by Lisa Morrow
He was my One. I knew that now. But what I didn’t know was him. There was a powerless to all of this. To closing my eyes, and feeling him inside of me, like the beating of my own heart, yet knowing deep down that this man was almost a stranger to me. I really had no idea what he’d do when he found out. Something that terrified me.
“Taking some time to enjoy the view?”
I spun.
Clarissa had a mocking grin plastered across her face as she came towards me.
“Just making sure I’m by the door waiting,” I responded, trying my best to conceal my worries with a sharp reply.
I’d actually barely had time to race up the stairs, stuff my face with cheese and bread, and grab my cloak before running back to the entrance. But she didn’t need to know that.
She stopped beside me and placed her hands on her wide hips. The pink leather shirt lifted slightly, revealing a small expansion of her smooth belly. “Maybe I won’t have to kill you after all. I can handle a dog that can be trained.”
I wanted to tell her that even the sweetest dog could rip a person’s face off if pushed far enough, but the hilts of her daggers peeked out from the sheath hanging from the belt around her waist. And as annoyed as I was, I also wasn’t an idiot.
Seeing that I wasn’t rising to her challenge, she rolled her eyes and strode towards the bridge. Her butt swung from side-to-side as she walked in front of me, an almost comically exaggerate movement. No doubt, she was trying to draw my attention to her odd clothes again. But they really were the strangest clothing I’d ever seen.
“Are you really going to wear that to a village?” I asked without thinking.
“Why not?” She challenged.
I opened my mouth to respond to the annoying question, but she kept talking.
“If you’d ever been in a real fight, you’d know how ridiculous it is to wear some puffy dress. It slows you down, and one thing you don’t want in a battle is to be slowed down.”
“Then why is it that none of the other Protectors wear leather?”
Except for Norma maybe.
Clarissa moved confidently across the glass bridge, and I follow her without looking down. “Because most of the ones you’ve seen, like Blair and Meisha, never actually have to fight. When you start visiting more of the towns on the outskirts of Tarak, you’ll see that outfits like this are pretty common for us.”
I wanted to argue with her. Women, wearing leather and pants? It just seemed strange.
“Do most of them wear pink leather?”
She froze, in the middle of the bridge, and turned towards me. “Oh no, the pink is all me.”
I took several deep breaths, wishing she’d keep moving. “I’ve never seen a pink animal.”
She grinned. “One of us can make anything look exactly the way you want it to. I wanted pink leather, so she made it for me.”
I bit my lip. “Great. Can we keep going?”
Clarissa moved closer to me. “Why? You afraid of heights after your little smack down bellow?”
“No.” I lied.
Her hands were wrapped in the front of my gown before I could react, grabbing me and shoving me over the edge. I screamed, my arms flailing around me.
She snickered. “You’re not a very good liar.”
Very slowly, she pulled me until my feet were flat on the bridge. Then, she turned, as if nothing had happened, and continued walking.
I clenched my fists, focusing on her back, and taking shaky breaths. I should push her over the edge. But even as the thought entered my mind, I knew I could never take a human life.
Unlike Asher.
This sour thought haunted me until we reached the portal.
“Ready?” she asked, pulling her dagger from her sheath.
“What are you going to do with that?”
A mask of seriousness fell over her face. “I’m going to cut you.”
I took a step back from her, and she lunged at me. I cried out, and dove behind the portal. She stabbed out again, but this time, her blade struck the altar. A warm rush pushed me back, and a bustling city appeared in the center of it.
Her terrible grin was back. “You’re really too easy. Coming?”
I took another shaky breath as she walked through the portal, and then inched my way after her. This girl was unpredictable and crazy, a bad combination.
Ear-splitting cheering struck me at the same time as the blast of heat. Instinctually, I turned back around, but the portal had already closed.
“The Protectors have arrived!” someone shouted above the other sounds.
A chant followed the announcement, booming one word: Protectors.
The platform we stood upon was in the center of a wide road paved with gray stone. A sea of people spread out in the streets, a mass of rich, dark colors. On either side of the road, buildings as tall as mountains leaned over us at an angle that whispered a threat I might topple on you at the slightest breeze.
Tiny hairs on my arms stood on end as I shifted closer to Clarissa. A slight breeze, like a warm puff of air, carried the scent of smoke, food, and sweaty people. I gagged.
Is this what all big cities smelled like?
Flowers suddenly rained down on us.
Glancing up, I spotted dozens of people hanging out of windows, grinning and tossing flowers. The sky above was graying, but it was nearly hidden by hundreds of lanterns strung on ropes from one tall building to the next, weaved throughout the entire packed street.
“Goddesses’ Teeth,” Clarissa muttered. “I hate this place.”
“Where are we?” I asked, torn between a sense of awe and apprehension
“Ponya,” she grumbled. “The worst place in Tarak.”
A man who was more round than tall lumbered up the stairs of the platform. “Welcome, I am the mayor of Ponya, Frat, and we are excited for The Choosing to begin!” He was out of breath, but a slight smile turned his large lips.
