Return of the Titans

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

It was the third time that I visited the clearing, but the only instance where I actually felt pain.

I held my head as pressure began to build behind my eye, hissing when it stung my frontal lobe. It was normally dim in the swampy clearing, but right then, everything was amplified to the third degree. I had to squint against a light that wasn't there, as well as keeping myself as still as possible until the pain subsided, which wasn't anytime soon. What a better time to have asked Doc for a capsule of Advil than now?

Through my sensitive eyes, I saw the elk standing along the outskirts of the clearing. He was a mesh of foggy shapes but I noticed that he had dialed it down with the glimmering. By the position of his neck, he didn't seem to be grazing, but I couldn't tell if he was looking at me directly or something behind me.

Finally, I sensed the pain ebbing, like a retreating tide. It became tolerable enough where I let my hands slip away. Only then did the elk approach, but he still kept himself a safe distance from my hunched form.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I huffed at how redundant that question was. Of course, I wasn't okay! Did he know what it felt like to be sucker-punched by a humanoid lion? That hurt like hell! On top of that, I was now dealing with the shame of walking into a trap, knowing that something was fishy but not saying anything about it. It was beyond embarrassing until I began to wonder what might have happened to the others. Then came freezing guilt, quickly followed by a burning rage that made my blood boil.

I went to my feet but the elk stood in my way.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"It was a trap," I said, seething. "It was a trap and Lion planned it. I've gotta get him and his cronies."

"You're not even armed," the elk pointed out. "You're hardly in any state to fight a child, let alone the Lion-men."

"That's rude of you, but I'll find a way. I've done so before and I can do it again."

The elk shook his head. "You're still not getting it. These people cannot simply be dealt with if you believe hard enough. You had your first taste of blood, yes, and you see what happened then."

His eyes went to my chest and I involuntarily covered the burn across my heart. It still throbbed when touched but it was better than an injection of fire.

"It was a mistake," I said. "I wasn't paying attention before. But now I am."

"Are you?"

"Why are you railing me like this? I thought that you were for me."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," the elk said. "I am simply ensuring that you know just what you're doing."

"I know," I said, "and I'm ready."

He chewed once then closed his eyes with contempt. "Mm. I suppose you are."

Turning around, he began to walk away, flicking his tail behind him. I took that as an invitation to follow him, and with my boots sticky with mud, I did. Something told me that I was going to be here for a while and that I might as well get comfortable. But not before I asked him an important question.

"What's your name?"

The elk's ear twitched but he kept his contented face. "Prometheus."

Like the movie? I almost blurted it out but I caught myself before I offended the possibly dangerous being. "That's... nice. I'm Frankie."

"I know who you are," he said, stepping over a murky puddle. His hoof falls hardly made a sound, while I tromped around like a Giant with swollen ankles. "When a child in our world is born, everyone is alerted. Including jailbirds such as I."