by Jaymin Eve
I didn’t care if we had to sneak out. I’d been dying for a run.
I dashed through the bathroom and brushed my teeth before throwing on some sweats and joggers.
I met him outside. Apparently he had cleared this with everyone, and we were on our own. The sun was just starting to rise in the dark purple of the sky. It was cool but already looked like a perfect First-World day. I felt like a kid whose Christmas was being held at Disneyland. We warmed up; it felt so good to stretch my tight muscles.
“Hope you can keep up with me, Red,” Brace taunted as we took off along the path.
I ignored him, but my eyes flashed in challenge. Our rules were that we had to stick to Angelisian. But the town was large enough that we would have a decent jog. I matched his pace for the first mile, running in silence. After that my muscles, which I had been neglecting, started to protest the exercise.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed through. It seemed to take longer than usual, but finally I reached that magic place. Every person who runs knows what I’m talking about. It’s on the other side of the pain, where suddenly you’re in the zone and could run forever.
Brace slowed a little, allowing me to step in front. Of course I didn’t know the town very well, but I just followed the path we’d been on. It seemed to be winding along the outsides of the buildings, between them and the shielded boundary. Looking over my shoulder, I saw something that brought me to a halt. Brace stopped next to me, his breathing even, just a few small beads of sweat at his temple, unlike myself, who had really started to puff.
“You let me pass so you could stare at my butt.” I gave him a shove.
He didn’t even bother to deny it as a large grin crossed his face. “Red, you have a truly spectacular ass. I’m only human, you know.”
I shoved him again, shaking my head. “You aren’t human, but clearly there isn’t that much difference between men on any planet.”
He shrugged as we started running again. I was still in front, and the entire time I could feel his eyes on me as we made it back to the house. I left Brace to shower downstairs; I didn’t trust either of us alone at the moment.
Back in my room, I shed my clothes into the laundry chute before stepping in for a long hot shower.
Once I was clean, I wandered aimlessly through the huge expanse of my wardrobe, wondering what one wore to a Walker battle. I decided to dress to impress. Sometimes clothes were as good as armor, and I needed to look more confident than I felt right now. The weather was neither hot nor cold yet, so I could get away with anything except deep summer or winter fashion.
I selected a fitted dark purple silk shirt. The color complemented my ivory skin. It had three-quarter sleeves and was cut deep in the neckline, which gave the illusion of an impressive bust line. Yeah, okay, the padded bra helped with that also.
I teamed it with my standard dark skinny jeans, finishing with my favorite selection: shoes. A pair of gorgeous black suede boots. They went over the jeans, and as I zipped them up they ended just above my knees. The best part was their impressive heel; it added a good three inches to my five foot ten height and yet felt as if I was walking on flats. I needed something I could move about in easily, but I wanted the height. Damn Walkers were too tall for their own good.
Stepping back into my bathroom, I checked my reflection. I had no need for cosmetics anymore. My Walker genes gave me a sheen that could not be replicated. My lashes were darker than ever, giving the illusion of kohl lining. My hair was working for me, and looked even longer, falling past my mid-back in red flecked with black curls. The enlightenment had certainly helped speed up my morning preparations. I walked out, leaving the comfort of my room.
Everyone was gathered in the white room, of course. It was the meeting place. As I stepped inside, all eyes turned in my direction. The reds were along one wall, their hair standing out starkly against the white. As usual, when we were all in the same room Brace was at my side in an instant. I was happy to see that my head just reached his shoulders. I wouldn’t feel quite so short today. His low growls started over my head as he guided me to the couch, his hand resting in the small of my back. He was sending out a warning to the other men. Ignoring their posturing, I sank into the free seat.
“You look hot, Abby.” Lucy leaned over Samuel to speak with me. “I want that exact outfit, except I need it in short, not giant.”
I grinned. We’d had to have all of Lucy’s clothes tailored. She was tiny on First World, and everyone was fascinated by her delicate stature – until she opened her mouth, of course. Then they were amazed that the outside didn’t even come close to matching her inner smart mouth.
