“Watch the wire,” Davis instructed. “We don’t want that falling out. Get into the city, call out, get their attention, then get out.”
“It’s not that far in,” I said. “If you stay in the daylight they won’t come for you.” “Thank you for telling me how to be safe,” Madge said.
“Only because I want the explosives set.”
Madge walked toward the wooded area. “Davis, when I return, I seek only your forgiveness, if that is possible. I treasure our time together and will do so always. You are special.”
“Thanks.”
After she entered the overgrown wooded area, I asked Davis, “What the heck happened between you two?”
“Not much.”
“So, uh, how come she has to wear that life jacket everywhere? She does know it won’t help her in the Savage camp, right?”
“I haven’t a clue why she won’t take it off.”
The wire wiggled and moved, indicating that she was walking. It stretched about as far as it would go, then stopped. I knew she made it into the city.
We waited.
A few moments went by, no sign of flying Savages, no calls or screams out. After a bit, we determined that she had been killed.
Why was Davis sad? It irked me.
“Get ready to blow this place,” he ordered. “On my call.”
“Wait!” someone shouted.
Madge was emerging from the trees, and both Davis and I walked over to her.
“What’s going on?” Davis asked. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “They’re gone. They’re all gone.”
THIRTY-SIX – NITO
I did not blame the boy, Tanner, for not believing me, but he took things to extremes. He even racing inside to see for himself. Was he a fool? For not trusting me, did he not think if I were lying that he was running into his own demise?
I followed him just to show him.
I informed Davis that there were no Savages and that I had looked in the structures and even the tower of the church that Tanner mentioned. There were none. Not even their droppings were fresh. Remains of any meals had long since rotted over and didn’t smell any longer.
Because there was no sign of Savages, they collected the explosives and we headed back to Angeles City.
“They have been gone at least a week,” I said.
“Where would they go?” Davis asked.
Madge replied, “I do not know.”
“Do you think they are looking for more food?” he asked.
“One would think there is plenty of food supply here,” Madge said. “It is odd that they left.”
“There are people in the Straits. I know they don’t attack there. Why and how is that?”
“Seers. They create a false vision. The Savages only see water. Therefore they cannot see the people or smell them.”
“So they wouldn’t go there.”
“Even if they did, they’d have to contend with the Savage camps out that way.”
“How many?”
“Two that I know of are on this side of the country. They are bigger than this one. They fly east to get food. But I am sure they invade the territory of other Savages.”
Davis asked, “Could they have died?”
“Possible.”
“I knew it. I knew something was up when they didn’t attack.”
“If they’re gone,” Tanner said, “why don’t I feel like the threat is over?”
“It’s not,” I said. “Something is up. Davis, I can stay in Angeles City and help with this. Let me. You can place a guard on me. You can… put the boy, Tanner, as my guard. He hates me. He’ll make sure I do no wrong. Let me help.”
Davis sighed, I believe in deep thought. He was a leader, and a good one. He was having an internal debate and I could tell he wanted me to stay, but he had to make a decision based on the desires of his people.
We arrived back in Angeles City, and I knew something was up when Snake approached with urgency. I thought for sure it was something else. A Savage attack, maybe they found them elsewhere, or Day Stalkers. I was not expecting what I heard.
“Davis!” Snake ran up to us out of breath.
“It was a bust,” Davis said. “They weren’t there.”
“I figured that,” Snake said.
“How?”
“Well, I was told they probably were.”
“By whom?” Davis asked.
Snake looked at me, then Tanner, then back to Davis. “Vala. She’s here.”
THIRTY-SEVEN – VALA
Snake was holding down the fort when Yaku and I arrived in Angeles City.
“My God, this is a surprise! What brings you here?” Snake asked.
“I wish it were for pleasant reasons,” I replied. “Where is Davis? I’ll tell everyone at once.”
“He’s out destroying the Savage camps.”
“That would be a waste. They are not there.”
“How do you know?”
“A feeling,” I explained. I introduced Yaku and since I didn’t feel like explaining the impending war to Snake then again to Davis, we spoke of other things. Not once did he mention any new addition to Angeles City.
When the convoy with Davis returned, I was excited. It was good to see him. Even at a distance, Tanner looked disgruntled. Then, I saw her.
A sickening feeling hit my stomach. It gnawed and twisted. It had to be a mistake. The woman just looked like Nito, who had been banished.
When she stepped forward a little closer, I knew it was her. How was it possible? Why was she with my friends? Did they even know?
“Davis!” I screamed. “Step away. Do you know who that is?”
“Vala—”
“You. How dare you?” When last I saw her she had turned my sister, caused my mother’s death, and killed my friend. Our battle wasn’t finished. I was ready to continue. Only this time I would be victorious.
I had my walking stick that I used as my weapon. I pulled it from my back satchel and raced toward her.
Tanner moved out of the way.
Surprisingly, Davis halted me. “Vala, stop.”
