CHAPTER TEN
ZELGIUS
I saw Leanne's face in the sky tonight.
I had known she would die, but...I didn't realize how much it would hurt.
….At least...he isn't gone yet, as well...
"Leanne..." Kita breathes sadly. "I—I thought—she would—"
"It doesn't matter," I intercede, making sure my face is expressionless. "She is one less for us to kill later. Let's go."
My sister meets my eyes, and she knows I am hurting. She does have Heron blood, after all. But she also knows she is powerless to help me, not without making me look weak—and so she says nothing, but follows faithfully behind me.
We have to keep moving. Medha Ekard is dead, and so is Vika Swift, but the other three Careers are still out there somewhere, not to mention Volug and Mia and the Red dragon, and we cannot relax. Relaxing is what made us leave him behind...
We rest for a short while before sunrise; then we are moving again. The rain has finally stopped, so our tracks will now be clearer than ever; we cannot afford to stay in one place for too long.
The day is mostly uneventful. All that does is give me more time to think about him...
Why...why did I have to leave him? I could have woken him, taken him with us...I could have gone back, found him again...then...maybe this pain wouldn't be so great...
Well, I know the answer to that question. The pain is my answer.
If walking away from him hurts this much...then I can't afford to stay with him.
Or killing him will kill me.
IKE
The death toll cannon sounded only once throughout the course of the day after Leanne's death—something that Ike was slightly grateful for; it meant that these damn Games would be over that much sooner.
Nobody bothered him; indeed, he didn't see a single soul, and with Leanne gone, he didn't see any of the Irotonimagem either, though he could hear them all around. He heard a wolf's howl, once; and then, a roar of a dragon—the Red, he guessed, from the sound—which came shortly before the cannon. He assumed it was she that had died; though whether Volug had been the killer, or if it had actually been Volug who was killed, he didn't know.
He couldn't bear to be near the river. The whole thing seemed to reek of Leanne's blood, and it hurt. He veered away into the hills, hoping he would find some other water supply.
The day slowly passed, and he contemplated what he'd done. He'd been abandoned by Zelgius. He'd failed to protect Leanne.
And he'd killed someone, something he'd promised himself he would never do. He had stabbed Vika even as the spear left her hand, an instinctive reaction, something he'd tried to stop—but it had already been too late.
I failed, he thought miserably. I failed to protect her, I failed to keep my promise, I—
I failed to get unattached, he finally realized. That's my failing. I was stupid enough to become friends with the other tributes, even though I knew they were going to die—
I can't do that again. I can't let myself get attached again, get hurt again. Even if—even if that means breaking my promise to Leanne.
Oh, Goddess. I can't. I can't break that last promise...but I can't go and find Zelgius, or I'll...
What do I do?
CAREERS
Sakira let out a small cry of triumph. "Yes!"
"What is it?" Skirmir demanded, his eyes flashing in the darkness of the night.
"I've found the trail!" She bared her teeth in a savage grin. "The half-breeds won't get away this time!"
"Let's go!" the lion boy roared. The pair of them Shifted in unison, and ran down the trail.
Kurth shuddered slightly. "If it's all the same to you, I'll stay here." he murmured, even though the lion pair was long gone.
IKE
He was looking for somewhere to spend the night and just starting to wonder if perhaps going back to the river wasn't such a bad idea when he heard a familiar scream. Kita!
Oh, no... He'd just decided not to get attached again, but every instinct in his body screamed at him to go to her aid.
I can't...if I go, he'll be there! I can't let my feelings...
Before he knew what he was doing, he was running towards the sound.
ZELGIUS
By the Goddess, they're stronger than I expected...everything...hurts...!
Kita, no! Run! I can—
What...? What are you...?
…...NO! Get BACK!
IKE
He had just reached the foot of the hill and was trying to figure out where to go next when he heard a lion's roar and Kita cry out again. Instantly he turned to the noise and started running again; it took barely a few seconds before he stumbled upon the scene of battle;
The two lions, both fully Shifted, had tracked down Zelgius and Kita. The larger of the lions, Skrimir, was bearing down on Zelgius savagely, and the Branded boy was having a hard time of holding him off—
Particularly since the other lion, Sakira, was standing over the fallen Kita, pale green claws digging into the girl's shoulders, fangs bared and ready to tear her throat out. And then, as Ike came over, Skrimir slammed sidelong into Zelgius, knocking him down, and roared, baring fangs sharper than any sword, raising one paw with claws out over the Branded boy's face.
