Chapter 32

Amber-Eyed Stranger

The air was smoky and stank of stale alcohol, but Bobby didn't care. Before him on the deeply scratched and heavily stained counter sat an enormous mug of beer that was about half full at the moment. He was sitting in a German tavern, he thought they called them beer halls, that he'd found yesterday while walking the streets with Piotr in search of information. They'd come up empty as always and by now Bobby was beginning to doubt that they would ever find the elusive artifacts. Today happened to be Wednesday and a day that Logan had declared free time, they all could do whatever they wanted so long as they didn't get into trouble, so he'd come here to relax and forget.

He'd only just started his first mug, it might take a few more to make him forget completely, but at least after finishing this one he would be a bit number to the world. With a deep sigh he lifted the heavy mug to his mouth and downed another large bitter gulp. This was the cheapest, nastiest tasting brew he'd ever had the misfortune to drink, but it wasn't the flavor or quality that he was after, just the effects. By the end of this drinking binge he would forget everything and be in a blissful fantasy world where everything went his way.

He wouldn't remember this nightmare quest and all the myriad misfortunes it entailed. He would forget that Kitty was married to some absent deadbeat and that she didn't love him. He would forget his pain and loneliness for a few blissful hours until the drinks effects wore off and left him miserable once more. But for a few hours of forgotten bliss the hangover would be more than worth it. He would be free of all his worries and concerns and he could pour all his pain out leaving him refreshed, after recovering from the hangover, and ready to move on with things.

However, at the moment he was still chained to the present, a place he didn't want to be part of or aware of. Kitty was not just unattainable, now she had turned her back on him. She was on the side of the demonic Nightcrawler now. The Cursed creature that had saved him had turned around and stolen Kitty's friendship from him. How could she trust that foreign man over him? She'd known him for a few years and this stranger only a month or so. He knew that the Nightcrawler was up to something. The blue-furred beast had an unhealthy interest in Kitty and that could only lead to trouble down the road.

Desperate to banish the dark thoughts, in fact all the thoughts, from his mind he took another huge gulp from his mug. Every sip brought him closer to his goal. It added a layer of fuzziness to his vision and brain and softened the distinctions to his feelings. If only the haze of forgetfulness that drinking spirits caused could last forever. Then he'd never have any troubles in his life again. Life would be simple, wondrous bliss; it would be something worth living. Just as he was about to drain the mug, some random patron blundered into him and made him spill that last of his drink all over himself.

"Hey, watch where you're going you moron!" Bobby shouted irately.

His shout was met with an angry Germanic retort that made his blood run cold. The words meant nothing to him; it was the men who responded that made him pale. He might be slightly drunk from his one large beer, but the men who stood before him sobered him up instantly. They were some of Lord Grauhard's soldiers in full uniform with swords hanging at their waists. They'd heard him speak English and harass one of their fellows so they had more than enough reason to spill his innards all over the floor this very second.

Before his terrified mind could break free from its paralysis the five powerful men had him by the shoulders and were dragging him out of the beer hall. As they emerged into the bright midday sunlight Bobby found himself half-blinded and his increased stumbling only made the soldiers more angry. They shouted all manner of Germanic curses at him that were all the more frightening to him because he couldn't understand a word of it. They pulled him into an alley next to the tavern and forced him onto his knees. Two of them held his hands behind his back, a third pressed a foot onto his ankles, and a fourth drew his wickedly sharp sword as the fifth stood by with a cold smile. He was going to die.

Suddenly, just as the sword-wielder was about to decapitate him, another man appeared and interrupted them. At first glance the man was either a rich peasant or a poor merchant. His clothes, while clean and well made, were very simple. This new man was young looking with light skin and pure black hair that had an odd bluish sheen to it. He looked poor but he stood and behaved like a very important person as he argued with the fifth soldier. Bobby wasn't in a good enough position to see the man's face, but from his voice and gestures he didn't look happy. While half-numbed by terror Bobby was still able to wonder, what the heck is going on?

Then, to his utter surprise and shock, he was released. The soldiers dragged him to his feet and threw him at the black-haired man. His legs seemed broken from the fear and being stepped on so he ended up collapsing at the young man's feet. He was pulled back up on his feet a second time and he was yanked out of the alley and down the street by this mysterious man. Bobby limped and stumbled after his savior gasping in pain and bewilderment. Who was this man? How did he convince the soldiers to let him go? What was going to happen to him now? His mind raced for answers, but his thoughts only went in endless circles.

A few streets later the man tossed him down to the ground and glared at him as if he were a disgusting pile of slime. Bobby shakily looked up from the ground to meet the glare and was confronted by the oddest, most terrifying eyes he'd ever seen. They were an icy yellowish amber and they pinned his soul to the dusty ground with minimal effort. What sort of man has such eyes? He found himself trembling more than when he'd had a sword near his neck. No wonder the soldiers had released him, no one could defy this man's demon eyes. Then, with a snarl of complete disgust, the man turned and stalked away.

"Dummkopf!" The man shouted over his shoulder before vanishing around a bend.

