Finding Refuge: The Marked Ones

by Cathi Shaw

  But part of Teague had to question Omen’s reasoning. It had been easy to shut off his connection to the others. Almost too easy. If they were able to control him, Teague believed the Draíodóir would not make it so easy for a single member to disconnect from them. There was a tickle in the back of his mind that questioned what Omen and Bellasiel wanted him to believe.

  Teague stood up and looked at the door of his chamber. He wasn’t a prisoner in the mine; he could wander wherever he wanted. But Bellasiel and Omen had encouraged him to spend time in meditation. They suggested it would clear his mind. And Omen always provided the meditation task.

  Teague wasn’t so sure their motives were innocent. He was beginning to wonder if they encouraged the meditation so that he wouldn’t go and see what was going on in the Refuge itself.

  Teague narrowed his eyes. There was a small army of Helpers who ran the Refuge. People from all areas of the Five Corners had been found who were willing to help The Cause.

  Teague snorted. The Cause, as Bellasiel liked to call it, was originally to keep the six Chosen Ones safe. But Teague was the only one of the original six who had been here for any length of time. Mina, Meldiron and Thia were hunting for a missing Marked One down South and Caedmon and Kiara had delivered him to the Refuge and then immediately disappeared on their scouting missions.

  And this place had been build for more than just the six of them. It was clearly outfitted for hundreds, if not thousands of people. Bellasiel seemed to be on her way to collecting that many of the Marked Ones.

  Teague had to wonder why they would bring this many Marked Ones to one place. He didn’t think it was just to keep them safe. Last week when he stumbled upon the enormous training room and the children in lines doing military exercises it had suddenly become crystal clear. He now knew - they were building the army of Marked Ones that the Prophecy mentioned.

  Teague knew more about the Prophecy than anyone realized. It was as if they had all forgotten that the Draíodóir were the ones who had interpreted the Prophecy for the Elders. Teague, while only a novice, was still part of the inner circle of Draíodóir. He was privy to what the Prophecy hinted at, even if he hadn’t actual been able to read the ancient script himself.

  Everyone seemed so focused on what the Prophecy said about the unborn child of the Chosen Marked Ones that they ignored what the other, more important, parts of the scroll said about the Marked Ones as a whole. From what Teague had understood the Prophecy spoke of an uprising of the people, a uniting of forces, led by the Marked Ones. There were also warnings of manipulation and power – not necessarily by the Marked Ones but by those who would control them. The Army that Bellasiel seemed to be intent on building with the children was also mentioned. Except … Teague couldn’t remember all of it. When he’d been introduced to the Prophecy it had not been so important to him. He’d not realized that the small circle on his left shoulder was the Mark (although he suspected the Draíodóir knew it all along).

  What he really needed was to see a copy of the Prophecy in person. He shook his head. But that was looking more and more unrealistic since he was stuck in the Refuge. And the longer he was stuck here the more he had to question Bellasiel and Omen’s sincerity in helping him and his friends. Worse of all, he was beginning to question whether he would ever see Thia again.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Travelling with the large number of children meant slow progress. It also meant frequent stops for supplies. Twenty-five children ate a lot - especially when many of them weren’t used to having full bellies. Unfortunately that was most of the children given the increasing lack of food in the Five Corners due to the drought. Kiara couldn’t wait until they got to the Refuge with them. She wasn’t sure how she did it but Bellasiel always ensured that there was plenty of food in the Refuge. It was almost as if she’d been planning and stockpiling it for some time.

  With such a large group they were forced to camp on the outskirts of towns and villages to avoid being seen. Caedmon, with his gift for finding shelters in the most improbable of places, continued to surprise Kiara with the campsites he created. They were hidden from the more travelled roads and, more often than not, included natural play areas for the children (a swimming hole or a grove of trees where they could play hide and seek). That had been another surprise from Caedmon. He was amazingly good with children – far better than she was. Watching him with even the smallest of their charges, warmed Kiara’s heart in a way that made her uncomfortable.

  Still having to find camp outside the towns and villages, meant for an onerous trip. Thankfully they had sympathizers in almost every part of the Five Corners and they were kept well supplied with food and other necessities.

  Caedmon and her took turns going into the various towns and hamlets to pick up supplies. Today it was Kiara’s turn. Surprisingly the sympathizers she was seeing today were people she knew. She had stayed at this very Inn in Green Lake when they’d travelled through the mountains last winter. The couple was very nice but she’d had no idea at the time that they were helping the Marked Ones.

  “Well, here are the supplies you need,” the man, Haros, said with a smile.

  “Thanks,” Kiara said, hoisting the sacks of supplies onto her back and preparing to leave.

  “Um, Miss,” his wife beckoned to her from the side of the Inn.

  Kiara frowned and put the sacks down on the ground. She needed to get back to the camp where Caedmon was trying to keep too many hungry children quiet. They had been running low on supplies for several days now and the kids were becoming more and more irritable. Even though he didn’t seem to mind, Kiara didn’t want to leave Caedmon to try to keep them happy for too long. But she pasted a smile onto her face and followed the woman to her kitchen.

