Run To Earth (Power of Four)

by Mazhar, S

  Rose paused for a moment, thinking. A slow smile came to her face and she dropped her gaze to the fire. “Just a simple romance,” she said. “I meet someone. I like him. He likes me. We fall in love. Get married. Have a sweet little house somewhere. Have kids. Grow old together.” She lifted her gaze to look at Kyran. “Make our own family. Our own world.”

  “That sounds so...boring,” Ella said. “Where’s the thrill? The drama? The heartache?”

  “I would take boring over heartache any day,” Rose said.

  “If there’s no heartache,” Kyran said, “there’s no heart. Where’s the love if there’s no heart?”

  Rose smiled. “You do know people love with their brains, not their hearts, right?”

  Kyran laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “Okay,” Ella said. “On that unbelievably unromantic note,” she gestured to Keena, “start an epic, tragic love story.”

  “There’s always the favourite, The Tale of the Waiting Bloom?” Keena suggested.

  “No, I know that one,” Ella said. “How about one from the human realm?” she asked. “In honour of your guests.” She grinned at Sam and Rose.

  Keena smiled as she turned to Rose. “Humans have great love stories,” she said. “How about the retelling of the greatest love story of the human realm – Romeo and Juliet?”

  “Please.” Rose pulled a face. “Romeo and Juliet is the worse example of love you could give.”

  Ella turned to her with wide eyes. “Rose!”

  “I’m sorry, it is,” Rose said. “I studied Romeo and Juliet for my English class at school, and the more I read, the more I realised it isn’t a love story. It’s a story about a rash little boy who can’t decide what he wants. First he’s so in love with Rosalyn, then he falls for Juliet, marries her, kills her cousin, flees the city and commits suicide, without even waiting to see if she’s actually dead or not – and all this happens in the space of five days.” She turned to look at Ella. “Five days. You don’t kill yourself over a girl, or a boy for that matter, who you’ve only known for five days!”

  “Yeah,” Aaron said. “You have to wait at least ten days before you off yourself.”

  Rose bowed her head. “Correction: you don’t kill yourself for anyone, at all, ever,” she said.

  “Yes, but they were in love,” a young Pecosa said.

  “They were infatuated with each other,” Rose corrected. “You can’t be in love with someone you don’t know.”

  “Okay,” Keena started, brow creased in thought. “How about Antony and Cleopatra?”

  “Ah, yes, I know that one.” Ella nodded. “Great love demands great sacrifices,” she quoted.

  “Oh, please,” Rose said. “Love demands sacrifices? That’s not right. Love should be about acceptance and...and the bliss you find in one another.”

  “Sacrifice is the purest form of love,” Zhi-Jiya recited. “Neriah says it all the time.”

  “Fantastic,” Kyran groaned. “Love stories and Neriah. There’s two images I want in my head.”

  “Have you heard the story of Pyramus and Thisbe?” Keena asked.

  “No.” Ella settled down with a grin. “Go for it.”

  Rose let out a sigh.

  “What? What’s wrong this time?” Zhi-Jiya asked.

  “Nothing,” Rose said. “It’s just...well, it’s sorta silly, isn’t it? Pyramus and Thisbe both stab themselves over a misunderstanding and their blood changes the colour of mulberries forever. What’s the message in that story? Don’t eat mulberries?”

  Ella gaped at her with an open mouth. “I can’t believe you just gave away the ending.”

  “Okay,” Zhi-Jiya said. “How about a story Rose hasn’t heard?” she said to Keena.

  “Yeah,” Ella said. “She can’t ruin it then.”

  “You asked for an epic, tragic love story,” Rose defended. “All epic, tragic love stories end with one or both lovers stabbing themselves and dying. What major spoiler did I give away?”

  “I have a story that’s different.” Keena said. “It’s a story from the human realm, so you may have heard it before,” she said to Rose, “but it doesn’t end like most love stories. In fact, there is no other love story quite like it.” She looked around at the Pecosas before meeting Rose’s eyes. “The tale of Mirza Sahiba.”

  Rose frowned. She hadn’t heard of that one. She looked around at Sam and Aaron who shrugged at her.

  “I’m still trying to figure out what a mulberry is,” Sam said.

