Sicktember 9, we're at the final stretch now!
"How much further do you think it is?"
Techno holds the map up to his face and scrunches his eyes into a tight squint. The lines are still a little blurry, and the effort makes his head hurt worse. He swallows away a swell of dizziness when his vision loses focus, then lowers the map with a sigh. "I think it's just a day or two more going north," he says.
Techno hates how his voice wavers, sounding unsure of himself. Wilbur is absolute rubbish at reading maps though, so Techno would rather do it himself. If they get lost, it'll be his fault anyway. His responsibility to deal with. Wilbur has already been carrying around a load of guilt. Any more would break him. Techno wants to tell him not to get so up in his own head about it, but he has run out of words to say.
"Two days…" Wilbur repeats back, softly. Techno walks up to him, takes Wilbur's wrist in his hand, and squeezes gently.
"Only one if we don't linger. Come on." He tugs on his brother as they continue walking again.
"You need to rest before nightfall though," Wilbur says, even as his feet are pulled into motion. Techno doesn't let go of him.
"I'll be fine."
Wilbur opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but apparently thinks better of it and bites his lip instead. He turns his arm around so he can wind his fingers into Techno's and hold his hand as they walk. His skin is warm, and Wilbur kind of does that thing where his thumb absently rubs over Techno's knuckles. Techno smiles at that. Their parents always made them hold hands when going into town, so they wouldn't lose each other. He remembers the one time Wilbur broke that rule because he wanted to look at a street musician and Techno would rather stick to waiting at the spot their parents told them to wait at.
The crowd was so thick, a sea of people that Wilbur got swallowed up by. They were only six years old at the time, Wilbur's small frame slipping between the throng of adults effortlessly, Techno watching him disappear. Anxiety built in his gut. He was worried, and he wanted to look for Wilbur, but he also didn't want to get lost too because then their parents wouldn't be able to find either of them. So he stayed, and he waited, and when their parents returned, his father huffed at seeing only Techno standing where he had left them.
"Why aren't you looking out for your brother?" Father asked. Techno didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet.
He'd often heard his parents say he should be looking after Wilbur better. They are twins, but Techno is the more responsible one. The one who acts more mature and has a better grasp on his emotions, who isn't impulsive like Wilbur.
Father went off to find Wilbur and Mother stayed with Techno. She picked him up, winding her arms around him and whispering in his ear it would be alright. But she was shaking. And when Techno looked up, he could see tears in her eyes.
Wilbur was crying too when Father found him and brought him back. Getting lost had scared him pretty badly. Techno knew he'd messed up. Father was right back then, he should have been looking after Wilbur and then nobody would have cried that day. Techno should be taking care of his brother because that's what family does.
Their parents died. So Techno is doing his utmost best to be better than he was back then.
"The sun is going to set soon," Wilbur says anxiously. He squeezes Techno's hand once more. "Should we-"
"Yeah," Techno interrupts. He can already feel his skin prickly unpleasantly. He had been consumed by the memory and hadn't noticed they'd been walking for quite a while. But the sky has turned into a tapestry of purple and blue, the very vague sparkle of stars in the distance dotting in a barely visible fashion like threads of silver. They don't have a ton of time.
They find a clearing that is circled by trees, a spot that will provide them relative shelter from rain and wind. Techno puts the backpack he has been carrying down and opens it, getting out their tent and other supplies. They set up a camp in silence, working in perfect tandem with no trouble and only a few words exchanged. How many times have they done this already? It's second nature at this point.
When their parents died, there was nobody in town to look after them. Techno and Wilbur have no other family, and other villagers were reluctant to take in not one, but two extra mouths to feed. The house technically belonged to the town leader, and he wanted to send Techno and Wilbur to the orphanage in the big city so he could reclaim the land. So they ran away. They collected all the stuff they could carry and just… left.
Sometimes Techno wonders what would have happened if they hadn't.
Not that there's much use thinking about. Techno got cursed less than a month into them setting out on their own. All their time since has been spent trying to find a cure, chasing wild stories for a kernel of truth hidden in them, tracking down rumors of magic, whatever they could think of to rid Techno of the hex. So far they've been unsuccessful. And Techno is running out of time.
The first trickle of moonlight that shines down on them brings unimaginable pain.
Techno curls into himself on the sleeping mat, as if his body is trying with all its might to escape the piercing sensation, though Techno knows better than to think it will make things better. Wilbur sits next to him, holding his hand, whispering reassurances into his ear which have long since lost their meaning. Techno can't stand the helplessness on his face. Wilbur can't do anything. The best he can manage is shift Techno around, get him to lie on his back so his muscles relax, and dab at his face with a wet cloth to wipe away the sweat and tears.
Trying hard not to squirm away from the lightest brush against his skin, Techno stays still and resolves to breathe through the pain. It feels as if his flesh is being split open by tiny cuts, a dozen at a time all over him. When one fades, another appears. Nothing actually happens, the curse hasn't spilled a single drop of Techno's blood. But the feeling is there. And every night it gets worse, every night it lasts longer.
