by Jeff Altabef
She sighed heavily and then she marched toward the woods, hoping to slip away unseen, but her luck did not hold.
A voice called after her, “P’mina, where are you going?”
She froze.
Merina, an annoyingly clingy girl her age had called after her.
P’mina spun and plastered an artificial smile on her face.
Merina jogged toward her. “What’re you doing?” she asked, out of breath.
“Oh, I’m just gathering some red berries for Kalhona. She needs them for the Mother’s Banner.”
Merina grinned and skipped around her, her bright yellow dress swinging out from her knees. “This is our month before the feast. We can do anything we want! Let her get her own berries, and come with me. I’m going to ride one of the horses.” She clasped her blue-stained fingers in front of her. She worked with the dyes, which always left a trace on her hands.
“I’m the only one who knows where to find the berries she likes.” Anger laced P’mina’s words.
Why are Merina and the other girls so content with the swap? How can they be happy to leave?
“How long is it going to take? Maybe I’ll come with you.”
Although Merina was the closest thing to a friend P’mina had in the tribe, she would never confide in her. “It might take all day. You’ll be much happier with the horses. Enjoy your riding.” She turned to leave, but Merina caught her by the arm.
“How come you aren’t as happy as everyone else? The tribe is treating us special, like heroes. I even got sweet iced milk yesterday at dinner. Of all of us, P’mina, I would think that you’d be happiest.”
P’mina spit out the words fast, hot, and angry. “And why would I be the happiest?”
Merina smiled, oblivious to the anger tinting P’mina’s words. “After what happened with your mother, this is your chance to do something good for the tribe. Everyone will remember you instead of your mom. Her sin will be completely forgotten.”
“My mother did nothing wrong!” P’mina stomped her foot. “Besides, Kalhona and I have done plenty good for this tribe.”
Finally understanding the raw anger in her friend’s voice, Merina stepped backward. “Sure you have. You both have. Just some of the older girls talk, but with the swap, no one will mention it again. You’ll be special just like the other twenty-one of us.”
“I have to go. Enjoy the horses.” P’mina started to leave, but Merina stopped her again by grabbing her arm.
“That’s a heavy bag you’re carrying.” An odd twinkle lightened her eyes. “How long are you going to be away?”
P’mina’s heart sank. If Merina figured out her plans, all would be lost, so she said the first plausible explanation that entered her mind. “Sometimes I need tools to cut away plants to get to the red berries.” She added hastily, “I’ll be back by nightfall, and tomorrow I’ll go riding with you.”
Merina stared at the bag for a long moment.
P’mina’s hands turned clammy. She was sure Merina would ask to see the tools, but to her relief, Merina’s smile returned.
She released P’mina’s arm. “See you tomorrow, then.”
Relieved, P’mina hustled away before Merina could ask any more questions. Once she reached the forest’s edge, she turned and saw Merina still standing where they had been talking, looking at her, her lips turned down in a frown.
P’mina gave her a half-hearted wave, spun on her heels, and hiked through the familiar woods. She had spent much time in these woods, harvesting plants of value, for food or medicine or as dyes for the fabrics. She stopped at times, looking at her favorite gathering spots, thinking back to her time spent with Loiana.
Loiana had known the most about plants in the tribe. She spent years teaching the other girls her secrets, but P’mina was always her favorite student. That was until the Red Death took her at the beginning of summer. P’mina missed her terribly. Loiana never called her witchborn or treated her poorly because of her mom. She would have understood why P’mina needed to run.
The sun dipped lower in the sky as P’mina reached the Ancient Road. Narrow and made from crushed rocks fused over time, it was no wider than two people could walk side by side. The forest encroached on the sides, but she could still see far in both directions.
“Which way shall I go? Mom could live either way.” She stood squarely on the path and turned in both directions. Finally, she placed her hands on her hips. “I’m going to need some help, Mom!”
Then she remembered spinning with Tania. Inspired, she dropped her spear and her satchel, closed her eyes, and spun in quick tight circles until she felt dizzy. When she opened her eyes, she staggered around like Tania had, and sat on the road, facing north.
Once her head cleared, she smiled. “Thanks, Mom! I’ll see you soon!”
She walked north, confident she would soon be reunited with her mother, confident all would be right with the world, confident she had made the right decision.
***
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Chapter 14 – Viper
The Viper twirled a small paring knife in his fingers, expertly carved a strip of meat from the freshly killed rabbit’s haunches, and flipped it to Jonas, who gladly caught it in his callused hand. The meat tasted good and fresh, the blood warm and thick.
Jonas tossed the strip high in the air and let if fall into his open mouth, a splash of crimson splattering his chin. “I love fresh meat, especially when it’s still warm.” He wiped the blood with his sleeve.
“I remember the first time you took me on patrol. We ate that deer within minutes of taking her down.” The Viper grinned. “You had a mouthful of blood before I even knew what had happened. You looked like a boy with a blueberry pie.”
“Yes, that’s when I knew you were made of the right stuff.” Jonas reached his hand out for another slice of rabbit, but the Viper ignored him and studied the forest instead.