  “Mirza Sahiba,” Keena started in a soft voice. “Childhood playmates, they grew up in each other’s company. Sahiba was the daughter of the chief; Mirza, the son of the tribe’s leader. The blossoming love of Mirza and Sahiba raised concerns, for their parents disapproved of the union. Sahiba’s father decided to forcibly wed her to another man.”

  Ella gritted her teeth. “I hate it when that happens!”

  “The night before her wedding, Sahiba sent a message to Mirza,” Keena continued. “She taunted him, saying that if he was as brave as he claimed, then he should come and take her away, or join in with the festivities of her marriage to another man. Mirza, a truly fearless man, arrived on his horse and carried Sahiba away in front of her family.”

  Ryan and Kyran let out approving whistles, smirking at one another.

  “Sahiba’s brothers, humiliated by Mirza’s bold actions, set out to follow him,” Keena continued. “But Mirza was already far ahead, out of their reach. Eventually, there came a time when Mirza and Sahiba had to stop to rest. As Mirza lay under the shade of a tree, exhausted from the day’s events, he fell asleep. Sahiba rested with him. She awoke to find her brothers in the distance, racing on their horses, trying to catch up with them. Sahiba knew that Mirza was an accomplished archer. He would not miss his target. If he shot at her brothers, they would die. So before waking Mirza up, Sahiba took Mirza’s arrows and broke each one in half.”

  The mages sucked in a breath. Their shock rang in the air.

  “What was she thinking?” Ella asked.

  “She wanted to protect her brothers,” Keena replied. “Sahiba thought she could get through to her brothers. She thought that maybe, if she begged and pleaded, her brothers might change their minds. She thought her brothers would understand her love.” Keena shook her head. “But her brothers didn’t understand. They didn’t listen. They charged at the defenceless Mirza with their swords drawn. Although Mirza fought with all his might, he was one against several. He was killed.”

  The mood around the fire dropped. The Hunters sat deep in thought, wondering what it would be like to be caught by the enemy while defenceless.

  “What happened to Sahiba?” Rose asked quietly.

  “Some versions of the story say she killed herself that day,” Keena said. “Others say that her brothers forced her back home, but Sahiba never did marry anyone else. Legend has it that for years, an old women dressed in black, her face hidden behind a veil, used to sit next to Mirza’s grave. The old women called out to anyone who passed by and told them the story of Mirza Sahiba. She told anyone who listened how Mirza had turned to her, in shocked denial upon seeing his broken arrows. She would weep and say Mirza had asked only one question: ‘Why?’ When Sahiba replied that she feared for her brother’s lives, Mirza, heartbroken, had replied, ‘I would never hurt your family. Did you not know that?’ The women in black cried day and night at Mirza’s grave and warned all to never do what she did: never betray the one you love.”

  Keena finished the story and looked around at the saddened faces. “What did I say?” She asked. “No love story quite like it.”

  29

  Hearing Silent Calls

  The Hunters walked along the brick road in Zone G-14, heading back to the portal that Scott was waiting to open for them. They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Aaron couldn’t help but feel the entire trip was pointless. They got nothing from the Pecosas. They still weren’t willing to help the mages f
ight against the vamages.

  The wind ruffled the leaves of the trees on both sides of the road and Aaron bristled at the howl of an animal somewhere in the distance. Or was that just the wind? A prickling sensation ran down his back. Even though G-14 was one of Neriah’s zones, and therefore a safe zone, Aaron couldn’t help but feel a dark sense of foreboding growing within him.

  The wind battered its way through the trees, swaying branches this way and that. Quite suddenly, everyone halted, ears strained and eyes narrowed. Hands were already on familiars, ready to pull them out.

  “Did you guys feel that?” Ella asked quietly.

  “Yeah,” Julian replied. “Something’s not right.”

  “You can feel it too?” Aaron asked. “I thought it was just me.”

  “Hunter instincts,” Kyran said quietly, his gaze searching the area. “Learn to trust and listen to them.”

  The six Hunters stayed where they were, weapons held out in front of them, eyes scanning their surroundings. Then they heard the growling. As one they turned, weapons aimed at the dark shape that was slowly approaching them. When it stepped out of the shadows, Aaron got his first look at the beast.

