Stretching, I stand from the couch and walk to the chairs in front of the still smoldering coals in the fireplace. My clothes are completely dry. I take off my robe quickly, and put on my clothes as fast as I can, hoping Aaron doesn’t accidentally walk in on me.
Once I’m fully clothed, I strap my knife to my left thigh and walk out of the den to the top of the stairs to make my way down. But I don’t find Aaron slaving away to surprise me with a special breakfast. Instead, he’s sitting at the kitchen table with Heather while Evelyn serves him what looks to be a second helping of peppers and onions. Each of them looks up at me when I stand in the doorway. Heather turns back to her plate quickly as if she had hoped I was someone else.
Aaron reaches out and pulls a chair out for me as Evelyn sets a place in my new spot at the table.
“Are you hungry?” Evelyn asks.
“Of course,” I tell her.
Evelyn loads my plate. My eyes can’t help but drift to Aaron and he returns the stare with a slight wink. Apparently he feels a lot less awkward than I do right now.
“You’ve started something at Salem,” Evelyn says as she sits across from me in front of her own food. “People are asking questions. It’s getting the word out about the Starborns, but at the same time making the Screven guards look like fools. This is good for us.” She bends her head and takes a bite of a pepper. “Everyone wants to know who you are.”
“Yeah,” Heather says. “Everyone wants to know who stood on the stage like a deer in headlights. “
“Leave her alone,” Evelyn says. “Mora had a difficult choice to make yesterday. You don’t know what you would have done if you were in her situation.”
Heather hunches over her food, going back to pretending that I’m not here. I take a bite of sweet onions and peppers, letting them fill my belly. It feels so good to have a decent meal again.
“So, what is your plan?” I ask.
Evelyn takes a deep breath and shakes her head. “I’m not sure what Jeremiah is planning. I know Krindle is angry, but he doesn’t intend to arrest you. At least, he had no intention of it yesterday.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
Evelyn smiles. “I bumped into him. He’s more nervous than angry. He doesn’t know why you betrayed them, though he has his suspicions.”
“I’ve got to get back to Springhill and make sure my family is safe,” I say.
“They are safe,” Evelyn says. “For now.”
I’m about to respond when we hear a loud crash at the door and stomping footsteps make their way to the kitchen. Danny stands in the doorway, dripping from the unrelenting rain. All of us stare up at him, wondering why he looks so terrified.
“Greyskins,” he says through huffs. “I found one of them just a jog away.”
Aaron stands from the table and marches out of the room. Heather bolts up and moves next to Danny, offering an uncharacteristic rub on his arm.
My first thought was that Danny was scared, but I can now see excitement in his eyes. Evelyn sits with her food calmly, as though this was common. Aaron walks into the room carrying two rifles and a shotgun. He hands one to Danny, one to Heather, and sets the shotgun in front of Evelyn.
“What about me?” I ask.
Aaron grins. “You’ve got your knife, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I bet you wont even need that.”
“What about you?” I ask.
He nods to the outside of the house. “It’s storming outside. That’s all the ammo I need.”
I look from Aaron to the others, wondering why they are so quick to go out and meet the greyskins. “Don’t you think it’s best to just let them be? If you keep a low profile, they’ll never know you’re around.”
“Yeah, so they can eat someone who can’t fight them off,” Heather says. “Can’t say I care for your philosophy.”
Can’t say I care for you, is what I want to say to her.
“It’s part of who we are,” Aaron says. “As Starborns, we’ve been given a gift. We have the ability to fight off those monsters so they can’t attack the people we care about.”
“And those we don’t care about,” Heather says under her breath.
“And to do it for free,” Danny says. “Unlike Jeremiah.”
“Let’s go,” Aaron says.
At his command, the others start to follow him out the door, but I notice that Evelyn remains in her chair. She sees me looking at her and smiles.
“My ability will not help much in a fight,” she says. “If you need me to look into the mind of someone, I’m your lady. But I’d rather not go skin-to-skin with one of those things. Besides, there’s not enough thought going through its head to be worth my while.” She pats the shotgun set in front of her. “But I’ll be plenty protected if they get near the house.”
She reaches down for her fork so she can finish her food, and I have to jog to catch up with the others who are marching quickly in the direction of Danny’s rogue greyskin.
The rain is still heavy and cold, and I already know I’ll be thankful to sit in front of the fireplace again later. I’m not exactly thrilled to go chasing after greyskins, but I’m intrigued to see their different abilities in action.
We walk for about ten minutes before Danny holds up his hand, motioning us to keep quiet and stay low. In the distance, I see the greyskin. It’s an older one. Its clothes are ragged and torn. Half of its lower jaw is missing, and upon further inspection, I can see that its left hand is nothing but a congealed, bloodied stump. This greyskin has been through a lot.
Danny glances back at Heather and nods. Heather acknowledges with a grin, and before I can even blink, she is standing directly behind the greyskin. She yells at it, and when it turns to her, she speeds over to its side. Every time she moves, it’s like a blur.
“She’s so fast,” I say.
