Chapter Ten: The Wanderer’s Gift
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The sun was low, painting a crimson skyline over the old trainyard and the air became a bitter cold. Isa shivered as she crouched behind the walls of the overturned train known as “Loche’s Special Room”, pressing her ear to the freezing steel of the ceiling, trying hard to listen in on the sounds inside.

“Worthless louts, the whole lot of them, I should have abducted him myself!” Loche’s voice boomed from inside the train car, a cacophony of cries echoing along with it. If hell existed, then surely it sounded like the inside of that train. An icy chill crept down Isa’s spine as she continued to listen, “this is my prize? Do they take me for an idiot?” more crying accompanied his tantrum, “how fortunate are they that you bear a passing resemblance to my favorite little toy, this isn’t a total loss after all.” Isa couldn’t listen to the cries that followed, she retched and backed away, her stomachs empty state the only thing that spared her from vomiting. 

The sun fully set before Loche left the train, retiring to his own room for the night, and finally giving her the opportunity she needed. She ran around to the door of the train the moment Loche was out of sight, only to find a padlock kept it shut tight. Goddammit! She tugged at the lock in vain, cursing whatever god hated her so much. A key was the only option, if only Reks had taught her lockpicking instead of pocket picking, she thought. Then another idea came to her mind, the train car was on its side, which meant the windows would be on the ceiling. It was a clever idea, one that would allow her to avoid Loche altogether. She slipped around the side, grabbing the indents in the ceiling and climbed atop the train. 

Immediately she tried to pry open a window, finding it was rather hard to do so from the outside, but she would not be deterred now. She went from window to window, pulling with all her might, till she came across one with fractured glass. If she could not open the window, she would shatter it, it was most likely the only way. Biting her lip, she braced herself, then began to beat her hand on the broken glass, chipping away at it as she bloodied her knuckles. After several strikes, it began to give way till at last the glass shattered, falling to the floor below and eliciting a cry from the boys inside. Just as soon as she had gained entry to the train, she was assaulted by the stench of excrement, once more finding herself on the verge of puking. Regardless, she came this far, she was not leaving without the prince, and so she grabbed hold of the window frame, and dropped herself inside the car.

 She dangled for a moment, not really sure how she planned to get down, until her bloody slippery fingers decided for her, and she plummeted to the ground below. Like a litter of starving animals tossed food in their cage, the boys converged on Isa, crying out to her to help them. A dozen filthy sickly boys surrounded her, their eyes transfixed on their would-be savior. “Where’s the prince?” she asked them, and they all began talking at once, begging her to let them out of their prison. “Fine, fine, I’m gonna get you all outta here, but I need to find the prince!” her voice barely rose over their cries for help.

“Odie’s not here,” a soft wilted voice came from the far corner. 

Isa pushed her way past the pleading boys towards the child with silver hair, relieved to see the prince unharmed. Only, “you aren’t the prince?” it was true the child had silver hair just like the prince, and wore fancy clothes, but they were most certainly someone different. “Who are you, and where is the prince?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” the child sobbed as they buried their face in their knees, “we were in the church and some man grabbed me and brought me here. I just… I just want my mommy!”

“Hey, hey it’s gonna be okay, I’ll get you outta here,” she tried to calm them, “don’t worry, we’ll get you home to your mommy okay?” The child’s crying paused for a moment, as they sniffled and looked up at Isa, revealing their sad mismatched pink and blue eyes to her. “You’re just like me!” Isa couldn’t believe it, a third demon child just like her? She didn’t really know what fate was, and yet somehow, she felt as if theire meeting was no coincidence. 

“You know Odie?” the child asked, choking back her tears.

“Yea, I’m friends with the prince,” Isa lied, “I can help you, you just gotta trust me, okay?”

The demon child nodded rubbing their eyes dry as they attempted to smile back at Isa, “what’s your name?”

“Isa,” she smiled as she introduced herself, “what about you?”

“I’m Quinn,” they answered.

“I’m gonna save you Quinn, so don’t you worry,” she knelt down to make eye contact with her, only then realizing the girl was chained to a pipe in the wall. She gritted her teeth and held back a curse. “Stay here Quinn, I’ll be right back with the key to those chains.” Quinn nodded in affirmation, and Isa walked away with a deep annoyed sigh. She wouldn’t be able to avoid Loche’s room after all. 

