by Jaymin Eve
“Hey, Jos said the doorway is open and the Reds have gone through with our things. He sent me to get you.” She looked between us, before focusing on my tear-stained features. “Are you okay, Abbs?” She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around me. “It’s going to be alright. I have a feeling that everything with you and Brace will be resolved soon.” She spoke intuitively and I wondered if she’d seen something.
I returned her hug, knowing I could not live in a world without Lucy. She kept me grounded and made sure there were still flickers of light in all the darkness.
“Testing out your soothsayer powers, Luce?” I teased.
We were moving again, following Lallielle, who would know exactly where Josian was.
“Don’t knock it. As long as I don’t have to rock the creepiness and white eyes, I’d love to have a useful ability.”
“I do hope Frannie is there when we return.” Lallielle spoke over her shoulder. “I’m worried about that crazy woman.”
“Yes, she has a lot to answer for,” I said quietly enough that only Lucy heard.
As I stood with Lucy and Talina within the pale pink walls of my room, I felt a sense of home and heartache. I couldn’t look at my bed without memories trying to strangle me. All of the nights spent with Brace.
“When do we head to the mountains?” Talina asked quietly.
She looked tired and her emerald hair was frizzing, which only happened when she needed water.
“Go,” I said, giving her a gentle shove toward the exit, “recharge in your ocean home. I promise we’ll wait for you.”
A joyful smile crossed her pale pink features as she bounced out of my room. From my balcony I breathed deeply of the clear salty air, a light breeze ruffling my curls.
“Imagine if the Crais people had a chance to see the ocean,” Lucy said as she leaned over my railing.
“I wish there was something we could do to help them.” I hated to see suffering, but at least the tribespeople hadn’t resorted to the sort of chaos and violence that now ruled Earth.
“Maybe after we save the worlds, we can try to improve their lives. Let’s focus on one thing at a time,” Lucy said drily.
I laughed. “Word. I guess that should be pretty high on our priorities’ list.”
We both waved at Talina as she dashed across the green grass. She shed her clothes and within moments disappeared into the aqua waters. Her laughter echoed back to us, bringing my first genuine smile in a while.
“So Fury is kind of a bitch. What’s with that?”
I laughed at the bluntness of Lucy’s words. It was nice to have something return to normal.
“Yeah, she seems to have plenty of issues.”
“And Dune. Wow. He is kind of intense and hot and crazy and hot ...” She paused. “Really, really hot.”
“Are you speaking literally, you know, being from the burning planet or just his looks?”
“Both.” She smiled. “The man can stand in double sunlight, has red skin and can still look like some type of Greek god doing it.”
I threw her a smirk. “You might want to tone down the love fest. Fury will rip your head off and then barbeque the rest of you for dinner.”
Lucy shrugged. “Might be worth it.”
I knew Lucy was over-compensating after Samuel. She clearly wanted to appear carefree and her usual boy-crazy self, but I could see the pain deep inside her blue eyes. They no longer shone with the same sparkle. She was forcing the lightness to return, but she wasn’t there yet.
“Well, speak of the devil.” Lucy nodded toward the edge of the ocean.
Fury and Dune had just stepped into view.
I could see the awestruck expression on their faces. I felt a moment of joy to see their unbridled excitement.
Fury stepped into the water, and without hesitation splashed out into the aqua-streaked waves. Dune was right behind her, neither caring that their Crais leafy attire was soaked through. Fury shrieked as Dune scooped her up and threw her further out into the ocean. She emerged, water streaming off her, and dived onto him. When they both resurfaced, their lips met in a kiss.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced a chuckle. “I think Dune might be a lost case, Lucy-loo.” I hadn’t called her that in years, but it somehow fell from my lips again.
The pair were still lip-locked; it hadn’t progressed past that sweet initial kiss stage, nothing like their episode in the caves. Dune had one hand buried in her hair and the other on her cheek. Fury was clutching his biceps, pulling him closer.
“Kind of tame make-out session. Where’s all the groping?” Lucy said in a half-whisper.
“I don’t think they can hear us from here?” I mock-whispered back to her.
“I never underestimate your freaky Walker abilities. Who knows what you guys can and can’t do?”
“Word.”
We were silent for a moment. I was lost in thoughts of missing loves, and stupid tempting offers. And Lucy was –
“I miss him, Abbs.” The words burst from her. “What the hell is wrong with me? He’s a bad person. Dammit.” She hung her head. “I’m that girl – you know the one – who’s attracted to the bad boy, the one who destroys lives and treats her like crap. I always hated that girl in the books and movies.”
“The fact you always screamed ‘grow a backbone’ did give me an indication of your feeling toward those women.” I laughed. “And there’s no way you’re that girl. You just happen to have a big heart which you gave Samuel a piece of. There was no reason to suspect he didn’t deserve you, and he’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
She shrugged. “You make a good point. I was always going to be a small package with too much awesome for someone as stodgy as Samuel.”
“Exactly, my friend.”
I turned back to the ocean; damn, those two were still going at it.
The door to my room opened and Josian stepped through. We moved closer.
What had happened now?
“Just letting you know we’ll be heading to the mountains in about an hour. Your mother wants everyone to have a good lunch first.”
