Noir blurred denimly out of the main room and into the hallway, trailing wispy black smoke behind him. He turned left and right, navigating the tower with his legs churning. He skidded to a stop in front of Raven's door and heard:
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahah!"
The voices of the mirror laughed as I struggled.
"Get the...hell...off of...me!"
The tentacles of fire wrapped around my arms and legs, pulling me towards the mirror. Humming raggedly, I tried to encase my limbs in ice. But the flaming ropes ate through it immediately. They burned my bare arms and sizzled against the leather of my cowboy boots. It felt like some sick and twisted rodeo from hell.
My last resort was the wind song, but it was no use. The fiery ropes kept pulling me, closer and closer to the burning mirror. I sweat from the heat and exertion. My breathing and heart rate went faster and faster.
SWOOSH!
The doors slid open.
"Noir!"
My friend didn't hesitate. He drew the sword he called myrkblade and slashed through the fire. The sword went right through it, but the ropes didn't relinquish their hold on me. My boots smoked. My upper arms were being branded.
Noir grabbed me around the neck from behind, trying to pull me back. I tried to help with the wind song again, but it was no use. The mirror drew us inexorably closer. There was no fighting it.
"Noir! Let go of me!"
Of course he didn't. I knew he wouldn't.
"Damn it, Noir! Let go of me!"
It was too late. The flaming mirror had already won.
FLASH!
I think I blacked out, but I don't know. All I know for sure is, some time later, I stood on solid ground. Noir blinked dazedly beside me.
It looked liked we were inside a horror movie. We stood on a narrow, barren and rocky walkway that led to nowhere. Leafless, dead trees dotted the area and eerie, black Raven's with overly large glowing red eyes watched us from the branches. The sky was black with red stars that smoldered more than shined. A hooded and robed statue stood ominously not far away, holding broadswords in its four hands.
"Where...in the blue hell are we?"
Noir didn't have an answer. He looked around anxiously with his hand close to myrkblade. I had the same feeling.
I looked down and touched my burned, throbbing arms gently. When I did, I saw the silver cross pendant necklace around my neck was glowing white.
Noir saw it to. He started to sign at me-
FLASH!
The statue disappeared in an explosion of white light.
FLASH!
The ravens disappeared.
FLASH!
The trees popped out of existence.
FL-FL-FL-FLASH!
One by one, the red stars popped out of the sky.
FLASH!
The walkway disappeared under our feet and Noir and I found ourselves falling.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
I might have blacked out again. I don't know. But then-
TH-THUMP!
Noir and I landed hard on our faces. Fine, gritty dust filled my mouth. I turned over and spit it out as I sat up.
"Urgh...pbbbt! You all right, Noir?"
He sat up dizzily and gave me the OK sign.
I nodded in his general direction and took the time to look around.
"...whoa."
The scene had changed dramatically. The sky was the lightest blue overhead and yellow sun boiled. Low, sandy mountains could be seen in the distance. And we...were in a town. Wooden, crudely constructed buildings faced the main dust-filled road we sat on from two sides. There were banks and general stores and inns and saloons. It was a scene I knew well. I half expected Clint Eastwood to come riding in.
"Well," I drawled, glancing over at Noir. "I reckon it's safe to say we ain't in Kansas anymore, huh?"
I suddenly did a double take.
"Noir!"
'What?' He mouthed.
I pointed at him.
"Look!"
He looked down at himself. He was shirtless, save for a bone necklace made from assorted animal teeth that dangled loosely from around his neck. He had on light brown leggings made of deerskin and beaded moccasins. When he saw all this he signed at me in a flurry.
"How the hell should I know what's going on? I-" I broke off and looked around closer at our surroundings, my brain in overdrive. They looked familiar. I peered at the town and wooden sign riddled with gunshot holes that read 'Welcome to Dodge City'. I looked at Noir, dressed as a Indian boy and down at myself, unchanged in my hat, boots and poncho. I put it together.
"Actually...scratch that. We are in Kansas."
A question mark popped over Noir's head.
"All right...stay with me here. I think..." I could barely believe it myself. "I think we're in a book."
Noir's black eyes bulged. He signed.
"Well...I reckon it's kinda like Winnie the Pooh in Kingdom Hearts but-" I shook my head. "It was my favorite book as a kid. 'Waltz Across Texas' it was called and-Hey! Stop laughing! Anyway...it was set during and after the Civil War."
I paused and collected my thoughts.
"The main guy was called Luke the Drifter. A band of renegade Union soldiers killed his wife and son when they...set fire to his house. So he joined the Confederate Army so he could get his revenge. Right at the end of the war, his unit was captured and forced to surrender. Luke refused, though, and got away. The government considered him an outlaw, so he flees to Mexico where he can live his life out in peace. That's pretty much the story."
Noir yawned.
"Don't you get it? I'm Luke the Drifter!"
Noir looked at me and pointed to himself.
"You...heh." I rubbed the back of my neck. "You're an Indian boy I found in the desert, half dead from thirst. I kinda brought you back to health and informally adopted you as my son."
"..."
