The Middle of Nowhere, Day 73 A.F

Days passed uneventfully. We wandered, aimless and hopeless, surviving on whatever fruits we could find. Enki was convinced I could identify whether or not a berry was poisonous. I hated the pressure and didn't understand his faith in me, but he and Tybira blindly consumed anything my gut said was safe.

Aside from taking my word on any fruit we came across, Enki spoke very little to me. I was under the impression that he trusted me just as little as I trusted him. That distrust only grew as he became increasingly friendly with Tybira. On numerous occasions I'd catch him regaling her with some apparently hilarious story, but he'd fall silent if I ever approached. I was positive he knew more than he was telling me, but I suspected he was telling Tybira.

And Enki certainly hadn't proved his self-proclaimed incredible powers.

Tybira and her three wolves were all captivated with our companion. She clung to Enki's every word, giving me an unsettling impression that they'd known each other for several winters.

After Enki had mentioned the Tarot Cards, I'd struggled to recall them in more detail. Both the Magician and the Strength Cards had an infinity symbol over their figure's heads. Vaguely, I wondered if that might explain the connection.

As little as Tybira left Enki's side, she was without her wolves even less. Although the three enormous canines liked The Magician, they didn't particularly love me. I made it a personal mission to win over the wolves in an effort not to be the odd one out.

The wolf the oak tree had hit was called Gladiator, named for the men Tybira used to train animals to fight. His coat was a shaggy black and there was a nasty scar across his muzzle. Tybira claimed he must have already won some fights. Although Gladiator had been injured by the tree, he had completely healed, much faster than I'd thought possible.

Romulus was the smallest wolf, always clinging to Tybira's side. She explained that Romulus had been very young, and his attachment to his alpha was because he'd lost his mother and litter-mates. We assumed they'd been dragged off by the Flood.

The third wolf was a female Tybira had dubbed Freki. I often saw Enki casually stroking her silvery coat. Enki claimed Tybira had named the wolf Freki because it sounded similar to his name. It was a fact Tybira had vehemently denied, claiming that Freki was named after one of the Norse God, Odin's, wolf companions.

I didn't understand how Tybira had tamed the trio, but I did know that she cared for them just as much, possibly more so than, she cared for Enki. That whispering voice in my mind, cruel like the witch in my dreams, told me that Enki was trying to lure Tybira away from me, isolating me. Maybe if her wolves were on my side, Tybira would lean towards me as well. I couldn't stomach the idea of her running off with the Magician and leaving me all alone.

I strained my ears to catch what Enki and Tybira were talking about while I sat alone, with only a shrub for company. Last I'd checked, they were both wistfully exchanging details on their older brothers. Now, Enki was telling an elaborate story about the time he'd caused an illusion spider to crawl out of his brother's nose while he was talking to an attractive blonde woman Enki had been angling for.

More incredible abilities Enki had yet to actually demonstrate. If it wasn't for my own bizarre abilities I'd be certain the Magician was either making it all up, or insane. Or both.

My eyes stung as he and Tybira continued to discuss their brothers. After my initial breakdown, I refused to show any grief for Lalita. I couldn't allow myself to appear weak when I was already the outsider of our makeshift band. Still, whenever it was my turn to get some sleep, silent tears streamed down my cheeks. I would have died for Lalita, but she'd died for me. Shiva, that damned demoness, had ripped her away from me. My nails, even without the purple claws, tingled with a desire to tear into her leathery wings.

-Empress?- Matthew's voice broke into my mind, jarring my from my grief stricken eavesdropping. It had been quite a long time since he'd spoken to me. Now that I'd decided he wasn't just a figment of my troubled mind, I was curious to hear what he had to say. Perhaps if I'd listened to him before, I could have saved my family and friends...

Matthew?

-Is the Empress here?- he asked. -Or still only Ayesha?-

I pursed my lips. Amire had called me the Empress. So had Enki. I knew there was an Empress Tarot Card, but I couldn't remember the details that pertained to it. Matthew, am I The Empress?

Matthew's voice hummed, considering my words. -No. Not the Empress. You are Ayesha.-

He didn't quite answer my question. What about that witch in my dreams? Is she The Empress? You knew her...

-Ah! Lady Lotus!- Matthew said. -Yes. I knew Lady Lotus. My friend.-

Lady Lotus... And the others? The World? Haydee?

