Chapter Five

The grim and sullen a'ladon shifted the hood of his cloak so that it would cover his brown eyes, then peered back silently at the vile creatures which he had brought with him to this place. It had taken days of hard travel with little rest to get ahead of the small, mismatched group which he intended to ambush, but the Warden's stop at the temple the previous night had finally allowed him to get in front of them.

The creature spit, as if trying to get a bitter taste out of his mouth. There were those among his people who would call him twice a traitor, if only they knew what he was planning. Not only was he going to ambush the child T'Kai on his sacred journey, he had broken one of the oldest laws of the a'ladon to do so. He had brought in several of the 'civilized' Saurians from the west. Not the ordinary, wild creatures which still roamed the forests of his country, but those of marked intelligence who had been driven from the lands of the a'ladon over two hundred years ago after their enslavement of his people was broken.

"You look troubled," a wheezing, quiet voice sounded from behind him. Their leader. The ugly, gray-skinned creature that the others revered and obeyed without question or hesitation. Karel had been required to deal with that one to obtain the aid of the lizard-men, and had subsequently been forced to use all of the authority that came with his office to get them over the western border and into their lands. Yet both had been necessities. He knew that he could never find a group of his own kind to interrupt the chosen Warden and his charge on their way to the north. Even the most contemptible a'ladon would not risk the existence of his race by doing so.

"Don't concern yourself with my quandaries, Saurian," Karel muttered in response. "Just be certain that you and your people can defeat those against whom I will send you when the time comes. If they are slain and my anonymity remains intact, you will have provided consolation enough."

The other's lipless mouth curled into a murderous leer, and his long, prehensile tongue flickered out to taste of the air. "Children, you have said. You would send us, who are veterans of the Great Wars, against five children. And one, you have said, who slumbers even as she walks. It will not even be worth mentioning as we recount our battles."

The a'ladon frowned. "See that it isn't," he emphasized, turning his back on the creature and wishing that he could be as confident as it sounded. The man knew that young T'Kai did not care to fight, but he had a natural grace and athletic ability that would count for much if the ambush failed and it did come down to a battle. The Lady Hikari, if the bards were to be believed, did not fight, and the creature that traveled with them and masqueraded as a D'aevis might well turn out to be an ally as opposed to an enemy. But then, there was the problem of His Excellency, the Lord Takeru.

Only a child... only a child, he thought to himself, trying to shore up his waning confidence. He had set scholars and mathematicians to studying the ancient texts since the trio had arrived, and all of them had come to the agreement that the god, or 'human' as he called himself, was of an age or even slightly younger than T'Kai. Yet according to those same texts the creature, be he divine or otherwise, had fought with a deific strength and skill some three hundred years before... and particularly when he perceived a threat to his Lady Hikari. And then, if his ambush did succeed, what of the consequences to his people?

Karel, possibly alone among the village a'ladon, did not fear the demon-god of the north. Though he was a high priest for his people he was privately a skeptic, and gave the stories of D'assan as much credence as he did those of Takeru and Hikari. Which was to say very little. Yet the child T'Kai provided a much more tangible, much more direct problem to the priest. Both for his connection to the ancient line of kings and the damnable wild magic that he worked with his music. The Holy Symphony was an ancient and mystifying power, and if T'Kai gained a greater control over it and saw fit to use it in his own interests... he could very well revive the monarchy that had been dead all this time. And if he were to return home as a hero...

"Over in seconds," Karel murmured, echoing the creature's response. If the other's assertion came to be realized as fact, it would make him the happiest creature alive.

************

T.K. looked across the campfire at Kari as she slept, a smile appearing on his face as the girl rolled over in her sleep and embraced the young a'ladon resting at her side. He had been watching the girl closely, and knew that she had been wanting to express her affection for the little creature since she had first laid eyes on him. She had always loved cute, furry animals anyway, and T'Kai's delightful ingenuousness made him that much more charming to her.

Davis looked at T.K., scowling at the gentle look on his rival's face as the blond-haired boy watched Kari cuddle the creature in her sleep. "Wish it was you, huh?" he muttered.

Surprisingly, the dark-haired boy saw his words affect the other as blood rushed to his pale cheeks and his blue eyes quickly darted away from the tranquil scene. T.K. had never been that easy to tease, and he bowed his head in embarrassment. "Davis, why don't you get some sleep?" the boy asked in response, awkwardly switching the subject.