  It was a dog – a gruesome, ugly dog. Its fur was matted, singed in places. It had a strange, narrow head with tiny ears, raised up at the moment. It was big, almost as tall as Aaron but its form was thin, skeletal. Its most terrifying feature by far was its eyes: red, glowing eyes with black-slitted pupils. Its fangs were bared, and thick globs of saliva dropped from the corner of its mouth.

  Aaron recognised it. It was just like the dog he had seen his dad fight in the memory he found at Drake’s house.

  The dog growled again, its echo ringing around them, or that’s what Aaron thought at first. A muttered curse from Zhi-Jiya made Aaron and the others look behind them, only to see two other dog-like beasts inching closer. Aaron found to his mounting horror, another six beasts approaching from behind the trees – their red eyes glowing and long, sharp fangs bared. The dogs raised their hackles and barked at them.

  “Great,” Ryan said. “Devil dogs.”

  “Devil dogs?” Sam asked, sounding just as panicked as Aaron was feeling.

  “Hell hounds,” Skyler replied, not taking his eyes off the dog. “Demonic beasts.”

  “Alright, just take it slowly,” Ella spoke to Sam, Rose and Aaron. “No sudden moves, no yelling and screaming.” She inched backwards, eyes still on the dog in front. “These things are vicious but they can be killed. Just stay next to us and you’ll be fine.”

  The hell hound before Ella lifted its head, sniffing the air before a low chuckle sounded. It took Aaron a moment to realise it was the dog that was laughing.

  The next moment, pandemonium broke out as the hell hounds, all nine of them, charged at once. They attacked the group from all sides. Gunshots rang loudly as the Hunters fended off the beasts. Swords were drawn, guns were aimed and silver daggers were already cutting through the air, stabbing through the grisly fur of the beasts.

  Aaron, Sam and Rose tried their best to stay in the middle, to keep close to the Hunters, but it was next to impossible. The attack had torn the group apart, forcing Aaron and the twins to jump out of the way of rabid fangs and claws.

  “Ace!” Kyran yelled. “Run!”

  Aaron didn’t need telling twice. He grabbed Rose’s hand, who had clutched onto Sam, and the three of them ran. Aaron reached for his silver necklace, closing his hand over both marks.

  “Hell hounds! Open the portal!” he yelled as he bolted down the road, all too aware of the snarling dogs chasing behind him.

  Scott’s voice flooded his mind. “It’s open,” he said. “Hurry, Aaron!”

  Aaron let go of the pendants and pulled out his gun. Still running, he turned, stretching back to fire at the dogs chasing him.

  “Weapons will only slow them down,” Kyran’s voice echoed in Aaron’s mind, thanks to the spiral pendant around his neck. “Only your power can kill them!”

  Aaron remembered how a simple wave of his dad’s hand had turned the dog to stone. The problem was that Aaron knew performing the wave was anything but simple. Pocketing his gun, Aaron ran blindly down the path, Sam and Rose beside him. The sound of gunshots and growls, gasps and whimpers filled the air, but Aaron didn’t dare slow down to look back.

  Aric’s mark suddenly glowed before him a short distance away; a beautiful white insignia that brought a rush of relief to Aaron. All he had to do was get Sam and Rose there. If they jumped through the portal, they would land in the deep forest just outside the Gate of Salvador. Seeing the portal so close made Aaron and the twins run faster, pushing their muscles past their dull ache. Just as they approached the six bikes parked to the left of the mark, Aaron let go of Rose’s hand and turned around, facing the beasts that were chasing them. Two hell hounds came at him, frothing at the mouth, snarling and gnashing their teeth.

  “Aaron!” Rose screamed.

  Aaron forced out a rushed breath, held out both hands and with a cry of his own, he pushed his hands to either side. The ground trembled and split in two, the large crack swallowing whatever came its way. It took one hell hound down, but the other one jumped over the opening, and continued racing towards Aaron. A perfect ripple caught the dog, blasting him back.

  “Aaron! Come on!” Sam yelled.

  Aaron turned and ran, hoping he had slowed the beast down enough so that it wouldn’t chase them through the portal. He grabbed Rose’s outstretched hand and the three of them raced towards Aric’s mark. Sam had almost stepped into the glow when Aaron felt the air shift and change. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck prickled, as if in anticipation of something horrible, moments before he felt the sharp claws cut into his back. With a grunt, Aaron let go of Rose’s hand and fell, the hell hound on his back.