I smiled in relief. There was no new bad news yet. “Of course she does; the quintessential mother.”
“Lalli is the most awesome person I’ve ever met. We’re lucky to have her.” Lucy, who’d never known her own mother, had really bonded with Lallielle.
“Great minds are all thinking alike today,” Josian said as he waved us toward the door.
“Great,” Lucy scoffed. “Don’t undersell us, Josian. We’re freaking brilliant.”
Lunch was quiet, despite the fact everyone was present.
Fury and Dune had been forced to wear First-World clothes; they’d had no replacement for their Crais attire. Lallielle had helped both of them find something that fit, but neither looked impressed nor comfortable. I’d just finished eating a bowl of fruit, and was wiping a few juice dribbles off my chin, when Fury turned to Josian.
“I was speaking to Talina and she told me that I have marks like Abigail’s, but they only appear under a certain light.” She took a breath. “I’d like to see my Walker marks now.”
Oh, yeah. I’d never gotten around to explaining all that to her, and strangely she’d never asked why I wore marks.
“Your marks won’t be the same as Aribella’s.” Josian pushed his chair back and rose. “But I’ve been waiting for you to ask. I’d like to know your clan. I find it disconcerting to get no reading on half-Walkers, especially your clan or power.”
“We like it that way, thank you, Walker man.” I grinned at my father.
“So the marks I have will tell you which clan my father is from?” Fury asked.
“Yes. All seven clans have their own unique marks. Let’s see yours.” Josian flipped open the flat surface of his ring.
Sparkling yellow light reflected off the gray crystals and filled the space. Talina’s black tribal marks emerged, along with Josian’s red lace design. Fury’s marks were g
ray swirls, highlighted on her red skin and contrasting nicely with her pure white hair. Her eyes had widened as she watched the emergence of everyone’s mark.
Josian clapped his hands in delight. “You’re Relli, Grantham’s clan. He’s my oldest friend and a truly fair and kind Princeps. He will be so happy to meet you when he returns.”
I knew Grantham was off gathering his fellow Relli members and recruiting other clans to the final battle. I wasn’t sure a greater force would actually make any difference to our success or failure. But it couldn’t hurt.
Fury stood then, craning her neck to see her reflection in the small mirror that adorned the wall behind our dining table.
“In all honesty I’ve wavered between believing these stories and thinking you’re all insane.” Her dark eyes widened as she stepped back for a better look. “But these marks are ... incredible.” She faced me. “Why are you the only one who gets to have them permanently?” She turned back to the mirror, swinging her head left and right. “I want to see my marks all the time.”
I shrugged. “Probably because I’m super Abby. You know, we get all the best powers.”
Josian interrupted me, the smallest grin on his face. “The original seven Walkers had permanent marks. I believe that Aribella’s powers are tied to them – all seven of them – she seems to be able to channel large levels of energy but also access long-lost abilities. Her permanent marks have got to be an indication of her tie to the originals.”
Was that what the Seventine meant when he said I was one of the ancients?
Fury’s eyes flashed at me and for once it wasn’t anger that shone through but ... sympathy.
“I know what it feels like to be considered special and extraordinary and have a lot of pressure on you to perform these amazing feats.” She chuckled. “Like saving the world. I know that it’s definitely not as fun as it sounds.”
I swallowed loudly. Denial was a great friend of mine, allowing me to forget or ignore all the demands on me. I’d probably have an anxiety attack if I thought about it too much.
“I like to live in the now. I deal with things as they happen and try not to pre-empt the problems.”
Fury nodded at me, and then our little moment was over. She turned back to Dune and I could hear him commenting on her marks. He seemed to like them a lot. I shuddered, turning my hearing down. I did not need to know those things.
“Maybe she has some redeeming points hidden under all her nasty attitude,” Lucy muttered as she shoved half a melon into her mouth.
“It seems as if, whichever planet we come from, our halfling status has only caused pain and havoc. We’re all a little damaged.” Talina smiled. “It will be nice when we are a complete unit, strong enough to never have to cower down to anyone again. Never have to fear for our lives or sanity.”
Josian boomed out his laughter. “You’re strong enough for that already; there are very few beings, besides full-blooded warrior-trained Walkers, who could best you in anything.”
“What we really need to develop is that unprecedented level of arrogance all of you Walkers have. I think we do fine with powers. It’s arrogance we lack.” I wrinkled my nose at my father.
Josian nodded. “I like to think of it as confidence.”
“Where did Lucas disappear to?” Talina seemed to have suddenly noticed he wasn’t in the room.
I’d noted it as soon as we walked into the house, grateful for the reprieve from his presence. He made me think and feel things that were darn uncomfortable.
“He had to go back and check on the castle and his father,” Josian said, his expression unchanging.
Although he’d never said anything, I was under the impression he didn’t like Lucas.
“How sick is his father?” I realized that in all the time I’d known Lucas I’d never once asked about his father or family.
I felt a twinge of guilt. I really hadn’t been interested, and with so much going on there wasn’t time to dwell on anyone else’s problems. But it must be tough for him, knowing his father was sick and that the mantle of ruling First World was about to fall into his lap. No wonder he continued to run away with us.