“I’ve decided that we will stage the battle in the hills behind Angelisian. They are secluded: I don’t want any innocents hurt.” Josian started without preamble. “Brace will send the message to Que and his people. We’ll leave immediately. I would ask any of you that don’t need to be at the battle to stay here.” He chuckled then, without humor. “But I know I’d be wasting my breath, so everyone get your things and wait for me outside.”
“Whoa, that was lucky. I thought I might have to stow away in Abby’s handbag. But then I remembered the girl’s never carried one of those in her life,” Lucy said, falling into step next to me.
I was too tall now; we couldn’t comfortably link arms.
We gathered out the front. The reds’ numbers had doubled: there were twenty, each as diverse looking and god-like as the next. They were silent, and just stood there channeling statues.
“Look, Abbs, it’s the red wall of China.”
I stifled my laughter. Lucy’s comment nailed it; they did look like an impenetrable wall.
“What’s China?” Brace and Samuel said together, stepping in front of us.
They were attempting to block us from the reds’ scrutiny.
I waved a hand. “Just a country on Earth. It had this massive stone wall that ran through it.”
“What was the point of this wall?” Samuel said, with an actual expression of interest on his normally stoic features.
“Protection,” Lucy said. “China was protecting its borders from the surrounding countries.”
“It’s gone,” Josian said, standing near us.
“What?” I said, shocked. “Where did it go?” Did a hundred-year-old wall just get up and walk away?
“It was one of the tethers lost during the last release of the Seventine.”
“Is Earth the only world losing tethers?” I was having trouble picturing a four-thousand-mile structure just disappearing.
“No, Aribella, all of the worlds have suffered losses. Some significant, others smaller, but it’s only going to keep escalating. Long before the last Seventine is released the worlds will rapidly lose their tethers.” Josian’s face echoed my own horror.
“We have to stop them. You have to kill Que,” I whispered, knowing I was probably hurting Brace.
Que was his father, after all.
“I can’t kill him.” Josian words were terse and clipped. “What I did on Spurn can only happen if one Walker is immensely more powerful than another. It’s rare, since most of the less powerful never issue challenges, and the more powerful, for the most part, don’t absorb other Walkers. You never know when you could lose control of the influx of energy.”
The only good thing in that information was the realization that Que shouldn’t be able to absorb Brace or my father either.
Once everyone was gathered, Josian opened a large doorway and we all filed through. Unlike other times, this was almost a direct step from one side to the other. I suppose because the destination was so close. Everyone made it through and managed to stay on their feet.
I looked around. In normal circumstances I’d love it here. We were standing on the edge of a stunning lime-green field, at least four miles in diameter, bordered on all sides by rocky mountains reaching high into the clouds. Some were so tall I couldn’t even see their peaks.
Josian was correct: this wa
s large and isolated, and the mountains should contain any noise of battle. The field was flat, dotted through with tiny white flowers that almost gave the lime-green grass a silver sheen. With the sun shining, I had an urge to lie in the field and watch the world drift by. I couldn’t believe a place of such beauty was to be the grounds for something as destructive as a battle.
My boot heels were wide enough that I didn’t sink into the soft ground as I stepped forward. Of course I didn’t have to worry as my feet were swept out from under me and Brace threw me over his shoulder. He sprinted across the field until we were standing right in the center. Despite the jostling – his shoulder wasn’t exactly comfortable – I loved the speed. Leaning over, I kissed his cheek, letting my lips linger on the semi-smooth skin there. Brace never let his facial hair grow, just a fine stubble I barely even noticed.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice soft.
He set me down, without releasing me. I stayed plastered to his front.
“What for?” I said, confused.
“For being you. For being here. For making this a better day despite Que’s attempt to destroy everything.”
I clutched at his shirt as my heart melted. Pretty soon it wouldn’t even be an organ anymore, just a love slush pile in my chest.
