Chapter 66

Cid was staring at a glowing crystal that easily fit in his palm.

"You two stay here," he sat it down and began checking his gear.

Tobias scanned around nervously. "We're in a vulnerable position in an unknown situation. We need to check in and move. You never stay in the same place if that place is compromised. We're compromised."

"You're the one that taught us that," Riley echoed.

Cid took up the crystal again, then set it down, "No, you two stay here, I can't leave..."

His hand shook as he tightened his sword belt and began checking over his gear again.

Tobis gripped him by his shoulder, "Dammit, this isn't what she would have wanted! We don't know who our allies are! Iskaros was your commander, right? Well, why not Filvas? Why not anyone else in the castle? Mavora is still presumably on the grounds, so this may be a pursuit. We need to fall back and reposition! We need help."

Cid grasped Tobias' wrist and ducked back, twisting and setting one foot forward as he came beside and just behind him.

Tobias went face first towards the dirt, twisting with the motion. He landed on his back and scrambled back before leaping up on his feet.

"Son, get out of my way," Cid wiped at his nose as his eyes narrowed.

"Guys, stop! There's no time for this!" Riley demanded, drumming her hindpaw in emphasis.

Tobias drew his sword and set it in his favorite defensive position, centered and out front. "Don't make me do this. It's been too long a day; too much has happened. By the dead Gods, we need you together, not falling apart!"

Cid charged, sweeping up from a low right only to change direction and shift to form nine, cutting horizontally at Tobias' midsection.

Tobias pulled away, as he moved his sword in an undulating pattern, up towards form two, pulling down in a quick slash that he pulled back at the last moment only to shift to form six, plunging and stabbing his blade towards Cid returning the action in kind.

Their black blades finally made contact, resounding with a crystalline clang, that echoed off the trees.

"Riley, you tie him up, I'll keep him distracted." Tobias projected towards her as Riley pulled at her power.

A surge of guilt and fear kept her from grasping onto it as Cid charged forward.

"Riley..." Tobias urged.

"I'm trying, but I can't! I don't want to hurt anyone!" She whined back.

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With a blue pulsing flash, Cid leapt back, left, finally right, and appeared in a blur behind Tobias, who was already in mid-spin. Catching Cid's blade before it took him across the shoulder.

"Dammit, Riley! Do it now!" Tobias demanded.

She could hear the pulsing rhythm of her heart within her ears. The world swam violently, and her stomach tensed.

Tobias needed her. This was what she was for, "Come on... Come on!"

Gripping, pulling, and screaming within herself, reaching with desperation, the magic wouldn't come. Every time she reached, a part of herself recoiled in horror.

"I can't be the monster! I won't be the monster!" She shivered and began to face groom, desperately seeking calm while the world fell to pieces around her.

"By the Thirteen Gods, would you two pull yourselves together? We're handing them the win! This is bigger than our problems. Zorna's dead. Getting yourself killed isn't going to help! Riley, have a little faith in the both of us, please!" Tobias roared as Cid's anger burst into full fury.

"She's not dead! She can't be dead! It's my fault!" He screamed and swung his blade in a vicious swipe, form one, as Riley caught the blue flash just as Tobias caught his blade.

Tobias' black blade chipped before sailing out of his hands, flying, scything through the branch of a tree.

Cid had his sword pointed at the base of his neck, in position to kill, as Tobias dropped his hands, palms open.

Riley caught the orange pulse. With a quick mental effort, Tobias launched a fire bolt from his left hand, flashing into Cid's face.

"Arghh!" Cid cried, slapping at his face. His eyebrows burned away.

Taking a boxer's stance, Tobias took one step back, only to pivot on that foot and jab Cid viciously in the nose before following with an uppercut.

Cid fell to his knees before falling face first onto the ground, unconscious.

"By the cursed dead Gods, that was completely unnecessary!" He groaned, looking up at the sky, wiping his face with his left hand, regarding Cid with pure confusion.

Slowly, his gaze turned toward Riley.

"My magic resisted me. I'm... I'm sorry; I'm worthless!" She looked down at the ground, dejected.

Tobias shook his head impatiently, "Everything's falling apart. We could be minutes from capture, and everything is falling apart."

"Can you carry him? I've got twenty five inventory spaces now. It should be enough for the gear?" Riley asked.

Tobias took up the crystal Cid had set down and secreted it in a pouch on his belt before tossing his rucksack over to Riley and taking up Cids, then retrieved his sword, stuck into the base of a tree.

"We need to talk about what just happened. I'm worried about you," Tobias said, all business.

"We do, but I don't know what to say. I wanted to eat you and wasn't thinking like a person anymore. I've never lost myself like that. How would you feel?" She challenged as he did a quick patrol around the camp.

"That's fair, but you don't have the luxury of falling apart here. I know that's harsh, but Riley, something could be threatening the realm, and we're in the middle of it. This is bigger than us, bigger than our problems and reservations. We do because others can't or won't," Tobias replied firmly.

"You sound like Cid," Riley said with pride.

"Not lately," Tobias answered bitterly.

Riley looked down at the sleeping instructor, "It's like a part of him died with Zorna."

Tobias hauled him up and took him into a fireman's carry, "I'm pretty sure a part of him did. The light flickered and died in his eyes when Iskaros killed her. She wasn't a tool to him. She was a part of him, maybe even magically. He's not in his right mind right now."

"You've changed too," Riley did her own patrol, looking for anything missed, then nodded towards the sorcerer.

"We all have, but right now, I'm scared and feeling alone. We need to fall back on our training and get going," Tobias, wasting no time, began to move as quietly as he could forward into the woods.

"What about Ranger Central?" Riley asked as she hopped along after them.

"With the security they have in place, I don't know if I could contact them, but if Cid isn't cooperative, I'm going to have to try. Otherwise, we're alone out here. We don't even know where it is," Tobias' voice broke, allowing the fear to shine through.

"One step, one choice at a time, we make a chain of good decisions and it leads to good results." Riley recited.

"For now, that means we keep moving," Tobias replied.