Aaron grins at this. But what he doesn’t realize, or maybe he does, is that this is only the third gift I’ve been able to see with my own eyes. To see this new ability in action is almost like learning about the Starborns all over again.
“She’s toying with it,” Danny says, shaking his head.
As Heather keeps moving, the greyskin becomes disoriented. With one last movement, she has her back to us, and the greyskin spins to face her. But the bullet passes through its brain before it can register anything else, and it falls to the ground lifelessly.
I’m truly amazed at the sight of what Heather is able to do. Yet I can’t help but think that she is just showing off.
“Is that it then?” I ask.
Aaron shakes his head. “Far from it,” he says. “There’s probably more around here somewhere. We’ll follow the trail a bit and see if it was just one that broke off from a herd.”
I follow them in silence as Danny leads the way. I’m not really paying attention to their methods of tracking. I actually find it a bit silly to be out here hunting for greyskins. I’ve always been taught to avoid them as much as possible. But I learned that from my parents – people without these special powers. Maybe Aaron is right about all of this. Maybe as a Starborn I do have the responsibility to hunt down herds and kill as many greyskins as possible.
We travel through the dense woods for a good thirty minutes before Danny stops. He informs us that the tracks start to branch off in several different directions. He suggests that we split up and try to meet back in an hour.
Danny and Heather take one trail, while Aaron and I take another.
The first thought that strikes me is that this is the first moment Aaron and I have been alone since I kissed him last night. Should I say something about it? Should I apologize? As we walk, I decide to try and avoid the subject altogether.
“Do you think Krindle is looking for us?” I ask.
“Maybe,” he says. “We’ll go back before he has a chance to notice we’re missing from the colony.”
We keep walking, but that is all Aaron will offer up. I search for another question.
“Why are you and Connor so different? Why does he support Jeremiah and you don’t?”
“Maybe because I have a manifested gift and he doesn’t.”
“But you never even told him about your gift. You kept it from him for years.
He nods. “Mostly because I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Once I found out, once I met Evelyn, I started to learn the truth for myself.”
“So, why did you keep it from Connor?”
“Connor and I used to be close,” he says. “But ever since our parents died, we’ve drifted apart. Then Screven came in. He always thought they could go lighter on their payment requirements, but he thinks their presence is necessary. Me, I’ve always thought that we should defend ourselves.”
“But at one point, Salem couldn’t defend itself,” I say. “That’s why the people sought help.”
“That’s right,” Aaron says. “But Screven should have left the moment we were on our feet and able to protect ourselves. That was a long time ago. Jeremiah takes hold and never lets go. Not one place that has come under Screven’s rule has ever broken free.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you’re the minority?” I ask. “That maybe others want Screven here, just like Connor does?”
“There are some,” he says. “But I know we are not in the minority. Not anymore. Screven has asked too much of us and the people are starting to realize it.”
I’m not really trying to argue with him. I suppose I’m just trying to confirm my own decision to stick with the Starborns. Am I really allying myself with those who wish to start some kind of revolution? I hate that my decision has possibly isolated me from Connor. Even though I’ve known him barely a week, I can’t help but think of him as a friend. Of course, I haven’t been much of a friend to him. He probably felt betrayed yesterday when I told everyone that I had no powers. He was there when I used them in the search for Aaron. If he doesn’t feel betrayed, then he is probably at least confused by my actions.
I have the urge to close my eyes and search for him, to see what he is doing now, but it takes concentration, and Aaron will definitely know something is going on. For some reason, I want to keep this part of my abilities a secret. It’s the only part of me that I still have left to myself. Besides, if the others knew I could spy on them from any distance, they would probably be wary of me.
When the silence is heavy, Aaron lets out a deep sigh and asks the one question I wish he wouldn’t.
“Why did you kiss me last night?”
I don’t say anything for a moment, but a decent comeback enters my mind that I know will at least buy me some seconds.
“Same reason you kissed me back, I guess.”
“You really like me then? You find me strong, beautiful, and are curiously attracted to the fact that I don’t take crap from anybody?” He ends his sentence with a charming, dimpled grin, and I can feel blood rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment. How could he have these feelings for me? We could barely stand each other a couple of days ago.
But the same question must apply to me too. I couldn’t stand Aaron before, but last night and today are different.
“That’s not exactly what I meant,” I say back to him.
“Then what did you mean?” he asks, stopping to turn and face me. His mischievous smile is more captivating than I expected, so I force myself to look away from him, afraid my eyes will betray my true feelings.
But what feelings? I’m trying to hide feelings that I don’t even understand.
“Shouldn’t we be going after the greyskin herd?” I ask.
“In a minute,” Aaron answers.
The raindrops streak down our faces, soaking our bodies and drenching our hair. I suppose part of the reason I turn away is that this situation makes him seem even more desirable somehow. That, and the fact that I don’t want to talk about these feelings.
Aaron is waiting for an answer, but I don’t have one. Last night I felt vulnerable, I felt attraction, he was holding me. For some reason it just felt right. Now, I feel awkward.
I know what I’m about to do is only a temporary fix that will bring more questions later, but all I want is for Aaron to shut up.
