I woke up the next morning with my head shaking.

I jumped to my feet, my muddled thoughts screaming earthquake. It took a second for my eyes to focus and me to realize that trees and the ground didn't move, but Raoul shivered so violently he shook the world.

So the ground's not caving in anytime soon. That's good.

With one hand, I pushed back my curly hair from my face. My stomach grumbled loudly.

Food would really be nice right about now.

The snow around the fire (that somehow, was still burning) Nutcracker set the night before had melted so tips of grass poked up from the ground. The sky was a bright blue with clouds brushed across it, almost like a mad painter took a swipe at his canvas.

"You're a quick riser."

I glanced to my side. Nutcracker sat at the foot of the same tree he'd been at the night before.

My heart sank. I wished the events of the day before to be a dream so badly, but yet they weren't. It had actually happened.

Then I narrowed my eyes, remembering what Nutcracker admitted the day before. "You're earlier than me," I said. "What, afraid we would kill you in your sleep?"

"Is it possibly that I just woke up early?" Nutcracker replied softly.

I shrugged, watching him get up and move over to the fire. Honestly, I was glad he hadn't left.

Not that he'd ever hear it from me.

I sniffed. "Maybe."

Nutcracker threw a few handfuls of snow on the fire. "Care to help?"

"No."

But like the day before, I grabbed some of the snow and tossed it on the flames.

After a few minutes of unsuccessful fire extinguishing, I lost patience. "Can't you just magic it?" I cried.

"I told you," Nutcracker snapped, "I only have a limited amount of magic. I don't need to use it to make something easier."

"Isn't that what magic's for?" I grumbled.

He caught it. "No, it's not. Magic is rarer now than it was twenty or so years ago, but that's a good thing. Magic, well, it comes with a price." He shrugged. "It's like an exchange."

Interested, I raised my eyebrows. "First of all, 'magic comes with a price?' You know, a little more imagination, and you might get somewhere. Second, I don't follow."

"Someone from Carrielle once called it 'exkan no equoto,' which translates to 'equivalent exchange,' in your language. It applies mostly to the healing part of magic--your health has to be given to the one you're healing, and in return, you get their problem. Summoning objects is a different matter."

I kicked a mound of snow onto the flames. Nutcracker, apparently, had the same idea. It worked, though. The fire went out.

I moved over to my brother. He shivered like he was cold. "So magic can do all kinds of cool things and solve all kinds of problems, but yet no one uses it?"

"Magic can't solve everything!" Nutcracker yelled. He held his hands and his side, shaking.

I jumped at his outburst and crossed my arms. "Why not? It sounds like it can."

"Well, it can't." He crossed his arms. "If, for some reason, you haven't heard about the war, look it up in a few of the newer history books. You'll see the trouble magic has caused." He pointed to Raoul. "Why don't you wake Sleeping Beauty there?"

I rolled her eyes. "Gee, what a novel idea. I would never have thought to do that."

I didn't look back at Nutcracker for his response and bent next to Raoul. It was unlike him to sleep later than me, but I just summed it up to the events of the week.

"Raoul, get up." I nudged his shoulder playfully. "Everyone's awake but you."

I looked back over to the trees, staring at the hiding sun. When my brother didn't move immediately, I nudged him again. "Raoul, come on."

He groaned. "What time is it?"

I sighed. Leave it to him to not wake up when he needed to.

"Well, ya know, if I had a clock anywhere near me, I'd tell you!" I cried. "As it is, we seem to be surrounded by trees. And trees. And snow. And trees. And--should I continue?"

"Very funny." Raoul held onto the tree behind him tightly and tried to push himself up. His arms and legs shook.

I held out my hand, gulping down my frown and smiling instead. "Need help?"

He didn't even bother to roll his eyes. As he grasped my hand, I shivered slightly. His were cold and sweaty.

He nodded his thanks and let go, swaying slightly. His eyes found Nutcracker. "I see you're still here," he rasped.

I laughed. "I've already chewed him out today, Raoul."

"So?"

"So, if you decide to fuss at me, at least do it while we are moving." Nutcracker started walking toward an opening in the trees.

"Wait!" I cried. Where were we going? As far as I knew, there was nothing else.

