Prints

by A N Martin

  He put his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. Turning he looked back toward the cave, as if he were unsure whether to go back. The longer they stood frozen in place, the more uneasy Dominaze became. Finally she felt so uncomfortable she turned to go back to the cave, but the snapping of a branch in the distance had her frozen in place again. Something was moving in the distance. She looked back at Hemrick.

  “Is it an animal?” he mouthed silently.

  Trying to focus, Dominaze closed her eyes to see everything. A small group of larger beasts roamed just a few paces from them.

  “They’re just ani….” Dominaze froze mid-word remembering how the Elders had disguised themselves as wolves before. She took a moment to study their movements and realized they weren’t animals at all, but crouching Prints imitating creatures. She shook her head to answer Hemrick’s question. Fear engulfed her as she recognized the slight vibrating of the ground.

  “Kor.” Dominaze mouthed while pointing at the ground.

  Hemrick nodded and pointed to the air and mouthed, “Soomi.”

  Dominaze barely noticed the temperature difference. It was warm, but it could have come from the entire ecosystem she had accidentally created. Yet, she wasn’t about to doubt that Tivock was probably there too. Even if he wasn’t a true Elect, she wasn’t going to underestimate him. There was no wind. At first Dominaze found comfort in this, but very quickly realized it was too still. The air was being held in place. Either Kyro or the Elect Elder of Wind, Orphes, was here, or both. No wonder Hemrick’s wind bursts weren’t able to penetrate the forest.

  Hemrick grabbed Dominaze’s wrist and pointed along the rocky wall, so she would continue to move forward along the cliff. Dominaze made her way along the wall as steady and quietly as she could. The further she went though, the more she thought they ought to turn and go back. But still, they inched their way past the large trunks and wild brush. She had to get Hemrick out of here. Dominaze pushed the warning instincts back as she grabbed some hanging vines and pulled them out of the way, regretting it instantly. She was met with a pair of eyes no more than three feet in front of her face. It only took her a second to recognize Kor, the Elect of the Earth. Shocked, Dominaze froze in place, but Hemrick was ready. Grabbing her, he threw Dominaze down and sent a powerful burst of wind in Kor’s face. It was only then that Dominaze got a glimpse of several others with him and among them Kyro, her dad. He really had betrayed her.

  “DOMINAZE, RUN!” Hemrick picked her up and pushed her in the opposite direction.

  Dominaze took off along the cliff and amazingly found herself in sync with the trees and plants around her. Vines lifted and branches bent out of the way as she ran through them. She could feel the elements that made up each plant. Her thoughts became powerful and direct and everything around her seemed ready to listen and obey. She knew that if they made it back to the cave she could keep them safe. Pushing herself forward, she ran with determination.

  A sudden burst of rock exploded just inches in front of her, throwing her back. She hit Hemrick and knocked them both to the ground. Two more rock explosions erupted just above them, raining fragments down on them.

  “What do we do?” Dominaze called to Hemrick.

  “Fight! Don’t be afraid to hurt them! They’re here to kill you!” He got to his knees and created powerful winds that billowed out in every direction. His veins bulged from his neck and forehead as he forced as much wind as he could into the trees.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Dominaze yelled over his winds. “I can’t hurt them!”

  Just then sharp pieces of glass came flying toward them. Dominaze wouldn’t have seen them except they reflected the pale moonlight above as they passed beneath the trees. Instinctively, she threw her arms out and forced them to the ground. They crashed inches in front of them.

  “Then we’ll both die!” Hemrick exclaimed, staring at the now-shattered glass.

  Dominaze couldn’t let Hemrick die. Not when he was the only one willing to believe she wasn’t bad. The thought of him dying made her insides ache and forced her to find the strength and the focus she needed to exercise her authority. Standing behind Hemrick, she tried to feel for the attacks. Hemrick’s winds were making it hard for the Elders to aim, but with Orphes and Kyro being Wind Prints too, they battled Hemrick’s winds, weakening them.

  Dominaze was about to launch her own attack when she heard Kyro’s voice whispering on the winds around her. “Dominaze, don’t fight us, please. We need your help.”

