I smiled and said, “You do that,” but I didn’t have a clue what he meant. I thought about Davis in my walk. Wondered what he was doing and thinking, and even contemplated seeking him out when the gatekeeper stopped me.
“You should be resting child,” he said in an eerily deep voice. “Your battle is tomorrow.”
“I cannot rest. Like you, my visions keep me awake.”
“I am casting them. You are receiving them. They have increased?”
“Tenfold. Closing my eyes in peace is impossible.”
“You need to rest. Come closer.”
I didn’t want to. He was large, emitted a foul smell, and looked as frightening as he sounded. When I was a mere foot from him, he placed his hand on top of my head, said, “Rest.” And that was it.
I fell asleep.
A deep sleep that I needed, one with no dreams. It wasn’t a sound that awakened me. It was a vibration. I jumped up to a sitting position and found myself in bed.
“You’re finally awake. I was worried,” Iry said. “You all right?”
“Did you feel the Earth move?”
“No. Why?”
“I just…” I closed my eyes. All I saw was movement. The Savages were stirring. “Iry, they’re coming.” I lunged from bed.
“Nonsense, Vala, it’s the middle of the day.”
No sooner had he said that than I noticed the room darkened a little. “Why did it just get dark?”
“A cloud maybe,” he suggested.
I raced to the window and looked out. “Something is up with the sky.” I ran from the room. Emerging into the hall, I saw Davis.
“Whoa. Where you headed?”
“Davis, they’re coming!”
“I tried to tell her its daylight,” Iry said. “She’s still confused from sleeping so long.”
“No, the sky is getting dark,” I argued. “Look.”
Davis walked to the hall window and looked out. “Oh my God. There’s gonna be an eclipse.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The moon is gonna block the sun. It’ll be dark. I’d say we have an hour.”
“The special moon.” Immediately I filled with panic and spun to Iry. “Go get Gosho and Yaku, I’ll find Nito. Davis, move the gatekeepers to higher ground then… then go.” I took off running before either of them could argue.
<><><><>
“Waste no time,” Nito said. “Get to position after you make the checks. I’ll move Yaku to the mountain as quickly as I can.”
I looked up, the lights of the city came on just as the sky quickly turned dark.
“Remember,” she said. “They will sense what you are doing, they will try to bring you down. Focus on the water, nothing else. We will try to keep them from you.”
After nodding my understanding, I turned and was surprised to see both Davis and Snake still in the city.
“Davis, Snake, you have to go. Leave! There is still time.”
Davis shook his head. “I’m gonna head to the mountain to watch this. Hope for the best, because I know it will all work out.”
“Please, Davis, don’t. Get far away.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Vala, if I go and run, then I am not showing my faith in you. Plus, I led the rebellion this far, I’m gonna see it home.” He kissed me on the cheek.
“Snake?” I faced him. “You?”
“I’ll be up in the Needle Building with you. I can’t detonate from thirty miles away.”
“But if you have to detonate, you’ll be killed.”
“I’ll go out in blaze of glory.”
“What if they get past me and into the building?”
“Then you didn’t do your job.” Snake winked. “I’ll be fine. Get in position. I’ll be there shortly.”
My friends were there with me. I wished they weren’t. I took a moment to tap into Tanner, to feel assured he was safe and when I saw that he was, I headed down the road.
On top of the Grand Building, Gosho was in position and Iry stood on the street. I knew he was waiting for me.
“I’ll be across the road from you,” Iry said. “I’ll do what I can to keep them from you.”
“Be safe,” I told him.
“You be safe, Vala. And if you can’t do this, if it is more powerful than you, then leave. Take off, get out, find a way. Protect my child.”
“What about you?”
“As long as you live, so shall I.” He kissed me softly on the cheek. “Thank you for what you have given me.”
“This is not the end, Iry.” I clutched his hand, and with the feeling of urgency, I kissed him one last time before going to the Needle Building and taking my position.
FIFTY – NITO
By the time I delivered Yaku safely to the mountain, I saw that Davis was only halfway there. I did not want to take a chance of losing him, so whether he liked it or not, I grabbed hold of him and took him to the mountain as well.
On my return route, I knew the battle was moments away. I didn’t need to be a Mare to sense them. I could hear them coming. Fifty thousand Savages made a lot of noise.
The gatekeepers were placed on the highest floors. From what I remembered of Moses parting the Red Sea, if Vala accomplished the task of moving that lake, the buildings were not going to be strong enough to save any of us.
I prayed the Gods would show favor on us and damn Anubis back to where he came from.
The plan was simple. Gosho, Iry, Burt, and I would be on top of buildings, we would protect ourselves until we saw the Savages descend upon the Ancient City to attack the visions of people. Once they landed, we’d use all that we could to keep them there until Vala brought the water or Snake released the explosions. Yaku was the means of communication for us all. Through him we could speak to each other.
When I reached my building, I was barely in position when they descended on us.
They came over the mountains, a smooth, velvet force, shiny and black, rippling our way, catching the light of the special moon as they moved.