Ike didn't pause; he didn't think; he did what came naturally;
He threw his sword.
Skrimir screamed in pain as the full length of Capitol steel buried itself in his side, narrowly missing his heart. Sakira glanced up in alarm, temporarily distracted from Kita; Zelgius took this opportunity to slash at her feet, not even taking the time to move away as the lion over him collapsed. The full six-hundred-some pounds of lion fell on his legs; there was an audible, sickening crunch, and the boy couldn't hold back his scream.
Sakira jumped back as Ike ran down the hill full-out, shouting to get her attention, not thinking of anything but getting her distracted and away from Zelgius. Kita scrambled to her feet, recovering a knife she must've dropped earlier.
Sakira crouched and leapt; Ike dove into a roll, narrowly missing the lion's claws, and stumbled roughly to his feet. There was a sword on the ground, which Zelgius must've dropped; Ike picked it up and stood in front of the Branded boy protectively. Kita ran past him and struggled to push Skrimir's body off of her brother. The lion snapped at her and she jerked her hand back to avoid getting it snapped off—though she wasn't quite fast enough, and her hand got torn open by one fang. Skrimir struggled to get to his feet; the wound was almost certainly fatal, but he was still dangerous.
There was a ripple of light over Sakira and the lion straightened into her Reverted form, sliding a sword out of her belt. "Well, isn't this nice," she spat. "Come back to protect your 'friend'?"
"I will not let you touch him," Ike growled angrily.
"Oh, really? Hah! You haven't been doing a very good job of that so far!" With a shout she leapt forward, swinging down at Ike—but before she even got there, a wolf seemingly flew out of the brush, slamming into her sideways and sending her flying. She landed hard on her left arm; jumping to her feet, she growled at the huge wolf that now circled her ominously.
Knowing that Volug would be more concerned with her rather than them for now, Ike spun around to the others. Zelgius struggled to push Skrimir off of him, but the lion was doing his best not to budge; Kita couldn't try to help without him twisting around to snap at her.
Without even thinking, Ike stabbed Skrimir through the heart. The lion died instantly, the cannon echoing loudly in their ears; Kita gasped slightly in shock.
Ike, feeling no remorse this time and starting to wonder if killing was becoming a habit, pulled both swords out of the lion's body and shoved it off of Zelgius, even as it Reverted back into normal form. Zelgius pulled his legs back and cut off a cry of pain.
"Zelgius!" Ike cried, falling to the boy's side.
"Ike," the Branded said wearily. "You fool...you should've...left us..."
"I couldn't ever abandon you," the beorc replied, even as Sakira and Volug's cries and snarls of battle could be heard behind him.
"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad..." Kita fretted, ignoring the blood pouring from her shoulders from where Sakira's claws had dug into them.
"Kita... Calm down." her brother said quickly. "Try to...stop the bleeding."
Then they heard a shout of surprise and the wolf cry in pain, and Ike got up and turned around. Volug had been torn violently away from Sakira and thrown against a boulder by a huge, imposing Black Dragon. It didn't fly, but remained on the ground; its mouth was bloody from biting into Volug, and as the wolf got weakly to its feet Ike saw the fang-marked gashes all down its sides.
"Kurth..." Sakira said, surprised. "I didn't think you'd be brave enough to show."
The Black Dragon shuddered and Reverted into a short green-haired boy, who looked at Volug nervously. "I...I didn't m-mean to throw him q-quite so hard..."
"Oh, stop whining and grow up." Sakira snapped. "Kill him! I'll deal with the half-breeds." Ike tensed angrily at her words, raising his sword in defense again.
Kurth approached Volug cautiously; the wolf snarled but was in obvious pain. "I...I..." he stammered.
"Kill him!" Sakira shouted. "Kill him now!"
