Chapter 4
Saturos pushed through the snow; he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. He wasn't sure how he had survived falling into the beacon of Venus Lighthouse. But all he could do for now, was keep moving until he reached Prox. If he stopped, he'd freeze to death. His fingers finally lost all muscle control and fell limp, his cloak falling away from his hands. Luckily, he had tied the end around his neck so in case something of this nature occurred, he would not lose his favorite cloak. Up ahead he saw something move. Perhaps it was a monster, or maybe it was a traveler, or maybe it was even a Proxian. No matter what it was, he moved into a state of alertness. He tried to draw his sword but his hands wouldn't grip the hilt. His fingers refused to cooperate with him. He'd have to rely on his psynergy, even though he knew he was sapped for energy to use it. He drew closer and called out, stupidly. "Hello?"
He was not greeted by a growl or a cheerful voice but the groan of a young woman. "I'm not dead." She sounded weak. "I'm still alive, I haven't given up."
Saturos moved closer to where he heard the voice and through the blowing cloud of snow he saw a small figure, crawling through the blanket of whiteness on the ground. She looked oddly like Menardi. Saturos moved as fast as his legs would carry him towards the girl. He leaned down in the snow and stopped her. "Don't move, Menardi. You've been through a lot. Don't push yourself." He began pulling the girl out of the snow, up into his arm. "How did you make it all the way here?"
The girl's head lolled back against his arm. "I crawled...and why do you speak to me as if I am my sister? Is my sister still alive?"
"Karst?" Saturos said, amazed. He brushed snow and hair away from her face and was greeted by the sight of Menardi's sister, lying in his arms, teetering on the edge of life and death. "Where did you crawl from? Where is Agatio?"
Karst's lower lip quivered and tears began brimming in her eyes and Saturos wiped them away, not wanting them to freeze in her eyes. "Agatio is dead, slain by Felix, Sheba, Jenna, and Piers."
"Felix?!" Saturos exclaimed, anger setting in. "You mean he betrayed us?"
Karst shook her head frantically. "No, we were not ourselves. We were turned into dragons. We stood in his way of lighting Mars beacon. If he had not stopped us, Prox would have been destroyed."
Saturos sighed. "Where did you crawl from?"
"From Mars Lighthouse. I've been crawling for nearly a day."
Saturos could see the only parts of her that had not succumbed to numbness had been her upper arms, legs, torso, and head. The rest of her body lay limply. "If you've been crawling for a day, that means that Prox is close by." He scooped her up into his arms and stood. "Don't worry, you'll be home soon."
"How do you know we're going the right way?" Karst asked, teeth chattering.
"I can sense it. This is the way."
Karst buried her head against Saturos shoulder, feeling the cloth of his cloak gently brush against the back of her head and neck as it fluttered in the frigid blasts of wind.
Saturos pushed through the snow; he couldn't feel his fingers anymore. He wasn't sure how he had survived falling into the beacon of Venus Lighthouse. But all he could do for now, was keep moving until he reached Prox. If he stopped, he'd freeze to death. His fingers finally lost all muscle control and fell limp, his cloak falling away from his hands. Luckily, he had tied the end around his neck so in case something of this nature occurred, he would not lose his favorite cloak. Up ahead he saw something move. Perhaps it was a monster, or maybe it was a traveler, or maybe it was even a Proxian. No matter what it was, he moved into a state of alertness. He tried to draw his sword but his hands wouldn't grip the hilt. His fingers refused to cooperate with him. He'd have to rely on his psynergy, even though he knew he was sapped for energy to use it. He drew closer and called out, stupidly. "Hello?"
He was not greeted by a growl or a cheerful voice but the groan of a young woman. "I'm not dead." She sounded weak. "I'm still alive, I haven't given up."
Saturos moved closer to where he heard the voice and through the blowing cloud of snow he saw a small figure, crawling through the blanket of whiteness on the ground. She looked oddly like Menardi. Saturos moved as fast as his legs would carry him towards the girl. He leaned down in the snow and stopped her. "Don't move, Menardi. You've been through a lot. Don't push yourself." He began pulling the girl out of the snow, up into his arm. "How did you make it all the way here?"
The girl's head lolled back against his arm. "I crawled...and why do you speak to me as if I am my sister? Is my sister still alive?"
"Karst?" Saturos said, amazed. He brushed snow and hair away from her face and was greeted by the sight of Menardi's sister, lying in his arms, teetering on the edge of life and death. "Where did you crawl from? Where is Agatio?"
Karst's lower lip quivered and tears began brimming in her eyes and Saturos wiped them away, not wanting them to freeze in her eyes. "Agatio is dead, slain by Felix, Sheba, Jenna, and Piers."
"Felix?!" Saturos exclaimed, anger setting in. "You mean he betrayed us?"
Karst shook her head frantically. "No, we were not ourselves. We were turned into dragons. We stood in his way of lighting Mars beacon. If he had not stopped us, Prox would have been destroyed."
Saturos sighed. "Where did you crawl from?"
"From Mars Lighthouse. I've been crawling for nearly a day."
Saturos could see the only parts of her that had not succumbed to numbness had been her upper arms, legs, torso, and head. The rest of her body lay limply. "If you've been crawling for a day, that means that Prox is close by." He scooped her up into his arms and stood. "Don't worry, you'll be home soon."
"How do you know we're going the right way?" Karst asked, teeth chattering.
"I can sense it. This is the way."
Karst buried her head against Saturos shoulder, feeling the cloth of his cloak gently brush against the back of her head and neck as it fluttered in the frigid blasts of wind.