“Arm yourselves!” I shouted and raised my arms.
The force of the incoming Savages moved the air violently, whipping my hair back and pelted sand so hard at my face it stung.
“I can’t see!” Gosho shouted. “I can’t see!”
“Use your ability, Gosho! Tap in!”
If it wasn’t for the lights of the city I would not have been able to see either. They hit us hard.
Somehow in my mind, I didn’t comprehend how many fifty thousand were. Even though I saw them at the canyon, it was a whole other experience to have them attack us in force.
I tried to see Vala, and there was a circle of protection around her, an invisible force field. As high as she was, the Savages came for her, bouncing off and flinging back.
My sights on Vala were disrupted when the first Savage smacked into me, knocking me off balance.
I quickly gained my footing, spun, and took him down.
“You all right, Madge?” Burt asked.
Another Savage hit me.
“Stand your ground!” Burt said. “I can’t do this alone.”
“You’re not alone,” Iry said.
“I’m trying,” I said. “I lost my staff.”
“You don’t need it.”
Left and right they came for me. My arms swung out, creating energy waves that blasted them to bits with when I hit them. I found my rhythm. That was what I needed to do, find a rhythm. Once I had that, I was good to go.
Then I heard a scream.
Gosho.
I hurriedly turned and saw him in the mouth of a Savage. Another came and they fought over him, tearing him limb from limb.
“I can’t see below. Are they all in?” I asked as I fought.
“Almost,” Burt said. “Vala, get ready.”
“I’m ready. I’m focused,” Vala replied.
“Snake!” Burt called out.
“Finger on the button. Damn if this isn’t the coolest way to
communicate.”
That was when I realized, I hadn’t heard from Iry.
“Iry, check in,” I ordered.
“I’m a little busy right now.”
Did he need help? We couldn’t lose another. Burt was not only battling, he was leading communication and placing the protection around Vala.
I peered ahead to Iry’s position, two buildings up. Savages encompassed him. He was fighting hard, but was having a difficult time.
Just as I thought to join him, I felt a slam to my back and I dropped to my knees.
“Almost all in,” Burt said. “Madge?”
I tried to get up and I was stomped back down.
I heard the growling squeal from behind me, drawn out and loud, almost like a form of communication. Again, I tried to get up when the force hit my spine. Using all that I had, I ejected back, flinging the beast from me.
Once I gained my bearings and momentum, I spun around prepared to fight, only to see my mother standing across the roof.
She was in a hybrid human/ Savage form, nearly as big as Anubis. She cocked back her head, extended her arms, and roared. She was ready to attack.
In a runner’s position, one knee still to the roof, I kept my eyes on her.
“You took me by surprise once,” I said.
She charged my way.
“It won’t happen again.” On my final word, I grabbed my staff, leapt to my feet, spun the staff to gain its power and drove it into her heart. It was not an easy deliverance. Her skin was rough and hard. It lodged in her and wouldn’t move. I couldn’t retract it, and she wasn’t dying. She kept fighting, making it more difficult.
Her arms swung out and with each jolt of her body, she moved me with her as I clung to the staff. When she jerked to her left, she sent me flying and I landed on the roof.
She grabbed the staff, and through the corner of my eye, I saw a Savage grab Iry.
FIFTY-ONE – VALA
I felt invincible. Nothing could touch me. The joint force of protection around me kept me safe from any Savage coming my way. I knew by the power of that force, it was more than just Burt and I. I sensed the power of the gatekeepers.
The last of the Savages poured into the city and they formed a giant moving mound below, squirming around like maggots on a carcass. A few bounced up and down, but they were all there. It would be only a matter of minutes before they realized they weren’t devouring flesh, but only visions created by the gatekeepers.
I focused east and on the body of water. I could feel the power of it, the force in which I pulled. Only briefly did I lose it when I was drawn into Nito’s mother’s eyes and saw my attack on her.
“Focus, Vala, focus!” Burt said.
It was hard. I was torn between pulling the water and seeing a rooftop battle from the eyes of the aggressor. And then that vision was gone. I felt free, it lifted from me and I knew Nito had been victorious.
Pull. Pull.
Almost there. My body trembled as I gave it my all. It felt as if I were trying to release something and it wouldn’t give. No matter how hard I tired, I would get it to a point and it just wouldn’t cross the cusp.
“Burt!” I cried out. “It’s not working!”
“Get it now, Vala! They’re gonna leave. They’re onto us!”
I looked below where the Savages stirred. Then with every drop of emotion, with everything I had, from deep within my soul I cried out as loud as I could and raised my arms high.
The ground rumbled. It rumbled so hard it shook me from my stance. I felt the release and with it was the vision of the rolling wall of water making its way over the crest of the mountains. In seconds it hit the city. Sounds of rushing water filled the air along with cries of dying Savages.
My scream of struggle was about to turn into a scream of triumph until I saw the Savage snatch hold of Iry and lift him from the building.
“No!” I raced to the edge of the railing of the Needle Building. My intention was to try to get him, and I was ready to leap when I saw Nito.