I turn back to him, reach out for his shirt with both hands and pull him close to me until our cold, wet bodies press against each other and my lips are firmly planted on his. He doesn’t pull back, instead he returns the kiss and pulls me tightly against him.
The muscles I feel under his clothes are an unexpected surprise. As I touch his arms and chest, I can feel that he is no stranger to hard labor. He turns my shoulders to the side and presses me up against a tree. It hurts a little, but I don’t care. He starts to kiss my neck and behind my ear, and I’m suddenly no longer doing this to shut him up. I want him to keep kissing me.
After kissing his lips again and again, I reach for the side of his neck, and my fingers grab hold of his collar. Aaron instantly lets go of me, but not before I see the scar that begins at his collarbone. He steps back from me, a look of shock on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
I shake my head. “Don’t be. I’m the one that should be sorry.”
He lets out a deep breath, pulling his shirt tighter against him.
“Why are you trying to hide it from me?”
He says nothing for a moment, but I see in his eyes that he is conflicted. He takes a deep breath and pulls his collar down to reveal the long scar from his collarbone, ending somewhere further down his torso.
“Is that from when it happened?” I ask. “When you discovered your gift?”
“Discovering a gift is usually the most terrifying moment for any Starborn,” he says. “It often happens during a last moment of desperation. You know this.”
I do.
“My moment still haunts me,” he says. “Every day. Every night.”
“What happened?” I ask, feeling brave.
“Not now,” he says. “Sometime, I’m sure.”
I understand why he might not want to talk to me about it, although I can’t help but feel hurt by his words. I thought that maybe these past couple of days might have brought us closer. Instead, Aaron feels more distant in this moment than ever before.
A rustling in the bushes to my right breaks into my thoughts. Then I hear the familiar low grunt of something hungry. A greyskin.
We aren’t able to see it until I concentrate on the tall bushes and push away branches and leaves with my mind. Our suspicions are confirmed when the greyskins spots us and comes charging. I search the ground for anything that can move quickly.
“Mora, your knife,” Aaron yells out to me.
Of course!
I reach to my left thigh and pull the long knife from its sheath. I throw it as hard as I can, directing the blade straight for the middle of its head. It’s on the ground in a second. But one little knife wont be any good against the fifty more greyskins that are charging our way.
“I think we’ve found the herd!” Aaron says.
I call the knife back to my hand, careful to catch it by the handle to avoid the greyskin blood. But the knife is useless against so many. I search the ground frantically for something that I can use for ammunition. Can I uproot a tree? Aaron shouts for me to get out of his way. I try to protest, but when I look at him, I know why he made the command.
With arms spread out, he closes his eyes and the clouds above us grow darker. I cover my ears, knowing that he’s going to call a blast of lightning to fry the oncoming herd.
I’m not far enough away.
My hair is standing on end, and I feel the heat from the bolt moments before it burns through the air in a flash. What surprises me the most isn’t the ferocity of the bolt, but its target. Aaron stands firm as the light slices through his body. The event would have killed any other living thing on Earth, but Aaron accepts the electric power without even moving.
The greyskins are unfazed as they continue to charge forward. My eyes dart between Aaron
and the greyskins. His entire body is glowing with some kind of yellow energy.
He extends a palm toward the oncoming greyskins and from it bursts about a hundred different bolts into the faces and bodies of the undead enemies. Many of them fall to the ground with bubbling, searing flesh; others catch on fire. Some continue to come at us, but Aaron keeps blasting away. Normally, I would try to help in a situation like this, but Aaron needs no help. He has been given his power and nothing can run from this natural force.
My stare shifts from Aaron and past the oncoming herd to see even more greyskins fall in line to try and take on this new phenomenon that is shooting electricity out of his hands. The sight is terrifying. There are so many more, that I’m not entirely sure a single bolt of electricity will be enough for Aaron to stand against them. I suppose this is where we have to work together.
I ignore Aaron as he calls out my name to keep me from running down into the forest. I’m thinking about everything around me: all the pieces of the Earth that I can use.
My running draws the attention of a whole host of greyskins and they turn to follow the path that I make. The rain is falling harder, and the clouds are denser. Another crack splits the air. Aaron probably just called another bolt to himself.
Leaves and brush scatter from me as I run through the forest. The greyskins are closing in on me from behind me and to my left. I’ve accomplished what I meant to accomplish by drawing some of the greyskins away from Aaron, but I am stopped in my tracks by a giant rock wall that I didn’t foresee when I started my sprint.
I try to climb it, but the wall is too steep and slick.
Terror grips me as I realize that I’m at a dead end.
The greyskins are so close that I can almost feel their ravenous, hungry mouths chomping, their fingers clawing.
They are less than ten feet away when I turn. I’ve got nothing solid to throw at them. There’s nothing I can do but throw dirt in their faces. A loud bang sounds through the air, but this time it isn’t lightning. It’s a shotgun.
Limbs fly and greyskins drop right in front of me. Best of all, the greyskins shift their attention to my right to find the gunman.
Out Of Darkness (The Starborn Saga) Page 16