Shadow of The Marked: Divine Series

by J. G. Maltos

  One Ear grips her chin with two crooked fingers, tearing her gaze away from me and planting a heavy kiss into her rosy lips. They break away from each other and she spears me with a hollow glance.

  “Go to where I told you,” One Ear purrs against her ear. Her blond hair sticks to the side of her face as she takes a few steps away from him. Her eyes narrow at us but she says nothing.

  My stomach churns at seeing someone like him be so close to someone as seemingly pure as her, or so I thought. She was the one who put the note in my room and brought the explosion into the Frost Kingdom. The girls said they do not recognize a girl working in the kitchen with her features. I should have trusted my gut feeling and said something but now it’s too late.

  “I’ll be there soon,” One Ear whispers.

  The servant girl gives a simple nod and takes a hesitant step away from me. I force her eyes to me again, silently begging one last time. She glances at me with inference. I narrow my eyes while I watch her runway and disappear down the long hall.

  One Ear forces my attention back with one sharp tug at my hair. His lips curl into an offset grin and my stomach churns once again as the same look of desire blanketed his muddy green eyes.

  “Well, look who we have here,” he taunts. “The freak of the bunch. The game is no fun when we know where you are, Princess.”

  A chill runs through my body as he nears my face to his. I try to twist my body away to save myself from his overpowering stench of sweat and ash, but he only holds me tighter in place. Heat spreads from his palm and I feel a slow burn ache on my skin. I tumble down the hall floor and collide against the stone walls. My legs shake under my weight, but I still manage to claw my way up the wall.

  With a patronizing smirk, he wipes his hand against his mouth before charging toward me again. This time I am ready for him and a gust of wind escapes his lips as my leg collides with his chest. His steps falter but only for a moment before he came at me again.

  My panicked fighting has always saved me in the cage, especially against fighters with less experience than me. One Ear, though, is different. Despite his rage, his moves are always calculated and measured. He has, quite literally, trained for this for his entire life.

  I have to distract him, so I force my attention toward a vase that holds white roses and beg for the vines to bend to my will. Relief washes over me when I notice the smallest movement in the stems, stretching toward me. The stem stops moving and I yell in frustration and anger. I extend my arms forward hoping my veins will show any signs of abilities.

  I gasp when I see a light glow shining beneath my skin.

  Unfortunately, so does One Ear, and in seconds a string of flames trail up the stems, leaving nothing but black char behind. His laugh blends with the crackle of flames.

  Adrenaline pumps through me, desperate for a way out. One good high kick perfectly at the center is all I need to throw him off balance. I can do that. I've done it in the fighting pit countless times before. So, I take my chances and spin a kick, ignoring the pain that shoots up my hamstring from the force. My foot collides with the side of his rib, leaving him winded from the impact.

  I smirk in victory, but it’s short-lived when one of his hands catches the wall. He quickly traps my ankle against his chest, making me wince. His burning hand jerks my leg forward and I lose my footing, tumbling backward so that my head bounces against the marble floor. Black dots cloud my vision.

  He inches closer to me. His taunting hands burn red with the heat of his abilities. "Always the feisty one.”

  "Don’t act so surprised,” I spit between breaths, “when you leave today with matching ears.”

  He lunges at me with a snarl and it takes the last of my energy to roll away from him and sprint as quickly as my legs can toward the end of the hall. His fist connects with my back. My body slams forward, meeting the wall yet again before falling back onto the floor. Although my eyes sting with the sweat that ran down my face, I see the blood that drips down my elbow.

  My arms desperately push beneath me, but he captures my ankles and yanks me towards him. My fists throw themselves blindly, hoping a punch will land. Before I can do any damage, though, One Ear grips my arms and pins them above my head. I gave a gurgling yell as his fiery hands burn the flesh on my wrists.

  Flashes of the cell bombard my mind and pure fear erupts in my chest. I can’t go back to that place, never knowing when I’ll feel the sun again. I want to run like I did the day before, through an open field without any walls. I won’t be confined to concrete walls. I won’t.

  “What the—” Something catches his attention and I look up to see sparks like ambers dancing around my fingertips. The ambers follow each other in a string, trailing up my arm and wrapping themselves around One Ear’s arms. The sizzling aroma of burning flesh travels up my nose. “You stupid—” One Ear laid himself on top of me and my breaths became trapped beneath his weight. His crazed eyes stare at me with triumph. He licks his lips as he takes me in and I can’t help but flinch away from the thoughts he has in his mind.

  "When this is all over, there is going to be nothing left of you." His grip tightens on my wrists. "Do you hear me? I will be the last face you'll see. I promise you.”

  My scream is caught in my throat as the smell of burning flesh surrounds me. I close my eyes and wait for the death blow that never comes. I try to take a large breath but a heavy pressure on my chest makes it difficult to do so. The sound of something hard colliding with the wall catches my attention. The weight on my chest is suddenly lifted and shards of glass quickly surround me.

  I push myself away as quickly as my limp arms allow me, and through my blurry vision, I see One Ear laying several feet away.

  "What are you?" He gasps through bated breaths.

