Knock On Wood
AN:
Er, it's official. I'm doomed to mess up! All right, all right. In the previous chapter, I said in my Author's Note... "Oh, um…in the previous chapter I accidentally called Lamium..."
What I MEANT to say of course, was that I accidentally called Lamium "Lepante" and it's really Lamium...and well...er...never mind. --'
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It's not that I don't care...but I think I'll sum up my replies to reviews at the bottom of each chapter. That way it doesn't take up (sigh) half of my chapters, which actually makes the fanfiction have many many more words when it's REALLY just half that much, or less....er...rambling, yes. Sorry. -backs away slowly-
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Chapter Three: Outstand
The sun loomed in the window, spilling through the glass and washing over his face and piercing through his eyelids. Clive woke immediately and winced, groggily lifting his arm to block the merciless onslaught of light. Realizing with faint dilemma that it was morning, he sighed and relaxed against the familiar comfort of his very own bed.
The evening had ended quietly. It was well past eight o'clock when Clive had finally stopped talking. Without so much as a second thought to his story, Bell had generously offered the Drifters each a bed for the night. Clive's bed, in fact, had been vacant for quite some time. According to the old housekeeper, the bed he'd taken the previous night belonged to the "Missus" and no one else. Also according to Bell's cunning sense of formality, she had made an "exception" for Clive and "allowed" him to sleep in it. He was, after all, the husband of the "Missus".
And so, with Virginia in Kaitlyn's bed, Jet on the couch and Gallows (ever so grudgingly) on the floor, the night stretched on rather peacefully.
Clive lied still for another full minute, allowing his senses some relief. Waking up here, at the same time he always did, in this bed in this house that was his own...was it supposed to bear familiarity? Disturbing as it was, he could not deny that the room, the air and the muffled sounds of stirring marketers outside were all foreign. Had he merely woken from a very long and horrific dream? Then again, why would it relieve him?
It would not, as he came to understand. No matter what, this is where he was and he could not go back.
If only Kaitlyn...but no, that was unquestionably selfish of him to consider. He had observed the devastating results of a family so split apart second-hand. Aside from his fearing for her, there was little other reason to return here and get her involved...
No! There it was, that tormenting little voice that completely overwhelmed all reason and emotional charge. This was how Virginia's father thought, he realized. To the very point and purpose, this notion of a distant protection is what would destroy him, hands down.
His thoughts drifted towards the present time. Hesitantly, for he wanted little else than to remain exactly where he was, Clive rose from the bed and stood up. Immediately, he reached out to retrieve his glasses from the top of the nearby dresser and slid them on. A little foolishly, he realized, he had not removed his coat before collapsing into dreamless slumber the night before.
The adjoining room was deathly still as he entered. Sure enough, Gallows lay sprawled across the carpet in a gangly, almost humourous manner. Jet snored quietly nearby, with one arm dangling over the edge of the couch, which was actually slightly smaller than it needed to be to accommodate him.
A slight shuffling sound brought his attention to the doorway located to his right. Virginia emerged from Kaitlyn's room, oddly pale and obviously weary. Then she smiled. "Morning, Clive!" she greeted him, yet again using her best not-so-elated yet cheerful voice.
"Good morning, Virginia," said Clive, although not as forced. He stood for a moment while observing the silent shadows on the walls. "Did I wake you? It is still rather early to start preparing to leave."
Her smile faded a little, and she paused before replying. "No, you didn't wake me up. But, leave? Are we going to leave without even waiting for Kaitlyn to come back?"
Clive faltered, recognizing his mistake. That was a good question, and he wasn't entirely he had the answer to it. Maybe it was because he was so accustomed to traveling every day that he had assumed their departure. On the other hand, he wasn't so positive. Again, there was indecision.
"Virginia, may I ask you something?" he inquired, keeping his voice a level above a whisper.
Her face brightened immediately, although why was beyond him. "Of course you may, Clive! That's what I'm here for, right?"
Clive felt awkward. Now, did he really have the right to come out and ask her something he was unsure of himself? Well, he decided. He had better, before the others woke up and the situation grew worse.
"When you told us of your father…" he said. "Do you remember? Following his departure, you felt…"
Virginia's faced dropped immediately. She did not express any anger, but definite seriousness was tolling now. "Lonely?" she offered. "Scared and sad, as if someone took your spirit right out of your body and shut it away in a box, somewhere far, far away…"
This struck the other Drifter quite hard. He had not expected her to become so blunt, and yet…understanding. He cast his eyes to the floor. "Yes," he said. "I was also looking for 'angry', or 'betrayed'…did you feel any of these things?"
