“I am for you. I’m not sure there is anything I can do to help.”
“Allow me to consider the ways you may be useful. I will have one of my guards find you a place to sleep and I will see you in the morning hours.”
She followed him to the opening in the tent, watching as a guard appeared the moment Zymar stood in the open doorway.
“Talia, this is Tone, one of my guards.”
“Show Talia to an empty tent for the night.”
“Follow me.”
Talia turned to say goodnight to Zymar, to find that he had already disappeared back into the tent. She followed Tone deep into the encampment before he finally stopped in front of a much smaller tent.”
“This tent is equipped for sleeping, but it is unoccupied.”
“Thank you.” She ducked and entered the tent.
The tent was small if she compared it to the one she just left. If she left that one out of the picture, then it wasn’t a bad size at all. It had a nice full size cot for sleeping. Not quite a cot that would break down easily for travel, but it did look comfortable. There was a place with a mirror and even a small arm chair for sitting. It was cozy for a camp. There was even reading material on the side of the cot. It was apparent this used to belong to someone.
Talia took a seat in the chair and wondered where that someone had gone. It was war time. Had they been captured or worse met an untimely demise? Maybe nothing so bad had happened. Maybe they had simply been sent on an extended mission. They could be one of the scouts Zymar had been talking about. Knowing there was nothing she could do for this person, she laid down on the cot closing her eyes, and let her thoughts drift until her lights went out once more.
Talia woke up slowly. There was no slamming her mind into a body that had not functioned until she entered it. There was no painful jolt in her brain as it came online. No, this was nice, this waking up. She could do it again and enjoy it. Opening her eyes, she looked around. Something had awakened her. It was still dark out. The camp was not yet up, but still every one of her new senses were going off. Something was wrong.
Getting up, she put on the new clothes that had been left at the entrance of the tent last night. They fit as if they had been made for her. She could tell they were for fighting. They looked like what the others at this camp were wearing. In her hands were a pair of boots. She knew she should put them on, but the idea of breaking the connection between herself and the ground nauseated her, so she would leave them off.
She left the tent with care, noticing that no one seemed to be stirring. Where were the guards? She understood Zymar well enough to know there should be guards all around them and yet she felt no one. Crouching down, she went behind her tent and decided to stay away from the center of the camp. She moved to the edge of the camp without being detected and aimed for Zymar’s tent.
Talia heard the noise, as she zeroed in on the tent she waited. It was the same vibration, the same noise that made her want to attack when she first came. Now it had been refined. It was so much more subtle. It was much more deadly. She felt it wanting to penetrate the defenses Tarek had given her. Its subtle notes slipped past and hacked their way into her brain. She could feel it trying to convince her to give up. She didn’t want to resist. She wanted to give her planet up and live in submission, the way she was intended to.
She closed her eyes and thought of Tau. Tau who had been taken when he was just a young one. He had been made to do things that still haunted his amethyst eyes. She remembered the horror reflected in them, as he spoke of his time there. The sadness of his voice when he told them about the couples who had been killed. She could fight this, like a young Tau had fought and escaped with his life, helping others to be free in the process. Today her enemies would not know victory.
Establishing barriers she didn’t know she possessed, she moved forward knowing she had to first find Zymar. His tent finally came into view. It was being guarded. The being in front of it was so short compared to her height, she wondered how it was able to put up a fight. It only took one look at the weapon it held in its hand and the massive black machine that stood close, to know it was not physical might they had on their side.
They stood maybe four feet tall with the palest skin she had ever seen. The word albino came to mind. They had no hair on their head and red eyes. The sight of them made her stop for a minute. The lack of color spoke of death, even if they were alive. She sat back to wait. She had to get into that tent, but she needed it to be empty of the enemy first. The massive machine opened a door. It opened from the side and lowered itself until it formed an exit for several of the enemy. The ones exiting obviously had some power. The others surrounded them keeping them safe, as they moved from the opening to the ground.
She watched as they moved towards the entrance. Never once did they look over their shoulders. They never even looked in her direction, not even the guards. They moved as if they were assured every threat had been eliminated. They were entirely too sure of themselves. This would help her take them down. She settled in for a wait, wondering where Tau was and if he was safe.
Night gave way to morning, before the enemy finally came out of Zymar’s tent. They turned to talk to the guard who was on duty. The guard nodded dutifully to whatever was being said and stood his post as they retreated to their ship. Soon the ship lifted off to hover over the ground and move out. Were they looking for Azure?
Talia slipped around the back of the tent and quietly lifted one tent peg until she could slip her body under the edge of the material. Zymar had been left lying spread eagle in the middle of the tent with the sharp part of a tree shoved into his chest.
She rushed over and began pulling out the stake before he stopped her. “Leave the stake, untie me instead. What took you so long?”
“I thought…” She could feel her eyes turn to slits and her voice took on a dry sound. “That you would appreciate me waiting until the little nasty looking pale beings left, increasing the chance of my getting you to safety.”
“Something tells me you could have handled a few nasty pale beings on your own.” He gave a small chuckle and then smiled up at her.