  She led Kiara to a small pantry cupboard and opened the door. Squatting inside on the floor of the tiny room was the filthiest, skinniest child Kiara had ever seen. And she’d seen some pretty dirty ones in her recent travels.

  “Her mother sent her to us two days ago asking that we pass her on to you.”

  Kiara looked at the woman. “She’s Marked?”

  The woman wrinkled her nose and said dubiously, “That’s what her mother says.”

  Kiara wondered what made the Innkeeper’s wife so distrustful. There were Marked Children scattered throughout the Five Corners, more than they’d ever imagined. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that one would be found here.

  Kiara squatted down so that she was at eye level with the child. The little girl had long, matted dark hair and enormous dark eyes in a painfully thin face. She was looking at her feet shyly.

  “What’s your name?” Kiara asked softly.

  The girl looked up and then looked down again. “Deanna,” she whispered. Kiara noticed how she almost folded into herself when she spoke, as if she was terrified of doing something wrong and just wanted to disappear.

  Kiara stood up. “Well, I guess I can take her with us.”

  The woman sniffed. “That’s mighty kind of you, Miss Kiara, but just remember you’re not running a charity.”

  Kiara turned and looked at the woman closely. Her mouth was pinched in disapproval.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If she’s Marked, I’ll eat Haros’ hat. Her mother’s a good-for-nothing who’s just trying to get rid of one of her mistakes.”

  Kiara looked back at the child, cowering now in the pantry. “Deanna, come out here please,” she said.

  The little girl hesitated and then crawled out of the pantry.

  “Why did your mother send you here?” Kiara asked.

  Deanna bit her lip and rubbed her grubby hand across her dripping nose. “’Cause of the scar,” she said timidly.

  “The scar?” Kiara repeated.

  “Uh-huh. Ma said you was taking all of us kids with the scar and keeping us safe.”

  “Hmmm,” Kiara said, her suspicions pricked. “Can you show me your scar?”

  Deanna looked up at he
r distrustfully.

  “We don’t take anyone with us unless they can show us they have the scar,” Kiara told her when the girl remained silent.

  Deanna seemed to think about that for a moment then she nodded. She pulled her filthy dress off her right shoulder to reveal a black smudge.

  Kiara reached out and touched Deanna’s shoulder. Clearly someone who had never seen the Mark had tried to draw something meant to resemble it onto the girl.

  Kiara looked at the innkeeper’s wife and shook her head. Why would a parent do this to such a small child? Kiara couldn’t believe that a mother would disown a 6-year old. Children could be irritating, yes, but Kiara couldn’t imagine someone trying to get rid of their child, especially if she wasn’t Marked.

  Suddenly Kiara wanted to see for herself this woman who called herself a mother.

  “Deanna, can you take me to your mother?” Kiara asked the little girl.

  Deanna eyes widened in fear. She shook her head. Kiara frowned. It appeared that the mother was the source of the girl’s terror. Kiara felt her temper flare.

  She knelt down in front of the little girl and forced herself to speak gently despite the anger bubbling inside, “You’re not in trouble, honey, but I do need to speak to your mother.”

  Deanna bit her lip and seemed to be considering. Then her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Okay,” she whispered.

  “I’ll be back for the supplies,” Kiara told the Innkeeper’s wife.

  She followed the little girl through the village to the outskirts of Green Lake. There, on the edge of town, was a tiny shack that looked in danger of falling over.

  “She’ll be in here - she sleeps this time of day,” the girl told Kiara.

  Kiara followed Deanna up to the house, trying to imagine what kind of mother would be sleeping in mid-afternoon. Brijit would never have taken to her bed when the sun was still in the sky! Not while she was well at least.

  “Ma?” the little girl yelled. A small boy about a year or two younger than Deanna opened the door.

  “Shh, Deanna, she be sleeping. You don’t wanna wake her, do you?”

  “This lady wants to see her.”

  The boy looked up at Kiara dubiously then without saying another word ran past her and around the side of the shack.

  “He’s making himself scarce,” Deanna told her solemnly. “Ma ain’t gonna be too happy to be woke up.”

  Kiara wrinkled her forehead. She didn’t like the sound of this.

  “Ma!” Deanna called again. “Did what you told me but the lady wants to see you.”

  A few minutes later a tired and nasty looking woman stumbled to the door.

  “What are you doing back here?” she snarled at the girl. Deanna didn’t even flinch. Clearly she was accustomed to being spoken to this way.

  “Lady wants to see you.”

  Only then did she see Kiara. “Well, you takin’ the Marked Ones - so take her. She’s Marked.”

  Kiara could see a smaller girl clinging to her mother’s skirts. The woman pushed her back inside, the child fell over and started wailing. Then another child started crying from somewhere in the house.

  The woman stepped out and closed the door but the wails could still be heard.

  “The problem is that your daughter isn’t Marked, is she?” Kiara said testily.

  The woman turned to Deanna. “What did you do?” she snarled at her.

  “I done what you told me to,” the girl protested stepped back and flinching.

  “We don’t take children who aren’t Marked,” Kiara said firmly.

  “Git inside then.” The woman reached out and grabbed Deanna by the hair. The girl howled in pain and the woman quickly backhanded her across the mouth “Shuddup.”

