by Angie West
After what truly seemed like hours, but in all likelihood was no more than thirty or forty minutes, Mark halted in front of us and I nearly bumped into Aries on the last step.
“This way,” he ordered, ushering us down yet another poorly lit crude hall that some long ago people had carved into the belly of the mountain. The stone was cold and damp and the air smelled dank. I took a deep breath and reached out to catch the tail end of Aries’s shirt, suddenly anxious for human contact.
“This is yours to use while you’re here,” Mark informed us a moment later, showing us into a slightly less damp eight-by-ten stone box of a room. It was still cold, but at least the chamber sported two halfway comfortable-looking cots and a handmade dresser, complete with ornate brass knobs. There were even two large wall sconces, one by the door and another on the opposite wall between the two cots. Mark lit both off his torch before turning to go back the way he came.
“Wait,” I blurted, without knowing what to say.
“Yes?” His eyes met mine, and for a moment, something flickered in their cold depths.
“How long are we staying here?”
“Like I told my men, we leave this evening. Neither of you are prisoners here, you can come and go as you please. This room is yours to rest as you see fit until we leave here. We eat in a couple of hours.
I’ll send someone to fetch you and your companion then. Unless you would rather eat in this room.”
“No,” I quickly told him. “Aries and I will go back to the surface and eat with the men.”
“Of course,” he snorted, turning to go.
“Because it’s cold down here,” I told his retreating form a second before the door shut firmly behind him.
“Well,” Aries said brightly. “We found him. How about that?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, sinking down to the cot nearest the door.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I cupped my hands and blew into them. “I’m fine. We found him and that’s what matters. Lord, it’s so cold in here!” I shivered and rubbed both hands together, not wanting to talk about Mark and his surly attitude right then. Not when I was still reeling with it. No, I decided, it was better to stay on safe, normal subjects—like freezing to death. “Aren’t you cold?” I demanded, glaring at Aries. She wasn’t even shivering.
“Yes, it is chilly down here.” She exhaled, and I took small, petty comfort in the icy puff of breath. I wasn’t the only one that was damn uncomfortable.
“I don’t suppose there are any blankets stashed down here.”
“No, it doesn’t look like it,” she smiled apologetically. “Unless you want to go investigate?”
“Not on your life.” I shook my head. “The last thing we need is to get lost inside this mountain, or run into who only knows what. No, I guess we won’t freeze to death in two hours.”
“Let’s hope not.”
We spent the next couple of hours in silence, each of us seemingly lost in our own thoughts and half-heartedly trying to sleep; though of course, neither of us did. But we did get some much needed rest…or rather, Aries probably did. While my body got some badly needed down time, my mind was anything but restful. My thoughts churned with an inner turmoil that made it difficult to concentrate on any one thing and all but impossible to hold still for more than a few minutes at a time. It seemed I was constantly shifting around on the cot in a hopeless attempt to get comfortable, and things didn’t improve when later that night, we sat across a clearing from Mark, surrounded by his men, to share the evening meal. I could feel all eyes upon us as we dined as a group, cross-legged around several small fires. A few times I thought I felt Mark staring at me, but when I turned to look at him, he was never so much as glancing in my direction. It was as if I had ceased to exist for him. No matter, I told myself, a trace of iron creeping into my spine.
Who needs him anyway?
***
We were nearing a small cluster of villages; it was impossible to determine our exact location, but I could see groupings of peaked roofs and chimneys down below. The clouds weren’t quite so thick here.
Every mile traveled away from the mountains meant drastically clearer surroundings to behold. Once the urge to vomit passed, I had to admit the scene below was truly amazing. The sight directly around Mark and me wasn’t bad either. Jeweled birds as far as the eye could see, carrying an army of warriors and Aries, looking every bit the warrior princess.
Mark had been clearly amused at my reaction when, with a strange call, he’d gathered the mass of Aragazzi to the top of the mountain. I’d gasped and taken a hasty step toward Aries—well, clutched her arm in terror really—so certain was I that we were about to face retribution for killing a member of the bejeweled flock on our way up the mountain. But no attack came; these birds, Mark had explained, had been tamed and were perfectly safe. In fact, they were our transportation off the mountain. I’d made Aries climb onto hers first.
She looked at home on the bird, among the soldiers. The half-naked soldiers, I suddenly reflected with a wry smile. Marta would have a fit. There were two things that she hated with a passion—heathens and things that pooped in her grass, and in a matter of minutes we were about to land one hundred or so five hundred pound birds right on her immaculate front lawn. Plus, over two hundred men.
“This will not go well…” I muttered.
“What did you say?”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I snapped.
“Don’t you talk to me that way.”
“I said I’m not talking to you.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Hey, look, there’s Bob and Marta’s house.” I pointed suddenly, leaning forward for a better view.
“I thought you weren’t talking to me.”
“Just land the damn bird, Mark.”
One by one we descended, landing smoothly in a long row on the expanse of lawn in front of the sprawling two-story house. I climbed down to stand on legs that felt like rubber, surveying the group.