Pulling herself away from the prying hands of the captive boys, she climbed to the ‘roof’ using the benches that were bolted to the ‘walls’, and grabbed the ledge window she climbed through. Climbing back out was no easy task given the lack of friction from her bleeding hand, still she managed to lift herself back out. Some of the boys attempted to follow her lead, only to find that they didn’t have the strength to pull themselves up. 

“Hey, don’t worry, I’ll come back and open the door,” she shouted to them as quietly as she could, a few boys still trying to climb up with her, “don’t do that, you’re gonna make too much noise. Just wait, okay?” Some listened, others didn’t, and so she pleaded with them again, “stop it already, I promise I’ll come back!” Not wanting to draw any attention to herself or the boys, she reluctantly fled down the side of the train, hoping they would be smart enough to listen to her. 

Loche’s train was of course guarded as it always was, slipping inside unnoticed wouldn’t be easy, if it was at all even possible. Sleeping or not, a guard still kept watch over the front entrance of the train, or more accurately the back entrance. Even with very little knowledge of trains, Isa still knew that there was often more than one door to passenger cars, and the first class cars were no exception. The issue was not the existence of another entrance, the true issue was the third train car that wedged the door between them. Her body was small, but she was uncertain she'd be small enough to crawl through the crack and get to the door. Still, she would have to try.

Taking care to not wake the man who slept on the step of the main train, she crept around them and entered the slowly narrowing path between the two cars. As she passed Loche's window she decided it best to peer in and make certain he was sleeping before attempting her break in. She lifted herself again and pressed her face to the dirty glass, trying as hard as she could to study the inside of the room. It was nearly pitch black, and the curtain still blocked her view, but it was also dead silent, so it was safe to assume Loche was not burning the midnight oil. 

    Confidence lifted just a tad higher, Isa continued walking down the side of the train till the space between got so narrow she had to shimmy between the two decommissioned vehicles. She held her breath and prayed to no God in particular that she'd be able to fit all the way to the door. Perhaps her prayers were answered, or perhaps she had earned enough karma in exchange for all her misfortune, either way she was able to squeeze her way through, till she came up on the landing platform at the side of the train. Sucking in her little gutt, she slipped through the two trains bodies and managed to get into the platform, sliding the door open with a giant breath of sweet relief. 

She was past his room, on a side of the train car that went primarily unused. More private cabins, just like Loche's, that were much worse for wear than the one he claimed as his little "throne room". She stepped over debris that spilled over from the broken doors of the once luxurious rooms, tip toeing along as quietly as she could manage. When at last she came to his door, she felt a big lump form in her throat and a knot tied her stomach tightly. Knowing she had no other choice, and refusing to back down now, she slowly slid his door open, her heart a galloping horse as the room became visible to her. To her relief, he was gone. She did not know when, or where, or why, but Loche was not there. Perhaps some goddess finally found mercy on the poor girl, or she simply stumbled upon a bit of small fortune, either way she did not hesitate to think on it any further. She stowed away into the room, and began rummaging through drawers as quickly as possible, deciding to take anything she could that would be of use to her. By the window, in the top drawer, she found a dagger, a box of matches, and most importantly a ring of keys. 

There was no time to sort through them for the right one, not that she would have been able to recognize it anyway, and so she took the whole keyring, along with the dagger and matches, stowing them all in the pockets of her new skirt. Deciding going the same way back was too risky, she climbed on top of the dresser with the intent of unlocking the window, knocking over a bottle as she did. Its foul-smelling contents spilled all over Loche’s bedding, soaking it in spirits. In that moment she had a sinister, perhaps genius thought. It was time Loche paid for sending Reks away to his death, she would need a distraction anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone. She grabbed the bottle, and tore some silk fabric from Loches sheets, soaking them in the liquor before pouring the rest on the bed. Climbing back on top of the dresser, she opened the window, and lit a match. Using the sheets as a wick, she set fire to the bedding and leapt down from the window. As soon as her little feet hit the ground, she sprinted away and hid around the side of the third train car, her heart still pounding against her ribcage. All she needed to do now was wait for the smoke to catch the guards attention. 

The night was clear and calm, it didn’t take long before smoke began to billow out the open window. Deciding she would not leave anything to fate, she ran to the guard with crocodile tears waking him up in a panic, “Fire!” she cried, feigning fear as she directed the drowsy man's attention to Loche’s room. 