Bobby sat sprawled on the ground in total shock for some minor eternity trying to understand what had just occurred. Sometime later his jumbled thoughts ordered themselves enough to get him back on his feet and staggering back to the inn. It would be safe at the inn; he could sit there and think without fear of the soldiers returning to chop his head off. He must've looked half mad the way he stumbled and weaved about the street, but in his current state of mind he didn't care one bit. All he cared about was getting to the inn.

When he tripped through the door Logan was there. The feral man took one look at him and helped him up the stairs to his room. By the time he had laid down and tried to calm himself everyone had rushed to his side, even Kitty. Jean must've organized this, or perhaps no one but him had left the inn. They may have stayed inside to avoid running into Grauhard's soldiers, he wished that he had done the same. They crowded around him, their faces all very concerned, but he couldn't get his mind in order to respond to them.

"Kid," Logan growled. "What happened to you?" He demanded.

"I-I was in a tavern." Bobby began. This comment was met with sighs, groans, and assorted nasty looks. "I didn't even get drunk! I was just minding my own business when some guy bumps into me and spills my beer. I yelled at him and then I see it's one of Grauhard's soldiers." Iceman gasped out.

"Oh God Bobby! You moron!" Kitty cried.

"I didn't see who it was until it was too late!" He protested. "That soldier and his buddies dragged me into an alley and they were going to kill me! Then this strange man comes over and argues with them. The soldiers let me go and this man drags me off in some other direction before letting me go." Bobby murmured, still in shock from the whole chain of events.

"Did he say anything to you?" Logan grunted.

"Yeah, he shouted 'dummkopf' at me." Bobby mumbled.

"Well I would have to agree with him, whoever he is." Kitty giggled.

"Why, what did he say?" Piotr asked.

"He called Bobby an idiot." She snickered.

"What did this man look like?" Jean inquired. Bobby felt himself pale.

"I didn't get the best look at him. He looked like a poor merchant or a very well off servant. He had black hair and the most terrifying eyes I've ever seen." Bobby whimpered.

"Scarier than Remy's?" The Frenchman teased.

"Yes," Bobby swallowed hard. "His eyes were so cold and angry, and they were an unnatural color. A sort of yellow amber." Bobby said in a near whisper.

As soon as the words left his mouth Kitty became deathly pale. She straightened up and left the room without any warning or explanation. Jean followed after her a second later while the men watched on with concern. Logan asked Bobby a few more questions, but terror had blurred the rest of the details so the Iceman found himself unable to answer them. With no Grauhard soldiers appearing in the doorway the adrenaline faded from his blood and an incredible tiredness. The others left him alone and within seconds of the door shutting he fell into a sleep troubled by yellow angry eyes.

The little dragon Lockheed crouched in the treetop near the large black horse Nightcrawler called Schwarzi. His large blue fuzzy friend had promised to return within one hour and vanished into the city on some important errand. The little purple dragon was very nervous and had to struggle to keep his nostrils from smoking. He didn't know how long an hour was, but he was sure that it had passed by now. It seemed highly unlikely that his blue friend would abandon his great black horse, but who was he to judge humans?

The first time he'd trusted a man he'd ended up with a magic collar and chain binding him to the ground. The only reason that he'd survived his encounter with the nasty wizard at all was that he'd set the man's head on fire and forced him to run away. However the magic chain had still bound him and he thought he was going to die. But Kitty had come and freed him. She had kept her promise to return so far, and she treated him very well. When she went away to the human cities she left him with the wonderful Nightcrawler who'd kept him company. But now the blue Nightcrawler had left him too and he wasn't sure what to do.

Then a sound reached his sensitive pointed ears and his sharp yellow eyes scoured his surroundings. Within seconds he spotted his blue friend and with a cry of happiness flew to his side. When he saw the Nightcrawler's expression, however, he pulled up short. The demon man was furious and his aura smelled of a spell. Humans couldn't smell magic like dragons could. Even wizards needed special items to detect spells unless they were the direct recipient of one. This odor put Lockheed on edge, the last time he'd smelled it he'd had an invisible collar wrapped around his neck.

But Nightcrawler ignored his presence. The blue furry creature stomped over to his horse and wrapped his arms around Schwarzi's neck. The furry man hissed some mean sounding words and his tail lashed dangerously through the air. Lockheed nervously landed on a nearby tree stump and waited to see what would happen next. After many minutes of cursing and cussing Nightcrawler finally seemed to relax and he released his horse's neck. The black stallion made some comforting noises and nibbled on his master, which further calmed the furious demon. Now in a better mood, he looked around and finally noticed Lockheed cowering on the dead tree stump.

"Hello little one," he purred. "I'm sorry if my little temper tantrum frightened you." The demon softly apologized. Lockheed studied his blue friend carefully before slowly fluttering over to him. He cocked his purple scaled head in question after perching on the man's shoulder.

"Why was I so angry? Well, Bobby just did something very, very stupid and I had to save him again." The Nightcrawler sighed. "But everything should be fine now so lets have some lunch." The German cheerfully suggested. Lockheed heartily chirped in agreement. Food sounded wonderful to him, much better than hearing anymore about Bobby's stupidity. He saw enough of that everyday that they traveled.