Flames And Blades

Chapter Twenty Seven: Ready For It

 "Well, we are complete cowards." Luce yet again deadpans while the kids are eating mac n' cheese.

"Are not," Adam responds, helping John, the little with the muddied tiara get another bowl to eat.

"We looked danger in the eye, screamed and ran. Cowards."

"Very true," Trevor responds. The rest of us nod and eat our own mac n' cheese in silence.

Dusk nears, and every last one of us- even the littles, are beaten. So we help them all get ready for bed. By the time that we've finished, it's pitch black outside, allowing each of the five of us to go to our own tents and sleep without feeling bad.

In my own tent, wearing another of Warrisons sweaters since all my clothes are burnt ripped and muddied ash now, sleep comes easy. With black everything to the core.

Until the nightmares come.

Or, in my case, a vision of Ferox.

Somehow, I am aware that this is an in time play by play of his current situation. He's in the same dark cave Connie and Luce had me in. Only here, he is cuffed, taped and bound to a chair. Blood drips over so many of his features that it's hard to see where it all starts and stops. His head is dropped low as if he's asleep. Until a man- one of the ones that were in Grams' house, yanks him up by his hair. Ferox's' eyes show he couldn't care less about his situation. Stupidly fierce as ever.

"Tell me more about her." The man's voice booms in the small room.

"I'd rather not." Ferox responds, flashing a grin that severely pisses the man off. So much so that he pulls out a knife. The blade of the knife shows the cross pattern on Trevor's necklace carved in it. In one slowly drawn out movement, the man drags the blade across Feroxs' forearm, causing his eyes to glow an even darker shade of purple. This must be how the hazes are being controlled.

Ferox still doesn't care and takes the beating.

"Very well then." The man says and punches him, saying something in Russian.

Then I'm with Ferox. Only he's running from people. A pointless chase since he's already dead. He knows this too but wants them to have a difficult time with it all. The bullets go off while he's running, and the pain fills me too.

Until it stops, and he's in front of a corporate table. Telling those men in suits about a boot camp. One filled with herds of refugee children form in town and some almost adults who are in way over their heads.

The man in the back applauds, the same blade from before in hand, only now I realize its covered in layers of dried blood. A fresh, still dripping layer resting on top. He stabs Ferox in the stomach and he wakes up in the same chair he was bound to in the first place. Only now, he has barbed wire wrapped around him tightly too.

I jump up in a cold sweat and get out of my tent, no longer feeling safe in it. I don't know what I'm doing until I do it, but it's too late to turn back when I make it there. He sees me at the little door thing in his tent and opens it for me, leading me inside.

"What's wrong," Warrison asks, sleepily but alert with concern.

"Ferox. I had a dream. But I know it's true." I stamper out. He gestures for me to sit down on the bed beside him, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders.

"Tell me what happened." Is all he whispers back beside me. And I do, every last detail about the dream.

"I have to find him, Warrison. He's hurt and needs my help." Is my finish, although it comes out with a stifled sob, quieted as he leans me into him.

"We will. We'll search for everything in the morning, I promise. Now, try to get some sleep, you'll need it." He again whispers, trying to comfort me into sleep. Which eventually works.

Only my dreams are filled with pain filled screaming.

When I wake up, I start searching for clues. Immediately, my first thought is to head for the source, the hospital. I then remember my inability to access it. But what about the other dreams? The one where he was being led away by Rori? She should have answers.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Warrison snuck up behind me, giving me the jacket I had taken off last night. The frost officially turning into a thin layer of snow.

"That I should check out Rori's cottage. Since my last dream had him leaving it. She may be a drugging bitch, but she should have answers."

"I'll drive." Is all he responds with, taking his keys out of his pocket.

When we arrive at the trails, there are no magic symbols there to help. I know at least half of the way to the cottage, so I figure that getting to that point, the symbols will kick in then.

Nada.

"I swore she'd be able to let us near." I heave out, taking a sip of drive-through coffee from far out of town.

"Maybe she moved her cottage. I'll check google maps for her circle." He pulls out his phone and gets all techy with it. Furrowing his brow and fiddling some more, he looks at me, apologetically. Like a lost puppy who knows they did something wrong.

"What?"

"It's... It's gone, so are any camping spots. The entire site itself, as of five days ago, is...entirely nonexistent." We share quizzical glances and head back to the mom-mobile, defeated. Mind mulling the entire drive back, thinking of all the other possible clues. I find one. A shot in the dark, but better than going home.

"Can we go to the border again? I want to check something out?" He looks at me, a bit confused but eventually nods, and drives onward.

"Sure, a pit stop first though." He drives to a Walmart, goes to the bathroom and comes out with a few bags filled with winter clothing, all sizes and patterns. For the littles, I assume, seeing as the spiderman tuques are a tad too small to fit his head. "They'll still be cold, but a little warmer now. A few of the mothers and grandmothers are knitting and quilting blankets for them too so that should help." He looks at me like he wants to adopt them all and make them a rosey perfect world. It's adorable and I find myself wanting to help.

"That's good. Do we have enough food to hold them for a while?" I want to solve this as soon as possible, but need to know.

"I have a few ties to large food suppliers and managed to get a few of them to give us any off hand shipments they can manage. We've got a good amount going for now." He smiles, seeing that someone else cares for the kids in the grand scheme of things. Starting the engine he looks over when I jump at an idea.

"What?" Warrison nearly stops the car.

"It might not work, I'll show you when we get to the border."

"Fair enough." Is his only weary response, although a smile plays on his face subdelty.

I'm giddy for the rest of the ride and don't speak and instead get a little too ahead of myself.

"What the hell?" He mutters, out of nowhere.

"What?"

"The border to Nocty. It's not there. It's just- gone. It's a freaking town it can't just be gone." Strange.

"Where are we now?" I ask.

"Where the border is supposed to be." I scan the area, the road just continuing through smoothly, as if it has always been there. Something tells me if I look deeper into this, the outcomes will be a lot more dangerous than the benefits.

"Well, I guess it's off to camp to dispense the winter wonderland wear." Warrison looks at me, an earnest look in his eye.

"I'll find him, I promise."

"I know, let's break for now and play with the littles. Maybe they'll give us ideas."

"Okay, sure thing, Inferno." So that nickname is gonna stick. Great.

I think back to the look in his eyes. Something dark in them while telling me he was going to find Ferox. They told me not to leave him alone at all on this search. One man abducted and tortured is horrible enough.