This has been going on for weeks now. Techno doesn't know how much longer he'll be able to bear it. He also doesn't know if the curse can actually kill him, but the more this drags on the more he kind of wishes it would. Or he hopes the magic would afflict him badly enough that he would lose consciousness during the night, even that would be a mercy at this point.
Techno barely sleeps anymore, the pain constant for hours and hours. But after the first waves pass, he gets more used to it again. And he manages to keep his small whimpers down enough that Wilbur sighs and pulls back a bit. Wilbur needs to get some rest. Techno doesn't want him to keep awake all night taking care of him.
"We'll get there tomorrow and he'll help us," Wilbur mutters, wiping the sweat from Techno's forehead. "You'll be okay." Techno is shaking, either because it hurts so bad or because exhaustion is catching up to him.
He doesn't want to break Wilbur's heart by saying what they both know. That this could turn out to be another wild goose chase. Every rumor they've chased so far has turned out to be a hoax. And even if they find this fabled fae who could help them, who is to say he will? What if he asks for something that neither Techno nor Wilbur could ever give him in return?
Another cut runs through him, digging deeper than before. Techno winces when his entire rib cage cracks open, exposing the soft tissue beneath, impaling straight through his heart. A smothered gasp is forced out of him, that tapers off into exhilarated hyperventilating.
Wilbur doesn't ask him how much worse it has gotten. He only brushes the long hair from Techno's eyes and curls up next to him.
Desperation is a starving beast, and it has made the inside of Wilbur's chest its home.
They don't really talk about it, but Techno is growing weaker every day. The worst of the curse strikes at night when Techno is at the mercy of an intense, unending pain that befalls him courtesy of the magic that has taken root in his soul. During the day, Techno should be fine. Except he is constantly tired because he can't sleep properly, and Wilbur sees the nightly episodes get more severe with each passing day. He has noticed his brother's hands shaking. He can't look past the glassy look in Techno's eyes, or the way he refuses food because his stomach can't handle it.
The fae has to help them.
Wilbur decides they need to push through the last of their stamina to make it to the place this fae is rumored to live before nightfall, a dense forest on the outskirts of a village. The forest is said to be magical. All sorts of creatures live in there, both benevolent and hostile. And humans are better off not traversing the thick wooded area at all. But they caught word of a fae who lives near the edge of the forest, who has decided on a quiet and simple life. Humans and magic don't often mix, but not all of it is strictly bad. Magic is simply a part of the world they have no control over, the same way the direction of the wind or the tides pushing at the beach are. And they heard this man sometimes helps humans who ask for aid.
He is their best shot at finding a cure for Techno.
"Are you in pain? It should only be a little further…" Wilbur looks over his shoulder at Techno.
"Can we take a break?" Techno asks.
Wilbur hesitates. Techno almost never asks for breaks, so this could be a sign he's in a really bad state. But he's also reluctant to pause even for a moment. Noon is slipping away from them, they've been walking all day, and Wilbur doesn't think he can stand another night of watching Techno writhe in agony.
"Let's just keep going," Wilbur decides to say. "Seems silly to stop when we're this close."
"I guess," Techno mumbles, looking at the ground. Wilbur feels guilty, but that's fine. He's been feeling guilty this entire time.
It's his fault Techno got cursed, after all.
He walks back to his brother's side and lets Techno swing an arm over his shoulder, taking some of the weight off his feet. Techno's skin is clammy with sweat, some of it stuck against his hairline. There are bags under his eyes and he stumbles with each step. Wilbur doesn't care if he has to drag Techno there, they will get to this fae before sunset. He won't accept otherwise.
Another two hours it takes. At this point Wilbur is certainly the one putting in the most effort, half-carrying Techno who barely has the energy left to lift his feet now and then. Wilbur's back hurts, his shoulders hurt. But it's nothing compared to the pain Techno has been forced to endure for weeks now. So he bites his tongue until he tastes blood at the back of his throat and keeps going. Until Techno's fingers curl into his shirt at the shoulder.
"There!" Techno says. "Look, Wilbur."
Wilbur raises his head and is met with a wonderful sight, enough to almost send him to his knees.
Another clearing lies up ahead. The waning sunlight reaches through the canopy of trees to shed a warm glow on the little cabin that lies there, looking old and rickety but certainly inhabited. A thin trail of smoke is coming from the chimney that sits on a thatched roof. Around the cabin in a U shape, there is a white fence, cradling a small garden used to grow herbs and vegetables. A few chickens loiter around. On the roof itself, the hay is almost completely blackened by an entire murder of crows. Their soft caws like a carried-on conversation rising over the glade.
"Is this-"
"It has to be," Techno says. "If a human lives in there I'm eating my own shoe."
Wilbur chuckles weakly. It does seem almost comical to imagine anything but a fae living in this cabin that looks as if it came straight out of a fairytale. He nods, pulling Techno's arm over his shoulder a little higher to make walking easier.
"Okay. Okay, then we should… We should probably knock?" Wilbur says.
They've been so desperate to get here, that he never really thought about how they would phrase their plea for help.