  I scan the hallway for my savior, but I can’t make anything out in the chaos. I rub my eyes to clear my vision but once I focus on One Ear, I feel my body freeze.

  His blazing red eyes are gone, and in their wake is complete emptiness. Black smoke slithers past his parted lips, along with his last breaths, and his arms fall limply against the marble floor. What was that? Better yet, who was that? My chest feels light at the idea that One Ear will no longer haunt my dreams. I wipe away my sweaty face with my trembling arm.

  Although I want nothing more than to look away, I force myself to stare into his lifeless eyes. A part of me can’t believe what I see.

  A pair of boots click against the marble floor closer to me. I try to get up but my wrists sting at the effort and I slump back on the floor. A pair of hands catch me, however, before I make contact with the floor.

  Once secure in their arms, they run. Dots start appearing in my vision, but I try to look at my rescuer. Familiar golden eyes stare down at me and my lungs are filled with the smokey scent that has been haunting me. My head bounces against their arms and I allow the darkness to overtake me.

  When I finally wake, my eyes feel like tons of bricks fighting to stay closed. My arm catches on something as I move to sit up. A slight sting races up my arm and jars me awake.

  Where am I?

  The walls are a pale white that is seemingly blinding against the single light that shines overhead. On my left stands a beeping monitor with wires that trail down to my arm and chest.

  I must be in the hospital wing.

  Careful not to disturb the wires, I sit up and move the scratchy blanket away from my feet. My eyes then catch the bandages that wrap around my wrists. Memories rush through my mind. The note was placed in my room. The fight with One Ear. His body lay inches away from me, lifeless.

  The door swings open and it’s Physician Xenio in a white coat that swallows her thin body. Her black hair is slicked back into a tight bun, and her sharp features borderline intimidation as she focuses on the chart she holds in her hands.

  She remains transfixed at the chart, and I shift in the stiff bed. My movement catches her attention, and her stunning blue eyes fix on me with surprise. "Oh, you're a
wake." Physician Xenio places the chart down on a table next to her and comes to my side. Her hands expertly shift with the buttons on the monitor, but she says nothing else.

  "How long have I been here?" I rush out. "What happened to the others? Koura?"

  She fetches the clipboard once again before pulling out a stool from beneath my bed. "We'll get to that in a moment. But first, what do you remember?"

  My mind rakes through the details again. "I remember the bombs, seeing the fight by the oceanfront. And going to the bottom levels of the castle. And--"I pause for a moment, unsure of how exactly I should be. Would they believe me if I mention the smoke that killed the man who was behind my years of torture? I can barely believe it myself.

  Physician Xenio raises an eyebrow, urging me to continue. She appears trustworthy enough but what would she think of me if I start speaking of shadows and smoke? She would probably have me institutionalized. What if the Elites find out what I said and use that against me for the title that I’ve yet to fully regain? I cannot risk sounding like a lunatic.

  "And I just remember hitting my head. Then I woke up here."

  She nods and scribbles something down onto her clipboard. Another moment goes without her saying a word and I find my eagerness getting the better of me.

  "When can I go? All things considered, I feel fine."

  Her eyes never leave the clipboard. "Everything reads fairly normal, including your vitals— except for one thing." She leans toward the monitor with a puzzled look. "Your heart rate seems to be at a faster rate than I've ever seen. I'm surprised other complications haven't risen if I'm being frank."

  "Could it be just nerves?" I shrug. My hands itch to disconnect the wires from my body. I just discovered a new ability and the last thing I want is for PhysicianXenio to discover it.

  "That's what it would seem. However, it remained at an elevated pace even when given beta-blockers to lower your heart rate." She eyes me carefully and I can’t help but fidget under her stare. "I've never seen anything like it."

  "Well, it must still be temporary." I move toward the wires, ripping one that is stuck firmly on the arm. "If that was all that worried you, I guess I'll be on my way. Thank you for all your work."

  Her hands press down on my shoulders. "You have been asleep for two days," she explains. "I must insist you take things slowly. We are just going over your charts, I assure you there is nothing to worry about here." But I am worried. I feel like I am losing my mind. Maybe I hit my head too hard? I do have a headache. I touch the side of my head where One Ear had burned parts of my hair and wince.

  Physician Xenio glances at my chart once again. "You have a minor concussion from hitting your head. A few burns on your head and palms.” She glances at my wrapped wrists. “We took care of the wounds when you were first here, but I guess we are adding to the collection,” she jokes, but I don’t laugh. She clears her throat and continues. “It would be the same process for the burns on your wrist. Disinfect, cream, wrap. Your heart rate is what is worrying me.” She walks toward the side of my bed and sits on the stool. “You mentioned briefly that they suppressed your abilities. You sure they didn’t give any clues as to what they injected you with?”

  My fingers trace the wounds as they have done many times before. “The serum was administered by a guard whom I don’t believe had any medical experience.”

  "Nevertheless, I have my suspicion that that might have something to do with your heart rate." She nods. "Your body could be working overtime to flush out foreign substances out of your system." Her blue eyes roll over me once more. "How have you felt the past couple of days? Have you tried using some of your abilities?"