“Fire?” He questioned, almost dismissing her, so she pulled on his arm and pointed, crying fire again, “shit, shit! Water, get water!” he turned and ran, presumably for the nearest water source. Immediately Isa ran to the locked train, and began to try every key she could, her hands shaking violently as she fiddled with lock and key.

Finally she found the right one, releasing the padlock and sliding the door open, “Come on, come on, get outta here!” She threw her arms around wildly, directing the captive boys to freedom. They hesitated, their bodies quivering, their knees shaking, and their eyes dilated. Petrified, not a single boy could find the will to run now that freedom had been handed to them. “Get your asses goin, come on!” Isa stepped inside and grabbed a sickly boy by the arm, pulling him to the door, “go already, don’t you want to escape?” 

“Where do we go?” the boy trembled as he locked himself in place.

“Anywhere but here,” she pulled him again, this time forcing him to step forward, “just run away and don’t look back, okay?” 

As he looked at her, his dim eyes began to brighten, though his quivering never ceased, he nodded and stepped forward. Slowly, one step at a time he approached the door with her, emerging into the world outside for what seemed to be his first time. He stood there a moment, marveling at the night sky, before his instincts took over and he ran as fast he could away from Valha and the prison he was now freed from. Once he ran, the others began to follow, till all the boys fled the train car in a stampede of lost boys. Wasting no more time she ran to the other side of the train where the fake prince waited for rescue. 

“Isa!” the little girl pulled on the chains, “Isa, please hurry!” 

“Don’t worry Quinn, Imma get you outta here, okay?” she fumbled with the keys, going through each one as fast as she could once more, when at last the lock clicked open, and the chains around the little girl's wrist were unshackled. “Come on Quinn, let’s go!” 

As soon as she grabbed Quinn’s hand she fell to her knees with a splitting headache as images flashed inside her mind. A dark bearded man stood over her as she held a bloody shard of glass in her hand, “I’ll kill you, you monster!” she screamed as two girls cowered behind her. Darkness had nearly taken hold of her, her eyes glazed over and vision fuzzy. She felt as though she would pass out, but Quinn’s continued cries for her brought her back to the present. The headache resided as the scene in her mind ended abruptly, her senses slowly returning till she could see the world clearly once more.

“Isa?” the little girl tugged on her shirt, desperation and confusion shaking in her voice. 

“Let’s go,” Isa grabbed Quinn’s sleeve, and the two ran to the entrance of the train.

“So jealous of my other little toys that you just had to go and set them free now?” Loche emerged through the door, cutting off their escape, “Silver, sweetheart, if you wanted to join my little harem all you had to do was ask.” 

“Get out of our way, Loche!” she stood her ground as Quinn hid herself behind her.

“After all the trouble you went through, I’m sorry my little pet, but I just can’t comply,” he hissed, “you’ve taken my little playthings away from me, and now you’re trying to take my prize as well?”

“She isn’t the prince, just let her go!”

“He might not be the prince, but he is a special little toy, just like you,” he reached out towards Isa, caressing her face, “if you both just turn around now and accept your place as my pets, then I will forgive you silver.” Without a second thought, Isa pulled the dagger she had taken from her pocket and stabbed it into Loche’s side, running past him as he doubled over and cursed her. 

Together the two girls ran from the train, Isa limping as her injured foot began to sting once more. The wound had never truly healed, but she pushed on past the pain, desperately trying to escape with the kidnapped girl. They followed the train tracks, never looking back to see if Loche or another had pursued them. As they neared Isa’s boxcar, she slowed to a stop, and directed Quinn to follow her, “I have to grab my stuff,” she told her, cracking the door open as it resisted her. They squeezed inside and immediately Isa began to repack the bag from Jojo with all the stuff they had given her. She scrambled to grab everything, the clothes, the nutrition mix, the filters, and shoved it all inside the bag as best she could. Then she saw the strange little pouch she had. Looking it over she almost left it behind, but an odd force compelled her to tie the cord around her neck and hide it within her shirt. Once her bag was stuffed, leaving nothing noteworthy behind, she slung it over her back, “Okay, I’ll go first and you follow,” she instructed, and Quinn nodded. 