They walk up to the cabin, following a little gravel path that starts at the front of the fence. Wilbur peers at the windows, trying to spot some sort of movement from behind the drawn curtains. The lights are on, but the fabric is too thick for him to see a silhouette. The chickens scamper into a corner, where somebody has built a pretty amateurish-looking coup for them.
"Is that a raccoon?" Techno says suddenly.
Wilbur follows his gaze and blinks in surprise. There's an animal lying on the fence, basking in the last rays of the sun. At first glance, he almost mistook it for a cat, but closer inspection would betray it to be a raccoon based on the fur markings. Wilbur has never seen a yellow raccoon though.
"Do you think it's a familiar?" Wilbur asks. The raccoon flicks its tail lazily, either asleep and thus not noticing them, or maybe it simply doesn't care about the strange visitors. Unlike other wild animals, it does not seem skittish at all.
"You're thinking of witches, not fae," Techno mumbles back.
Wilbur shrugs, continuing to walk towards the door. "You never know, maybe fae also have familiars. What do we actually know about them?"
His eyes flick up to the roof, where two dozen crows watch them with beady eyes, as if curious what they will do. Techno pushes against Wilbur's side, letting go of him. He stands on his own two feet, a little shaky but determined. Wilbur makes sure Techno's stubbornness is not going to give his head a one-way ticket to meeting the cobblestone before he reaches up to the brass knocker on the door. It is also shaped like a bird.
He pulls it back three times, letting the heavy thuds ring across the clearing. The crows are almost completely silent now.
After a few seconds of waiting - seconds during which Wilbur feels his fear rise to a fever pitch, thinking maybe the fae won't even give them the time of day - the door finally opens.
Wilbur inhales sharply at the person before them.
If the overall vibes of the cabin didn't confirm that whoever lives here has some sort of connection to magic, the sight of the man himself would have wiped away all remaining doubt. Wilbur looks up wide-eyed into a face with sharp features and blue eyes that glow in the encroaching twilight. His blond hair is long, probably reaching his lower back. Parts of it hang loose and parts of it are braided, adorned with a myriad of flowers, feathers, little lengths of twine and ribbon. From the top of his head, a pair of horn-like antlers extend to either side. A pair of large, black wings sit on the man's back, folded closed but still looking impressive. He is wearing weird, green robes of a type Wilbur has never seen before and most humans would probably think look ridiculous.
"You're young," the man says, voice soft and pleasant. He sounds neither surprised nor concerned. The statement is a simple observation. "Did you two come here all alone?"
"Yes," Techno says. He's squinting at the man a bit with suspicion and Wilbur knows Techno is trying to protect them both in case this goes sour. But the fiery look in his eyes might be taken as an insult by the fae, so Wilbur scoots in front of his brother a little.
"We came here to ask for help, sir. Please."
"'Sir'?" the man echoes with a little laugh. "Not quite. Call me Phil."
Wilbur manages a frail little smile. Names are good. Names mean the fae is being pleasant, right? "We came here to ask for help, Phil."
"Give me your names," Phil says. "And then I'll consider helping you."
Wilbur hesitates. Techno speaks before he can. "We're not giving you our names. But you can know them. I'm Techno. He's Wilbur."
The fae grins a little. "Naive but not stupid, I see. Fair enough." He makes no move to let them into his home. The crows cackle, though Wilbur has no idea if they're being laughed at, or if maybe they're amused that their master's trick didn't work.
"Techno is cursed," Wilbur blurts out suddenly. They're losing daylight and they don't have time for riddles. They need to fix Techno.
Phil tilts his head back a bit, the smallest frown building between his brows. He looks at Techno, then nods. "I could tell. Magic is hard to miss when it clings to humans where it doesn't belong. Foul stuff, really."
"Can you fix him?" Wilbur asks.
"Should be easy."
And then the fae doesn't say anything anymore, one hand on his door and posture casual, waiting for them to continue. Phil's expression is so disinterested, as if all of this is just a minor inconvenience before he can return to his nightly activities. Wilbur's heartbeat feels too rapid, he can hear it in his own ears. Techno is leaning against him by now. Maybe the curse is already starting to affect him for the night.
"Will you fix him?" Wilbur manages to say without having a full-blown panic attack.
Phil stays quiet a moment longer, as if he's thinking about it. "How did he get cursed?" he asks eventually.
"I cut the branches of a hawthorn tree," Techno says before Wilbur can respond.
"Then no." Phil closes the door in their faces.
"Fuck!" Wilbur yells automatically, kicking the door hard. A few of the crows caw and take off into the dim sky. "Get back out here you bastard!"
"Wilbur." Techno pulls on his sleeve. "I need to lie down."
Wilbur doesn't want to leave. He wants to keep banging on this door until the stupid fae opens up and properly hears them out. But Techno needs to rest, and they can't let him go through the excruciating pain of the curse on this random guy's doorstep, not when the man has already made it clear he couldn't care less about their suffering.
"We can come back in the morning," Wilbur decides. Supporting Techno's weight again, he turns around and the two go find a place to make camp nearby. The raccoon is awake and watching them leave, eyes glowing in the darkness. Wilbur sticks out his tongue at it.
They need to find a way to convince Phil to help them. They don't have any other options.