13. LIVE OR DIE

Marcus tried to look into the sky past the trees but he couldn't find the green light anywhere. It also didn't help that they were in the valley of two large mountains. Marcus couldn't believe it. He was lost.

They continued to trudge on and Marcus kept switching directions and doubling back, searching for the green light in the sky. Finally the Cruentus boy spoke.

"Are you lost?"

"No." Marcus lied.

"Well it feels like you're lost. Maybe if you took off my blindfold I could help you."

Marcus wondered if this was some kind of trick. His Piceus friends told him that the Cruentus were not a trustworthy people. But then again, it could just be their prejudice from all the years of feuding. After a short mental debate, Marcus reached up behind the boy's head into his fiery red tresses and untied the blindfold.

The boy blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. They were a beautiful bright blue-green color. It was amazing what a similarity this mixed race of mythical creatures had to humans from the upper world. As if the supernatural somehow cancelled each other out.

The boy looked into the sky. "We need to get to higher ground." Then he started leading Marcus even though his hands were still bound and Marcus still held the other end of the rope. When they reached the summit they could see more clearly. There was still no sign of the green light in the sky. As the boy searched their darker version of the heavens, his eyes locked on a smaller blue light. "We must follow the light of Endia." He motioned towards the small blue light. "It will cross paths with the light of Equestria and then you will be back on the right trail to Tartarus."

"The light of Equestria? Is that the green light?"

"Yes."

Marcus paused for a moment. "Why are you helping me? I already told you that I would kill you."

The boy shrugged. "We've all gotta die sometime." With that the boy kept walking, tracking the light of Endia, while Marcus followed behind.

After a while, Marcus spoke up again. "So tell me about yourself. What's it like being a Cruentus?"

The boy breathed out a low laugh. "I'm sure it's just as horrible as being a Piceus."

"How so?"

"Well, we spend every day in fear of each other, we expect our loved ones to die, and we always have to fight, whether we want to or not." The boy lifted his bound hands to scratch the side of his face.

"So you don't agree with this war either?" Marcus asked.

"Agree? No. But what's the use. No one else seems to think the way I do."

"Well that's not true. Danowyn from the Piceus tribe thinks that way. Maybe if you two got together you could form some kind of treaty for your people."

The boy laughed. "Yeah, maybe."

It was quiet again for a little while. Yet Marcus still wanted to know more about this young man. "So will you tell me your name?"

He paused for a moment before answering hesitantly. "Rune."

Marcus nodded. "Nice to meet you Rune."

Rune looked at him a bit surprised. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

Rune's face was scrunched as he tried to understand. "You're not from around here are you?"

Marcus shrugged. "Is it obvious?"

Rune laughed. "Well yeah. If you don't recognize my name then it's pretty obvious."

Marcus grinned. "Oh, so are you someone important?"

He shrugged. "Just to the Cruentus."

Marcus laughed. "Oh, are you some kind of prince or something?" He said it as a joke but when Rune's expression remained serious then Marcus came to the realization. "You're a prince?!"

Rune sighed. "It's really not a big deal or anything."

"Of course it is! You are in a position of power! You could be the one to bring about great change." Marcus was excited at the prospect.

"No, I can't. I'm a male. Don't you know anything? The women are the ones with the power. They have the extra abilities and they are the ones who make the decisions. My sister, Denna, she's the one who has the power."

"Oh yeah? What can she do?"

"She has this thing where she can sense where others of her kind are. She can't do it with the Piceus, only those who share the same bloodline with her. She can feel them… She can feel me…" Rune just looked at the ground as they continued to trudge along.

"So does that mean she knows where you are right now?" Marcus asked.

Rune nodded. "Yes. That's why they came to the Piceus village. As long as I am alive, she'll be able to find me. I'm sure she's following us right now."

Marcus remembered back to the Piceus village and the woman he saw leading the band of goblins. That must have been Denna, searching for her younger brother. "Why are you telling me this? Why didn't you keep it a secret so that they could just come and rescue you?"

Rune stopped walking and then looked up to meet Marcus' gaze. "Because I really don't care if I live or die." There was a sadness in his eyes. As if they had seen too much bloodshed in such a short amount of years. He had seen more horrific things as a young man than anyone should have to endure over an immortal's lifetime. He raised his face to the sky and pointed. "There is the light of Equestria."

Sure enough, Rune had brought Marcus back to the path that he needed to be on. The flaming green light burned brightly in the sky. Marcus pulled out a dagger that Griffin had given him. He watched Rune tense as he anticipated what was to come next. Marcus pulled on the rope that bound Rune's hands to bring him closer.

"Just make it quick." Rune requested as he closed his eyes. To his surprise, Marcus used the blade to cut the binds. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you go." Marcus knew that this was a betrayal against the Piceus people, but he was tired of being a monster. He had spent the last millennia killing people because he had to do it to survive. Now that he was shedding his vampire skin and becoming human again, he couldn't bring himself to justify even one more murder. It was wrong and he didn't have to do it. He wouldn't do it.

"Why are you doing this, Marcus?"

"Because I think that you are one of the few people in this messed up world that could actually start to fix things down here. I'm telling you, you should seek out Danowyn. The two of you have more in common than you think." Marcus tossed the ropes onto the ground.

Rune was astonished. "I don't know what to say… Thank you."

Marcus nodded. "Now go find your sister before she finds you with me." It was the smart thing to do, sending the prince back to the princess, because Denna had already been following them and was very close behind.

Marcus continued his journey alone. It felt like another day had gone by as he followed the green flame in the sky. Again he wondered what it was composed of- perhaps it was a burning gas like the sun and the stars in the upper world, caught in some kind of orbit. He looked down at the blue light necklace. It had faded so much since he first received it. It looked to be only about twenty-five percent as bright as it once was. He needed to find Didyme and put this journey to an end. He began to run, but only at the speed of a human. Being able to run at vampire speed would be something he would miss terribly. He felt like he was caught in a dream where you just can't make yourself run any faster. It was frustrating for him.

Then Marcus heard something. It sounded like the screams of people and clanging of metal. It was another battle between the Cruentus and the Piceus. Marcus realized that the sounds were all around him. He looked up at the green light of Equestria. If he changed course now he might lose the light forever. He couldn't risk it. He would have to continue forward and sneak through.

He crouched low to the ground and tried to hide under the cover of the trees. A stream trickled alongside him and headed towards a large a pond. The screams of agony and death grew louder and louder. Smoke filled the air around him as there were fires going. He made his way to the pond and crouched at the edge of it. He heard a sound like scraping metal and looked to his left.

There stood a woman he had never seen before. She was a Cruentus and she carried a massive blade in each hand. She was splattered with blood, but the blood was not her own. She was a killer, and she was coming for Marcus.