“You’re turning me into a sucker for your words, Brace. You better not go and die today, taking them away from me.” My tone was light but I meant every word.
“I second that, and add your ass into the equation. It’s just too perfect for me to live without.” Brace slapped one of his huge hands on my butt.
It was gentle enough that I barely felt it, but I couldn’t let that slide. Without pause I swung around and landed a closed fist into his delicate lower ribs.
With a slight wince, he clutched my hand before I could smack him again. His little half-smile came out to play.
“There you are, Red. I wondered where my hard-ass girl was hiding. I need you to be tough today. Que loves weakness, and will exploit any and all of them.”
His words had their desired effect. I was feeling decidedly less sappy and romantic and more annoyed and ready to kick him in the jewels.
I wasn’t pouting, I decided, as I turned my back on him and watched everyone else cross the field at a slower pace. My head spun around as he chuckled.
“You’re a funny girl, Red.” He watched the same thing as me.
“Do you have any friends, Brace?”
He looked at me strangely. Yeah, the question was a little left-field, but I’d been wondering for a while. He always seemed so strong but a little removed from everyone else.
“Not really. Never had any time. My life was training and battle, and I’ve been stationed here for the past decade.” His eyes held a weariness I didn’t like. “Samuel was a very good friend to me over the years, but I always had to remember it was never more than a mission.” He muttered something else but I missed it. He took my hand.
“I had one true friend, a Walker. We were the same age, and both of us were part of the training program. He’s the only one I would trust with my life.”
“Would you trust him with my life?” I joked.
He turned hard eyes in my direction and stepped closer.
I forced myself not to back away.
“I wouldn’t trust the gods themselves with you, Abigail. My hands are the only ones that will ever keep you safe.”
“Arrogant Walker.” I shook my head, ignoring that secret part of me that loved it when he went all caveman.
A distraction appeared then in the form of a Walker doorway. It was about fifty yards from us. I’d never seen one from this angle; it was strange to see the Walkers start small and slowly get larger as they moved from one side of the doorway to the end.
“Are they the Abernaths?” I attempted to hide my unease.
“No,” Josian said, “that’s the Relli clan. Grantham’s leading them through.”
These were our allies. With my Walker vision I could see every detail of their leader perfectly. He was tall, as were all Walkers, but not quite as tall as Brace or Josian. His hair was a strange shade of dark yellow. His features were not as hard as most Walkers. In fact, he almost looked jovial, with his plump red cheeks. All of the Relli clan had their marks proudly on display. They started in a small swirl of dark gray, almost a gunmetal color, and the swirls extended out in large arching waves. Still predominantly on one side of their body, some of the swirls ended abruptly, as if they were missing parts. I wondered if those were to be filled by their mates.
They exited the doorway smoothly, before continuing on to cross the distance separating us, their demeanor exuding confidence. So far I still hadn’t seen a Walker woman.
“Josian. My old friend,” Grantham said with enthusiasm before he’d even reached our side.
His deep voice, which was heavily accented in what sounded a lot like thick Russian, boomed around the field. His happy features creased in pure joy. I could see his eyes now. They were a pure green, much lighter than my own, and more grass-green rather than emerald. In fact, they were like big cat’s eyes. Grantham was a strange-looking Walker.
“You don’t have to break him down piece by piece, Red.” Brace nudged me. “I’d hate to think of what my analysis was on first meeting.”
I nodded in all seriousness. “Oh, yeah. It’s lucky you weren’t in my head then. It wasn’t pleasant.” I worked to keep my face straight.
“Liar. You wanted me,” he said, before turning back to our new guests.
“We really need to work on your lack of confidence,” I said. “It’s starting to become an issue.”
He hugged me closer, muttering what sounded a lot like ‘smart-ass’.
Josian met the Rellis halfway across the distance. I expected them to hug it out in typical Walker fashion, but they didn’t. Instead, they performed a complicated handshake, half-hug thing. The two of them leaned in for a few moments. I could see mouths moving rapidly, and lots of head nods but couldn’t make out any more than that.
