Chapter (Fire in His Veins)
It was not long before Adrius stumbled and fell again, betrayed by such powerful legs. This time, Angelo was not able to catch him and the big man crashed down hard to one knee. The after treatment of the wound had been a mere formality. The poison that now coursed through Adrius' veins was too strong to be fought off on its own. Even for the monolithic Vicari.
Before the end of the first hour Angelo was forced to carry his brother. Dropping under his hulking arm at first, but even then it wasn't long before Adrius legs failed him again, rolling and sagging beneath the weight of his massive frame.
“Just leave me Angelo,” Adrius protested.
Angelo could not begin to describe the emotion in his brother's voice. He sincerely wanted Angelo to continue alone.
“My only regret, through all my years is that I’ll not be there to see you succeed at the end of this,” Adrius sighed. His breath had become weak and ragged.
Angelo was out of breath form struggling both to speak and to carry on.
“I’m not leaving you. You are the Guardian and you have a job yet to do!”
The pain weighed as heavily in Angelo's voice as it had in his brother's. He could not bear to leave him, to just lie him there, he would do what he must to carry on. The tension between the brothers was far too great to be cliché. Angelo was left to piggyback his much larger brother, against Adrius' strong protests.
In training Cade had done his job well. Even carrying the extra weight the boy was a machine, both in his pace and in his strength. Often readjusting but never once stopping or complaining, the world had not yet begun to see his limits. The progress was slow but Angelo refused to yield to his brother's complaints.
Drawing on the current he pushed forward through the crossing branches and unchecked underbrush. Every time Adrius protested his being carried Angelo only hoisted him higher and moved a half step quicker.
It was early evening on their second day on the island of Tartarus when they first heard the sound of voices. Distant at first they grew steadily closer. The concern of being spotted drawing the pairs' progress to a near halt.
Slowing to a near silent crawl the Vicari listen to the oncoming voices. The voices, that could only have been troops, barked orders back and forth, occasionally spiking above the general murmur of conversation.
Angelo had been carrying his brother on his back nonstop through the dense vegetation of the Western forests since before noon. Both he and Adrius were covered head to toe in, scratches, sweat, and the general grime of travel.
A filthy and exhausted Angelo helped his brother down from his back and over to the trunk of a large hardwood. As big and strong as Adrius was he was powerless against the paralysis of the poison throbbing through his veins. The look of utter frustration on his face was a dagger in his brother’s heart.
“I’ll come right back,” Angelo assured him in a voice just below a whisper, “I have to go and check on those troops.”
“Don’t bother coming back,” Adrius grumbled, his voice a gravely whisper.
The wind whipped through the trees and ruffled in the leaves that covered the ground around them. Adrius' weakened voice was all but lost to the sound. He was pale now, and dark circles had begun to form under his eyes.
Worrisome above all his other symptoms however; was the copious amount of sweat collecting on his brow. That gave Angelo the chills. The forest was warm and humid, but temperate overall and though soaked in sweat Adrius was shivering.
Angelo spoke as if to a scared child, which only served to further anger his massive brother.
“I'll be back,” Angelo repeated.
He didn’t care if Adrius was pissed. He was scared for his brother. The poison was faster than he had anticipated and with each passing moment Adrius' condition continued to deteriorate. He needed medicine, and he needed it sooner rather than later.
Angelo stood and turned. Shrugging his shoulders and sighing deeply before dashing off silently into the encroaching twilight.
Alone against the tree, high atop the North side of a forest ravine in the Land of the Shadow Lord, Adrius could not help but get to thinking. All his life he’d wanted nothing more than this. All he’d done, and all he’d worked for were in hopes that he may someday live long enough to fight at the side of the Covenant. Finally taking the fight, a fight that had existed well beyond his own years, and bring it the enemy's doorstep. Yet there he sat, barely even able lift his own sword. He breathed deeply and began to pray.
“Father, for long have I pledged myself to your service, and all the while asked nothing in return. I lie here now broken at the time of our greatest need.”
“I will never leave this island that much is clear to me. Please Father, grant me the death of my choosing. When few stand against many, I long to stand beside my brother.”
He spoke the words he needed to, ending in a sigh. He'd always been a spiritual man, belief had never been an issue. But he was an also practical one. He gave reverence to the creator of the current, but took pride in the fact that he had never been forced to rely on him for strength. Until now.
It was dark by the time Angelo returned. Adrius had lost all conscious thoughts of time in his silent prayers. He lulled his head in the direction of his winded brother, awaiting his report. Not the least bit surprise by his return.
When Angelo spoke he did so with conviction.
“We are a half kilometer from the edge of a small ravine that drops down into a road below us.”
“We should…we should stay clear of the roads,” Adrius labored. He was in worse shape than he led on, not wanting to further Angelo's concern. Distraction was not something the boy needed right then. But his brother's concern was painfully obvious.
“I saw troops, moving east, towards the center of the island. They had wounded soldiers with them and a caged beast that bore a striking resemblance to the Prehiss we sent this way.”
“Good, we can sneak around their flank and …..”
“We’re going to follow them, wherever they're going will have an infirmary. And an infirmary means medicine.”
“No we’re not. You are here to do a very specific job. I’m not going to let you screw with the fate of billions for some rouge crusade, to save me.”
“I’d say you’re not in much of a position to tell me to do anything,” Angelo retorted, cracking the first smile of the evening.
“Fuck you,” the larger man said by way of concession, he cracked lips splitting in a wry smile.
The two shared a brief laugh. Adrius could only chuckle and shake his head. To Angelo it always seemed as though things were funnier in times of stress. Maybe it was because his mind just wanted anything but to face reality. And given the circumstances, anyone was allowed go a little bit crazy.