"When I'm ready," the other returned in a rather surly tone. It had been enough of a response for him. T.K. did indeed wish it were him that Kari was hugging in her sleep, and it angered the brown-haired boy the more to be reminded of it.

Now T.K.'s eyes again fell on the semi-conscious female a'ladon who was T'Kai's responsibility. As always she stood to perfect attention at the young Warden's feet, not moving unless he did. And though they had long ago left the temple where she had been given to their care (under quite mysterious circumstances. The entire building had vanished at their backs the moment that they had departed) her body continued to be bathed in a subdued, yet unmistakable light. It reminded T.K. strongly of a time long ago when Kari's body had shown with a similar radiance.

Soon after they had left the building T.K. had taken Kari aside and mentioned to her the drawings of the female creature in T'Kai's sketch book, wondering if she might have an insight that had escaped him. But instead the girl had only smiled. "Oh, now you've gone and ruined it for me," she replied teasingly. "I honestly thought that it was a 'love at first sight' kind of thing."

T.K. frowned, shaking his head. He would never, as long as he lived, understand girls.

Then the young boy again looked over at Davis, who continued to grimace as he continuously stabbed a thin stick at the center of the fire around which they sat. "You okay?" T.K. asked him, a small look of concern on his face.

Davis turned on him slowly. "What do you care?" he demanded in a sullen voice.

"Davis, come on. I'm your friend. If something's wrong then tell me about it. Please?"

My friend? Oh, no, T.J. Not as long as she's around. We may be companions and occasional allies, but friends? Not until you give up pursuing what is rightfully mine. "You know," he muttered.

T.K. looked away from Davis and back to Kari once again, then sighed. "Look, Davis, she's asleep. There's no reason for us to act like this when she's not even watching. If you want we can fight about it when she's awake, but why now? There's nobody here to impress."

"Oh, yeah. You'd like that, wouldn't you? To just end the game now when you're ahead, before I've got a chance to even the score."

"What game?" T.K. almost threw his hands up in frustration. "What score? What are you talking about? Do you think that having Kari as a better friend is something so simple as kicking a ball into a net?"

"I don't want her as a friend, T.K.!" Davis snapped his reply. "Don't you get it?"

Geez, he must be really worked up. He got my name right. "And even if that's all she wants from you, you won't let her? Like you won't let me?"

Davis shoved the stick all the way into the fire and left it there, watching the flames consume it before turning his back on the blond-haired boy. "I'm going to sleep," he announced, placing his pack on the ground as a pillow and laying next to it, his back to the fire.

T.K. shook his head sadly. He supposed that he couldn't really fault the other boy. Who knew how he would feel if their positions were reversed. He hoped that he would be able to accept Kari only as a friend if that was all that she truly felt... but then, fortunately, that was a relationship that he would never have to settle for. "Good night, Davis," the boy said quietly, then turned back to his vigil over his friends... and the girl that was bound to him in a way that Davis could never understand.

************

"T'Kai?" murmured T.K., shaking the young a'ladon awake gently. "T'Kai, get up. Your turn to watch."

The creature stirred in his sleep then sat up, Kari's arm falling off of him as he did so. "Mmm, already?" he said with a yawn and a stretch. Then his eyes brightened noticeably as he caught sight of Kiara standing there, glowing, at his feet. "About time," he finished his response, smiling broadly.

T.K. bit back a chuckle. "Hey, just don't get so caught up in watching her that you forget what you're really supposed to be looking out for."

T'Kai returned a slightly flustered look. "I wouldn't do that, Lord," he answered sheepishly.

T.K. kept smiling, brushing the reddish hair away from the other's blue eyes. He felt a deep kinship with the young creature, one so great that he was having difficulty understanding it. Though he'd only known the other boy for a little less than a week, he felt a bond that should have taken years to consummate. "Then you're going to be a much better guard than I was, T'Kai," he said as he nodded down at Kari. "Wake me if there's any trouble... or even if you just need some company."

T'Kai nodded his submission as the blond god lay down at his Lady's side and almost instantly fell asleep, then settled in for his watch. He vowed to himself that he would keep a careful sentry on the entire camp, even on the D'aevis, but as time passed he found his attention focused more and more on the girl Kiara. The young creature couldn't really help himself. He had, in truth, been a little bit in love with her since his early childhood, but now that she was there, in front of him, that glowing ember of adoration was threatening to turn into a raging blaze inside his chest.