“Are they discussing the battle?” I asked Brace. His hearing was superior to mine.
He laughed. “Uh, no. More like a quick catch-up on the last time they did a little galaxy-hopping together. I get the distinct impression that before Josian met Lallielle ... he was adventurous.”
“Probably a good thing I can’t hear them,” I muttered.
“I know many of your father’s stories and, trust me, once you hear some of them, you cannot un-hear them,” Brace said.
Lallielle’s head spun around. She was sitting near Samuel, Lucy and Talina. The four had sprawled on the ground as soon as they made it to the center of the field.
“Isn’t that the truth, Brace? No matter how hard you try,” she finished with a smile.
The men were making their way back. Grantham came straight at me. I took a step back, but that was no deterrent. I found myself scooped up in an embrace by the big yellow-haired Walker. The low growls from beside me did nothing to halt him as he squeezed me tight.
“That’s enough, Grantham. Give me my mate back.”
I could see Brace’s hand resting on Grantham’s arm.
“Calm yourself, Walker. Even a blind man can see you are mated.” He was referring to the way our visible marks blended into each other. “I’m simply greeting my best friend’s daughter. I have already missed too much of her life. She’s going to love her Uncle Grantham.”
I patted his arm a few times, and finally he released me, stepping away. For some reason I did already like him. He was so warm and open, without that untouchable god-like arrogance most Walkers held. Brace swept me up, his heartrate calming as soon as I was back in his arms.
“Hi,” I smiled at my father’s old friend, “this is Brace, my mate; Lucy, my best friend; and Talina from Spurn.” I pointed out only the three people he may not know.
He scooped Lucy up in her own Walker hug. Samuel didn’t move or flinch. Usually he’d be growling his own tune like Brace. L
ater, I promised, later we would deal with that. The future held high hopes that Samuel was about to get ripped a new one.
“You’re one big friendly dude.” In his arms Lucy looked like a doll, blond curls lightly lifting in the breeze. “It’s nice to meet a Walker who doesn’t have a stick permanently up their butts. Always so serious.”
Throats were cleared and quite a few smiles hidden as the Walkers in the vicinity tried to figure out if they should be insulted by this tiny gorgeous human. I laughed out loud. Lucy really had no filter between her brain and mouth, and it was mostly entertaining. I gave her a metaphorical high-five across the space.
“Would you like to come and live in my household, little one?” Grantham’s large green eyes twinkled. “You are perfect.”
This time Samuel did take a step forward and, wrapping a hand around Lucy’s wrist, he tugged her back toward him. She almost lost her footing; he was unnecessarily rough.
“Watch yourself.” Grantham’s voice held a hint of steel for the first time, giving us a glimpse of the reason he was Josian’s choice to call into battle. “We don’t treat precious gems in such a manner.”
Lucy must have agreed. She stomped down hard on Samuel’s foot before wrenching herself free and marching away. She stopped next to me.
“Your brother is about to get his ass beat down,” she said, her tone low, “and then I’m going to give him over to the Walkers for their chance.”
I reached over to take her hand and give it a tight squeeze. She was right; Samuel was in for the smackdown of his life.
“I’ll hold his arms for you.” Brace nodded once.
“Don’t underestimate her. She might be small, but she makes up for that in pure evil and imagination,” I said, knowing Lucy didn’t need anyone’s help.
She could hold her own against Samuel. One thing the compound had taught us was to battle opponents larger than ourselves.
I watched the rest of the Walkers interact across the field. This mostly included blowing up things and roughhousing. Moonstale shone as almost everyone had their jewelry open and glowing, although it was hard to tell in the bright sunlight. At least I didn’t have to keep explaining my permanent marks. All were on display at the moment, and I fit right in. While I was used to my own marks, I still had a moment every time I saw the sexy black tribal design on Brace’s skin.