“Marta’s going to have a heart attack.”
Mark simply shrugged, turned on his heel, and stalked away from me.
“Where are you going?”
“To check on my men,” he tossed over his shoulder, “Not that it’s any business of yours.”
“You know what you are?” I started forward, indignant.
“Well, that answers my question,” Aries broke in before I had the chance to tell Mark what I thought of his sour attitude.
“What question?”
“I was going to ask how it’s going with Mark.”
“He’s about as warm as a grizzly bear, that’s how it’s going,” I muttered, still trying to reorient myself with solid ground.
“I see that.” Her remark was light, but there was empathy in her gaze.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not here to socialize with the man,” I replied defensively, but before I could say anything further on the matter, I was interrupted by a loud screech—several of them, in fact.
“My boy! You’ve come home at last!”
“Mama, you’re back!”
“Hello, Marta.” Mark stepped forward to accept the woman’s embrace just as Ashley rushed forward and caught me around the knees.
“Hey, peanut, were you good like I told you?”
“Yep,” she nodded, only to fall silent a mere second later, her eyes growing big as saucers as she stared up at the sky. “Birds!” she shouted, her little face lighting up with excitement. “Look Mama, birds—big ones!”
“What—” Marta began to sputter, shoving her long lost “son” away from her and turning to gape at the sky.
“Oh boy,” I muttered. “Here it comes.”
Silence reigned as ten birds on the lawn became more than one hundred. Marta’s eyes bulged a little more with each landing and subsequent squawk until finally, her eyes narrowed dangerously on all of us.
“What is going on here? Why are those...things…on
my lawn?” she demanded.
“Mama?” Mark echoed, his dazed expression shifting between me and Ashley, who was still latched onto my legs, jumping up and down and yelling, “birds!”
“What is going on here? Well? Answer me. Someone had better explain this right now. Mark, what is this…this vermin doing in the yard?” She gestured angrily to the mass of birds that stood looking over the scene with casual interest in their shrewd eyes. Marta treated each one to a fierce scowl before turning back to Mark.
“They’re not vermin. Those are war birds,” he said by way of explanation before turning to treat me to a scowl that rivaled the one Marta had leveled on the birds. “I need to talk to you, Claire.”
“Someone had better tell me what is going on,” Marta threatened. “Right this minute.”
“Aries will explain everything. Claire and I will be back shortly.”
“Okay, I’ll just get Ashley settled—”
“Now.” There was steel in his voice.
“In a minute,” I countered, standing toe to toe, glare for glare.
“What’s your name?” he asked, bending down to Ashley’s level.
“Ashley.” She regarded him through wary eyes.
“Ashley, would it be okay if I talked to your mom for a minute?”
“I guess so.”
“Thank you. I’ll bring her right back. Can you stay with Marta until we return?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go.” I spun around, leading the way into the blessedly cool silence of the mansion.
“Yes, let’s,” he snapped, taking the lead and marching straight to the library at the back of the house.
“Mark, what in the hell was that out there? What’s this about?” I demanded angrily once he had firmly shut and locked the door behind us.
“Why don’t you tell me?” His voice was deadly calm.
“Tell you what?” I fired back. “That you scared my daughter? That you’re acting like a Neanderthal right now? Sure, I would be glad to tell you all about it. Now suppose you tell me what your problem is?”
“You want to know what my problem is?” His tone was incredulous.
“You know what? Now that I think about it, no, actually I don’t want to know.”
“She called you mom.”
“Ashley?” I frowned, thoroughly confused by the turn of the conversation and wondering at his accusing tone.
“Yes. Ashley.”
“She’s mine.” I spoke slowly, enunciating clearly as though speaking to a very young child.
“Your daughter.” His frown deepened.
“Yes. My daughter. She’s six years old. She’s not yours,” I added sarcastically.
“No kidding.”
“So what are you getting at?”
“Who’s her father?”
“Who is her…are you serious? Is that what this is about?”
“Who is he, Claire?”
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully.
“You don’t know?” Mark’s brows shot skyward.
“No, I don’t know. Not that it’s any business of yours,” I said, using his words against him and gaining immense satisfaction in the process.
“It damn well is my business!” he roared.
“Since when?” I yelled back.
“It’s my business when you’re sleeping with me!”
“No, Mark, not ‘sleeping’ with you—slept,” I stressed bitterly. “I slept with you—past tense. That makes it still none of your business.”
“What else did you conveniently ‘forget’ to tell me about, Claire? Are you married? What did your husband think about you spending your nights beneath me?”
My jaw dropped in shock at his tirade and I thought about telling him to go straight to hell and marching out of the library. Two things stopped me from giving into the sudden impulse. One, I had the feeling I wouldn’t get very far, and two, I couldn’t in good conscience let him think that I was married.
Letting him think that our time together had been a betrayal would have been cruel and completely untrue.