“The trail continues east.” He pointed to a snapped branch up ahead. “They must have traveled along the deer trail while it was still dark, but we’re gaining on them.” He tossed the remaining rabbit carcass into the woods and followed the trail, while Jonas lumbered behind him.
They moved quickly, the trail easy to follow—broken branches, turned dirt, even a footprint or two marked the way.
They might as well have cut their path with a sword.
The Viper felt oddly disappointed the hunt wasn’t more challenging—although young, Aaliss had generated a reputation. She was considered a prodigy, and he expected more. The numerous ghost trees with their wide umbrella of branches even made for easy traveling.
The Viper hesitated, squatted, and poked at what caught his curiosity with the end of a stick. “See this terrawk dropping?” He pointed to a white-greenish blob in front of them. “It looks recent, and there’s another one over there, and another just beyond it.”
“That’s a lot of activity.” Jonas surveyed the branches of the nearby trees and whispered, “It’s sure gotten quiet in this part of the woods.”
The Viper pointed to the grove of ghost trees up ahead and crept forward as silent as a shadow, practically drifting over the ground. Jonas followed carefully behind, but he made too much noise for the Viper, so he scowled at the big man. “You stay here. Try to be quiet.”
Jonas crossed his arms and muttered, “It looks like a nest to me. Terrawks love the higher branches of the ghost trees, but if you want me to stay behind, then I’m staying right here.”
The Viper scolded him with a glare and stalked forward. When he reached the edge of the grove he paused. This was the largest terrawk nesting ground he had ever seen. Over a dozen birds slept in the branches. He quickly scanned the grounds and easily spotted the trail Aaliss and company had created when they fled. A small bit of woolen cloak snagged on a nearby rose bush might as well have been a sign.
How did you escape these birds, little rabbit?
The Viper widened his gaze and foun
d a second disturbed area on the far side of the grove, this one violent. Fresh blood littered the ground, but no bodies.
He returned to Jonas, who looked uneasy, his eyes constantly darting toward the grove and the sky. “It’s a nest, all right. There must be more than a dozen of the big birds. It seems as if our rabbit left the grove unharmed.”
Jonas shook his head. “How could that be? Three kids and a dozen terrawks? That doesn’t sound right. Those birds should have ripped them to pieces.”
“A diversion entered the nest from the other side of the grove. I spotted blood, which would explain why Samuel hasn’t answered the radio.”
Jonas shuddered and glanced upward toward the trees. “That’s a bad way to die.”
“Come on.”
The Viper led Jonas in a wide arc around the nesting grounds, easily finding the new trail Aaliss had made in her hasty retreat from the grove, and within minutes they heard someone crying.
The Viper unsheathed both his swords and whispered, “I’ll go around and cut them off. You come straight at them. Give me five minutes, and we’ll have them surrounded.”
Jonas nodded as he pulled his long axe from his back, twisted his hands on the ash handle, and peered down the trail eagerly.
The Viper’s blood raced as he sprinted ahead to trap Aaliss. He moved with the forest, always traveling on the balls of his feet, careful to blend with the sounds around him. Branches bent quietly in one direction but snapped in the other. He smiled as he completed the half circle. His senses sharpened as adrenaline flooded his blood, and anticipation burned through him.
She was upwind; he smelled fear, and the scent thrilled him. Those he hunted should be afraid, and the rabbit had to be killed. He had no choice. Jacob had a glorious plan for Eden, and she would only screw it up. He simply acted as Jacob’s instrument, and as such he was righteous, all-powerful. He knew this rush came directly from Jacob himself—it was divine; it was right; it was his purpose.
He pulled back one last branch and cleared the brush.
Jonas had already marched onto the scene with his heavy battleax clutched in his right hand, looking eager to draw blood.
The Viper held his swords ready to strike in an instant. He expected to find the rabbit and two defenseless kids, but instead he stared down at a young man slumped against the trunk of a ghost tree, weeping uncontrollably.
In shock, his eyes looked glassy and unfocused. When he lifted them to the Viper, a bit of recognition took away the dull edge, and he staggered to his feet, his black ostrich suit torn along one leg and one arm.
Disappointment stretched across Jonas’s body tighter than his suit. “Who in Jacob’s name are you? Where’s the girl?”
The young man swung his head between both men, but he fixed his gaze on the Viper. “I’m John, one of the novices.”
The Viper sheathed one of his swords and stepped forward, still holding the other. “I remember you. You’re Ike’s boy, right?”
“Yes sir.” John tried to stand, but the effort seemed too much for him because he only made it halfway up before he collapsed against the tree and slid to the ground. His right arm had been badly hurt, his suit smeared with blood, his gasmask fixed crookedly on his face.
“You’re with Samuel’s team, right?” asked Jonas.
John nodded.
“Well, where’s Samuel?” Jonas slipped his axe back into its strap on his back. “What in Jacob’s name happened to your team?”
John turned toward the Viper, who had glided toward him. “We came upon a nest of terrawks, sir. They were everywhere. One moment we were hacking through the forest, and the next all I could see were beaks and talons and feathers. And blood... so much blood.” He hung his head and wept.
The Viper prodded him to continue. “And....”