"Just stop it," the a'ladon muttered to himself, continuing to stare at the girl. "I don't even really know her. I mean, for all I know she could be rude, or even dishonest, or... or maybe..." The boy trailed off, realizing that he knew the words were untrue. Inasmuch as he had never met her, he knew in his heart exactly what she was like. As gentle as she was beautiful, and as kind as she was gentle.

The night passed quickly for the boy, and even when it came time for him to wake the D'aevis for his watch the young a'ladon decided not to. He really wouldn't be able to sleep in any event; not with Kiara standing right before him and staring into his soul with her lovely, unblinking eyes. Were it not for the bone-numbing weariness that he'd felt the night before and the fact that Lord Takeru had insisted on taking the first watch, he wouldn't have been able to sleep then, either.

The boy rested his back against a large tree as the morning sun finally started to make its way over the eastern horizon, his emotions still a jumble within his head. He knew that, when his journey came to its end, he would have to surrender the girl to the dark creature who dwelt beneath the northern mountain. The words of departure from the priestess still echoed within his head. The pathway on which you must travel is undemanding, and at the end you will find a large fissure carved into the far side of the mountain. Simply lead the girl to that cavern, and from there she will find the way to her own destination. You will not be required to enter. When this has been done, your task is completed and you may go where you will.

In the days afterwards the child was always uncertain of why he did what he did next. Perhaps it was his happiness at having sat with the girl through the entire night; perhaps it was a result of not having had enough sleep during that same night. Or perhaps the more romantic side of his soul demanded he share his newfound joy with the world at the coming of the dawn. In any event, as he watched the sun peek over the horizon, the boy brought the tiny tin whistle that dangled around his neck to his lips, and started to play.

The tune was a simple one... indeed, was one of the earliest that he had ever learned to play. T'Kai didn't even really have to think about the notes as his fingers glided smoothly along the holes in the metal, and the music that came in response to his efforts made his heart glad.

As he neared the midpoint of the song T'Kai closed his eyes and leaned backwards, his foot tapping out the rhythm to the song. Apart from being one of the earliest he had learned it was one of his private favorites, if he was exactly uncertain of just why. Then, unexpectedly, the boy stared to fit lyrics together with the music that he was creating.

My eyes watch the light as it crested over the hill

My back to the darkness of the western sky

For now my heart can believe in the coming of the dawn

Even as it stands against the night

The shadows lengthen now towards my destiny

And though I did not ask it, still it comes upon me

The boy stopped playing. The words had not come from within his head... he had heard the soft, feminine voice in his ears! His whistle dropped from trembling paws as he blinked his eyes open and peered across the campsite to where the girl Kiara stood. The light that had been emanating from her body had ceased and she stood there, staring at him with paws folded together at her waist and a gentle smile on her face. The boy's mouth fell open at the sight of the girl awake and he was motionless for a moment. Motionless, that is, until the girl cried out in alarm, "T'Kai! Behind you!"

The Warden heard the warning in the words and rolled away from the tree against which he rested, mere seconds before the blade of an enormous weapon struck where he had been sitting and carved away a good portion of bark from the tree. The young creature rolled to his feet at the girl's side and whipped his weapon out of the sheath at his side, calling loudly for T.K. to awaken.

The blond human was on his feet and at the a'ladon's side an instant later, his long stave gripped tightly in his hands. His ears had told him that the girl Kiara was now awakened, and he spared a brief glance in her direction to confirm that conclusion before moving shoulder-to-shoulder with T'Kai and peering into the copse before them.

A group of half a dozen Saurians warriors marched slowly into the clearing which served as the small party's campsite. But these were not like the wild Saurian that they had fought with outside the first hospice city. Whereas that one had been clearly barbarous, wearing no adornment outside of its own scaly skin, these creatures were obviously intelligent and sentient beings. Indeed, the one who led them was clothed better than any in their own party, a cape of fine red cloth draped over one shoulder and trailing off behind his back.

T'Kai panted quietly at having come so close to decapitation, and wished that he could spare a thought to wonder how it was that Kiara had come to be awake. But it was clear to the boy that any distraction from the group opposite him would be deadly at this point, so he forced the thought from his consciousness for the time being. "What do you want?" the child piped up, addressing the gray-skinned creature in front.

