ah hear ya..." I muttered. I peeled open an eyelid to see Missy kneeling in front of me. Her hand was on my shoulder and her face was drawn with worry. 'Worried about me?' I wondered. Behind her, I saw Chameleon and Jupiter, both watching me silently. Missy placed a hand on my forehead and held it there. I opened both eyes now and watched her. Her mouth was tight and thin as she worked over me. She laid two finger against my neck and waited briefly.
"His pulse is thready." She said over her shoulder. Chameleon knelt next to her and stared at me.
"I'm...fine. Just tired, is all." I tried to tell her, but she didn't seem to hear me. She began touching my shoulder gently, prodding at it. Chameleon was running nimble fingers up and down my spine and speaking in hushed tones to Missy. I sat and let them work, too tired to care. For a few minutes, the two poked at my bruises and scrapes. Missy talked to me, asking me questions about my injuries. I answered them, slurring slightly, and after a moment she seemed satisfied.
Chameleon stood, as did his mate. Missy spoke to Jupiter quietly before turning back to me.
"Can you walk?" I nodded and braced a hand against the car behind me. I rose to me feet, wincing and swaying, but managing to stand unaided. Jupiter came to me at this point and looked me straight in the eyes. I stared back, bristling at his closeness. The leader was only a bit smaller than me, but the dominance he exuded made me nervous. I glanced away, refusing to appear small in his presence.
"You ain't gonna cause trouble, are ya, boy?" Jupiter's voice startled me. I shook my head and met his eyes briefly.
"No."
"Well, good. Does my brother know yer here?"
"No." My answer seemed to appease him and he clapped me on the shoulder, hard. I bit back a cry.
"Come on, then. Let's get you inside 'fore ya pass out." I nodded once and followed him. He led me across the small open space and up to the front porch. Leaping over the steps, he calmly entered the house. Missy came up on my left and went in with me, steering me to a small area with a few couches. She pointed to one and told me to sit, which I did without question.
I sighed contentedly as I sank into the cushions. My shoulder and head were forgotten momentarily as relaxation took over. I couldn't recall anything being so comfortable in my life. Missy left for a minute before returning with a glass of water which she placed in my hand.
"Drink slowly, all right? I'm going to go get some ice and a few bandages." I tipped the glass to my lips as she spoke. The water was cool and it hit my throat and stomach like a mule kick, but I was so thirsty. Once I finished, I was alone once more. I tilted my head back to rest on the couch back. Sitting like this, I could finally breathe easy. I felt as if a large weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Thoughts began to toss around in my head. Thoughts of the Keeper's words and of the war ahead were the most prominent. In the back of my mind, though, were little stray bits of the girl. Elation that I was back where I could keep an eye on her, worry that she might be hurt or emotionally stressed, fear that she wouldn't want me near her. All of these rattled around in my head, preventing me from resting fully.
Then, off to my right, there was a small squeak of the floorboards, announcing someone's entrance. I slid my eyes open and was caught off-guard.
Standing there in the doorway, was the girl. The girl whose mere existence drove me to the hills and back, just so I could see her again. The creature who haunted me and made me feel things I didn't have words for, here she was. I sat there, pulse racing, unsure what to do. Then, she spoke. One simple word, but enough to make my mouth go dry.
"Hi."
*This is a lullaby that my mum used to sing me as a kid
End! Woo wee, partners! That was fun. So, sorry again about not going back to Rory. Next one will be her and we will answer the question that is plaguing all of you chickadees. Is lil Rory a momma? Let's find out!
TTFN!