A strange feeling stung at her heart as she began to slip out the door of that little boxcar she called home for the last time, life was about to change, though she didn’t know if that was for the best or not. The change however would be brief, cut short by a knife plunging into her stomach just as soon as she had crawled out the door.

“You little shitstain!” Loche roared as he pulled the knife out of Isa’s gut, “how dare you, you miserable little pile of living excrement!” He pinned her to the outer wall of her box car as he began to punch her face over and over, screaming obscenities as he mangled her face. The last thing Isa saw as Loche dropped her to the ground was an odd looking woman with a glowing shield tackle her assailant, then the world began to fade to black.

***

Dark mist surrounded Loche as Vox arrived in Valha, all his anger and fury manifesting in an inky shroud of malevolence. “Rayle!” Vox cried and the familiar tackled the wretched man as he murdered the poor child. “Shit, we were too late again,” it cried as it watched the little girl's body collapse.

“Vox, the malice!” Raylerael directed its attention back to Loche as his body began to contort and transform into an unrecognizable beast. 

“Another Malefic, damn it,” out of habit it reached for its missing sword and clicked its tongue, “Rayle, can you kill it?”

“Yea,” she cracked a fake grin, “or, at least I think I can.”

“Good enough for me,” Vox pointed at the beast, “give it your all, Raylerael!” Heading its call, she held out her glowing spiked shield and charged the monster. As she neared the thing he shifted his body and leapt out of her way. Landing on his hands the creature spun around and bucked the familiar with its hind legs. She crashed into the train car nearly tipping it over, and Quinn screamed in terror from inside.

“The girl!” Vox yelled, “whatever you do Rayle we gotta keep the little girl safe!” 

“I know,” she gritted her teeth, “it’s just a little bit hard fighting with so little Eros, you know?”

Vox took a deep breath, “I might regret this latter, but fine, take every drop of Eros I have!” 

“But that could kill you!” 

“Then leave a tiny bit, but take everything you need!” Vox shouted.

Raylerael shook her head, “I’m not going to do that, it’s too risky,” as she argued, the monster attacked her again, flipping the boxcar onto its side as she avoided his attack. 

“Crap,” Vox ran and leapt to the now ‘top’ of the train car and dropped inside through the door. The little girl laid on the floor, crying but seemingly unharmed. “Hey, everything’s going to be okay sweetie,” it cooed, trying to calm her, “I’m going to get you out of here.”

Sniveling she clung to it, sending a strange surge of emotions through Vox. Shaking off the images that began to flash in it's mind, Vox leapt once more, carrying the girl out of the train car just as the beast crashed into it again. 

Raylerael continued to struggle with the monster, bashing her shield against it after praying it's mindless assault, only to find herself pushed back by its overwhelming ferocity. "He's too strong for me," she held up her shield as it pounded down its fists at her, her knees buckling under the monster's mighty blows. 

Vox watched helplessly as its familiar found herself being beaten down by the malefic, cursing itself for not having the power to help her. 

The monster threw Rayle around effortlessly as she exhausted herself with repeated attempted attacks. Their efforts were fruitless, Loche was far too full of malice and Vox too lacking in Eros.

While watching the struggle, Quinn quivered and wrapped her arms tighter around her savior burying her face in its chest, and Vox felt something rise inside it. It's body grew denser, yet felt lighter, and for the first time it could feel its face. It's as if its half formed body was becoming whole, and with it a rising surge of Eros welled inside it.

"Raylerael!" It yelled, releasing a new wave of Eros into the familiar.

"Vox?" She questioned as her own body filled with the energy from her partner, "where did this Eros come from?" She shook her head and grinned, "nevermind that, it's time I finished this!" A blaze of golden flames erupted from the familiar, and she forced the monster back. He quaked before her, trembling in her brilliant light, cowardly backing away as if to flee. She pursued him, bashing him across the face with her shield sending him flying into some makeshift huts. The creature limply picked himself up from the debris, facing his opponent with a snarl as she pursued him for another attack. This time the creature grabbed hold of some shrapnel and swung at Raylerael, only for her to deflect his blow with her shield. Pushing past his attack she impaled him with her spiked shield, the monster howling and flailing its limbs in a vain attempt to push her away. With a final yell she enveloped it in her brilliant light, the monster disintegrating till nothing of it remained. 