  Everything around them was suddenly calm, except for Hemrick’s billowing winds. All the attacks from the Elders and the Elect had stopped.

  “Help with what?”

  Hemrick looked at her. “Who are you talking to?”

  Again Kyro’s voice whispered. “We need to bring back balance. Every world depends on it Dominaze. With your help we can accomplish perfect balance. Without it our worlds are doomed.”

  Dominaze remembered his anger when she had first imprinted as the Demon Print and the wall of water sent by Soomi to trap her on the island. She thought of the stinging insects that nearly killed Hemrick.

  She shook her head. “You attacked me. I don’t trust you.”

  Hemrick pushed at the winds that encircle Dominaze. “Don’t listen to him.”

  Kyro’s winds fought to stay with Dominaze. “You fled. We needed to get you back.”

  “But the attacks. You’re killing Prints. Taking their strips? Zapora was killed because she was mistaken for me.”

  “These are desperate times, Dominaze. If Prints do not cooperate to accomplish balance they must be made to. All three worlds depend on it.”

  “No. I don’t believe you. No one should be killed for what they have or forced to sacrifice what is theirs. The Elect have left Zapora’s father with nothing.”

  “Is it not better that one should die rather than three populated worlds? If you help the Elect, no others need to die. ”

  Dominaze looked at Hemrick as he continued to force his winds into the Elders and the Elect. She knew Kyro was willing to do things she wasn’t, but if she didn’t go with him he would keep hurting others until he achieved his idea of perfect balance. She had no idea what Kyro would make her do, but she needed time. Hemrick had to be far from her before she turned herself over.

  Hemrick shoved the winds away from Dominaze. “Don’t believe him.” He hissed over his winds. “We’ve been raised to fear the Demon Print. Not anticipate your arrival to save our worlds.” Hemrick leaned close to Dominaze. “Don’t you dare go with him. They will kill you. They don’t want you to help them. They want to use your authority to accomplish whatever it is they’re trying to do and then they will kill you.”

  Dominaze nodded. “I won’t go.” She turned away from Hemrick so he wouldn’t hear. “Not yet.”

  A current rushed from around Dominaze back to Kyro. She hadn’t realized he was still listening. She felt the rage that filled him as he heard her denial to come with him now. A wind rushed forward with Kyro’s voice on it.

  “If you don’t come willingly, we will have to take you by force. I will not stand by and watch the destruction of our worlds.”

  Dominaze could feel sharply shaped stones coming straight for her and Hemrick. Trees were erupting, creating a shower of splinters, and still more glass was being launched. Fire rose into the air.

  “Dominaze, do something!” Hemrick begged as he saw what was coming.

  For the first time Dominaze saw fear in his eyes. It was her turn to protect him. Without another thought, she threw her arms up and submitted to her instincts. Feeling the stone spears, she forced them to turn around and fall onto their creators. The raining splinters she shattered until they were nothing but dust shavings. Barely having time, she redirected the glass to crash into the rocks next to them. But it wasn’t over; there was still so much more coming. Fire blazes shot through the trees and she barely had enough focus to bury them
into the dirt. Fog filled the ground and rose higher and higher so she couldn’t see what was coming until it was on top of them. Forcing herself to feel for the disrupted elements, she found she could block the assaults before she could see them. Again and again Dominaze redirected winds, water, stone, and fire. She shattered trees and twisted vines. Every blow she blocked and shattered took more and more energy from her, draining her force. Her head throbbed as she worked harder to protect Hemrick. Struggling to keep up, she knew more attacks threatened them. Either the attacks were coming faster and stronger, or she was growing weaker and slower. Each time she moved one element, the next landed closer. Soon they would be right on top of them.

  “Put a barrier around us!” Hemrick called over the chaos.

  “How?” she gasped

  “Use the elements in the air—the glass—anything! Make it so that the attacks can’t get through!” he yelled.

  Dominaze tried to pull the particles in the air together. Her muscles shook and the particles scattered. Her energy was diminishing quickly and the elements wouldn’t listen any more.