“What is she doing here? She was banished.” I looked more closely at Nito. “And I see banishment has caused you to age.”
“She’s human now,” Davis said. “You can’t use magic on her. That is an unfair fight.”
I laughed. “Marie was human. Did that stop her?” I raised my stick and Davis snatched it from my grip.
“Enough.”
“Fine, I need no weapon. She has hurt us enough. I’ll tear her apart with my bare hands.”
Nito folded her arms defiantly. “Then you will do so without a fight from me. I will not strike you or fight. Not while you’re with child.”
Upon her words, I froze. How did she know?
THIRTY-EIGHT – TANNER
It was the final straw, the final breaking point in my journey with Vala. Not only did she marry that Iry guy, but now she was carrying his child. Unless the Ancients figured out a new way to conceive, Vala had taken her relationship to the next level.
I didn’t believe it at first when Madge said it, until Vala stopped cold. I knew by the look on her face the information was correct.
“How do you know?” Vala asked Madge.
“You carry the mark. The dark spot on your chest where you heart is, that is the mark of pregnancy. Shall I say congratulations?”
I really don’t know what Vala’s response was to that, since I left. I walked away. I left the street and walked into the headquarters’ building, plopping down in defeat onto Davis’ desk chair.
What was I thinking? Did I truly expect that Vala would be mine? How foolish did I come across?
“Tanner,” Vala called softly. “Tanner, look at me.”
“Do you know how hard it is?” I asked. “You said you married him because of your sister.”
“I did.”
I spun the chair to face her. “Then why did you give yourse
lf to him?”
“It’s much more complicated than you think, Tanner.”
“It’s not complicated, Vala. You sleep with the guy or you don’t. You care for him or you don’t. I think I got to know you pretty well. You wouldn’t just give yourself to him if there wasn’t something there.”
“You’re right.”
“I knew it.”
“But there is more. There is a reason I had to be with child.”
“What? To feel whole? Another lame ass reason to stay with Iry.”
“Well, if that doesn’t sound like a jealous rant, I don’t know what does,” Snake’s voice echoed across the room. “Why are you giving this girl such a hard time?”
“She’s pregnant,” I said.
“What business is that of yours?” Snake asked. “She is married, Tanner. Married. Although, I never knew a pregnancy to be noticeable that soon.”
“She’s pregnant by an Ancient,” I said.
“I need to be,” Vala said. “I had to get pregnant.”
“For what reason?”
Then Madge’s voice entered the room. “Strength. She did it for strength.”
“Who asked you?” Vala snapped. “You have no right to intrude on our conversation.”
“You are not in love with Iry,” said Madge. “You let him choose you to avoid me, you married him to help your sister, you got pregnant by him to gain strength because there is no greater force or stronger than a Mare who is pregnant with an Ancient’s child. Now you are here, with child, and you bring a seer. Quit playing the childish games, stop trying to spare this boy’s feelings and tell us why you are here? What is going on?”
By this time Davis also came into his office. “I’d like to know that as well.”
“It is my armor,” Vala said. “My protection. There is a war greater than any of us can imagine. It is on the horizon and we need to all join forces.”
THIRTY-NINE – NITO
I listened to the Mare describe her visions, what she felt was going to happen, and it was then I realized she had no business being in the battle. She had the ability, but one key factor was missing. Experience.
Even the boy Tanner had the experience. Vala did not. She had lived sheltered all of her life, she had knowledge of what to do but did not know why. She had no historical basis for her fight. As the old saying goes, to defeat the enemy is to know the enemy.
“Then it would be safe to assume the Savage camp north of Ancient City is vacant as well,” I said.
“Could they be gathering there?” Davis asked.
I shook my head. “No, that is not big enough. She describes Savages as far as the eye can see. That is far too many to gather there. They need to be hidden during the day.”
“We’re only talking three camps,” Davis stated. “Right?”
“The East side of this country may be dead, we could include those camps as well. More than likely it is somewhere closer to whatever the first target would be.”
“They move in waves, getting bigger as they go,” Snake said. “But if they have no more people to eat or turn, they are at their max in size.”
“Man failed to stop the movement,” I said. “It opened the door for us to our abilities, but if what is described is real, then our abilities will not be strong enough. The gatekeepers at each community use their sights to veil the humans in each Strait. Same as with Ancient City. But it pushes them to the limit. Any more than one camp for each place, and we’re not strong enough.”
“What about her?” Tanner asked, pointing to the Mare. “I watched her obliterate dozens with one scream.”
“Can she do the same to thousands?” I asked. “More than likely not. In her current strength she may be able to hold them back, but at what cost, her life? And yes, that is a possibility.”
Davis shook his head. “What are our choices?”
“Find them where they are and destroy them there,” Snake suggested.
“How?” Davis asked.
“They may be on another plane,” Vala said. “Maybe not on this Earth.”
“Nonsense,” I argued. “They can’t do that.”
“Even with Anubis?”
