Fucking finally! I hate being piggybacked around. You know, I used to love getting piggybacks from my dad as a kid… but as an adult it just feels so undignified. Every time Carter took a step my ankle brushed off his leg and made me wince. Not to mention when he for some reason got animated and started almost bouncing as he walked. A couple of times he bounced so enthusiastically that I momentarily left his back… and upon landing I ended up hurting myself even further. I mean… points to the guy for not even being remotely fazed by having me on his back… he’s obviously very fit to be able to carry somebody and bounce about happily… but still… I cannot wait to be put back down.

  We entered the room and I saw the hole in the floor where I had fallen earlier. Mother of Mercy… that is quite the drop… no wonder my back is sore…. bloody hell.

  Agaroth and Keith lay on the floor just ahead. As if they had never risen. Just corpses on the ground. Almost as if the entire thing was some joke. It was horrible. I have never actually encountered any undead before. They are incredibly rare. Largely because anywhere that the diseases that cause it are found are normally burned to the ground to prevent the spread.

  Dwynfel: “That room over there… we need to check that room.”

  Carter: “That where you left your friend?”

  Dwynfel: “Yes. Take me there, please.”

  As we approached the door, I could see the faint glow of Feiffer emanating from the room. I knew that meant that Kiyui was still in there. But I definitely wasn’t expecting to find them both in exactly the same position as I left them. Kiyui, frozen in the corner and Feiffer stood where I had been stood when I was trying to be a distraction. Neither had moved… not even an inch.

  Dwynfel: “Put me down against the wall next to him, please.”

  I still can’t put weight on my ankle… but with the wall for support I don’t need to. I moved closer to Kiyui… his right arm is shaking… his eyes are vacant.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui… I’m here… you’re okay.”

  He didn’t respond… he continued staring ahead. I followed his gaze and saw nothing but the smashed sarcophagus. Maybe there was something in it.

  Dwynfel: “Clive… can you tell if there was a curse or anything in that sarcophagus?”

  Clive: “There is no curse or magic here. Your friend needs rest.”

  Rest? He’s catatonic. He needs a hell of a lot more than rest.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui… we are going to go back to camp now. Can you walk?”

  Again… he didn’t respond. I took his hand to try to lead him… but he didn’t move.

  Clive: “Carter. Take the boy to his bedroll. I need to prepare the food for tomorrow’s journey.”

  Dwynfel: “I can do that.”

  I tried to move him, but in the moment, I had forgotten about my ankle. I placed it down on the ground and the pain shot right through me. I fell to the ground.

  Clive: “No… you cannot. Carter will help you both get sorted. I shall come to you in the morning to fix your ankle.”

  Carter bent down and picked the two of us up, one over each shoulder.

  Carter: “Off we go, lads.”

  Clive: “Do be delicate with them, Carter.”

  Carter: “I’m always delicate.”

  Clive: “Just go. I will bring the familiar.”

  Carter carried us back to camp… I would normally complain about the indignity of the situation, but I spent the entire time staring at Kiyui. Even when draped over Carter’s shoulder, his eyes just stared into nothingness. It was like he was looking right through me. I need him to be okay… I can’t stand seeing him like this.

  We arrived back at our bedrolls and Carter placed us down. Clive dropped off Feiffer, then wandered off to his tent. Carter removed Kiyui’s battledress and placed him in the bedroll. Kiyui had gone from being terribly rigid when we found him in the ruins to being limp like a ragdoll. As he was being undressed his limbs just dropped. Carter didn’t seem to register it. As if he is used to this kind of thing.

  Dwynfel: “You seem oddly comfortable doing this.”

  Carter: “I looked after Mr Beaumont’s father in his later years. Time had not been good to him.”

  Dwynfel: “Oh… when did he die?”

  Carter: “Couple of years ago.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  A couple of years ago? What? But Clive looks about a hundred… how old was his father? I thought he was going to say at least ten years ago.

  Carter: “Do you need assistance undressing?”

  Dwynfel: “I’ll be fine.”

  Carter went to leave while I took off my remaining boot. I went to remove my britches and nope… should have thought that through.

  Dwynfel: “Carter… maybe just a bit of help with the lower half.”

  Carter nodded. He didn’t say anything… he just got on his knees, placed my hands on his shoulder so that I could balance and removed my britches… taking a lot of care around my ankle. Then he lifted me to my bedroll.