  “I can’t do it!” she called as she filled with panic.

  Hemrick ducked out of the way as rocks hit the cliffs above him. “Shape the cliff behind us to create a cave! We need cover!”

  Without hesitation, Dominaze turned and focused everything on the towering rocks behind her. It felt like breaking her own ribs as she cracked and forced them apart. With every effort she put into the rocks the attacks were getting that much closer. If she and Hemrick didn’t get into cover this instant, they would be struck. The rocks rumbled as they reformed, splitting to create a narrow opening.

  “They’re open, come on!” Dominaze yelled to Hemrick.

  They backed in carefully, still fending off the assaults. Dominaze was so exhausted. Her hair was wet with sweat and sticking to her face, making it hard to see. She never saw the sliver of glass coming as it grazed her arm, cutting her.

  “Ow!” She grabbed her arm and for a split second lost focus. By the time she saw the following slivers of glass flying toward her, it was too late. She barely gasped as she watched them shoot directly through her.

  “No!” Hemrick cried with his hand stretched toward her.

  At first Dominaze felt nothing. She didn’t dare look down at herself. Then the throbbing sting set in and began to spread from her front to her back. Her breath was gone and she collapsed to her knees. Hemrick was there to catch her. He braced her as winds billowed into the cave from outside. Rocks flew through the opening and exploded against the back wall, showering them with pebbles.

  “Stop!” Hemrick screamed at the Elect. “Leave her alone!” He raised both arms into the air and pushed his winds outward. The roaring hurricane shook the walls around them and ripped through the trees outside. Hemrick yelled in rage and groaned as his energy was carried away on the wind. When there was nothing left in him, he sank over Dominaze. His eyes filled with tears, he shook his head. “I’m so sorry.”

  Dominaze wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t talk. Instead she coughed and a warm, thick liquid filled her mouth. She remembered Kurtike saying something about a Print being able to heal body tissue. She didn’t know what that would feel like or how to do it. Not wanting Hemrick to see her choke on her own blood, she turned away and looked outside. If she could have gasped she would have. In the cave entrance, Kyro stood with several Elect and Elders behind him. He shook his head at her with pleading eyes. His dark hair billowed in the wind and Dominaze knew he was going to take her away from Hemrick.

  Hemrick held Dominaze tight as he glared at the Elect closing in. Their eyes were hungry as they came.

  Hemrick leaned closer to Dominaze and whispered. “I don’t believe him Dominaze. I’m sorry. I failed you. I just wanted you to have a chance.”

  Dominaze couldn’t speak, but shook her head. As she moved her head from side to side something caught her eye. It was the glass band from Brike on her arm. Looking back at Kyro, her fear of him grew. He showed her no mercy and was willing to go to lengths she wasn’t to get what he thought was best. Everything she wished for in a father was diminished as his cold heartless eyes bore into her. Even if the worlds were on the brink of destruction she couldn’t let him hurt any more Prints. And she couldn’t let him take her now if it meant Hemrick would be harmed. She had to protect Hemrick. Hate filled her and even as she lay dying, she felt her black stripes pulse with the rage. Dominaze focused everything on her glass armband. As soon as it was grasped in her mind she stretched it out long and launched it. It flew with purpose toward her target. Kyro had no time to block the attack. He barely gasped as the glass pierced him. His eyes were wide as he collapsed. The Elect and Elders surrounded him as he fell, but Dominaze could still see the shock in his eyes.

  Regret and shame surprised her as she lay watching him. How could she have stooped to his level? She never wanted to hurt anyone. She was supposed to show them the good within her. Now they would never know it.

  The dim moonlight finally faded. Dominaze shivered as she watched the blackness take over. A sudden burst of fire was all she saw before it was all dark and silent. Tivock would kill Hemrick and she would be taken away.

  ~14~

  MANIPULATED

  It was calm as Dominaze slowly came to. She didn’t dare move. Fear of the reality she would have to face when she got up coaxed her to stay down. If she were dead, the subtle pain in her stomach should have been gone, yet she could barely feel where the glass had pierced right through her. But if she were alive, the likelihood that Hemrick was killed defending her was all too possible.