  "Only once," I lie, thinking back to my fight with One Ear. "But it was hard to locate. It was as if it was buried deep. I couldn't reach it."

  She writes down another string of lines before looking back at me. "There could still be residual suppressants left in your system. That or—added with the elevated heart rate—could mean your body is going through withdrawals."

  My heart sinks at her words. "What do you mean?"

  A deep sigh escapes her lips as if it pained her just as much as it hurt me. "Simply put, your body is more used to having that serum in its system than without. Your body is battling with itself to control or suppress your abilities." She walks over to the white cabinet on the other side of the hospital room and comes back with two clear tubes along with a packaged, sterile needle. Probably reading the look of panic on my face, she places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I'll need to take a few samples of your blood and run a tox screen. Hopefully, we can pinpoint exactly what it was that they used on you. From there, we can work our possible antidotes."

  "Is there anything to flush the serum out faster?" My voice is desperate, half for the actual answer and the other half for a distraction away from the doctor and the needle she held in her hands.

  "Typically," she answers, her rubber fingers pushing on my inner arm for a vain. "When soldiers experience a type of trauma that makes their elemental abilities unpredictable, we request for their Elemental crystal. The soldier and their crystal share similar mystic energies and so it acts as a cleanser. It restores balance to the soldier's inner energy. Maybe that could help you in the meantime."

  "I never thought of it that way." I look down at my scars, feeling hope.

  "The crystal is the purest form of our abilities. It cleanses the body from any impurities that are near it, both physical and energical. This suppressant is meant to mute the same energy the crystal holds, so it’s only logical for the crystal to try and fight it. The only problem is we don't know just how powerful this serum is, so there’s no way to know exactly how it’ll react to you. Either way, it's our best bet at the moment. It could take months before we can find an antidote."

  She positions the needle near my arm and I tense beneath her grasp. Flashes of the cell enter my mind. The cold wet walls. One Ear and his guards pulling me from my sleep.

  The needles.

  "It'll only take a minute," she assures me. "I'm not here to hurt you. These aren't the cells. Just talk to me and keep your mind off the needle. What do you like?"

  "Black—“ I wince just as she sticks the needle in my arm. "It's my favorite color. Although, I know technically it's not a real color," I ramble on, trying to avoid looking down at my arm. Physician Xenio nods at me, waiting for me to continue. "I love being outside as well. The elements make me feel calm when the world becomes too chaotic." I feel one final sting before she pulls the needle from me.

  "You did great. All done." She holds up both blood-filled tubes in her hands and gives them a slight whirl. The blood settles and silence fills the room as we see strange black web-like strings melting and connecting with my blood.

  "Extraordinary." The doctor breathes. "Whatever the injections were, it changed the structure of your blood." She shakes the vile again and even more black strings swirl within my blood. As the blood settles, black web-like strings instinctually connect. Her face is eager with these new findings, but something heavy settles in my heart.

  “I bled back at the cells, but never black.” I look at her wide-eyed, trying to think of how I missed catching a black substance in my blood. The cells were dark all the time. My blood would mix with my opponent from fighting.

  “Maybe your blood mixed with oxygen hid the true structure of your blood. That’s my best guess at the moment,” she explains, still staring at my blood. I scrunch my nose as the smell of disinfectant sticks to the hairs of my nose.

  "Thank you again, for offering your help." I try to keep my tone calm despite the chaos that lies underneath. "I simply ask for your discretion on the matter. I want to make sure we know exactly what this is before we have anyone worry. I'm sure you understand."

  "Of course, Princess. I'll keep these samples secured and away from my colleagues. Do not worry." She offers me a half-smile, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It may take some time, but we will find an antidot
e."

  A weight lifts off my shoulders at her assurance and I return her smile. The last thing I need is word of my lesser than normal blood spreading.

  "Well." Physician Xenio stands to her feet with an exhausted sigh. "Now that we cleared that up, I'll be leaving with you healer's cream to reapply to your burns every few hours until you see a noticeable reduction of scarring. But, other than that, just be careful not to put too much pressure on your body. Get enough rest; the healing will follow."

  She points to the cabinets behind her. "The maids brought in some fresh clothes for you while you were asleep. You're free to go whenever you wish. I will inform you directly of any progress regarding the samples." She begins toward the door before stopping and turning to me. "Also, I'll let Koura know you are awake and stable. He's come by every hour or so asking about your condition."

  I relax, knowing who she's referring to, and knowing he's okay. "Yeah, that sounds like him."

  As Physician Xenio sets off to check on her other patients, a nurse enters the room to help me change into the spare clothes, no matter how hard I insist I can change on my own. My body still feels sore as I slowly walk back to my room.

  ***

  I finish redressing the bandages on my wrists when the chamber door swings open. Instinctively, I reach for the sword at the foot of my bed and grasp it out in front of me with two firm hands. I see the soft tussle of the familiar dark hair and my stance relaxes.

  "Koura, what—" My words are cut off as he envelopes me in a tight embrace, surrounding me with his woodsy scent. He doesn't let go after a few moments, and I lift an awkward hand to his back. "Koura?"