by P. G. Thomas
Sam shook his head. You have. Pointing his nose to a large box, when Hope entered it, he lay across the front to both protect and keep her warm, knowing her shaking was not a result of the temperature, and wished he could communicate like their father. He looked back to the large mixed breed, ‘how far.’ Even though she stopped gnawing, pointed to the west with her nose, he was uncertain if she had answered the question. How does Dad do it? However, he had other concerns, as even though the streets had been dark, he realized too many times they had headed in the wrong direction. Understanding their guide had sought out her favored and most traveled routes to keep them safe, he wondered how much time her caution would add to their journey, and if she understood the urgency of what they hunted.
*******
As John stared out the window, the new sunrise chased away the darkness. Crawling out of bed, picking up his clothes, he wished he could reassemble the pieces of what was now happening in the same fashion. Heading down the stairs, he checked Gayne’s office before entering the dining room, seeing the pile of blankets was absent of furry guests. In the main room, his first observation was that the house staff had shown up early, as all of the empty bottles from the night before were gone, and the smell of breakfast was thick in the air.
As Panry had been telling Jasmine about Lauren’s previous visit, he saw John heading to the dining room. “I shall tell you more later.”
She shook her head. He is not done?
An hour later, everybody turned to look when Lauren stepped into the doorway. The berry taken for dreamless sleep had been too small, as her face spoke of the endless crying from the nightmares that had found sanctuary in her dreams. Unable to vanish the images seen, she still recalled the horrors given birth before her eyes to the daughters she had conceived. Ryan was beside her, the one they all thought only had two emotions: rage and love. This day, he proved his friends wrong, as his face told a story of being overwhelmed with new emotions, the same way a beach welcomes a tsunami: devastation. In silence, they walked over to the table.
“Before anybody asks,” Ryan began, “I don’t know what happened yesterday. I felt the rage rising, and when I woke up last night, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my daughter being held by that character.”
“Zymse Darpac,” advised Steve.
Ryan shook his head, “DMW.”
“Dependant marker word?” asked John with a puzzled look.
“No, dead man walking.” He turned to Eric, “No signs of Sam or Hope?” Eric shook his head, as Ryan still remembered the look in Zack’s eyes, the determination in his voice, the words he spoke. These are my children, and I love them dearly. Should anything happen to them, onto you I’ll unleash all of my anger. Over the past few years, I’ve found out that I cannot die. Even though it may take me a hundred lifetimes, if one of my beloved children doesn’t return to me, I’ll rip the raging heart from the mysterious one. Before you speak your answer, your word on Lauren’s life you need to give me, as should you fail on your word, her heart I’ll devour first—since I know the pain it’ll gift you, but it won’t compare to the pain that I’ll feel. Your word, now, my children you’ll protect. Ryan took a large gulp of the hot bean juice. What have I done?
Most at the table were in varying degrees of shock since the number of reasons exceeded the quiet diners. “Somebody has to talk,” Steve began, “so I guess it’s up to me. This guy, Zymse, from the way he was dressed, one of the privileged Darkpaye residents I take it. A former benefactor of the Blood Bond?”
Mirtza nodded, “From what I understand, black is reserved for the oldest family lines.”
“The bastard branded my daughter!” exclaimed Lauren. “Find me a damn Purity Stone, and make him swallow it. Then I’ll—”
Ryan, grabbing her hand, was uncertain of what to say, as an image of stacked bones filled his thoughts, and carved into each three names: Samantha, Hope, and Brooke.
Steve tried to find the right words, “Look, there’s no way that I can even imagine what you two are thinking. Everybody at this table understands how serious this is, except for Ironwart and me?”
“Ironwood!”