How could he laugh, she wondered as she undid the ties at his hands and feet. They had been tied tight enough so he could not break them, but they had been tied so if they wanted to take them off in a hurry, they could do it. That had worked out in her favor. Now that his feet were undone, she sat back and watched as he stood painfully to his feet.
“This is going to hurt.” He threw her a brief smile before clutching onto the stake and pulling it out of his chest.
She watched as the muscles in his neck thickened and his face closed in concentration. He stiffened his body as he began to pull the long stake out. She could see his legs trying to shake as he fought against it. Pain flooded his face and still he pulled, making small grunting sounds that the guard outside had not heard. He dropped it to the ground when it was out and stood with a large hole in his chest.
Talia bit back a cry as he doubled over, but she held her ground, fighting the urge to rush to him. He had held his hands up in a ‘don’t come closer’ sign and she was trying to respect his right to dignity, even if it was dignity in death. She watched as his body jerked, but he never hit the ground. After what felt like an eternity to her, but could have been no more than a few minutes, he stood up. The hole had closed, but it was not healed yet. It was bright red, angry and sore looking, but it had closed.
“How did you do that?”
“No one knows I can do that except for Tarek and maybe Tau. Welcome to the inner circle. You won’t be telling anyone about what you saw.” It was not a question, it was a statement and Talia found herself nodding agreement. “As for what I can do, I am still working on that. It may be easier to ask Tarek. He knows more than he is telling us right now.”
“What do we do next?” She wanted to turn the conversation away from Tarek. Thinking of him led to thoughts of Tau. Thinking of Tau made the ache
in her heart radiate throughout her body until it reached her eyes, which had become suspiciously moist. Yeah, better not to think of Tarek.
“We get out of the tent, go to the rendezvous point and spring the trap. More to the point, you spring the trap.”
“Why would I spring the trap?” Had his blood loss made him forget she was new here? “Why aren’t you springing the trap?”
“Because I am lying in my tent spread eagle, reliving my glory days before my life ebbs away. We wouldn’t want to deprive them of their sense of victory in my way too easy capture, would we?”
Talia shook her head. He made her want to smile. What Zymar was exactly and she wasn’t prying too hard considering that she was a fraud also, turned out to be exactly what the Mians needed.
“Lead the way. We have a trap to set.”
Chapter Five
“That’s all he said?” Tau looked at Tarek before he resumed pacing. “All he said was to tell me she was fine and that she would be back after the battle was won?”
“To be fair, he also said she missed you.”
“Tarek!” Tau roared his name. He knew it was not fair to take his frustration out on his best friend, but they were talking about Talia. This was not funny.
“Tell me. How is she going to fight in a war? She could barely get her body to move when I first met her and let’s not forget her crazy attempt to take down one of the enemy’s ships. Should I remind you of the fact that she had no idea what normal everyday things were, like food and eating and now you want to put a defenseless Mian on the front lines of battle? My defenseless Mate. Why?”
“There are many facets to Talia that we have yet to discover, but there is one thing we are both aware of. She is not defenseless.”
“We know that, but she doesn’t. It took us more than fifty times pouring over these hidden scans you kept to finally figure out some of what she can do. Don’t forget, this is all speculation. Until we see it with our own eyes, it didn’t happen.”
“Tau, I saw her disappear with my own eyes, so that did happen and we both know where she ended up at. I think you’re missing the bigger issue here.”
“Enlighten me. What’s the bigger issue?”
“You both can’t fight.”
Tau stopped pacing and allowed his butt to hit the chair hard. Tarek was correct. They both could not fight. It was forbidden — for the sake of every Mian the planet over. If the Kriers were to capture two of the same whole, they would be one step closer to dominating the planet. Now that the ancient ones were coming back, one by one, if they caught a pair of them — Mian would be in danger. There was a chance that he and Talia were an ancient pair.
“Tarek, you just brighten my day.”
Tarek chuckled at the disgruntled sound of Tau’s voice. “I just tell you the truth and then let you go.”
“You get the feeling she wants to be the warrior in the family?”
“She’s better equipped for it. You saw the scans.”
“So what do you suppose I should do now?”
“Pretty much what you do every day. Just stop volunteering to work the front lines and putting your life in danger to make up for something you had no control over.”
They spent the day arguing over his past and how it was not on him that so much happened. He didn’t want to go back there, but he was always looking for a way to make up for some of the wrong he had a hand in. He needed some fresh air.
“Tau, where are you going?”
“I am going to the patch to lie in wait, in case anyone loses their way.”
Tarek nodded and he closed the door behind him. The patch was also where Tau met Talia and for some reason he felt close to her there. So he would go and remember tackling her and the feel of her body under his. Then he would close his eyes and lend her strength. She might need it.
***
Talia looked around. They traveled far and they traveled fast. She now knew the reason for her long legs. They had eaten up miles without tiring, something her other body had been incapable of.
She had also taken the time to find out what the war was about. Since any doubt she had about fighting fled, she wanted to understand what she was fighting for.