Then Ike heard a shout—and the voice was awfully familiar. "Mia!?" he asked incredulously as the violet-haired girl leaped off the top of the hill, using all the momentum of her fall into one sweeping downward blow. Sakira barely turned to block in time, and grunted almost painfully at the effort; the beorc girl flipped back, landing in a crouch, one hand down to steady herself.
"Run, you idiot!" she shouted.
"Of course not!" Ike retorted.
"Oh, you never did do what you were told when it was important," she fumed, even as Sakira rushed to attack her in a rage.
Volug shuddered again in pain and Reverted; several bloody gashes ran down his front, and Ike could see that the green numbers on his arm read 00: 00: 00. His time had finally run out. "Finish it." he said, his voice halting and rough.
"I d-don't want to k-kill you..." Kurth murmured faintly.
"Then don't," Volug said flatly.
"S-Sakira said I h-have to...I...I-I'm sorry..." The boy raised his dagger, ready to attack.
Ike dashed forward suddenly and sliced the boy's arm, causing him to yelp and drop his weapon. "Go," he said darkly.
Kurth needed no encouragement; he turned and ran.
Volug stared at the beorc as he turned to face him. "You don't need to help me," he said flatly.
Ike nodded. "I know." He glanced over at Sakira and Mia, who were still locked in a duel—then to Zelgius, struggling to get up, even as Kita told him not to. "But you did the same for me. So I had to return the favor."
The wolf nodded, understanding. "Go to them. He needs you." Then he turned and dashed into the sparse forest, after Kurth—apparently he still had some strength left in him.
Ike turned and went back to Zelgius. "Come on," he said. "We should get out of here before they finish."
"But he can't stand..." Kita fretted. "His legs are broken...!"
"My legs...will be...fine." Zelgius said haltingly.
Ike looked down at them; they were bloody and mangled, and seemed to have been shattered in multiple places. "No, they won't." he said flatly. "You can't stand on those!"
"If I can't...carry my own weight..." Zelgius said, "...you'll have to...leave me."
"Don't be stupid," Ike scolded, dropping his sword beside him. "I'll carry you. Hold on."
Bending down, being as careful as he could to not hurt the other boy's legs when he held them, he picked Zelgius up. The Branded boy bit his tongue again as pain shot up his body, and the beorc boy struggled with the awkward position, but they managed.
Kita, still bleeding from several wounds, retrieved their swords and followed them as they walked away from the duel, into the darkened woods.
GAMES HEADQUARTERS
Micaiah was trying not to grin.
"What're you so happy about?" Shinon grumbled. "Your star tribute just got his legs broken."
"Oh, nothing..." she said.
Rafiel, his eyes still red from crying over his sister's death, put on a brave smile. "At least they're safe." he said. "For now..."
"Well, unless the girl manages to kill the lion, they won't be for much longer." the beorc said. "Ike is an idiot. He should've left the half-bre—the Branded when he had the chance."
She glared at him. "You just don't understand anything, do you?" she asked harshly.
"Hey, I understand that an ally with broken legs is no use to anyone at all!"
"Well, I have a way to remedy that." Micaiah crossed her arms and smirked.
"...You aren't mooching sponsors off me this time."
"I won't. I already have everything I need...almost."
ZELGIUS
It seems like hours have passed before we find a good cave to rest in. My legs feel like they are on fire, but I manage not to cry out as Ike sets me down. "How do you feel?" he asks.
"Like hell," I reply, which is the truth. "Is Kita alright?"
My sister sits down beside me and puts on a brave smile. "I'm alright, Zelgius."
I can see that the wounds Sakira and Skrimir inflicted are still bleeding; she hasn't even stopped to bandage them. "Kita," I say patiently, "how many times have I told you to bandage yourself as soon as possible when you're injured?"
She glances aside, ashamed. "Forty-two. I'm sorry...I was just so worried about everything else, I forgot."
Ike pulls off his jacket, then his shirt, and tears several strips of cloth off of the latter. "Here. Use this," he says, handing Kita the strips.
For some reason, I find myself staring at Ike's chest. Long scars cross it, and, when he turns, I see them on his back as well. He's been whipped many times—still, he's...he's very...
The thought that comes to mind makes me blush slightly. Hopefully the others don't notice.