She looked slightly surprised at this, but she managed to conceal the better part of it. "Clive! Do you really think Kaitlyn feels that way towards you? I mean, well, it's…even if she did, you know it wasn't your fault! You said so yourself, right? Some things can't be changed, no matter how hard you try…"
"You do not understand, Virginia," said the green-haired Drifter. His tone was still hushed, but obviously more urgent than it had been moments ago. "I have been absent from her world for a significant part of her life…I am solely responsible for Catherine, as well…"
"Don't say that!" she whispered fiercely. "You couldn't control what happened with Beatrice, Clive…no one could!"
Clive went silent after that, setting his jaw firmly with a sort of fierce determination that was not so foreign to him. When a few, wistfully empty moments had passed, he sighed. "I apologize," he said at last. "I acted irrationally…Virginia, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed…she is my daughter. She is also my responsibility…"
"And you love her?" Virginia's mouth formed a tight, confident smile.
He looked at her first in surprise, and then understanding. "Yes, I do."
There came a noise from behind, startling them both. A cracked voice broke the stunned silence. "She went to that place, you know. Oh, what did it say in her letter…" There was a pause. "Oh yes…'Doomed to Obscurity'? I certainly hope that rings a bell, Clive Winslett."
Sure enough, Bell lurked in the dim shadows near the kitchen door. Her face was split with a smile revealing a set of crooked (yet surprisingly intact) set of teeth. "Well?" she wanted to know. "What are you waiting for? Get packing! You will need supplies, of course…"
Bell's loud exclamation was the last straw for the sleeping duo. A loud snort was heard from the floor, where Gallows suddenly shot up, wide-awake and (much to everyone else's amusement) completely stumped by his surroundings. "What, what…? Whoa? No breakfast? We're leaving?" He appeared to gather his senses a little. "Uh, sorry…need me to supply?"
Virginia sighed at this, when normally she would have been the first to laugh. "We can handle the supplies together, Gallows."
Clive was still taken aback. A tinge of guilt picked at him as he realized how easily Virginia was taking this in. "Virginia," he said disbelievingly. "There is…no reason for you to stay. I am more than capable of resolving this mission alone, if you wish to progress…"
Her face seemed to fall ever so slightly. "Alone?" she recurred his suggestion. "I can't let you go all by yourself, Clive! It could be much more dangerous than it was before!"
Her reasoning planted an uncertain device in his mind. "I have been in complicated situations before. If need be, I will use the Teleport Orb to immediately transport myself to your location once I find Kaitlyn."
Virginia frowned, knowing full well that she couldn't argue with him and win. After all, the Teleport Orb was under his charge (he was the one to solve the puzzles, after all) and if he chose to use it according to his wishes, she could only let him. What worried her, however, was that the Orb only worked once or twice every three months. Of course, she hadn't known Clive had recharged it already.
Another unnerving fact about the Teleport Orb? It worked only when the user was in mortal danger.
It was not quite the same item that Rokyman used, which had been their initial thought. However, it hadn't taken them very long at all to discover that the Orb wouldn't operate unless they were in the midst of a battle, or ambushed or threatened by some unseeing force. Discouraging as it was, Clive had insisted that the Orb would be a very beneficial item to keep despite its impossible weight compared to its size.
"Let him go."
This time, Jet spoke. He rose from the couch, completely untainted by the fading traces of sleep, which led Virginia to worry just how long he had been listening. The silver-haired youth glanced at her, as if to prove her theory.
"You should let him," he said again, with very little enthusiasm. "I'd rather not go back there for as long as I'm sane."
Virginia jolted inwardly. "Jet, how can you be so uncaring!? This isn't just some bounty-hunting mission!"
"I just said," he defended. "Count me out."
There was no argument about it. The uncouth Drifter turned around, regardless of Virginia shouting after him, and stalked towards the door. He disappeared into the street before anyone could object any further.
"Ah, let him be," suggested Gallows. "Let him blow off a little steam. So, Clive-"
"I know!" Virginia's exclaimation completely cut him off. "Since I can't go, and Jet...well, he's being Jet...why don't you do with him, Gallows?"
There was a definite hesitation. The look on Gallows' face clearly explained exactly how he felt about her idea, but he was obviously stuck in decision. Finally, Clive spoke for him.
"If it is indeed dangerous," he began pointedly. "I would rather not endanger any of your lives unnecessarily."
"No, no!" said Gallows, realizing his mistake in hesitating. "I'll go. Couldn't help but worry if it's safe, though, leaving her all alone with Jet and all."
"Oh, don't worry," she said testily. "I'll be fine. I think you should worry about Jet once I'm through with him!"