“So we ran. I was in the lead and got away, but Samuel and Estienne didn’t make it. When I realized they weren’t behind me, I turned back, but it was too late. I wanted to help them—I really did—but they were already dead. The birds covered them. They were eating them!” John retched onto the ground by the tree.
“What about Aaliss and the others?” the Viper asked. “Have you seen them?”
“No. I’ve been here since the attack. I don’t know how long it’s been.” He cast his eyes down. “I should have helped them, but all I could think to do was run.”
“Can you stand?” the Viper asked.
John struggled unsteadily to his feet.
“Can you lift your right arm?”
John tried to raise his arm, but it shook with effort. He couldn’t lift it above his waist, and a new batch of tears flowed down his cheeks.
“Grab your sword with your left one then.” The Viper felt the rush building in his blood. He knew it would soon boil unless he satisfied it.
John moved woodenly, in too much shock to question the Priest of the Guardians.
The Viper struck, quick and hard. His sword sliced into John’s neck, and blood spurted in a wide arc as the young man fell to his knees. The Viper grabbed him by the shoulders and stared intently into his eyes as the light left them.
Jonas chuckled. “What about the safety of your flock and all that nonsense you told me this morning?”
“I am a Blood Relation. Jacob’s blood flows through me. I do His bidding.”
“Why make him hold the sword?”
He frowned. “He was one of ours. He deserved to die with a weapon in his hand.”
“And now we can blame all these deaths on Aaliss.”
“If that’s His will, then so be it. It’s not my place to question Him.”
***
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Chapter 15 – Wilky
Wilky watched as Aaliss inhaled and filled her lungs with unfiltered air from the Zone for the first time. “The air smells different from back home. It’s fresher and cleaner.”
Wilky noticed it too. So many different fragrances filled the forest—the trees, the mosses, the animals. They could overwhelm him and carry him away if he let them, but he refused to let that happen. They were still in danger, and he had to help. He had to focus on Aaliss, nothing but his sister—the black back of her Guardian suit, her perfect posture, the way the sun hit her hair....
She interrupted his thoughts and sounded troubled. “Wilky, will we lose our souls now that the Red Death has us? I don’t feel any different. I’m still the same person I was yesterday, right? What happens after we take the cure? Will our souls return?”
She glanced at him for answers, but he offered none. She had to wrestle with these questions on her own. With time she’d figure it out, and that was the best way.
“If we keep our souls, then what makes us different from the Soulless?” Aaliss kept walking and muttered the Guardian’s sacred motto. “The Soulless are Not Human. To Kill in Jacob’s Name is Just.” She stopped short, and he almost walked into her. “Are all the lessons wrong?”
He thought about her question. Not all the lessons were wrong. When he looked at the core teachings he saw light. It was the rottenness around the edges that perverted everything, making it hard to find the light in the center.
Aaliss shook her head as if she was banishing unwanted thoughts, which Wilky knew was exactly what she was trying to do. He knew she’d fail miserably, because once she locked onto a problem, she never gave up until she solved it. She might push it away from her mind temporarily, but she’d come back to it and decide the truth on her own.
He heard a branch snap and looked up to see a yellow finch alight from its perch. Three beats of its wings and it started to rise. Another bird, this one dark and larger....
***
Aaliss thought about the Priest of the Guardians and clutched her short sword a little tighter. “The Viper’s our main problem.” She knew he hunted them, and she quickened her pace. “Samuel said he’s in the Zone and after us. There’s something scary about him. Every new Guardian has to patrol with him at least o
nce before they let you become a full-fledged Guardian. Nothing special happened when we went out together, but he seemed to look through me as if I wasn’t there. He holds the records for all the tests new Guardians have to go through, and you hear stories about him all the time: how he loves to hunt, how superhumanly fast he is, what an amazing tracker he is. They say he’s never lost his prey, but that can’t be true. If we’re going to survive we’d better avoid him. But I have this sick feeling that he’s close.”
A handful of ravens suddenly took flight not far behind them. She grabbed her crossbow, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Viper is bad,” Wilky agreed.
“Have you ever met him?” She doubted he had, but maybe Wilky had seen him at the entrance to the tunnel.
A shiver shook Wilky’s body. “Never, except in dreams.” His face drained of color, and for a minute, a haunted look crossed her brother’s eyes.
“That’s right, Wilky. He goes into the Zone by himself. Some of the older Guardians say he was born in the Zone, and that he’s more Zone than Edenite.”
Aaliss’s heart skipped a beat as two chipmunks raced across their path.
I need to settle down.
She continued her one-way conversation. “The way I figure it, we need to make that cure. That way the Red Death will have no power over us, and we could eventually go back home.” She glanced at her brother for confirmation. He was looking into the forest, but she thought he was still paying attention, so she continued. “If we find the flower and the mushroom we can make the cure, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now we just need to find the ingredients. When we make camp, you’ll have to describe them to me so we can both decide where to look. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with Gemma, but we’ll figure that out as we go.”
The plants near them shook and a maple tree swayed. A sixteen-point buck bolted in front of them, running full out. The massive animal crashed through the forest in a frantic desire to escape something, but what?