Ike pulls what's left of his shirt back on. "Let's pray to Micaiah that she'll send a couple nice, sterile splints for your legs," he says, trying to be cheerful. "Or something."
"Hah..." I say quietly. "Imagine how much something like that would cost..."
He laughs. "Yeah, it's a longshot, isn't it...? Well..." He goes through his pack and produces two bags of dried fruit and half a loaf of bread. "This is all I have left from the Cornucopia. Uh...What happened to your guys' packs?"
"Lost them." I reply flatly.
Ike waits for a moment to see if I'll elaborate. When I don't—I don't really feel like describing how the Black Dragon girl destroyed our packs, even as I fought her to keep her away from the girls, and him—he says; "I'll go hunting tomorrow."
We eat a little, but none of us have much appetite. Ike has to tear off almost half of his shirt before Kita finishes bandaging all her wounds. Then we go to sleep. Ike gently puts his sleeping bag over me as a blanket, and then he and Kita curl up on either side of me, to share their body heat. I don't protest, because I'm already half asleep.
But still, once again I find myself the only one awake, with my sister and Ike sleeping right beside me. And once again, I feel such happiness that it can only be accompanied by dread.
What will I do, when the Games force me to kill this person that I care so much about?
IKE
When morning dawned, Ike woke up with the first realization that none of them had seen the death count for the previous day. The second realization he had was that...
Zelgius was very comfortable. Very. For a long moment, Ike considered pretending he was still asleep, so he could keep lying there...
Then he got up, slightly annoyed with himself. Stop being stupid. You have the Games to play; there's no time for thoughts like that.
Retrieving his sword from where Kita had left it against the wall, he stepped outside. The sky was the same shade of grayish-blue it had been almost the entire Games, even when it had been raining. The sun seemed muffled and distant, and the green of the sparse forest seemed to have dulled. He wondered if he was imagining it, or if the Gamemakers had done something to make everything seem dull and colorless.
He distantly recalled that he'd killed Skrimir yesterday, but for some reason, it didn't bother him as much as Vika's death had. But...after all, the lion had been about to kill Zelgius, and the raven had just been his first kill, was all...
It did hurt, when he thought about it—but then, thinking of Leanne fading into death in his arms, he managed to cast those thoughts aside.
He went over the list of remaining tributes in his mind; Me, Zelgius, Kita...Kurth is likely still alive, and I don't know about Volug, Sakira, or Mia...the Red Dragon girl must be dead, though.
Still...there's probably at least five of us left. One is me, two are my friends, one might be my enemy, and one might be my old friend...
I get the worst of luck. Damn. The odds were never in my favor to start with, were they? I was either gonna die, or get stuck killing or being killed by my friends...
I just hope I won't have to end up fighting Zelgius, and...hurt him.
CAREERS
Sakira slumped down next to a tree, grimacing as she rubbed the bandaged gash on her left arm. "Damn beorc," she muttered to herself. "You'll be next, as soon as I find your trail..."
"But then again," she amended, "those half-breeds will be easiest to take out now, while the boy's legs are broken. They'll likely still have the beorc boy with them..."
She took a drink from the water flask on her hip and growled contentedly. "He'll have to hunt. If I find them while he's out...I can kill both at once."
Reaching in her pack, she drew out a small, clear cylindrical silver vial, only about three inches tall and one inch diameter. It was half-filled with a pale green liquid; she flexed her fingers thoughtfully, glanced at the green that still glistened on her fingernails, and grinned cruelly.
"Or I could wait for this to take effect," she murmured, "and let them sort out their difficulties themselves."
ZELGIUS
I wake up slowly to find that Ike's already gone. He must've gone hunting, and left us behind to rest. The thought briefly crosses my mind that he might've abandoned us, like we did to him, but it doesn't stay—I don't believe he would willingly do that, not as willingly as I.
The pain from my broken legs hits me again in a rush, and I bite my tongue hard to keep from crying out. I may put a scar on it from biting the same place so much.
I wait a few minutes for the agony to subside a little, as I grow accustomed to it. I become aware of a foul smell, like something rotting, but I don't know where it could have come from.