Gallows scratched the back of his neck and smiled wryly. "Uh, yeah...I meant that," he said skulkingly, but it was clear that he was thinking of something else. "Ow!" he added, after recieving a not-so-gentle cuff from their leader.
"I still do not believe-" Clive began.
"Clive!" came Virginia's blunt demand. "As your leader, I suggest you take Gallows offer to help, or I just might cave and come with you myself."
The older Drifter relaxed slightly, unaware that Bell was cackling loudly in the background. There was nothing left to support his end of the argument, not if he wanted to risk more injury on Virginia or even Jet. With a grim expression, Clive adjusted his glasses and expressed his submission. "Well then, leader, I accept your proposition."
"Good," she replied, not without some extent of relief. "But, I want you to promise me one thing before we split up."
This invoked puzzlement in the older Drifter. He replied as casually as he felt was necessary. "What is it?'
"If you or Gallows are in trouble, and I mean any kind of trouble," she said, stressing her words. "You have to use the Orb before either of you get hurt! Do you promise?"
Clive felt the built-up anxiety in his chest melt away. "That, I promise."
"Yes, mother..." Gallows grumbled to himself.
"Okay," said Virginia brightly. If she had heard Gallows' comment, she showed no signs of concern for it. "We'll split the cost for supplies in two. I'll go find Jet while you two get ready to explore the ruins!"
"That sounds reasonable," said Clive. "Our supplies will differ from yours, depending on our destinations."
There came another shuffling noise, which Bell had caused in rummaging through a drawer located in the decorative table by the door. With a faint expression, she hobbled towards the Drifter group with something pinched in her aged fingers.
When she offered it to Clive silently, he accepted it only to find that the item was a note. Instantly, his memory of the previous day rushed back to him. This note was...?
"Perhaps you should wait until you have time," said the old woman, gravely. "Although I have not read it, nor felt inclined to, I am still troubled by its contents."
Clive, disgarding the negative thoughts that followed thereafter, placed the note in his coat pocket without a word. Instead, he nodded his thanks and did not think futher on the subject. After all, there would be plenty time to ponder the message his wife had left for him later on. Right now, there were many other things to attend to.
Virginia and Gallows stared quietly at their comrade and said nothing, until Clive looked at them both and smiled. "We need our supplies," he pointed out in a surprisingly normal tone. "I should have a sufficient amount of gella to cover our cost, so you may keep our travelling money for emergencies."
"Alright," came Virginia's soft reply. "Why don't we meet at the bridge when we're all done?"
"Agreed!" said Gallows, his grin somehow brightening the dampened mood. "Alright, Clive, let's get hoppin'."
The green-haired Drifter allowed his gaze to follow his comrade as he first saluted the old lady, and took his leave into the bustling streets. Virginia looked cheerful, at least, which encouraged him.
Quietly, Clive turned about and followed Gallows through the door. Whether or not his instincts agreed with him, he had made a promise he was not sure he was going to keep.
He only hoped he would.
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Kaitlyn grunted as she hauled herself onto the edge of the jagged block. This was the third time she had been through this puzzle today, and the energy it consumed was unbelievable.
She closed her hand around a solid rock handhold and carefully pulled herself away from the ledge she had been standing on. Once she had climbed to the very peak of the formation, she sighed and leaned against the chair-like indent she had found herself in. With aching fingers, she uncapped her waterksin and downed the rest of its contents...which wasn't much.
Three times she had been to either end of the room, trying to figure out what the mysterious puzzle lead to. Near the top of the room, above a series of red grates and switches, an orange crystal sat with an inscription she was currently deciphering. Acutally translating the language was the easy part. It was activating the next sequence at the opposite end of the room every time it revealed one sentence.
She was nearly done, she told herself. So far the inscription had told her very little about the historic factory this ruin was used for. The actual words barely made sense at all, at least not to her knowledge.
She tilted her head back and tried to recall the entire passage she had been memorizing over the course of two months.
...Back on the world, no light shines
Past and through dawn, day breaks down
I die then, no life is mine
But give me mine, and I reach
For the sky, for the ground
For the West, East, North and South
I am a Mother and Father
Children I bear, thousands and none
I never birth. Nurse I not.
Still, not, but moving...
That was all she had discovered. Every time she climbed the grates and read the words, she would lock them away in her mind, and start all over again. It took days alone to make it to this point, and then move so much to work out the riddle. This was her fourth visit in sixty days. And she loathed returning home every time, for her Nan constantly nagged her about rules and safety.