The battle over, Raylerael fell and Vox ran to her side. "It is done," she smiled at him, "I am tired Vox, you can take it from here." She faded, retreating back into the safety of her Carta, leaving Vox alone with the two children. 

A sense of both victory and defeat washed over Vox as it looked at the motionless body of the other girl. If only we had gotten here sooner, it thought. It began to carry Quinn away, intending to return her to her mother, when the little girl squirmed out of its arms and ran to the lifeless girl. "No sweetie, don't look," Vox reached for her hand to stop her, but she pulled away and knelt down by the dead girl's side. 

"Isa," she tugged on the girl's shirt, "come on Isa, wake up!" She sobbed as her friend laid motionless on the floor, her blood staining the little girl's dress.

"Come on, we need to get you home," Vox placed his hand on her shoulder intending to scoop her up and carry her away, when it noticed the faintest movement in the girl's chest. "Is she?" She was breathing, barely, but still very much alive. It quickly knelt beside her, looking for something it could use to dress her wound, reluctantly settling on the bandages around its own face. It would no longer be able to hide its own cursed visage, but saving this girl was far more important. "Come now, we need to get you both to safety" it said, wrapping the bandages around the girl.

***

As her eyes fluttered open, Isa found herself cradled in a stranger's arms as he carried her through the city.

"I'm gettin wet," she cried, trying to move herself away from whatever had been drenching her.

"That's your blood sweetie," he said with a soft sweet voice, "please, don't move, you'll only make it worse."

"Blood? Why?" She panicked, but her body didn't have the strength to raise her voice beyond a little whisper.

"You were stabbed, please, don't struggle." He stopped to set her down on a bench. They had wandered into a park, presumably far from Valha as Isa couldn't recognize her surroundings. 

"What happened? Did Quinn get away?"

The boy smiled at her, "Yes, she did, all thanks to you."

"She's safe then?" 

"She is, she's back with her mother now," they answered her, gently brushing the hair from her eyes. "You were very brave, what is your name?"

"Isa…" she answered, unsure what to think of the boy who held her. 

"I am Vox, a wanderer, it's nice to meet you Isa," he smiled a warm sweet smile at her.

"Vox, am I gonna die?"

"I am afraid so sweetie," his voice turned sullen, his eyes drowning in tears, "but I may be able to save you."

"Save me?"

"Do you still have the satchel you stole from me?"

Guilt dug a pit deep in her gut, rivaling the deepness of her gushing wound. She nodded, "I, I'm sorry. I thought it was money and I just wanted to buy food."

"It's okay sweetie," he said, caressing her cheek, "I forgive you, but I need it back now."

She tried to move her arm, but her body stopped listening to her, "around my neck, it's on a cord around my neck."

Vox gently lifted the cord, pulling the satchel from inside her shirt. He opened it, and pulled out the strange box, then opened it revealing the most peculiar sight. "I believe holding onto this has kept you alive, but it will take more than holding it to save you." 

A heart, a full beating heart. It was human-like, though the size seemed too big, not just for a heart, but too big to have been inside the box. The sound it made was not like that of a heartbeat though, but almost like that of a song calling out to Isa. He presented it to her, bringing it closer to her lips.

"Eat this, and you will live forever," it was a bewildering claim, one that made no logical sense. Then again, a still beating heart four times the size of its container already had made no sense. Logic meant nothing, and honestly it didn't matter. She didn't know this boy, but something about him felt familiar to her, as though he had always been a part of her life. Against all better judgment she trusted him. 

She bit the heart, just a little bite, but enough to fill her mouth with the most strangely wonderful taste, a familiar taste, a distinct taste. It tasted just like a chocolate bonbon. As she swallowed the piece of heart she felt all the pain leave her body. For the first time in her life her stomach was full, no more emptiness and pangs. Her foot no longer burned, and her stab wound healed. It was as if her whole body was being reformed like new. 

And then she began to shake violently as something burned inside her. Her mind began to cloud over and a black most poured out of her. Vox grabbed her hand and tried to calm her, but all she could do was howl in agony. Not a physical pain, but a deep emotional pain as a voice screamed inside her "kill the king, rip that bastard to shreds, tear his heart out!" 

Vox forced her to take another bite of the heart, and her body stopped trembling, "you're going to be okay Isa, you won't have to hurt anymore," he said as the world went black.

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