I tensed. “The Choosing?”
His sagging cheeks sagged further as he frowned.
“Don’t mind her, Fat, she’s new,” Clarissa said, studying her sharp nails.
His shoulders stiffened as he turned to the blonde. “My name is Frat, not fat, Lady Protector.”
She waved him off. “You know I don’t care for names.”
“Of course,” he mumbled. “As you tell me each time.”
It took me a painfully long moment to make sense of what was going on around me. But when I did, shock raced down my spine. Blair couldn’t possibly have sent me here to… a rock dropped in my belly, of course she had.
“Clarissa,” I said, clutching her arm. “I can’t be here for a Choosing.”
“First,” she whispered. “If you touch me again, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”
I let go of her arm.
“And second of all, did you really think you’d get to eat the meat without slaughtering the pig?”
Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my expression blank. “I won’t do this.”
Frat watched our exchange, with an eagerness that gave his pink skin a reddish-tint. “Anything I can do to assist?”
She ignored him, keeping her attention on me. “Oh yes, you will.”
A dangerous wave of anger swept over me. Blair had made a foolish decision if she thought I’d simply go along with a Choosing. It was one thing to fight against the Undead wizards, to defeat them and get Sirena back. It was another thing to expect me to sacrifice innocent lives for nothing.
“Do what you’re told,” she growled.
I locked eyes with her. “Not a chance.”
She grabbed my arm and led me to an alley off the main road, the sea of bodies parted to allow us passage. People in the streets seemed to be doing their best not to stare at us, but their sideways glances were all too obvious.
“This is part of being a Protector.” Her tone softened ever so slightly. “Not one we enjoy, but none of us has a choice.”
“I do.”
&nbs
p; We stared at each other.
After a minute, she sighed and dragged a hand through her blonde spiky hair. “I hate when Blair makes me do this.”
“Then, let’s not.”
Clarissa’s emotions, as always, shifted so quickly they took me by surprise. “Look,” the word held a threat, “I’m basically a slave to these women until this war ends, and we can’t end this war without enough girls, so we’re going to do this. You are going to do this.”
My hands closed into fists. “Will these few girls make any real difference? You and I both know they won’t!” The volume of my voice rose, even as I tried to keep calm. “Blair’s only doing this to torture me. You have to know that, so why are you going along with it?”
She shoved me back against the wall, her forearm pressing down on my throat. “Listen, country girl, Blair sent you here to test you. And if you fail, she’ll figure out what you care about most, and she’ll destroy it. Do you understand?”
My thoughts flashed to Sirena, and my anger lessened as my fear grew. Was it going to really come down to this? Sacrifice more girls or my best friend?
Pushing against her forearm, which was uncomfortable, but not painful, I managed to glare at her. “I don’t want to do this.”
She glared right back. “None of us wants to do this, but most of us care more about surviving than sticking to our morals. There’s no room for morals in war. Got it?”
She was wrong. I was sure of it. These women thought they could force me to do what they wanted, but I knew I could think of a way out of it. I just needed to decide how.
“Rose?” The pressure on my throat increased.
Not sure what else to do, I simply nodded.
She released me and stepped back. “Good. Now, do you know how to sense magic?”
“Sense magic?” I repeated. “No.”
“Okay then, listen closely. I’ll only explain it once.” She grabbed my hand roughly. “Inside of each person is a glowing light. For people without magic, it’s just a silver flicker.”
“But, they don’t have magic.”
She smacked me in the forehead with her free hand. “The silver flicker is their soul; souls are basically magic in its purest form. Wizards who used Blood Magic, use these souls to gain power, but we don’t use them. Each soul you take, takes a little of your own soul. So forget all about souls. People with real magic, either have a flicker of gold, or a blazing inferno of gold. The ones with just a flicker of gold, we take. They have enough magic to fuel us. The ones with the inferno, usually pass the test and join The Order. Got it?”
I stared at her, my head ringing. “I’ve never seen gold or silver, flickers or fire.” Even though I had seen the fire Meisha had shown me, I wasn’t sure it was the same thing.
She smacked my forehead again.
I rubbed the sore spot. Ouch.
“Of course not, you haven’t looked at a person using your magic eye.”
“And how do I do that?” I asked, flinching.
“Blair can do it without touching, but the rest of us need to touch the other person, then close your eyes, and search inside of them. When you see the light, you withdraw.”
“Search inside of them?” I repeated. “How do I search inside of them?”
I raised my free arm to my forehead to protect myself, but she didn’t seem to notice. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
She hauled me to my feet, dragging me back through the crowd to the platform. Twenty girls crowded the stage, wearing extravagant dresses, and grinning.
My heart sank. I couldn’t do this.
“Okay!” Clarissa shouted, and the noises of the crowd died down. “Congrats about getting Chosen and all that nonsense. Now, Rose will choose the lucky girls.” She leapt down from the stage and leaned against one of the buildings, crossing her arms and grinning at me.
I hated her.