This is what she did now, she thought. She was old enough to know right from wrong. The ARM in her holster was not there for show, either. Two years was a long time to train herself how to operate a weapon.
She shook her empty waterskin and sighed again. Until she reached the orange crystal and crossed the room again, she would have to go thirsty. She eyed the shadowy corner where she had left her pack, and her extra water supply. Yes, it would be at least another hour or so...
Kaitlyn had chosen this ruin specifically. Her father had kept many books (which had been hidden away, but she found them) and almost all of them were about either ancient artifacts or ruins. The only bit of information she had received about 'Doomed to Obscurity' was it's old Elwen name and its location. She had decided to wing it from there.
At the moment, she was located just below the orange-and-red grates. Of course, she had been up and down them so many times that she could easily guess where the creaks were and where a step would cause the old contraptions to shake. Now it was simply a matter of climbing them now, and presently she wished she could remain on the ground for the rest of her life.
Giving herself a mental kick, she dragged herself to her feet and put her waterskin away. There was no sense in thinking about it. The only way she was going to get out of this ruin alive was through this puzzle and out the door. Then, maybe, she would ride home and...well, she decided it would be better not to think that far ahead.
She had not even noticed the distant, shifting sounds.
She glanced up once more, and stretched her arms high to reach the mesh of the lowest grate, her fingers just brushing the metal-
A sudden uproar in the rock below caused her hands to slip and threw her dangerously off balance. Before she even realized that the wall to her left was caving in, she had toppled over the edge of her perch and plunged into the damp pit ahead.
Kaitlyn screamed as she took the short drop, and then her mouth was agape in silent shock. Her wrist jammed sharply aganist the floor as she landed on it. She felt a sickening, searing pain, but the sound of the break was muted by the rumbling and clattering of the rocks overhead. Then she yelped again as one of those rocks slid down the steep incline and struck her shin. Instinctively, she curled her body into a ball and tried to huddle as close to the remaining wall as she could. The stones continued to rain about her.
And she had thought it was all over when the sounds began to diminish. The spattering of debris had died down considerably after a while, and in a panic she tried to move away from the possible cascade.
She had barely moved two inches from her previous spot when a chilling sound stopped her in her tracks.
The rumbling growl deeped. It was replaced with a long, airy hiss and the scraping of claws against dirt. In three bounds, the massive creature that had caused the rockslide clung to the underside of the grate overhead. It appeared confused, as if it had been chasing a prey that had somehow eluded it. Its yellow eyes danced with its head as it jerked back and forth, a reptillian tongue darting back and forth from its mouth, tasting, smelling for its lost quarry...
Kaitlyn swallowed dryly when it dawned on her. That 'quarry' was her.
It was not a very large monster, in fact. She had never encountered its kind before, which did not comfort her in the least. Its head was slender, roughly the size of her own, with smooth, reptillian details and a large mouth. Its neck was also slender, attached to a body that was stout, scaly and spiked. It had no tail, but its claws were shaped to a fashion that made it seem like a shadow-crawler, who sprunng on their prey from above. All around, it was coloured a bright, brilliant red.
Fighting against her instincts, Kaitlyn slowly, every so cautiously reached behind her back for the base of her ARM.
Her fingers closed around air.
She managed to stiffle her squeak of surprise, but a shock ran throughout her mind that nearly caused her pain. Where had it fallen out? When she fell? If so, how far away was it and was it retrievable? Wait, there was her knife...
No, the dagger she normally kept for emergencies was in her pack. In her pack, on the other side of the room.
Shaking silently, she stared up at the immobile creature. It was not moving, but its senses were obviously in full operation. And nowhere in sight could she find her ARM.
Maybe if she stayed still? If she could hold out long enough, it just might move on in search for another form of prey. Only if she could outlast it...
As if it had read her intentions, the monster's head snapped in her direction. It twisted right around until it was staring directly at her. Murder was in its beady gaze.
She acted out immediately. She could not fight, and with no idea where to begin hunting for her weapon, she would have to run. Kaitlyn leapt out of her shadowy hiding place and dashed towards the steep elevation that seperated the room in half.
If she could climb it, perhaps leap over it, she could reach her pack...the knife was right on top...
The creature was no fool at hunting. Perhaps by the stirring dust it was puzzled, however, for it leapt for the exact spot she had been crouching a moment ago. With no soft flesh under its claws it gathered its haunches and sprang again. This time, it aimed for the wall just ahead of her.
Kaitlyn yelled in surprise and instinctively darted to her right and away from the monster's lashing teeth. The stout wall loomed just ahead of her. She leapt and seized the edge of the wall in both hands.