She sprang forward in a flash, intercepting another Savage before it too could get Iry, then with her momentum, used a building as a springboard and in her second jump, grabbed Iry from the grip of the Savage.
He looked like a rag doll in her grip, but she didn’t let go.
She jumped on the railing before me and lowered him to the roof’s surface.
He was covered in blood. Ancient blood, which was thick and deep.
His body was mangled, yet he was still alive. He twitched and jerked, gasping for breath. I dropped beside him and pulled him to me.
“You can save him,” Nito said from the railing. “You can save him. With your blood. But it will take too much. You will turn.”
I peered up to her. “Nito! Watch out.”
Anubis flew in from behind her, and Nito was ready. He grabbed hold of her and she shoved back, clinging with him as they both fell all the way down and into the rushing water below.
I lowered my head.
It was over, but not without loss.
“Vala,” Iry said weakly.
His skin began to turn black. I could see the Savage infection raging through him.
“Kill me now,” he said. “Don’t let me turn into one of those. Please.”
“Iry, I’m so sorry.” I ran my hand down his face.
“Take care of our child,” he said, his words breathy. “K… kill me now, Vala.”
“I can’t. I did not know my father. Our child will know his.” I reached down to my thigh and to the knife I kept there, took hold of the knife, and sliced my arm.
“No,” Iry said,
The black infection crept up his face. Time was running out.
“Take it. Now. Please.” I put my arm to his mouth. “Take it.”
He shook his head.
I allowed my blood to flow across his lips until he opened his mouth and I held my arm there. I was the only one with a choice at that moment, kill him or save him. I chose to let Iry live.
FIFTY-TWO – VALA
My life would be different from that moment on. The water rushed through the city for an entire day until it was safe enough to come down from the Needle Building. The sun returned after nearly an entire day of darkness.
Iry was alive. He had healed entirely and I had turned. My senses had heightened and that was the main thing that told me I was no longer human. It was a decision I made and one I wouldn’t regret. I couldn’t.
When I came down from the building and Davis arrived, he knew as soon as he looked at me I had turned.
Before he could ask how or why, he saw Iry. His clothes were still tattered and torn and Davis never broached the subject with me. I sensed he understood.
Snake lived through it, and so did Burt. While we didn’t use the explosives, the Ancient City was destroyed. Uninhabitable.
It was time to move on. I was certain there were still Savages out there. We didn’t conquer them all, just our section of the world. My transformation came with a new era— Humans and Ancients living together as one, and as equals. After all, we had fought for our lives as one.
<><><><>
In the wake of the aftermath, with nothing left, it was time to find the others to deliver the good news. As Snake said, water flowed downstream, and the vehicle placed by the mountain was safe. We needed to walk to it and the walk would do us good.
On our silent journey to the car, Snake stopped.
“What the heck? Is that a mirage?” he pointed outward.
In the distance I saw a tiny moving dot of orange. It moved in no particular direction.
“No,” Davis said. “The life jacket.”
“Can’t be,” Snake said. “Ancients can’t handle water.”
“Look at her,” Davis laughed.
“I’ll be. Our Madge put that twenty pounds back on again. Think its water weight?” Snake asked, and then laughed. “Get it? Water weight.”
“How is that possible?” I asked Iry.
> “She asked to be human again when the battle was done. That’s all I can think of,” Iry replied.
“Should we go help her?” Davis asked. “She looks like she’s struggling.”
After a moment of thought, I replied, “Yes.”
And like we were about to do with our lives, we changed our direction and headed toward that orange life jacket.
Much had transpired between Nito and me. Would I ever forget? Never. Forgive her? Possibly. She saved Iry, placed her life on the line for the human race and for that, I could at least look at her as human and call her by her human name of Madge.
It was the dawn of a new age, and going to save her was the first real step to putting it all behind us and moving forward.
She was unsteady, stumbling as she walked. When she saw us approach, she dropped to her knees, peered at us gratefully and cried. She was confused, unsure of exactly what all had transpired. She knew only that she had battled and had fallen. When she landed, she moved with the water and ended up far from Ancient City.
Madge was certain of one thing. Davis had given her the life jacket and she repeatedly conveyed her gratitude. Then as we approached the vehicle she was certain of another.
“You have turned,” she said to me. “You are now an Ancient.”
“You were the one that told me it was what I had to do,” I said. “Do you not remember?”
She shook her head. “No. Why did I tell you that?”
I simply nodded at Iry. “You saved your husband,” she said. “You turned for him. Well…” she smiled. “I underestimated your feelings for him.”
“We both saved him. You pulled him from the clutches of the Savages.”
Madge seemed surprised to hear that. She was different… or maybe it was me. Perhaps I saw her differently. I supposed I would view the world through Ancient eyes and a human heart. It gave me a huge advantage that I needed.
Even though we arrived at our transport, our day and struggles were far from over.
We needed not only to take Burt to Hopeland, but to find the king and have him return Burt to his human form. He didn’t want to stay Ancient.
The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3) Page 13