He didn’t deserve that, even if he was acting like a world class jackass.
“I’ve never been married.”
“Then how is it you have a daughter? And one who is six years old at that? Why didn’t you tell me about her before?”
“There was nothing to tell. I’ve only been Ashley’s mother for a little over a year now. I don’t know who her father is because I adopted her. I don’t know who her mother was either; both of her parents are dead.”
“I-I’m sorry, Claire.” He paused, and after several long moments, scrubbed a hand over his face.
“She’s from here, from Terlain.”
“How?”
“I found her the day I…left.”
“I see.”
“Yes. So…yes.” I exhaled, at a loss for words and desperately searching for something to focus on besides Mark’s intense gaze. “Well, no,” I blurted. “No, you don’t see. I found my brother the day I...disappeared. We were under attack by the guards and we had to escape with Ashley, so we crossed the portal. I’m sorry you thought I was dead.” I murmured that part quietly.
“I have work to do,” he stated with an abruptness that shattered the quiet of the library, startling me.
“Wait,” I said on impulse, immediately wishing I could take back the word.
“Wait? That’s rich coming from you, Claire.” He laughed humorlessly.
“That’s not what I meant,” I argued.
“What could you possibly have to say now? I think we’re done here.”
“I guess we are,” I managed. Why had I thought my explanation would make any difference to him now? It was obvious that, to him at least, the damage had already been done. In his mind, there was nothing that I could say to fix this.
“It sure looks that way,” he coolly replied.
“That’s what I just said,” I snapped, irritated with him for being stubborn and rude. In truth, his reaction on the mountain still stung. He hadn’t even looked relieved to discover I was alive.
“Fine,” he shot back, slamming the door on his way out.
“Ignorant jackass,” I muttered.
***
“And just how am I supposed to feed all of those men?”
“I don’t know, Marta,” I sighed wearily, wishing for the night to be over and done with already. I had the beginnings of what promised to be a raging headache creeping up on me, and as far as I was concerned, bedtime couldn’t possibly come soon enough.
“Don’t worry about feeding them, Marta,” Aries reassured the old woman.
I flashed my friend a grateful smile for coming to my rescue yet again and continued marking the map I had laid out before me on the kitchen table.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Marta scoffed. “Just because they’re heathens doesn’t mean I’m going to let them starve to death.”
“I meant only that the men are very capable. I’ve already set them up in the guest quarters at the rear of the property. They can hunt for themselves and cook their own meals.”
“They are still going to need some basic foodstuffs,” I pointed out. “Coffee, flour, salt—things to cook with.”
“My guess is they’ve made do with less, but when you’re done with the map, we can go shopping. If you’re up to it that is,” she offered, fanning her long black hair away from her neck.
“I’ll be lucky to finish this within the next decade.” I sighed and set my pen aside for the moment. “There are so many different cities and townships and territories in Terlain. That’s not even counting the unincorporated areas. And I’m not all that familiar with which areas started out as protected zones and which were not.”
“It’s okay.” Aries touched my shoulder. “Just do the best you can. I’ll make sure you have a continuously updated list of every area with a reported zone failure.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “But I still wish there was more I could be
doing.”
“Nonsense. You’ve got one of the most important tasks there is in this operation. It is vital for us to have a record of which fences have failed and where so that we can dispatch rescue teams to those locations. You’re the glue that holds us all together, Claire. You’re saving lives just the same as the rest of us. It is a thing to be proud of.”
“That’s another thing, I wish we knew why the fences are failing. I didn’t think the protection spell cast by the Matrons had an expiration date,” I remarked.
“They don’t. At least, they’re not supposed to.”
“Maybe something has happened to the Matrons?”
“Possibly.”
“But you think it’s unlikely.” I could hear that much in her tone.
“Honestly? Yes, it’s very unlikely that something could have been done to even one of the Matrons, let alone all of them. Not even Kahn is that strong, unless the Matrons took a whole lot of stupid chances, and they don’t take chances. Ever.”
“What sort of chances would they have to take?” I asked, casting worried eyes in her direction.
“Let’s put it this way. In order for Kahn to have taken out all of them, they would have all had to split up and walk down a dark alley, alone, in an unprotected region, and even then Kahn would have his work cut out for him.”
“They’re really that powerful?” I was stunned.
“Yes.”
“So why the hell aren’t they putting a stop to this insanity?” I grumbled rather uncharitably. Wasn’t that their job?
“Maybe it’s time for us to come together as a people and stand on our own.”
“We might as well go with that. It looks like that’s exactly what we are going to have to do.”
“It’s fortunate that Mark and his men have made the decision to stand with us and fight.” Her eyes met mine over the short utility table in the kitchen.
“So I shouldn’t anger him or otherwise do anything that would make him want to rescind the offer?”
“That would be wise, yes.” She ducked her head, eyes twinkling under the fluorescent overhead lighting.
“If you insist,” I deferred. “I can’t look at these maps anymore right now. I’m ready to go to the store whenever you are.”