-You know them.- Matthew dismissed the topic. -Focus more on Lady Lotus. She speaks to you, whispers to you, Ayesha. Listen to her. You listen poorly.-

Is Lady Lotus that voice I keep hearing..? The one that keeps warning me about Enki and Tybira?

-Listen to her!- he approved.

That sultry female voice had roared at me when Lalita had been murdered, ordering me to rip open Tybira's throat like Shiva had ripped open Amire's. It had practically possessed me. Matthew wanted me to listen to her? I don't want to.

-Ayesha...- Matthew sighed. I could almost hear him rolling his calf brown eyes.

She told me to kill Tybira, I thought. She's my friend. I'd never hurt her.

-Empress is my friend.- He grumbled as if I'd scolded him. -Fine. You should find the Traitor. You must reach him before the Salamander.-

Traitor? Salamander?

-The Salamander remains trapped,- Matthew explained, his crypticness doubling. -But Cyphon is free. Searched for Salamander. Met the Champion. Is the Champion. Injured!-

Matthew! I don't know what you're talking about. His tone had me worried. Is someone hurt?

-That's what I just said!- he huffed. -Injured.-

Where? I had no inkling of who he might be talking about. Someone being wounded, either in the Flood or in a fight wouldn't be surprising. I'd overheard Enki telling Tybira that survivors of the Flood were often getting jumped by other survivors, either being killed or left for dead once the attackers had robbed them of their clothes or any other supplies they might possess.

-Listen,- Matthew instructed. -Listen and I will guide you.-

Okay... Trusting my safety to the voice in my head, I stood. Enki and Tybira were still chatting merrily, but I knew they noticed my motion because Gladiator, the black wolf, rose and trailed behind me. Through some mental bond, Tybira had instructed the wolf to follow, either to protect or spy on me. I couldn't decide which, but I'd learned that she could see through the eyes of any animal. That was how she'd led us out of Amire's laboratory, somehow merging senses with a rat or some other creature in the tunnels. If her wolf was watching me, Tybira could check on me at will.

-Follow the stream,- Matthew ordered.

Stream? We had passed a small creek yesterday, but it had dried up.

-Look, Ayesha. Look and listen. You do both poorly,- Matthew said. -Salamander tears run through the ground, always leading to Cyphon.-

I strained my eyes to the ground, searching for any water. I noticed a small crevice trailing beneath my feet. Kneeling on the ground, I peered into the crack, but couldn't see anything. Is there water down there, Matto?

Of course when I asked him something specific, Matthew chose to fall silent.

"Great," I muttered. "How to tell if there's water..?"

Gladiator made a low huffing sound deep in his throat, sniffing at the ground. I couldn't tell if it was Tybira seeing through his eyes, or if the wolf acted on some free will, but his strong paws tore into the sandy ground, widening the crevice.

"Good dog!" I smiled, watching wet paw prints collect on the crack's edge.

Gladiator gave another huff, flicking his tail indignantly. He didn't seem to take kindly to being call dog.

I followed the narrow stream, thankful that the crevice began to widen until water was visible. A few more minutes of hiking and the trickle of liquid took on a disturbing red color. My stomach clenched as I raised my eyes.

"Damn..." My glyphs swirled along my arms with fear.

A human form lay limp on the ground, blood pooling sickeningly around his side. As if in a trance I moved towards the corpse. Gladiator let out a high-pitched whine, anxiously pacing behind me.

-Kentarch,- Matthew said as I peered down at the bleeding man.

Whoever Kentarch is... I swallowed dryly. The man had a knife driven into his chest, blood trickling from the gory cavity and dripping past his dark lips. He had been handsome, and judging by his dark skin he was of some African descent. I think it's too late to save him...

-Too late for the Wicked Champion,- Matthew agreed. -But not for the champion of the duel. Look, Ayesha.-

I tore my gaze away from Kentarch's body, wondering how I'd gone from never seeing death, to having seen more corpses than I could count. Sweeping my eyes across the landscape, I noticed a trailing path of blood, leading away from Kentarch's corpse. Either he'd managed to drag himself this far or... someone had dragged themselves away.

Scrambling roughly seventy paces from Kentarch, I inspected the second bleeding form. Is he dead?

As if answering my question, the figure before me let out a quiet moan of agony. I leaned forward, looking into the pale, contorted face of the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

((I hope you enjoyed this one! What do you think of Enki and Tybira's new powers? Who do you think Ayesha found?))