Everything about this felt wrong. From what she was forcing me to do, down to the simple fact that she’d taken this special day from these girls. Where was the ceremony? The excitement? Didn’t these girls deserve even that?
I scanned the crowd. There was an array of emotions racing across their faces: disappointment, confusion, and happiness.
So this wasn’t how things were typically done.
“This will work,” I whispered to myself, turning away from her, and away from the crowd, to the girls who stood eagerly waiting. Then, I took a deep breath and stood up straighter. Make them believe you’re one of The Great Protectors they’ve dreamed of for so long. I forced my words to come out loud, but tried to capture the mysteriousness of Blair’s, “In the days before written histories, it’s said the goddesses wanted to reward special humans…” I tried to recite the speech Blair gave, but my nerves made it so I barely heard the words leaving my mouth. This speech, no doubt, wouldn’t be the stuff of legends, but I hoped it’d be enough to make this day special for these girls who had waited their whole lives for it.
I trailed off as I ran out of things to say and let my gaze run over the girls. “Now, I’m going to need your hands. Through my touch, I’ll be able to decide if you are meant to be a Protector.”
The first girl was pretty, blonde, tall, and wearing a gown that probably cost more than my father had ever seen in his life. I reached out and took her by the wrist. She trembled beneath my touch, but didn’t pull away.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on “searching” the girl, but for a long time, I felt nothing. And then, something tore free from me and poured into her. It was a red substance that oozed, filling every cavity of her until it encircled a silver flicker of light. It was an awful feeling, like prying into a person’s deepest secrets.
I pulled away and opened my eyes. The girl stared at me expectantly. I moved to the next girl, trying my best to give nothing away in my expression. These girls saw joining The Order as privilege, but I knew better. Still, what could I do?
I searched five more girls, all with silver flickers, before I found a small gold flame. Opening my eyes, a young girl, who reminded me of Yara, stood waiting. Her expression was filled with both innocence and fear. If given the choice, would she actually want to join The Protectors?
By the time I reached the last girl, I’d found three golden flickers, and no infernos. None of these girls would past the test. All would be turned into flowers, and I would be the one to blame for their pain.
I took a deep breath. “None of you passed the test!”
Some of the girls gasped, others broke into tears, and the crowd began to murmur. I tried to climb down the stairs, but Clarissa was suddenly in front of me.
“What are you doing?” she growled, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.
“I can’t do this,” I said.
She swore. “Why you little—”
“People of Ponya, calm down, there has been a mistake.”
I turned to see a young girl weaving through the crowd. She wore a skirt made from multicolored strips of silk, and a golden chemise.
“I believe this girl,” she continued, pointing to me. “Is new in The Order, so I shall complete the ceremony.”
I glared at her, but she was staring out at the crowd.
“These three girls are The Chosen,” she said, pointing to the three girls, “my apologies to the rest.”
The three girls she indicated stepped forward, and the crowd erupted in cheers. A couple men stood tall and silent. A vision of my father flashed in my mind, before I turned back to the stage. The rest of the girls left the platform.
“I am Sura.” The girl in gold said, smiling. “And don’t worry, it gets easier. The first time is always the hardest.”
A woman, taller than any woman I’d seen before, joined the girls on the stage.
“Talsa, take them to their new home,” Sura ordered the ridiculously tall girl.
Talsa opened the portal and stepped through into the wintery lands.
The young girls followed.
The cheering swel
led. An explosion of sound. Celebratory music blended with the voices of the people, and dancing broke out in the streets.
My stomach clenched. I didn’t know what I should do, but I couldn’t just let them go. “We need to stop this.”
Clarissa’s face was a mask of anger. “And what? Let all of Tarak fall?”
I yanked my shoulder free of Clarissa and squared off with Sura, who stood blocking me from the portal. “I won’t ever do what you do. Now, get out of my way.”
Sura’s smile faltered, and she exchanged a glance with Clarissa before looking back at me. “Let’s just get you to your home for the night.”
The portal closed behind the girls, sealing their fate.
Knowing I couldn’t follow them, I turned my gaze to Sura. I wanted to tell her to go straight to the Underworld, but my anger fled when faced with her pitying expression.
A sudden weariness struck. This was a battle I couldn’t win. But with Asher’s help, perhaps I could win the war.
My shoulders sagged. If I could convince him to help.
Right and wrong seemed to blend together until everything was neither and both. Saving the girls was right. Saving Tarak was right. But both couldn’t be done.
So I made the only choice that seemed simple. I followed Sura and Clarissa through the crowd of celebrating people. Most wore masks of the goddesses’ faces. Their shockingly wild dancing and fast-paced music, stood at such odds with my unhappiness, I could barely stand to look at them.
“Why aren’t we just going back to The Glass Castle?” My words came out less curious and more exhausted.
Clarissa’s expression held regret as she glanced back at me. “I told you, Blair wants to test you. Which means we stay here until we’re done.”
My temples pounded. “But doesn’t it matter that I already failed the first test?”
Clarissa smirked. “Do you really think Blair thought you’d go through with it? Forgot The Choosing, focus on your next test.”