“Everybody but me and her. I haven’t seen looks like this—well, you really don’t want to know why.” Steve still remembered the parents and teachers from the school shooting that day. It was the same day that he cancelled his membership to the National Gun Organization, signing every online gun control petition that he could find, half of which, so drunk, he most likely spelled his name wrong. On the last, his signature incomplete, as the keyboard had shorted out with his tears and spilled drink, overflowing from it before he passed out. “I can’t tell you how to find the strength that you need. Maybe it’s in that picture Lauren showed Gayne, maybe it’s in your hearts, or if necessary, let it breed in the hate you feel. Right now, you need to push those horrors to the side. I wish I could tell you there was a magic button that you could press, stopping the confusion and pain, allowing your minds to clear, and you would know what you had to do but there isn’t one.” He thought back to the days of when enemy fire had him trapped, watched his friends die, praying to the heavens while hell erupted around him. He reached out, grabbing the hands of John and Eric who sat beside him. Slowly, the others did the same. “Back home, they had many names, just like they seem to have here. Maybe it’s the same everywhere,” When Steve lowered his head, the others followed suit. “Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change. The courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people we have to kill—because they pissed us off.” Steve looked up, his voice no longer soft, instead, filled with a wrath. “Now save the drama for your momma because we have graves to fill, and three little girls to save, and damn it, this place is starting to piss me off.”
The others looked at Steve in shock, as his sudden change and words had broken through. They knew their silence and confusion would be unable to win the triplets their freedom, only their actions would. He stood, “First, while I don’t know what she is, this Mother is power, so we need her on our side. Somebody, probably Zymse, has done something to her. Somehow, and while I’ve no idea, she lives through her forests with the people talking to her. John, the yellow root, I’ve a hunch it’s the rot that is causing her pain, so you need to figure it out. Lauren, if John fixes the forest, you need to fix the people. Even though I don’t know how, you need to soldier through your pain, making them cast their words, prayers, praise, or whatever in her direction. This guy Zymse, we need information on him. I need to know where he lives, eats, craps, sleeps, and anything else. Hell, I even want to know what makes him smile when he dreams!”
Ryan slammed his hand down, “No, he has one of our daughters. We just find him, and—take them back.”
“Why can’t we just kick in his door?” Then Lauren went quiet when an image formed in her mind. Her arms wrapped around the elfin Earth Guard, who wore a crimson necklace of death, as his life slipped through her bloody hands.
“If you only had one daughter, I might agree with you both, but since we’re talking triplets, we need the locations of all before we can act.” The day before, when Steve had met the two Earth Guard captains, he could sense both their military experience and the subtle differences between them. While Jasmine had a determination about her, would get the job done, she would follow the rules. He knew the other one would be unable to spell the word rule, even if you gave him four wooden blocks with the letters burnt on them. “Gayne, since you mentioned high taxes, there must be an office for them. Take Panry with you to find out what properties Zymse owns.”
“Why him?”
“You are too polite, a fault that I do not have.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. John, I want to go with you to see that root. Lauren, you need to start thinking about Mother’s children. Now, we still have two more missing. Mirtza, since you know the town, take that SHET wagon with Logan, Ryan, and Eric.”
> Lauren interrupted him, “I need to go visit Krisp. Can Eric drive the coach?”
“Okay, it’s just the three of you. If anything happens, one of you two should be able to handle it quietly.” Then Steve raised the volume of his voice, “In case any suffer from hearing problems or attention issues, I said QUIETLY.” His loud shout making them all look, “because we don’t need any attention or eyes on us. Do you all understand that? Although we also need to check south of the Key.”
“I think he needs more ointment of translation like I do,” advised Panry. “The wagon permit, what did you call it?”
John sighed, “It’s a license for the Sanitation of Horse Excrement Transportation, a SHET wagon for short. It was the only way we could arrange to travel freely north of the Key.”
Nodding, Panry whistled, calling to Cethail Highbreeze, Catic Winterfox, and Erust Huntinghawk, who entered the front room. “The pups of Zack are missing. As yout know his abilities, search for signs. Take Winterfox to watch your backs.” All three nodded before heading to the stable to saddle their deer mounts. Whistling a second time, Babartin and Careel Dawnfalcon walked in from the front room. “Take two from Ironweed’s Earth Guard as your Earth Mother is back.”