Kita wakes up a few moments after I do. "Brother," she says softly, sitting up.
"Kita," I reply.
"Did Leanne go out?"
….Something is wrong. "Leanne is dead, Kita. Don't you remember?"
"Oh. Sorry. I meant Ike. You know how I'm always confusing those two..." She giggles.
Something is most definitely wrong with her. She's never giggled in her life. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Oh, yes, I'm fine." she says. She rubs her left shoulder absently, then the right one. "All ramped up for my first reaping day!"
"Kita..."I say warningly.
"What? Oh, right, we're not supposed to get happy about that...Whoops!" She laughs and gets up, stretching, more cheerful than I've seen her in years.
I've rarely seen her this happy; our lives are terrible enough that she almost never has reason for it. It warms my heart to see her with such a bright smile on her face, but this...this is unnatural.
I reach up and grab her by the sleeve. "Kita, sit down. You're not well."
"Are you kidding? I feel great!" She pulls herself away from me and dances around—then suddenly spins and yelps "Ah! No—don't! Don't hurt Father!" She lunges forward and bounces off a low part of the ceiling. Blood trickles down her forehead as she looks around, confused.
"Kita!" I try to get to my feet, then remember my broken legs as pain shoots up my body. "Ah!"
"No!" She rushes to my side. "Sydelle, I told you not to give us all the food! You'll get sick!"
She...mistook me for Sydelle? My Goddess...
I grab her by the arm. "Kita, what's happened to you?"
"Oh, Sydelle, don't be so rough!" She laughs and lies down against me, absently reaching up to scratch at her shoulder. "Oh, fine, I'll go to bed...just...Tell Zelgius good night for me when he gets home, okay? He...he really shouldn't pull so many... extra... shifts..." She sighs and suddenly she is asleep.
I can't imagine what's happened to her—she's eaten nothing that I have not, and she hasn't been wounded, except for when Sakira clawed her—
Clawed. Claws. Sakira had green claws. Why didn't I realize it sooner!?
I try to pull the bandage off her shoulder, but it seemed to be stuck over the wound. Frowning, I give it an extra tug, and it peels away.
I gasp in horror.
The three slashes, which should have scabbed over by now, are still weeping. The flesh around them is coated with a discolored mass of oozing, vile fluid. The rotting smell I noticed earlier is all too evident. But perhaps worst of all is the flesh on the rest of her shoulder. It is swollen to almost twice its normal size, and the entire thing is discolored. A sickly yellow around the wound gradually gives way to a dark blue tone, shot with bands of livid red. I touch her shoulder gently with one finger; her skin is hot to the touch. I don't even want to try to look at the other shoulder, but I know it is much the same way.
Poison. Sakira's mentor must have sent it to her. I quickly try to remember if I or Ike were hit by her, but I don't recall being attacked by anyone but Skrimir, and I'm fairly sure Ike dodged her attacks. That doesn't change Kita's state, however. I've never seen this poison before, but I have a dread feeling that it's deadly.
IKE
Ike returned to the cave in fairly good spirits. His hunting had gone rather well, as he'd discovered that you actually could kill a rabbit by throwing a sword at it, if you were careful. He'd found a few berry plants he'd recognized from his district, and picked a few.
He entered the cave to find Kita slumped against the wall, Zelgius leaning over her. The Branded boy turned as Ike entered; the beorc instinctively gasped and recoiled at the sight of Kita's wound. "Oh my Goddess," he said, horrified.
Zelgius looked up at him, and Ike saw terror in his eyes. "Help her...!"
Two hours later, and Kita had yet to wake up. The two boys had cleaned her wounds, and Ike had found a few healing herbs his mother had taught him to recognize, which seemed to have helped a little. Zelgius was almost sick with worry, and Ike was now trying to get him to eat.
"Zelgius, you need your strength," the beorc coaxed, offering the older boy a piece of the rabbit he'd skinned and cooked earlier.
"I can't eat right now!" Zelgius snapped. "I'm not hungry, anyway."
"You aren't helping Kita by starving yourself."
"Yes, I am, in fact."
Ike blinked. "What?"
"If I die, she's that much closer to winning. So starving myself is helping her."