Nutcracker answered the question before it was asked. "There's a group of people called the Lumita Fiannu. They live in the land between Arium and Zelgwyn, and they have the next cavalier." He held up the stone, then swallowed it.

That will always be disturbing.

"I need to make sure that their stone is safe," Nutcracker finished. "The Muraes are after them, which means that it's my one priority to keep the cavaliers away from them."

"What about us?" I whimpered. "Our parents--"

"Your parents are most likely dead. If you'd like to get the muraes back, then I this is the best way. Otherwise--" he waved his hand in the air, "--leave.

Your parents are most likely dead.

I couldn't accept that.

Wouldn't.

They were alive. They had to be.

I gave my brother's chill hand a squeeze. We shared a nod, then followed Nutcracker silently.

*****

"How much longer?"

The afternoon sun beat through the trees. I trudged through the slush of half-melted snow, swearing to myself that it hadn't been that long since we started.

It had been hours.

I watched my feet kick up a pile of slush for the millionth time that day. My stomach rumbled. No one had eaten since the castle, resulting in them being cold, tired, and hungry.

Not a good combination for three kids younger than sixteen, even if one's made of wood.

Nutcracker moved his hands out to his side. "Curly, I've told you this about five times in the last ten minutes. We should be there any moment now."

Raoul coughed. I twisted my head around to look at him, worry eating away at my stomach. Raoul's coughs had progressively gotten worse throughout the day, and it definitely wasn't like him to hang out in the back of the group.

He looked up. Was it my imagination, or was his face paler than normal?

I bit my lip and turned back to Nutcracker. "If we are near it, then shouldn't we see the castle, or at least the silhouette?"

He paused for a split second, then started up again. "I'm sure it's just cloaked," he mumbled.

Just cloaked. "Just cloaked." He has no earthly idea where this is. He's gotten us--

"Lost. You're lost." Raoul trudged up from the back and stood in front of Nutcracker, stopping him from moving. He heaved in and out, breathless from the movements. "You've been walking, hoping you'll get there this whole time."

"Isn't that what walking is? Hoping you'll get somewhere?"

Raoul scowled. He raised his arm over his head, fingers curled into a tight fist. "You know what I mean."

I gulped. My brother didn't usually get that angry. The few times he had, he was good at keeping it in check.

Before I could say anything to him, Raoul swung his fist, ramming it into Nutcracker. He fell down to the snow, unmoving.

Raoul raised his fist again, ready to strike.

I reached out to his arm. "Raoul!" I screamed. "Calm down!"

As soon as my fingers brushed his skin, he whirled to face me. With his fist still raised, he grabbed me by my collar. "You don't get to say that," he growled.

I didn't move, my blood frozen. My brother's eyes were filled with fury. It was like something had clicked behind them, something that made him unrecognizable.

He twisted my collar in his fist, tightening his grip. The cloth pushed up against my throat, slowly getting tighter with each second.

"Raoul," I choked. "Stop. I--you're--"

I reached up to his hand and grabbed it. It warmed me, even though the outside air was cold.

Raoul raised his hand higher. "Don't touch me."

"Rao--"

I was cut off by my brother's grip tightening so much that I could get no air.

Raoul glared at me. A small, round teardrop of blood formed under his nose.

I vision blurred. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't gasp his name.

My brother was going to kill me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Nutcracker sneak up behind Raoul. He locked eyes with me for a split second, then jolted out his arm so it wrapped around my brother's neck.

The grip on my collar relaxed. My knees turned to jelly and I collapsed to the ground, swallowing the cool air. My heart pounded in my chest.

A thud got my attention. I looked up. Raoul hit Nutcracker over and over, trying to break away from the headlock he was stuck in.

Slowly, I stood. My brother's punches gradually got smaller and weaker, then stopped all together. He quit struggling against Nutcracker and leaned instead, using him as support. The blood from his nose had run down to his lips, smearing a scartlet stain across his teeth.

I stepped forward. "You okay now?" I asked. I had to ask the question twice to be heard.

Anyone could see that he wasn't okay.

Raoul nodded. His chest rose and fell quickly. Perspiration lined his forehead and stuck his hair to his sickly-pale skin.