"We're in Dodge City now, so we're about halfway through the book. I kinda forget what happens..." I looked around. "Let's got to the saloon. Major events in westerns always start or happen in saloons."
I started to walk off, but I was alone. I turned back to see Noir hadn't moved.
"What is it?"
He signed.
"Noir...you don't want to know, really. C'mon."
He crossed his arms across his chest.
"I'm serious. You really don't want to know."
"..."
"Fine." I sighed. "Your name is Little Squirrel. Happy?"
He wasn't, but he walked with me down the dusty street anyway. As we walked, I reached for my cigarettes. But I found something else instead: A sack of chewing tobacco. I considered for a second before I shrugged. When in Rome...
I took a pinch of tobacco from the bag and put in my mouth between my bottom front teeth and lower lip.
Noir looked at me. His face scrunched up and turned green.
"What?" I sucked on the tobacco. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!" I spit out a streak of brown.
Noir shuddered.
A man walking the opposite way of us tipped his hat good-naturedly at us.
"Mornin', strangers." I smiled as we parted ways.
Noir signed at me.
"What? No, as a matter of fact I don't need a change of pants. I can't believe you just said that."
He scratched the back of his neck.
Even though it was morning, the saloon was lively. As Noir and I walked into the swinging doors, we saw maybe twenty people sitting at tables, drinking and talking loudly. Music poured forth from an old-timey piano and a familiar-looking blonde girl stood beside it, singing an upbeat version of 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot'. My eyes widened.
"Look." I pointed. "Is that Terra?"
Noir stood on his toes to look.
"Hey!" A black bearded man bellowed at us and pointed at Noir. "Civilized folks don't want that Injun scum in here!"
"Yeah?" I gave him my best flat-eyed glare and spit tobacco juice in his glass. "Reckon you ain't one of'em."
I turned away and led Noir to the bar. He looked up at me questioningly.
"Hey, if I gotta be Luke, I might as well have fun with it.
Noir rolled his eyes.
Another familiar face was behind the bar.
"Static?"
He looked at me funny and wiped a shot glass on the front of his white apron.
"You must have me confused with someone else, friend. The name's Virgil. Virgil Earp. Damn proud of it, too." He set the glass down. "Now what can I get ya to drink?"
"Water."
Virgil looked like he'd swallowed a frog.
"Water?"
I leaned forward and squinted again.
"You have a problem with that?"
"What? N-no! Just surprised me at all. Settle on down and I'll bring it right up."
He walked down to the other end of the bar and I turned around. I saw a redhead leaning against the opposite wall with a long dress that showed off a inappropriate amount of cleavage. When she saw me looking, she put a hand to her half-naked chest and winked suggestively at me with emerald eyes. I almost had a heart attack.
Sweet mother of Hank!
Starfire was a whore!
Noir caught my gaze and started to look for himself, but I quickly, with a red face, put a hand on his shoulder.
"Kory caught your eye, did she?" Static...I mean Virgil...was back. "I'd be suspicious if she didn't. She's the absolute finest whore this side of the Mississipi. More expensive than a horse in California, but well worth it. I hear she's as fierce as a charging wildcat in bed."
I cleared my throat. Loudly. Several times.
"Ahem. Got our water?"
"Right here, friend." He put two glasses of water in front of us on the bar.
Noir signed inconspicuously at me.
"Yeah," I whispered back. "I'm confused, too. I went into Raven's room and found this weird mirror. The thing suddenly caught on fire and grabbed me." I gingerly touched one of my burnt arms. "That's when you showed up and we got sucked in, right?"
Noir nodded.
"So then we were in that creepy place and-"
Noir pointed at my chest.
"Right, my necklace started glowing-"
He signed at me.
"Oh...um..." I looked away. "I forget where I got it." I coughed. "Anyway, it started glowing. Everything disappeared and...here we are."
Noir's fingers danced.
"Yeah...I'm still confused, too."
Across the room, Terra left the piano and hopped up on the stage at the back of the saloon.
"Hey, ya'll!" She had to yell at the top of her lungs to be heard. "You folks want to see the lovely Kori dance?"
The crowd cheered and hooted and hollered an overwhelming 'yes'. Kori walked gracefully through the crowd and stepped up on the stage. Behind her and Terra was a young guitarist on a stool.
Terra nodded.
"Go ahead, Jonny." The piano started up and the guitarist started playing
The guitarist looked like he'd had a bit to much to drink. He kept missing chords and falling off the beat. Finally, he gave up and entertained himself by pinching Kori's butt.
Kori didn't hesitate.
WHAM!
She spun and punched him right in the temple, flinging him off his stool and sending the guitar clattering across the stage. The guitarist twitched a little but didn't move.
Terra sighed.
"Look we like we need a guitarist! Can anyone play?"
I looked quickly at Noir.
Noir sighed, rolled his eyes and waved me off.
"Heheh! Thanks!" I started through the crowd. "I can play!" I yelled.
I clamored up on stage, picked up the fallen guitar and sat down on the stool. I tuned the instrument back up quickly and looked up with a grin.
"All right, girls. Do what you do best."
Kori winked at me.
"I just might do that, cowboy. But right now, I have to dance."
I started up the tune to hide my blush.