  As she rolled over, squeaky springs creaked beneath her. She froze and opened her eyes. She didn’t recognize anything around her. The cave she so clearly remembered falling unconscious in was gone. Making no sudden movements, Dominaze looked around slowly, trying to decide whether or not she was safe.

  She was in a small, square room. Every wall completely covered from ceiling to floor with shelves that were overflowing with knickknacks, bottles, stacks of paper, and large film rolls. There was a wooden fan on the ceiling above her with only a single arm spinning around. She was lying in a twin sized bed under an old, thick, crocheted blanket. Looking around, she found two open windows on the wall by her head. Pale, worn curtains fluttered in a nearly non-existent breeze. The sun was high in the sky. There was nothing preventing her from escaping if she wanted to. So, whoever lay her here wasn’t trying to keep her here. Across the room sat a lopsided wood dresser. On top of it was a small box television set with two long antennas shooting out from the top. There was a door halfway closed next to the dresser.

  Finding she was alone, Dominaze carefully sat up to get a better idea of where she was. She looked at her arms, still covered in black stripes. She was surprised she still had her strip in place. On a chair, tucked in the corner, was a pile of folded black clothing. She quickly recognized them to be hers. Looking down at herself, she realized that she had been changed. She was wearing black draw sting pants and a soft satin pink tank top. Her hair was combed and smelled of sweet peppermint leaves. There was a noise coming from outside the half-opened door. Straining her ears, she recognized the sound of a woman humming.

  Twisting her body to get out of the bed, she flinched at the sudden pain in her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself and felt a thick bandage against her skin.

  Just then a loud thump followed by a continuous pounding erupted outside her room. Her natural impulse was to hide. Grabbing the blankets that lay over her, Dominaze pulled them up to her chin as she stared toward the doorway, ready for anything.

  “Surge, no!” a woman called, as the pounding rapidly grew closer.

  Suddenly a large mass of fur burst through the door and leaped directly at Dominaze. Instinctively, she threw her arms up to protect herself. Prepared for its crushing weight, she was shocked when just a small thump landed on top of her with barely enough weight to
be noticed. Putting her arms down, Dominaze looked at the hairball. It was no longer enormous and bounding excitedly. It lay clumsily on her lap, squeaking happily.

  “A puppy?” she gasped in unbelief.

  “Well then.” A hushed voice responded.

  Jumping at the sound of the voice, Dominaze noticed a small, old woman standing in the doorway. She recognized the woman immediately as the old Manick woman from Caba who never spoke to her. The woman’s mouth hung open as her eyes bounced between the small puppy and Dominaze.

  “You.” Dominaze grew tense and began to ramble. “What am I doing here? What happened? Where’s Hemrick? Am I in Caba?” She peaked out the window again.

  The woman held up her hand and Dominaze stopped. Slowly hobbling forward, the woman scooped up the puppy and looked it over.

  “Amazing,” she whispered.

  Thick, long graying hair covered the woman’s head and deep wrinkles lined her face. She hummed and mumbled as she turned and rotated the now whimpering puppy.

  “A perfectly healthy pup.” She stated, in a strained tiny voice. “You gave Surge his youth back.” She smiled with relief.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Yes. See?” The woman held the puppy up in one shaky hand. “He was an enormous, fourteen-year-old, one-hundred-pound dog. Now he looks to be about an eight-week-old pup.” She raised her eyebrows and smiled a lipless smile.

  “I didn’t mean to…I thought he was a bear.” Dominaze apologized.

  “Don’t apologize.” The woman waved her off with her hand. “I’ve been trying to prepare myself for when poor old Surge would fall asleep and not wake up. He was getting so old, but now he has an entire second life ahead of him.” She patted his furry head.

  “I can do that?” Dominaze’s eyes grew wide.

  The old woman suddenly became very serious as she stared at Dominaze. Shrinking under her stare, Dominaze looked away. The woman set the puppy down and didn’t waste any more time.