The other leered dangerously in response. "Mmm... I had thought that would have been quite evident by S'saran's actions," it hissed, indicating the larger, green skinned creature at his side who was holding an enormous scythe-like weapon. Lidless eyes scanned over his intended victims, and after pausing for just a moment the gray creature turned his head to his fellows and nodded. "Kill them. Kill them all," it said casually.

Davis felt a warm wetness trickle down the inside of his leg as he heard the words, then he fumbled his large weapon out of his trembling fingers. The boy was utterly terrified. Before, in the digital world, he had always had Veemon by his side to do his fighting for him... and never before had he been faced with the reality that he would have to fight and perhaps be injured, or even killed, himself. These lizard-things had haunted his dreams since the night when first he had encountered one. They weren't just dangerous, they were evil...

T.K. frowned at the threat, then calmly moved from T'Kai's side and placed himself between the Saurians and Kari. Lastly and almost as an afterthought, he reached beneath his shirt and came up with the warm Crest of Hope, displaying it on his chest for all to see. T'Kai had seen the human move and echoed his steps, taking up a position in front of Kiara. "Hmph... touching," the lizard hissed, watching the actions of the pair. Then he raised his snout into the air. "Now," he muttered with a nod, never once taking his eyes from them.

Davis gave a cry of alarm as one of the lizards advanced on him, and the boy closed his eyes tightly and swung wildly with his bladed weapon, missing his intended opponent by several feet and T'Kai's head by scant inches. The weight of the weapon threw him off balance as he spun, then tangled his feet together and caused him to fall to the ground in a heap.

T.K. could spare none of his attention to see what happened to his friend after that as two of the green skinned Saurians were advancing on him from separate sides. Slowly he backed into Kari, then moved the two of them until the girl's back was wedged up against a large tree. He fumbled for her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Are you sure you can do this?" he murmured urgently to her over his shoulder.

"No," she whispered back at him.

"No?" the boy questioned in alarm, but it was much too late to formulate another plan. He had to trust that the girl could indeed do as they had arranged if they ever should happen into a battle. So with a cry he gripped his rod tightly in one hand and leapt toward the Saurian on his left.

The creature on the right, seeing the female apparently unguarded immediately charged and swung his weapon in a manner similar (if much more effectively) to Davis'. The girl calmly and dispassionately watched the creature approach, then at the last moment held up the Crest of Light that was bound to her wrist and closed her eyes in a communication of danger to the object.

As she had hoped, the Crest exploded into a dazzling nimbus of radiant brilliance directed right at the creature's eyes. In the dim light of daybreak the effect was magnified substantially, and even she was forced to bring up her other hand to shield her eyes from the artificial aurora.

The Saurian, on the other hand, had no warning of any danger, and in addition was a strictly nocturnal creature. And so the light that only dazzled Kari was to him as if a pair of red-hot needles had been thrust directly through his pupils and into his skull. The creature was almost certain that the sunburst had reached through to his brain and seared it with an angry heat, and he fell to the ground, howling in agony.

T.K.'s rod and the Saurian's cruel weapon met with a loud 'thud' in the space directly between the pair, and the boy clenched his teeth as the two exerted their strength against one another's, both seeking an advantage of a kind... any kind.

The human, though, had fought creatures like this before, whereas the Saurian was encountering a new type of opponent altogether. T.K. knew that the lizard-man would be stronger than him, and so was prepared when the other's blade slowly started to inch closer to his neck. When at last it did happen, T.K. pushed briefly to give the impression of more force and when his opponent countered in a like manner, the blond-haired boy pulled his rod away and dropped to the ground. The Saurian stumbled forward in shock, then went down heavily, crying out in agony as T.K. brought his rod forward with all his strength onto his opponent's knees.

With the backstroke T.K. then hammered the rod into the back of the lizard's head as it fell, and the creature collapsed forward into the dust with a quiet sigh.

The blond-haired boy looked around to see how everyone else was faring. Kari, it appeared was safe, as the lizard which she had been dealing with was rolling about on the ground, howling in agony, but elsewhere things were not so good. T'Kai's shorter blade placed him at a distinct disadvantage against the longer spears of his two opponents, and he was having difficulty keeping the Saurians at a safe distance from both he and Kiara. As the human watched the lizards backed the two a'ladon against a tree, evidently looking to strike the killing blow.