There came a loud crunch behind her. She knew exactly what it meant, and for the first time she acted against her instincts. She released the edge of the wall and fell, landing roughly on her back. She saw a flash of red fly past, just above her head as the creature sailed over the wall.
Her breaths came in short gasps. But she ignored the fact that her lungs would not work, pushing herself off the ground and stumbling to her feet again. Hide...she had to find a place to hide, at least
Perhaps she got lucky, or maybe she had somehow (vaguely) known all about it, but she saw the place she needed almost immediately. There was a deep crack in the far wall, nearly twice her width and slightly more than half her height. It was a place too impossibly small for the creature to fit into, but it was almost perfectly shapred to fit her petite bulk.
She scambled madly, knowing full well that in two bounds, the creature would be on her again. Ignoring all sounds behind her, she lunged for the dark crack and threw herself into its clammy depth. The walls scraped her bruised leg and jostled her wrist, but she didn't care. She wedged herself into the crack as far as she could possibly go.
An instant later, a storm of gnashing teeth and claws struck the outside of the crevice. It reached into the darkness where its prey had vanished, but met to form of fleshy resistance. In a fury, it attacked the hole again, trying to snag, capture, scratch, anything...
Kaitlyn watched the clawed arm madly grope at the entrance to the small tunnel. Although it barely reached the air one foot ahead of her, she could not help but choke on the fear caught in her throat.
Finally, after what seemed to be a million years, the arm retracted itself from her safe haven. There was another flash of red at the opening, and then nothing could be seen.
She remained rigid, struck with the horror of the entire event for another full minute. When at last she was convinced that it could not reach her, even if it did choose to return, she relaxed and bent her head forward.
She screamed for a third time that day when the mouth of the crack was suddenly pierced with the creature's head. Its long neck and lithe head shot forward, snapping the air just around her neck and shoulders. With a frightened gasp, she threw herself back again and pinned herself away from the bloodlusting inscissors.
It snapped for a few lingering moments and, with a frustrated, ear-splitting bellow, retreated once more. This time, it lingered at the entrance to the crack and stared at her coldly. Its golden eyes were no longer burning with hunger, but anger and resentment. Things that no creature should express when faced with a failed hunt.
And instead of disappearing again, the monster backed away a few, shaky steps and sat upon its haunches, staring. Then it proceeded to preen its scales, every so often making sure that it lifted its infuriated gaze to her.
Eventually, the fear overwhelmed her to a point where she could no longer stand. Kaitlyn clenched her fists tight and collapsed on the narrow floor of the crevice. Her entire body began to tremble with the sobs that now forced their way out of her parched throat.
She just wanted to go home. She didn't care about the message encoded on the orange crystal anymore! If she could only get out of this crack, away from the dragon-monster, out of the ruins and back home...she was too scared to do anything anymore. She should never had left home in the first place...
And she desperately wanted her mother. More than anything else in the world, she just wanted to hear her mother say "It's all right, Kaitlyn. Mommy will fix that for you..."
But there was no one here to fix anything! The only reason she was here was to find out why...
It was that way that she thought for the next hour. She knew the creature had not left at all. In fact, in a full sixty minutes it had not even bothered to move. It continued to sit and stare occasionally, simply waiting and offering her the option of a quick death over a longer and painful period of starvation.
She didn't want to conider it. No, there had to be some way to escape. There might even be a chance that the creature would get bored and walk away. Then she could find her ARM, and leave...
Another hour wore on. She could not help but feel the fatigue wear on her mind. But she wanted so badly to stay awake, to wait for the creature to fall asleep perhaps, and make her move...
Mommy...Her thoughts invoked yet more tears. Her childhood memories of her mother were like fresh wounds, neverending, never healing...if only she had done something to stop her, to prevent her from leaving?
After another minute or so, Kaitlyn closed her eyes and did not bother to open them again. She cried to herself over and over again, wishing for her mother, among other things. Then, as her thoughts slowly began to subside into slumber, another word feebly entered her mind.
Daddy...
Then Kaitlyn slept, and dreampt of Clive Winslett.
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Ah, well. The length of my chapters will differ from here, depending on my mood. shrugs
Anyway, yeah...short replies. Thank ya, Teefa, and I appreciate your...er, empathy. Black Walkz 0, LUV your fanficcy, and thanks! I'm glad I bought you. Cough. Anyway...yay, Hana! Thank you too, as your insight is very welcome! And your praise! And Wolfsbane, yes, I thought there might not be a chapter unless Bell dragged the story on. Kinda sounds like another Bell we know (winces at her own lame pun) Whew...anyway, again. Next chapter come soon, I promises.