John began to blush, “Can’t we call me the Unchosen?”
“No.”
“You cannot take my men!” protested Jasmine.
“He is Earth Mother, hence an Earth Guard he needs.”
“He is not a real Earth Mother!” continued Jasmine.
John rolled his eyes.
“Since Mother does not revoke his title, he is still an Earth Mother, thus protection he needs. His cloak is present, so we must protect him.”
“Fine.” When Jasmine whistled, two elves entered, “Earth Mother, I would like to introduce Ahee Springbud and Helight Woodwild, your new Earth Guards.”
After they had nodded to Lauren, Jasmine pointed to John.
Seeing the confused looks on the Earth Guards, John blushed more, not again.
Whistling a second time, two more elves arrived. She turned to Lauren. “I am your Earth Guard captain, Jasmine Ironwood.” Then she pointed, “These are your Earth Guards Silmon Freshspring and Jacping Burntwood. Oxron, the last, is occupied at present.” After Lauren had nodded to the elves, she looked at the dwarf who held the metal blade named Heart of Earth Mother, but his look conveyed no sense of emotions.
Accepting the translation ointment that Gayne retrieved, Panry applied it, passing it to the other elves when done, as Mirtza, Logan, and Ryan headed to the SHET wagon.
Gayne went out to the stable that housed all of the protectors’ mounts, materializing a carriage. When he had taken to the bench, Steve with John entered the back of it. After Panry had opened the stable doors, he joined Gayne before they headed into the Bright Coast.
Riding along, Steve watched John shake his head in disbelief, as he glanced back several times at his self-appointed protectors. That morning, Steve had failed to notice the actual animals in the pens. Looking behind the carriage, he was somewhat surprised. “They’re—are they riding deer?”
“That would be my Earth Guard.”
Once at the school, John with Steve exited the carriage, heading inside to examine the root, with Careel, Babartin, Helight, and Ahee following on foot
Steve, unable to hold in his laughter, fell against the wall, sliding slowly down it. “Kid, own it.” Then he wiped away his tears of hilarity, “Yeah, it’s humorous because of the way you react. If you had walked up to me, saying, ‘I’m an Earth Mother, and if you think it’s funny, I’ll ask my elf friends to explain it to you.’ Trust me, nobody would ever make fun of you, but instead, you blush like a little girl being asked out on her first date.”
John opened the door, “Careel, Babartin. My friend thinks it’s funny that you’ve bestowed the title of Earth Mother upon me. I was wondering what you thought of that.”
“Does he insult you, Earth Mother?”
The laughter stopped. “Kid, that’s not funny.” Then he turned to the inquisitive elf, whose hand rested on the hilt of a sword. “I didn’t insult Earth Mother, did I?”
“Thank you, Careel,” John turned, closing the door, “You’re right. Owning it is so much better.”
“In the future, should I just call you a Mother Fuc—”
John cut him off, “The design of the elf hearing is incredible. Even if they were at the other end of the school, if I whispered one of their names, they would hear it.”
“First, why don’t I just call you the Unchosen? Second, I’m on your side, and lastly, do you have PMS? Pissed-off Mother Syndrome?”
John pulled up a crate, “Pissed, yes, but not at you. I built something, something I never thought I would see again. I had dreams of being here for almost three years, maybe seven, I don’t know. The things I did, could do. I bent unbendable laws, turned chaos into law with logic, transformed thoughts into actions. Then one day, three innocent babies are ripped from their mother’s arms, brought here, and now evil rocks them to sleep. Do you want to know something? I have no effing idea how to find them. They’re here because of me, and I can’t fix it.” He wiped away his tears, “Last night, every time I closed my eyes I saw their faces, and they kept asking me why.” He lowered his head into his hands, “Why? Why what? I don’t know. What am I supposed to do?”