"She can't win if she's stuck dying in this cave!" Ike said, frustrated.
"Don't remind me."
"Zelgius, you want to protect her. You can't protect her if you're starved to death!"
"I can't protect her with broken legs, either. You should've left us!"
"I'm not going to leave you!"
"Why not? I... I left you."
There was a pause of silence. "...You didn't abandon me." Ike said slowly. "You...didn't. Leanne said..."
"I left you." Zelgius said again. "I took Kita and our equipment, and I left."
"Why?"
"Because it was too dangerous."
"Dangerous? How could I be dangerous!? You know I would never hurt you, or Kita!"
"Everyone will hurt their friends eventually in order to survive. Even the most noble of people, the most trusting of lovers, will betray each other for their own sakes!"
Ike's eyes widened, and the disbelief was evident in his voice; "You can't honestly believe that."
"It's true." the Branded boy said firmly. "You have not lived as long as I; you haven't seen what I have. You haven't seen your own mother turn her husband and son in to the Peacekeepers so they'd give her the reward for catching poachers, when they'd only done it so she could survive! You haven't seen an innocent girl, tossed aside like she was nothing by her master when he learns that she's become pregnant with his child! You haven't seen Sydelle—" Zelgius choked and looked down at the ground, clenching his fists.
It was a long moment before Ike could reply; "From...from what you've told me, Sydelle was...a good person. She cared for you...over her own life."
"She...sold me out." the Branded boy said haltingly. "She tricked me into getting caught for...something I never did. The money she got...was enough to keep us alive for a month...but the punishment nearly killed me in itself. I had...nightmares about it, for years afterwards. I...still do. It's why I hardly ever sleep." Subconsciously he reached up and touched the scar running across his right eye; in that instant, the beorc boy knew where it had come from. "She took care of us, and I am grateful for that—but when the chance came, she sold her family out for money and food, just the same as anyone. She was no better than the rest."
Ike put a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Zelgius...not everyone is evil in this world." he said softly. "I'm sure there have been plenty of good things, happy things, that have happened to you and your family...but you only remember the bad things, because they hurt you."
"Good things? Happy things?" He laughed humorlessly. "I had the happiness beaten out of me over ten years ago. Goodness does not exist in this world—only manipulation, only selfishness and concern for personal gain."
Ike looked from Zelgius to Kita and back again. "That's not true." he said decisively. "You volunteered to protect your sister. You are a good person, Zelgius. I know you are!"
Zelgius looked up to Ike, meeting his eyes sadly. "How can you say that, after I...abandoned you?"
Ike laughed slightly. "I don't care. I swear, Zelgius, I don't give a damn. I don't care what you've done in the past and I don't care what you did to me and I don't care what you think you might do or I might do because you're my friend and I would trust you with my life!" He said the sentence all in one breath, and was a little short of air after it. And he knew that every word was true.
The Branded boy coughed slightly and looked down at the ground. Absently he rubbed his leg. "I don't... deserve your trust." he said after a moment. "I don't deserve anyone's. I'm a terrible person. I abandoned you... without a thought. I've sworn to kill anyone and everyone that gets between me... and the fulfilling of my goal."
Ike paused briefly. "...And...what is that goal?"
"That...is a secret."
"Come on. Tell me. Winning the Games?"
"...I don't see why you would care."
"Don't see why—" Ike laughed incredulously. "Zelgius, I'm in the Hunger Games! With you! Of course I care!"
"What are you talking about?"
The beorc blinked. "...Huh?"
"I said, what are you talking about? I volunteered in place of you."
Ike realized immediately that Zelgius wasn't talking about him—realized that he was hallucinating. "Zelgius." he said firmly. "I am not a Branded. We are not in District Twelve. I'm Ike, and I'm from Eleven, and we're both in the Two-Twenty-Fourth Hunger Games. Do you remember that?"
The Branded paused for a long moment. "...I...I thought you were Soren...didn't I?" he said after a moment. "Damn...Sakira must've..."
Ike put a hand on the other boy's forehead. It was hot. "You have a fever, too," he said worriedly. "Oh, no..."