Across the way, Davis had either dropped or had his weapon struck from his hand, and was now scurrying away from his opponent in desperation. To make matters worse, however, the gray skinned leader of the Saurians now looked at though he, too would become active in that particular battle, marching slowly forward to place himself in Davis' path.

T.K. was torn. He couldn't aid both of his friends at the same time, and both were clearly ready to be beaten if he couldn't do something to help. Then, unexpectedly, his mind flashed to him a vision of Mylam the last time that they had come to this world and how he had fought. How when he had finally found faith in the young human he had matured... and T'Kai had faith indeed.

Closing his eyes and murmuring a quick prayer, T.K. removed the Crest of Hope from around his neck and held it up as high as he could. "T'Kai!" he cried out to the boyish a'ladon. "You believe! You are blessed! Receive the Light!" In response to the young hero's shout the Crest glimmered, then exploded with its familiar, golden aura.

"Wha--?" the young creature returned, then brought a tightly clenched paw to his chest as though he were in pain. His teeth were clenched together tightly, and his eyes were shut and his brow furrowed as he was bowed under the holy power of the Crest.

T'Kai's gave a shout and blinked open his eyes as his furry body adopted the Crest's power as his own. Every single one of his reddish hairs stood on end as tiny embers of gold swirled around him as if having a mind of their own, embracing him affectionately. From somewhere at his back he heard the clarion call of a great trump urging him forward to a battle against evil, and as he opened his eyes he found that he was no longer faced with opponents that could harm him. As the light inundated every fiber of his being the child became taller, stronger, faster, and his already keen senses sharpened exponentially. The Saurians were no match for him now.

The evil creatures, realizing this, stopped their attack and turned to look at one another as their opponent metamorphosed before their unblinking eyes. Whereas before they had been fighting against a small creature who stood barely waist-high to either of them, now they were facing off against a tall, lean figure who stood inches taller than them. The color of his fur was the same reddish tone that it had been, but his snout was a bit longer and his ears now stood up straight above his head. And, most alarming to the pair, clenched in his fist was an enormous sword that no a'ladon should have been able to hold, even with both paws.

T'Kai was handling it easily with one.

T.K. nodded as he witnessed the transfiguration as well, then turned and leapt to Davis' aid. The brown-haired boy was almost within the Saurian's grasp by now, and so intent was the lizard-man on his prey that it took him completely by surprise when T.K.'s rod met him with a wicked cross-check across the throat and knocked him to the ground.

Davis heard the clamor behind him and slid to a stop, then took a startled step backwards as the gray-skinned leader appeared some ten feet in front of him. "Well then, chiiild," the creature hissed at him. "It looks as though it is you and I now!"

"Hey, no, wait! Hold on," Davis exclaimed, holding up his palms to the creature in a gesture of parlay. "Can't we talk this over?"

The other grinned cruelly, an evil look in his eyes. "No," he answered simply, then opened his mouth and spewed a slimy glob of black mucous directly onto the human's face.

Davis gave an almost inhuman scream of agony and felt his nerveless legs suddenly give way beneath him. He would have fallen to the ground, but before he could collapse entirely the Saurian leader again opened his mouth, and this time a long, lizard-like tongue snaked forward from it and wrapped itself tightly around Davis' face. The boy's scream was muted as the creature's tongue encircled most of his mouth and throat, cutting off the air supply to his lungs, and slowly the Saurian started to reel in his prey to his waiting mouth.

"Grand Cross!" the newly evolved T'Kai shouted as he leapt forward at his two opponents, cleanly slicing the metal blades of their weapons off of their wooden bases with each stroke of the attack. The young a'ladon switched paws with his sword and dropped into a fencer's crouch as the eyes of the lizards echoed astonishment. The two gave one another a brief glance, then turned and scurried off into the woods from which they had come. They had been paid to ambush and murder children... not to enter into a battle with a fully-grown swordsman.

"Davis!" screamed Kari from the edge of the camp as she watched the brown-haired boy being dragged towards the Saurian's waiting mouth. He had stopped struggling, his arms and legs both limp upon the ground. "T.K.! Do something!"

The blond-haired boy dropped his long stave, releasing the stranglehold that he had taken about the green-skinned Saurian's neck and allowed the creature to collapse, unconscious, to the forest floor. "Davis!" the boy exclaimed, then scrambled to his feet and to his friend's aid.