“No one has seen the Emperor for many years. To my understanding he is bed-ridden with a deteriorating disease and relies on Lucas and his trusted advisor to pass on his instructions,” Lallielle said. “Lucas represents him in the court meetings.”
I didn’t know about everyone else but that seemed suspicious to me. Who could trust instructions delivered through a third party? Now that my curiosity was aroused I might just ask a few questions the next time I saw Lucas. I especially wondered how he could keep world-hopping with us when the Emperor relied on him so heavily.
Fury laughed. “Sounds like the perfect situation for corruption to erupt and destroy your world.” She stole a sideways glance at Dune. “We have seen it happen with a false leader and the lies of his advisors.”
Josian nodded. “It’s for this very reason that First World has a council to rule individual lands. No major decisions can be made without complete council approval. They’ve worked hard to make sure one dictator can never dominate.”
“And for many millennia this has worked without drama. The Emperor’s sickness is the first fundamental breakdown we’ve had in our system.” Lallielle pushed back her long hair. “As you know, we only have a few rare sicknesses that cannot be healed by our bodies. I’m afraid there’s no precedence for how to proceed here. It’s messy. And I don’t like that in our leadership.”
Lallielle sounded like she was about ready to step in and get them into line. I knew her family had been Emperors and Empresses in the past. That’s why everyone had so readily believed I was the chosen one.
Thinking about Lucas and the prophecy gave me a headache. Somewhere deep down I believed him. I was supposed to be his Empress and really should be helping to fix the problems on First World. But for some reason my Walker side was stronger, my bond with Brace everything and my mission to gather the half-Walkers had to take precedence.
But that didn’t lessen that niggling guilt.
“So it’s just the seven of us heading to the dark mountains?” I changed the subject.
“I have some of our clan meeting us there; in fact, they’ve gone ahead and are scouting the outer regions for us. So far there don’t seem to be any immediate obstacles.” Josian pushed back his plate and stood. “But we should head there now. I want that dealt with so I can get back to the research and Aribella can move on to the next planet.”
He looked over our heads, toward something no one else could see. “Something tells me time is running out.”
Chapter 10
We stood at the edge of the darkness. The mountains rising before us like the very gates to a dead land. Under my feet there were scattered trees and plants that were still alive, but just beyond our group it was a different story. As if a bomb had been discharged, surrounding the black mountains was a perfect ring of death.
“I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad.” Lallielle stood, hands on her slim hips. Like the rest of us, she was dressed simply: jeans, boots and a light jacket. Perfect for the fog and temperate weather surrounding the mountains. “Life energy is being leached from every living thing in the vicinity.”
“Yes, but what we need to worry about is what they’re using all of this life-force for.” Lucy held her head as she spoke, fingertips resting on her temples.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
She shrugged before wincing, her eyes screwing closed. “The negative energy here has got to be messing with my mind. I’m seeing this scene in front of us but I also keep getting these alternate images in my head.”
“Frannie always saw double images like that when her soothsayer side was trying to warn her of something.” Lallielle patted Lucy’s arm. “Try not to block out the visions. They could be important and I believe if you let them come your head will ache less.”
Lucy crinkled her nose but nodded. “Ma
ybe I’ll actually see something useful rather than terrifying,” she muttered.
“What are the other images?” I had to ask.
She shook her head a little. “Random and disjointed scenes. Zombies again and all the time this blindingly bright light.”
I shuddered internally. Zombies were one of my biggest freak-outs; I covered my unease with a joke.
“Don’t worry about the undead, Luce. When Abby gets bitten by a zombie, she doesn’t turn into a zombie; the zombie turns into Abby.”
Lucy stopped dead, dropping her hands from her head. “Two things, Abigail. First, don’t refer to yourself in the third person. Ever. Again. And second, I know you just took a Chuck Norris saying and inserted your own name.”
“Who the hell is this Chuck Norris they keep referring to?” I heard Josian ask Lallielle. “He has to be a Walker with these skills.”
Lucy and I both dissolved into fits of laughter.
“Doesn’t this remind you a little of Crais?” Fury interrupted us. She was standing with Dune a short distance away.
“Yes, according to the elders this is how our world seemed to die; a slow leaching of the green and nutrients,” he said. “Crais bit by bit succumbed to the heat of our suns.”
Dune stared out into the distance as he pulled Fury closer in a protective manner.
“The main difference here is that unnatural forces have caused this level of destruction and death. Not a natural weather evolution like Crais.” Josian’s lips curled. “This is pure manipulation and overflow of negative energy.”
“Do we really have to head into that dead land?” Talina looked pale, her lips pressed together tightly.
“In a minute. I’m waiting for Lanthorne to return,” Josian said, giving us a reprieve.
Lanthorne was one of his trusted Doreen Reds.
I examined the mountains again. There seemed to be a main peak, which had a circumference of at least five miles at the base, framed by two smaller mountains on either side. I was distracted as a figure stepped out of the shadows below the mountains, his red hair standing out in dramatic contrast to the monochromatic background. Lanthorne made his way to us in a matter of seconds, moving at Walker super-speed.