Fear The Fire

Chapter 10: Fearing The Pure

Erika had come to find out that it was around noon when she, alongside Nevane, Nixon, Manic and 4 guards, journeyed through secret underground passageways connecting The Old Castle and Forgotten Kingdom, and emerged in Manic's storage cellar. She had lost track of time after The Wuruhi attacked for various reasons. The first was that she'd blacked out, and that left a gap in her memory. She had no idea how long she was unconscious, it could've been minutes, or hours, or even days. The second was that The Castle had no windows, which seemed to be a culprit for many connundrums, thus erasing all possible indication of the time of day.

Erika told herself that, if she survived her quest and found herself still stuck in this stupid place, she'd invent a clock and a calender for these people.

It was so difficult, wraping her head around most of what Nevane was saying to her. This place, these customs, these villagers, it was so much easier to cling on to the idea that it all had to be a dream. It eased her into acceptance; there was no alternative, there was no escape. Maybe, after Nixon's mother was rescued, Nevane would help her return home.

Nevane. . . She was difficult to believe, but to distrust her was to succumb to the fissure of the unexplainable, incomprehensable reality Erika was trying to construe. To trust Nevane was to latch on to a sort of security, to believe that there was reason within madness and hope of escape.

Manic and his guards prepared a wooden, horse-drawn carridge and proceeded to load it with the essential supplies they predicted would be useful in a journey with no direction or destination. This meant just trying to cram in as many food, water and medicine supplies as they could spare. Nixon and Nevane sat down at the long kitchen table and Erika supposed she should join them.

"This whole 'preperation' thing seems pretty organized," she told Nixon as she pulled up an uncomfortable chair, "Do you guys do this sort of thing often?"

Nixon looked at her as if just noticing her presence for the first time, "I've travelled across the lands a couple of times," he said, "When my father took me with him to The Meadow. He travells quite often, though."

"Has he been on rescue missions before?" Erika asked, finding comfort in the idea that they had some direction, some idea what they were facing.

He shook his head, "If someone is captured by The Wuruhi, it usually means they're as good as dead. But we've never had a Tix guiding us before! If Nevane says my mother is alive. . ."

Erika felt very bad for Nixon at that moment. Did he actually trust and believe in Nevane as much as he assured them he did, or was he trying to convince himself first and foremost? Erika knew what it felt like to hope beyond hope, she knew it at that very moment. Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she knew this wasn't a dream. At least, not one she'd be waking up from when something jumped out of the shadows. A chill of premonition crept up her spine.

"Well then, Nevane, looks like you're our guide," she announced, braver than she felt, "Where do we go?"

Nevane smiled and spoke, as Erika feared she would, "You know I cannot give you that information. What I can say is that Nixon will know where to lead us first."

Nevane and Erika looked at the boy, who flushed, "Me? But, I've only ever travelled to The Meadow. And I don't see how-"

"What's The Meadow?" Erika interrupted, "Isn't that, like, a field of flowers or something? How does it help us find your mom? Is she there?"

The questions were hopefully directed at Nevane, but it was Nixon who supplied her with an answer "It's not just a field of flowers. It is the domain of The Great Wolves."

"More wolves?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yes, more wolves," Nixon continued, the corners of his lips threatening to betray his amusement, "But they are benign. Wolves used to be our protectors. Beneath King Cinam's rule, our people saw them as allies. They hunted for us and guarded us."