  Sam and Rose’s screams faded into the background as the blood pounded in Aaron’s ears, followed by the racing heartbeat thudding at his insides. Aaron rolled over, forcing the dog to move. But with Aaron now on his back, the hell hound pounced onto Aaron’s torso, trying to rip him open. Its claws slashed at Aaron’s chest, ripping three lines down his jacket and top. With its fangs bared, the beast went for Aaron’s neck.

  Aaron’s hand found one of his blades and before he could think clearly, he dug the knife into the beast’s side. With a choked growl, the dog fell limp, its fangs just barely away from Aaron’s flesh. With a revolted groan, Aaron pushed the dog off, letting the whimpering creature fall to the ground. Sam hurried to help Aaron up, looking horribly pale.

  “Oh God! You alright? You okay?” he asked, wide-eyed and shaking.

  Aaron didn’t have the time or the breath to answer. The hell hound was only injured, not dead. They had to get out before it recovered. From the corner of his eye, Aaron saw another dark shape scurrying towards them.

  Aaron grabbed Sam and pushed him towards the glowing mark. Sam held on to Rose’s hand and all three jumped into the portal, falling onto soft, cool grass on the other end. They all scrambled to sit up, chests heaving and eyes wide, fixed on the glowing symbol. They watched, just in case something other than the Hunters came out after them. Nothing happened.

  “You okay, Aaron?” Rose asked in a shaky voice.

  “Yeah,” Aaron breathed. He reached up to feel the tears across his chest. “It didn’t get me – too many layers.” When he got to his feet, he felt pain shoot down his back.

  “Come on,” Sam said, coming to Aaron’s side. “We should go. You need an Emapth for those cuts on your back.”

  They turned and started walking. The forest was so dense they could barely see where they were going.

  “It’s this way, I think,” Aaron said, following the track marks left by the bikes.

  “There’s a path up this way,” Rose pointed in another direction.

  “Reckon both lead to Salvador?” Sam asked.

  “Probab–” Before Aaron could finish, a hell hound darted from behind a shadowed tree, coming straight f
or Sam. Rearing onto its hind legs, the beast shoved Sam using its front paws, with enough force to knock him against a tree.

  “Sam!” Rose cried.

  Aaron pulled out his gun and fired three shots, but the hell hound dodged them before running towards Sam. Aaron dropped his gun and raised his hands, aiming another powerful ripple at it. Rose reacted at the same time.

  “Get away from him!” she screamed, when she saw the beast running at her brother.

  She picked up a stone and threw it. It hit the tree, distracting the hell hound, which stopped and turned towards her with its fangs bared. It was all the pause Aaron needed. His ripple thundered across the forest ground, catching the hell hound and throwing it away from both Sam and Rose. The beast hit a tree with a sickening thud and fell to the ground.

  Aaron and Rose both let out gasps of relief, leaning on the closest trees to take in shaky breaths.

  “That was too close,” Aaron said, straightening up. He saw Sam huddled at the foot of the tree he had been knocked into. He hadn’t moved. “Sam? Sam, you okay?” Aaron called, moving towards him.

  “Sammy?” Rose hurried forward.

  The second hell hound came out from nowhere. It headed straight for Rose, its teeth bared and ready. Aaron saw it before Rose. His ripple caught the hell hound, pushing it away from Rose, but not before its wild swipe caught her. Rose staggered back, a hand clutched to her side. The hell hound hit the ground and scampered off, running into the darkness, disappearing from view. Aaron lowered his hand, breathing heavily and started towards Rose.

  “Rose, you–?”

  He paused in his tracks, his eyes slowly widening at the crimson trickle spilling out over Rose’s hand. Very slowly, Rose lifted her bloodstained hand and held it up, staring at it in disbelief. She looked at Aaron, shock and surprise in her eyes. She took a step towards him and stumbled.

  “Rose!” Aaron darted forward as his friend collapsed to the ground.

  He picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Rose took fast, short breaths, both hands clutched to the cut in her side.

  “A-Aaron!” she gasped.