“Not even he can mass tens of thousands of Savages on another plateau. No, they are here, in this country. They can fly, but must stop every so many feet, hence why they do not fly over water. They can’t swim.”
“The water breaks them apart,” Snake said.
Davis snapped his finger. “Snake, you said they hit in waves. Do you think they’ll spread out and hit everywhere at once or will they hit one spot at a time?”
Snake shook his head.
Then Davis looked at me. “What do you think?”
Before I could answer, the Mare got defensive. “Why are you asking her? She will mislead us.”
“I will not mislead you. Why would I want the Savages to rule this Earth?”
“Because your mother is one.”
“My father is not, and to answer your question, Davis, before the child rudely interrupted me, they will not separate. Like a pack of dogs, they will stick together. Separated, they stand too much of a chance to be fought and possibly defeated, together they are unstoppable.”
“What we need to do is get them all in one place, then,” Davis said. “To do that we need to either find out where they are or find out what they are up to.”
“I am safe to transport there now,” said Vala. “Before I ran the risk of Anubis grabbing me and bringing me there. But not now. I can see them.”
“Then what?” I asked. “Will you recognize where they are? You only get a few moments in projecting, even with the embryo feeding you. No, you can only see what they are doing. I can not only do that, I can find out the plan.”
Vala laughed at me. “They’ll eat you alive.”
“Not if I’m an Ancient again. We go to the Ancient City, convince my father to turn me so I can go.”
Again, the Mare laughed mockingly. “And if we believe your intentions are good, that you are doing this not to be Ancient again, what makes you think they’ll tell you anything?”
“Because one of them is my mother, and I’ll also come bearing a gift.”
“What would that be?”
I smiled. “Your blood.”
FORTY – VALA
I hated her. It didn’t matter to me that she had turned human, that Nito was giving information and assistance, or that she was wearing Davis’ life jacket as a symbol of her commitment. She was still Nito. She was till the same vile person that destroyed so many lives.
Yaku was finding Angeles City enjoyable and was taking in, as he said, ‘the sights’ while we planned our return trip to Ancient City. I found a moment alone to reach out to Iry.
“You’re coming back? So soon?”
“Yes. We need to speak to the king. We need his help in the plan.”
“What is the plan, Vala? Is there one?”
“We’re working on it.”
“And the other?” Iry asked.
“Other what?”
“Other plan in case that one doesn’t work?”
“I don’t know, Iry, but you are not going to like who is coming back with us.”
And then I told him. The first thing out his mouth before I was drawn back was about Sophie. If the king made Nito human, then surely he could return Sophie.
I was making sacrifices. I agreed to give my blood as a bargaining tool to Nito. I would use that, because simply, we were trying to save everyone. If it were just Angeles City, it would be easier. The king would need to see that.
I ran to the group as they were discussing plans.
“Done checking in with the husband?” Tanner asked sarcastically.
It wasn’t worthy of an answer.
“I’ll take this map with me,” Davis said. “When Madge returns from her visit with her mother, we can plot out a plan. Until then, Snake you come with us. I’ll have Boss work on boats. We get people out into the ocean. Far out. Madge, w
hat would be a safe distance from the Savages?”
“As far out as you can. Take no chances.”
“We’re gonna need firepower,” Snake said. “A lot of it, if we’re gonna get them in one place, and that is still no guarantee.”
“We need to finalize the plan. Until we know what and where it is happening, we’re at a standstill. Tanner, I need you to head back to Hopeland. Get those people out of there and recruit.”
“Won’t they be safe? They’re underground?” Tanner said.
“From one or two,” Snake answered. “When they mass, they’ll tear through the ground. I’ve seen it.”
Yaku entered the room announcing, “The transport is ready. Your village is beautiful and green.”
“Thanks,” Davis said and rolled the map. “Let’s head to Ancient City.”
“Oh, you’re gonna love it there,” Snake said. “Take a moment to enjoy it before it’s gone.”
“I will.”
Tanner shook his head, then followed Davis and Snake out, only after he glared at me.
Then she approached me. “Vala, you and I will work together. We will battle this cause as a union.”
“Yes, we shall. Make no error, Nito. When this battle and war is finished and we are victorious…” I moved closer to her, “so help me God, by my own hand I will see to your death.”
FORTY-ONE – TANNER
“I’ll have one of those fruity drinks for you,” Snake told me before he left. “And Tanner, not having Vala isn’t the end of the world. Savages destroying us is. Think about that. And you still have that cute little number in Hopeland you can chase.”
“Who? Brea?”
“Apparently you know who I’m talking about. Good luck there.”
Good luck?
We didn’t need luck with Hopeland. I was pretty sure they’d understand and there weren’t that many to move out. The problem was we had less than a week.
My mind was cluttered and I had to prioritize it. Vala was heavy on it and had been for quite some time. There was a resolution to that. She was having a baby with an Ancient. Even if she decided that she and Iry would not be together, she would be bound to him one way or another.
The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3) Page 10