GAMES HEADQUARTERS
Several hours after that, just after sundown, Shinon was slumped over a table with a half-empty bottle in hand. He was a familiar sight to most of the other people around—they simply ignored him. Except for one.
Micaiah slid into the chair beside his and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she murmured. "You alright?"
"'s fine 's I'll ever be," he mumbled. His voice was even thicker than usual with the effects of drink, and he slurred almost all his words. "Spen' too long talkin' ta th' stupid repo'ta's...all they 'ad on TV was th' stupid innerviews wi' th' tribu'es' fam'lies..."
"You should be happy. This is the second time your tributes have lasted into the second week!"
"Gah!" He snorted. "One's blatan'ly ignorin' meh advice, an' th' othe's 'alf ma' wi' fever. They won' las' long."
"Well, I have something that should cheer you up, then," she said, faintly smiling.
"Hrm?"
"I've spoken with Marth," she explained. "He went and talked with the Head Gamemaker, and they've agreed to briefly lower prices for the antidote for Sakira's poison, so long as I follow a certain condition. We'll have a two hour window to send it to them. Interested?"
He sighed. "No' like I 'ave much else ta do. An' be'er tha' watchin' th' boy's sista' cryin' 'er eyes ou' again..."
IKE
He was trying to sleep, but having a hard time of it.
The day had passed uneventfully, with no cannons or any signs of other tributes. Ike had spent the hours taking care of the two Branded; Kita had slept through almost the entire day, while Zelgius had fallen into a half-doze, muttering feverishly to himself. They had both dramatically worsened in just a few hours, and the beorc boy was afraid to take the bandages off Zelgius' legs(the only place he'd been wounded) and see how bad the damage was. They'd finished off the rabbit and a second one Ike had caught later; other than that, he'd stayed in the cave for the most part.
At one point, Zelgius had woken up fully and seemed to be himself. There was a little awkwardness between them, but they had a good conversation, avoiding the subject of the Hunger Games and instead talking about home. For the most part, it was Ike that did the talking. He told Zelgius about his sister, his mother, his father that had disappeared. He described District 11 and his life in detail, only leaving out the parts about the illegal hunting and the black market, and anything else that could get someone in trouble. Mostly he just tried to keep the other boy awake, but eventually Zelgius dozed off again, and returned to his incoherent mutterings.
Eventually Ike had to try and sleep as well, but now, he found that he couldn't. His mind was too distracted with worry about Kita and Zelgius, and how he was going to help them. He distantly recalled Shinon's advice, that he should leave them once the total tribute count was down to eight, but he ignored that thought. They were too important to him to abandon now.
He remembered his thoughts of the previous day—how he'd decided he wouldn't get attached again, so he wouldn't get hurt. Well, technically, I haven't gotten attached 'again', he decided. I already was...I mean, they're my friends, I couldn't leave them...
Then he jumped as he heard the Capitol anthem begin outside. He knew he hadn't heard the cannon during the day, but he left the cave to check the sky anyway, just in case.
There was nothing in the sky but the Capitol seal; there had indeed been no deaths that day. He was just about to return inside when he heard a loud clunk that made him jump.
He remained quiet for a long moment, but heard nothing else. Then he carefully turned back around and walked into the woods, towards where the sound had come from.
He barely had to walk forty feet before he bumped into it; he recognized the silver parachute that the steel cylinder hung from, and his heart pounded as he realized that Shinon—or, more likely, Micaiah—had sent a gift.
Ike untied the parachute and carefully unscrewed the cylinder's lid, peering inside. There was a narrow syringe; he pulled it out and examined the contents. It was half-filled with a pale blue liquid; a small note was wrapped around it. He pulled off the thin paper and read quickly;
"This is the antidote. But there's only enough for one of them. -M.D."
He stared at the note in disbelief, then back at the syringe.
Dammit, Micaiah, he thought angrily, why do you have to make it so hard!?
A/N
And here's Chapter Ten!
I feel so evil...Why must I beat up Zelgius so darn much...*facedesk*
I cheated. Both the poison's symptoms and the description of the wound, I ripped off of a different book series. If you know which one, I'll give you a virtual cookie~ c:
Reviews are always appreciated, hope you enjoy!
~DarkieDucessa