“Kid, you fight back. Don’t let this Zymse character win the mental battle. You have smarts, more than most, so use them. There are two kinds of soldiers on the battlefield: those who carry off the dead, and those in the body bags. The truth is, before the tracers light up the night, when you walk around the camp, you know who’s going home bagged and tagged. Now, as I don’t get that impression from you, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, being the best damn Earth Mother, Unchosen, or whatever that you can be. Every time you look in a mirror or close your eyes, I want you to see the faces of those three little girls, because if you don’t, you’ll forget what you’re fighting for. At that point, somebody will already be carving your name on a box. Now tell me about this freaky yellow root, or I’ll jam something under that door and paddle your ass with my sword. Yeah, I might pay for it later, but it’ll smart more, blushing a brighter red than you do when somebody calls you Earth Mother. Now, engage your damn brain.”
“Will I ever understand you?”
“When I understand these damn lands.”
“Guess not,” then John reached for the pan. “About the root, while it’s organic and secretes salt, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it before.”
“If John was looking at it instead of my favorite Earth Mother, what would he have to say about it?”
“He would need technology that doesn’t exist here.” John pulled the cheesecloth back to expose the large root.
“What are those?” asked Steve.
The last time Steve had seen the root, it had filled the pan, but today it was different, as numerous small vertical offshoots several inches long had grown from the sides, each having a large bulb at the top. John stared at the strange plant that had been invading his dreams, “It’s a fungus. After those stems push through the ground, they develop spores to reproduce.”
“Okay, so it’s a fungus. What does that mean?” asked Steve.
“Its primary purpose is to decompose plant life. With salt being its main by-product, it first kills the plants, most likely the roots, which it consumes first.”
“What? How?”
“Lots of big words with scientific explanations. Trust me, while it looks like a root, it actually consumes plants.”
“I’m not a big fan of long explanations, but can you kill it?”
“Technically, yes, logistically, no, so I just need some time to consider our options. If those assassins were planting this same root that’s growing in the forests here, then what does it mean?”
“Kid, it’s like I told you, Zymse is trying to kill Mother.”
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“I guess it all makes sense. He must have a connection to the first invasion, and with the Peace Bond in place, he couldn’t invade again.”
“Kid, it wasn’t the peace bond that stopped a second invasion. It was the loss of the Blood Bond with the power it gave him. Without it, they chased him out of Darkpaye, so ending up here, I highly doubt he’s pleased about his current relocation. Arriving here, he has a major hate for what happened, and the primary source of his pain is Mother, which would be his number one opponent. If she ever had a sniff of what he was doing, she might end the Earth Bond, having all of her ‘children’ chase them away, but where would they go? You heard him on that stage, putting down Mother, talking about his ‘natural’ magic, offering to return the Newlands to the people. Hell, he even cured the stoners! What I don’t understand is the connection between here and Alron. Even though it would appear he’s winning this conflict, his fixation on Alron, well, extending his actions that far away, it’s just an added expense.”
“While it might have started in the Bright Coast, it ended in Alron with the Earth Mothers. If it were just a Darkpaye invasion to take over Calicon, then weakening Mother would be a necessary action, and if you wanted to rule the lands, you would have to do something about the populations.”
Steve nodded, “Him offering the Newlands back to the people is the part that doesn’t make sense to me. With that kind of power or magic, Darkpaye could control the Newlands, hell, all of the lands, but that’s beneath them. You’ve seen them, as they like the comfortable life, and to be honest, why not just brand everybody from Darkpaye, letting the trollmares free in the Bright Coast? Everybody else would flee, but if they wanted, they could also brand their servants to keep them in line, allowing ‘the new rulers’ to continue enjoying the life they’re accustomed to. I just don’t know what his end game is with this ploy or distraction. But, when you include hiring assassins, giving them brands of protection, contracting them to kill Earth Mothers in Alron, well that seems personal.”