"I'm... I'm fine," he panted. His hand touched the wound on his side. "Just..."

But he didn't get a chance to finish the rest of his sentence. Once the words left his mouth, his eyelids fluttered shut. The little bit on strength he'd been using to keep himself leaning against Nutcracker vanished, leaving Nutcracker to hold his body up.

"Raoul!" I cried. I ran forward and grabbed under his arm, helping Nutcracker gently lower him to the ground.

My hand grazed his forehead. Heat surged through my fingertips.

"He's burning up," I whispered.

Nutcracker didn't give me a chance to panic. "Let me see his side."

I didn't move.

"Now!" Nutcracker yelled.

I jumped. Carefully, I moved a piece of Raoul's shirt away so only the makeshift bandages I applied before we left showed.

Nutcracker elbowed me aside. "When he was hurt, do you know if it was by a Murae?"

I swallowed. "I don't know," I mumbled. My gaze didn't leave Raoul.

Nutcracker pulled the material down, leaving only red skin showing. Yellow liquid seeped from the cut and ran down Raoul's side.

Nutcracker sat back on his heels. "This isn't good," he muttered.

"What's not good? What's wrong with him? Why did he fall?" The panic that I hadn't felt exploded in her chest. My brother was going to die out in the middle of nowhere. We couldn't help him. He was all I had left, and he was dying right in front of me. We were all going to go; there was no food left. Not water other than snow, and that wouldn't last long. We were--

"Clair!"

Two wooden hands grasped my shoulders as if to hold me down. "Calm down. You can't help him by panicking." He tapped me. "Breathe slow," he said calmly.

I gulped. "What's wrong with him?" I squeaked.

"He was stabbed by a murae. There's no doubt in my mind that that's what got him."

I shook my head. "So?"

"So muraes, depending on what part they hurt you with, have a certain type of venom that can cause some... trouble."

"Trouble?" I pointed to my brother. "So this is now 'trouble?'"

"No, it's not--" He shook his head. "I thought we could get to the Fiannu before it'd take effect."

I froze. "You mean," I hissed, "that you knew this might happen?"

"No! I didn't--I knew that there was a chance, but I wasn't sure!"

I clenched my fists. "That's my brother!" I screamed. "You mean to tell me that you knew this might happen, but you didn't do anything about it?"

"I--"

I didn't let him finish. I thrust out my arms and shoved him down. "You--you--bulvum!"

Nutcracker stared at me blankly. "What?"

I didn't stop. Instead, I rattled off curses that I knew he wouldn't understand.

Nutcracker held up his hands. "Listen, I'm sorry! I thought the--"

"I don't care about the dolbant people you talk about! All I care about is my brother, who you let get sick!"

"Clair--"

"No!" I pushed my arms out like I was pushing Nutcracker away, even though he was still on the ground. A white explosion of snow blew threw the trees.

I didn't stop to think at what had happened. Rage boiled over in my chest. The stupid boy--it was his fault!

Nutcracker put up his hand. "Clair, calm down! You're--"

"Who cares!" I swung my arm. A bolt of energy shot down my bones and through my hand. Out from my palm came a icicle three feet long. It hit Nutcracker in the chest, sending him flying into a group of trees.

Exhaustion washed over me. I fell to my knees, unable to keep standing. Out from the corner of my eyes, I noticed a flicker of blue shine from the treetops. It got bigger with each passing second, then stopped when it was next to me.

I blinked, then looked again. A woman with icy blue eyes and silver hair sat beside me.

"What..." I trailed off, staring at the lady. Raoul's words echoed in my head.

Magical woodland pixies that we don't need to make mad.

The lady narrowed her eyes at me. "You harmed our forest." She reached up and touched the top of my head. Her frigid fingers sent a chill down my spine.

Then everything was black.

_______________________________________

My Google searches for this chapter... I really need to clear my browser history. Someone's going to think I'm going to kill someone with rat poison or something. Then, I came across the Dishonored rat plague and took an idea or two from that, then the bubonic plague...

It hasn't been pretty. It's been fairly disturbing, actually.

Don't ask what those italicized words mean. They're Arian for nasty words.

I won't tell you.

Noa.