Wind Walkers # 6

The sound of silence is not always the best thing, and Crimson, even though was lying on the jungle floors knew this particular silence could only mean bad things – real bad things. It didn’t help that whatever had been on the dart before he had be hit was starting to take effect on his senses. As hard as he tried he could smell what was out there – he just knew something was out there. Something or someone was now sitting and watching them, waiting to see what they would do, or waiting for the ones who had been hit to bleed out.

Crimson couldn’t seem to make his eyes focus, and everything just felt wrong. He could hear the worried voices around him but had lost the ability to speak; to reassure them he was okay. He just felt numb, if this was death than it wasn’t so bad at all. The pain had completely left his body and he felt like he was floating above it all looking down at the scene on the ground where the other’s worked on his body.

A sound off in the distance caught his attention and he had the strong urge to follow it. Taking one last look at the scene on the ground below Crimson allowed himself to drift toward the sound calling to him. It seemed as though in a matter of minutes he was above a new scene. Tondran stood out among the many, yelling orders to move one of the prisoners. He drifted lower so he could hear and see more clearly what was going on. Something was screaming at him to take notice as what he was seeing was important.

Crimson's heart lurched as two men came into view. Both were extremely beautiful, even covered in the filth and muck as they were. He saw the chains that bit deep into their flesh as they were staked to the ground arms stretched out so they appeared to be reaching for each other in desperation. Something in Crimson told him this was done on purpose; whoever did this knew if these two men touched then all hell would break loose.

He knew what he had to do.

Crimson drifted down until he hovered on the ground between them. Even though he got the feeling he couldn’t be seen in this form both sets of eyes turned toward him with their unspoken request. Taking one of their hands in each of his own, closing his eyes he let the power flow through him. He felt the way the power met inside him and entwined, leaving a little piece behind before heading toward the other person a whispered ‘thank you’ could be heard as they passed through his image.

His eyes flew open and stared at the man on his left. Dark hair was matted with dirt and blood looked so out of place and Crimson knew he if it was clear of tangles it would fall in gentle curls around his face and shoulders. Beautiful golden eyes the colour of the kings ale stared back at him confusion was clearly written on his face. Plump lips swollen more so with being beaten than because they were naturally full mouthed the word ‘Who?’

Crimson knew he couldn’t answer. No words of his own would form. He smiled sadly at the stranger as he felt his own body calling him back. He shook his head as his fingers touched his own throat indicating he couldn’t talk.

And with the next breath he was gone.

**~*~**

“He’s coming around,” Vayne stated in relief. He couldn’t believe how good it was to see Crimson’s eyes open even if they weren’t fully focused. As annoying as Crimson’s constant chattering was he would have missed it if the man hadn’t pulled through. He didn’t even have to see the others to know they all felt exactly the same way.

“Don’t move, Crim.” Nico said. “Arron had to remove the dart, and clean away the poison.”

Arron shook his head. “I didn’t clean the poison. Something rippled through him and the poison leeched out of the wound. I have never seen anything like it before.”

“Simian.”

Vayne’s heart lurched at the sound of his mates name on Crimson’s lips. What was Crimson trying to say?

“What?” Arron asked.

“I saw,” Crimson closed his eyes his words coming out in short sentences. “I saw Simian staked to the ground with another. They were the same yet different. They are family, I think. I bridged the gap between them. I – I,” confusion and pain filled his eyes.

“What did you see?” Vayne heard himself ask.

“Tondran,” Crimson tried to push himself up as Arron and Dominic held him down and still. “I don’t know how I saw, but he is getting ready to move Simian. I was right they are headed toward the alter, but that isn’t their destination. He doesn’t know what he has but when I bridged the gap I set in motion things he isn’t prepared for. We need to rescue them as soon as we can.”

“Do you know where they will be and which way we will need to go?” Vayne asked.

“Yes, whatever passed through me is like a homing beacon. I think the closer I get to them the easier it will be. Somehow I know whatever it was that fought off the ones who did this to us, was a manifestation sent by the two men – they were saving you and Arron. Simian was saving both his mates.”

“Who is the other prisoner? The one who was with Simian.”

“His name is Raevyn Blue.”