  Carter: “Goodnight, Mr. Vesidia.”

  I removed the top half of my armour and lay down. This feels wrong… Kiyui normally wraps himself around me when we share a bedroll. I’m used to the feeling of his head resting on my chest… to having his leg draped over me. Having him next to me… but he feels so distant. We are right next to each other in this bedroll, but it’s like there is a whole world between us… I hate it.

  Kiyui was lying on his side, facing away from me. I shuffled closer to him and wrapped my arm around him. I brought my body close to his. I felt his warmth… I took in his smell. I gripped him tightly… wanting nothing more than to make him better… to fix whatever was wrong. Wishing that I could make his world right again.

  Then he spoke… it was a faint whisper… barely audible… but he spoke.

  Kiyui: “I did it again.”

  Dwynfel: “Did what again?”

  Kiyui: “I thought I had control of it… I thought this would never happen again...”

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui, you didn’t do anything.”

  Kiyui: “I saw the wounds, Dwynfel. When he walked towards you… I saw his back… Goblins didn’t kill him… don’t lie to me anymore.”

  Shit… shit, shit, shit. I need to choose my words very carefully here.

  Dwynfel: “I didn’t lie to you. That wasn’t you. It was the confusion gas. Damecus inhaled that stuff too and nearly killed us.”

  Kiyui: “Nearly… he nearly killed you. I actually killed someone. I killed Agaroth. Me… I did that… the wounds on his back… they were from Gevaudan. The bite on his neck… that was me. I killed him.”

  Dwynfel: “No… I refuse to accept that. That thing… it isn’t you… it just isn’t.

  Kiyui: “Dwynfel… I’m half demon. No matter how much I try to repress it… that side of me… it exists… and it is a part of me. Stop pretending it isn’t.”

  Dwynfel: “It may be part of you, but it isn’t you.”

  Kiyui: “And what is the real me, Dwyn?”

  Dwynfel: “The real you… is the most loving, caring, and considerate person that I know. What happened was horrible… I wish more than anything that it hadn’t happened… but it doesn’t change who you are… it doesn’t change my feelings for you.”

  He suddenly turned and kissed me… forcefully thrusting his tongue into my mouth. This is different to normal… this isn’t sweet and delicate… this… this feels wrong.

  He pushed me onto my back and straddled me, all while continuing to aggressively kiss me. I pushed his head back.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui… what are you doing?”

  Kiyui: “You said it hasn’t changed your feelings for me… prove it.”

  He reached behind him and grabbed my penis… he started rubbing it and began kissing me again. I don’t like this… everything about this feels different… it feels wrong.

  Kiyui: “Why aren’t you getting hard? Normally one kiss and you’re ready to go.”

  Dwynfel: “Because this feels wrong, Kiyui.”

  Kiyui: “You said your feelings haven’t changed. I need you to prove it. I need to feel you inside me.”

  He kept rubbing it, but my body didn’t respond… I can’t… this is wrong.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui… please… stop.”

  Kiyui: “I need this. I need you to do this.”

  His eyes grew intense… panicked even. The rubbing became firmer… and forceful.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui, no… I said stop.”

  I grabbed him and turned to my side… causing him to fall off me and back onto the ground. I felt a sharp pain in my ankle… but I paid it no mind. He started hitting my chest with his fists and he erupted in tears.

  Kiyui: “I need you to do this… I need you to!”

  Dwynfel: “Why? Why do you need this?”

  Kiyui: “Because I need to feel something… anything… anything other than this crippling sadness. It is eating away at me… consuming me… and I can’t… I can’t keep feeling like this… I need you to make me feel something else… I need you… I need you…”

  His speech became incomprehensible at that point. Completely garbled by the tears. Steadily he stopped hitting me and his head collapsed forward into my chest. I could feel his tears running down my skin and making the bedroll damp. His hair was stuck to his face due to all of the tears and mucus. I brushed it out of the way and saw his breath was laboured.

  I have never seen him this distressed before.

  Dwynfel: “Kiyui… I think you need to feel these feelings. You can’t avoid them… you can’t distract yourself from them. They’re a part of you… and I want you to know… I am here for you… to help you through this… one step at a time. I’m not saying you’ll get over this and everything will be like it was before… but I promise you… we will get through this… together… because I love you… I will not let you go through this alone.”