But T'Kai was faster. The fox-like creature hurtled over the campfire in the center of the clearing and brought his keen weapon down across the Saurian's prehensile tongue, severing it cleanly a foot above Davis' head.

The creature howled in agony as what remained of the appendage snapped back into its mouth, then stared back in hatred at the two children... but not children... before him. The creature that had been an a'ladon clearly was not one any longer, and was giving him a look that almost dared him to attack. And the creature that Karel had called a human, the one with the yellow fur atop his head that had just pummeled two of his best men into unconsciousness now stood, feet askew, over his fallen counterpart.

This had not been part of the deal. The Saurian would have sent another blast of venomous spittle at the pair, but now the blood from his severed tongue was almost gagging him, filling his throat and lungs with the thick, coppery tasting fluid. "Thissss is not over yet," the lizard-man hissed angrily at the pair, then turned and loped into the woods, following the tracks of the two that T'Kai had frightened away.

T.K. and T'Kai looked at one another, then each nodded in satisfaction and admiration. As the golden-haired boy watched, the golden light of the Crest of Hope slowly seeped from his furry friend's body until the child was once again his normal size. "What... was that?" the young creature panted, again having to look up at T.K.

The boy was about to answer when he heard a moan at his back. "Oh my God. Davis!" he exclaimed, turning and kneeling at the brown-haired boy's side.

A portion of the Saurian's disjoined tongue was still wrapped about Davis' face, and T.K. quickly unwound it with disgust and cast it aside. The young boy turned his face away, wrinkling his nose at both the gruesome sight and horrid smell of the thick, tarry substance covering Davis' face. "Kari!" he shouted across the camp, not taking his eyes off of Davis. "Bring water! Quick!"

The brown-haired girl did so, taking the small canteen from her pack and hurrying over to T.K.'s side. She placed it into the boy's hands, then reeled away from the ghastly appearance of Davis' face. T'Kai was there as she turned, and took her hand in a comforting gesture.

T.K. ripped one of the sleeves off of his golden shirt and liberally splashed water over Davis' eyes and nose, then attempted to wipe it clean with the piece of cloth that he had torn off.

The substance proved almost impossible to remove entirely, but after a few moments T.K. managed to clean the worst of it from the brown-haired boy's eyes and mouth. Unfortunately, at that moment Davis gave another scream and started thrashing about on the ground, wildly flailing his arms and head in pain and horror.

"Davis! Davis, stop!" T.K. exclaimed, attempting to corral his friend's appendages. "Help me!" he said quickly to T'Kai and Kari, indicating his comrade.

The pair, as well as the girl Kiara came quickly to his aid, each of them holding down a separate appendage in an attempt to keep Davis from hurting himself or anyone else as he thrashed about. Kari quickly whispered into the boy's ear, telling him that everything was all right, that the battle was over now, but Davis either could not hear her or was in too much agony to care.

Then Kiara let go of the arm that she had been holding and grabbed the shoulder of the young a'ladon at her side. "T'Kai!" she exclaimed to catch his attention, then nodded at the whistle that he had dropped earlier. "Quickly," she said, then hummed a few bars of a simple lullaby that the boy remembered from his youth.

T'Kai looked a bit confused, but did as the girl bade and scampered over to the tree to retrieve the small metal flute that he'd dropped earlier. When he returned he placed the whistle to his lips, calling to mind the song that Kiara had requested and started to play it as he knelt at the injured human's side. As he played, the female a'ladon whispered a soothing melody to the fallen human at her feet.

Great Peace, I bring to you

This peace, I offer you

Calm your fears and rest and soon

My peace will come to you

The boy looked up, surprised. He had never known that the particular little lullaby had any lyrics, but as he continued to play and the girl continued to softly sing the words it appeared to have the desired effect. Davis' thrashings slowed, then ceased, and though he continued to moan T.K. was finally able to finish the job of cleaning what he could off of the other boy's face.

"Davis?" T.K. murmured.

"Davis, say something," Kari murmured, looking up with concern at her the blond-haired boy who was her beloved. T.K. only shook his head in response, chewing ever so slightly on his bottom lip.

Then, to their surprise the boy did blink open his eyes. "Kari? T.K.?" he whispered, reaching out his hands feebly at the two of them. "I can't... I mean... I don't... "

T.K. looked grimly at Kari, who brought her hands to her mouth in alarm as they heard the other boy speak the words that they knew were coming.

Davis gave a quiet sniffle. "I'm blind... "