“Why are they on our planet?” she asked.
“Their planet is dying. They have used it up and it’s barely allowing them to hold onto life. Instead of trying to repair their planet or look for one that’s uninhabited and cultivating that one to life, they have chosen to steal ours.”
She felt a moment of sorrow for them to have a planet that was dying and to know they would die with it.
“Are you feeling sorry for them? Don’t. They have not reformed their ways. They have learned no lessons. They simply want to change planets so they can continue on the same course. That will eventually bring our planet to the brink of death like theirs. They are incapable of seeing the beauty around us. They don’t realize that our planet and our people have a symbiotic relationship. We must treat our planet well in order for it to treat us well. If we do not fight, they will kill us and rape our planet before moving on to another one.”
She nodded her head yes. She wanted to argue, but some memory she couldn’t catch was telling her he was right. Not just right, but right many times over.
They walked in silence. Talia spent her time memorizing the path they took, so she would be able to walk it whenever needed. She also absorbed the beauty of the plants and the trees that surrounded them. Souls had no environment like this one and were pleasantly happy without it, but she felt as if she had been looking for this all her life. She felt alive as she watched the trees disappear in the skyline and the softness of the flowers called to her. The air was remarkable and the longer she stayed in her body, the more she wanted to keep it. She would fight with gladness, as long as it meant not losing what she had found.
When Zymar finally stopped, Talia could see no one, but she could feel them surrounding her. She was sure if she needed to, she could pinpoint each of their locations. Instead, she stood beside Zymar and projected a calming feeling into the grove. A small whistle left Zymar’s lips that had the Mians coming from treetops, as well as from behind trees.
The first guard Talia met last night came out of the shadows and approached Zymar. “How did it go?”
“It went according to plan. The Kriers think I am lying in a tent, slowly dying, with a guard who was given strict orders not to enter. They are in search of my weak army. I have no doubt they are thinking of the praise that will be heaped upon them when they bring in so many of us at once. All that is left is to spring the trap.
Everyone, I want you to meet Talia. She will be springing the trap for us today.”
“Do you think that is wise? In Azure, they whisper that she is Tau’s mate.”
“Sadira, this war is not about one person. It is about every Mian born or unborn. I know better than anyone who she is.”
Talia watched as Sadira gave a formal bow and melted back into the shadows. She took a minute to smile at the thought of people calling her Tau’s mate. She wondered how he felt about that. Did he even know?
She looked around to find hundreds of pairs of eyes on her. This was no hurried up group of people forming an army. No, Zymar had taken his time and recruited.
“Your army is large.”
“This is not the army. This is my personal arm of the army, all handpicked for the unique talents and abilities they bring to the fight. I like to think of them as elite, but if I am fair, there are other elite groups out there just like mine. We intend to win this war and to make sure the Kriers never harm another people or planet again.”
“How long has this war been going on?”
“No one knows for sure. I was born into this war. It is taught that the Kriers have tried for thousands of solar years to acquire our planet, but the ancient ones kept them at bay. Then, one day, the ancient ones disappeared. They did not die. They simply were gone. Eventually, the Kriers returned to find out we were now u
nprotected and began their plan to take over our planet. Now we are here, fighting for what matters to us, our families and friends and our planet.”
She nodded in understanding. She had lost the only true friend she had when she was a soul. She had been yanked away. No one acknowledged that she ever existed, but Talia never forgot her.
“How do I spring this trap?”
“You set yourself up to look like bait.”
“Glad I can do something useful,” that dry brittle tone was back and he was laughing at her again.
“You will have a chance to be useful, believe me.”
Everything moved fast after that. Zymar explained that she would be in a clearing they had picked just for this. Others would be close enough for the Kriers to sense them, but not close enough for them to fall victim to the noise weapon they used.
Talia would be hiding, ineffectively, in the clearing when they came upon her. When they turned on their weapon, she would visibly resist. She was to make it look like she was on the verge of giving in, yet managed to resist their call. This would make her the center of attention. They would want to know how she could do this and would come for her personally. Zymar would take over from there. She simply hoped taking over meant making sure she lived through this.
Talia crouched in the tall grass, knowing it did not conceal her, and waited as she heard the ship come into sound range. It moved slowly, looking for signs of life. She could tell when they spotted her, because all movement ceased and that noise started. Was it louder than the first time she heard it?
She allowed her body to sway and stand in response to that brain destroying noise. She felt it as it moved over her body and invaded her mind. Once again, she heard the whispered promises of a better life. One that did not include stress or worry. They would care for her. All she had to do was give in and serve them. Her body swayed and she stumbled a few steps towards them and then stopped, visibly shaking.
What happened if she couldn’t resist? Where was the plan if she gave in? The noise became louder, like they had turned up the volume. The whispers in her head became more insidious. Did she have a soul mate? They promised that she and her soul mate could live their life together in comfort, if only she would come in. Her entire body swayed until she sunk to the ground, visibly resisting with all she had.
Tau's Miracle: Alien Destination: Scifi FantasyRomance Page 3