  “Wait.” Kiara stepped forward. “You can’t treat her like that.”

  “I can treat her any way I want,” the woman said looking Kiara up and down distastefully. “Nothing a freak like you can do about it.”

  Kiara drew herself up to her full height, towering over the horrid creature in front of her. She made a split second decision. “Deanna, come along with me,” she said to the girl who was sniffling and trying not to cry out in pain. Her dirty cheek was brightly outlined with an imprint of her mother’s hand.

  “What you doing?” the woman asked.

  “I guess I was mistaken. I think Deanna is Marked after all,” Kiara said and took the girl gently by the arm. “She’ll be safe with us. Something that she won’t be here with you.”

  Kiara was silent on the way back to camp. She couldn’t get the hatred that had been apparent in the woman’s eyes out of her head. She wondered what would have happened to Deanna if she’d left her with her mother.

  Later that night, Caedmon sat beside her watching the fire burn low.

  “You can’t pick up every mistreated child and orphan, Kiara,” he said reasonably as he sharpened his dagger.

  Kiara sighed. “I know, Caedmon, I know. But I couldn’t just leave her there.” She put her head on his shoulder. “What would you have done?”

  He was silent, his eyes on the dagger. After a few moments he said, “I don’t know.”

  “Next time you go for supplies,” Kiara said softly. “The sooner we get back to the Refuge the better.”

  #

  By the time they arrived at the Refuge, Kiara was hot, tired and irritable. Twenty-six whiney children, many of them starting to miss home, were grating. She was looking forward to cleaning up and having some time to herself.

  Kiara sighed. The older children had tried to keep the young ones quiet but by the end of the journey they were all exhausted.

  Bellasiel met them in the main chamber of the mine. Her eyebrows rose when she saw the numbers.

  “You’ve been busy,” she observed, pleasure infusing her words. “People can’t wait to get rid of these ones.”

  Caedmon explained, “The draught is taking its toll.” There had been little rain in most of the Five Corners for the past three months. It had been a hot summer. Crops were suffering and if it continued there was a fear that the next winter would be hard everywhere. If people could get rid of a few hungry mouths to feed, then they would do so.

  “There’s also been more activity by the Hunters,” Caedmon went on. “It’s put families on high alert. There are rumors circulating that entire families protecting their Marked child have been slaughtered. People are nervous and more willing to give them up.”

  He looked around the room silent for a moment. “What’s been happening here?” Caedmon finally asked.

  “The ones you found earlier have commenced training. Caedmon, now that you are here you can help with that.” Bellasiel paused, an eager light in her eyes. “Have you found any older ones yet?”

  Kiara shook her head. Bellasiel’s eyes reflected her disappointment. The oldest child they had discovered was 13. Kiara knew they all had to be thinking the same thing. Were they the only Marked Ones their age that existed? They knew that the older the Marked Ones were, the more chance there was that they’d mate and reproduce. And the Prophecy spoke of a child born of two Marked Ones who would result in the end of an age. But that was all they knew. At least that was all that Bellasiel admitted to knowing.

  What they really needed was a complete copy of the Prophecy. They’d almost had that - Mina had one sitting on her desk the entire time she was in Séreméla but she’d not realized how vital it was. And by the time she did realize the importance of the document, it had been stolen and the great Elder Archivist, Eöl Ar-Feiniel, had been murdered.

  That had been a great loss. Even if they found a complete copy of the Prophecy, it would take time to attempt a translation as it was written in an ancient dialect of the Elder language. All they knew of the Prophecy was from small excerpts translated by the Draíodóir and everyone knew they weren’t trustworthy.

  Which brought Kiara’s thoughts back to Teague, Caedmon’s brother who was a novice Draíodóir. Teague was the reason they’d had to c
ome to the Eastern Mountains so quickly in the Spring. Bellasiel had been worried that Teague would be corrupted by the Draíodóir before they could safely get away. Even Teague himself had admitted that he’d been overpowered by a group of Draíodóir when he’d been dragged before the Elder council. He was one of the main reasons they’d left Séreméla in such haste.

  Of course he wasn’t the only reason, Kiara admitted, remembering the death of Brijit, her adopted mother. She pushed the memory away.

  “How’s Teague?” she asked instead.

  Bellasiel looked grim. “Oh that’s another thing. I have some news and you’re not going to like it.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Kiara followed Caedmon through the tunnels towards Teague’s chambers. She had to jog to keep pace with him; he was walking so fast.

  Caedmon had only listened to Bellasiel for three minutes before he’d stormed out of the room. Bellasiel had explained that Omen and her were becoming increasingly concerned for Teague’s wellbeing.

  “His link with the Draíodóir is strong,” she’d noted. “They knew from the start that Teague was special and so they’ve bound him to them more firmly than I’ve ever seen. Omen, himself, has never seen such a weaving of the links throughout a novice’s brain.” Bellasiel had shaken her head. “I fear for his sanity if we keep pushing him and trying to sever the links.”

  Caedmon had looked grim.

  “And I’m beginning to fear that the pressure of the last few months is already starting to threaten his sanity,” Bellasiel had added.

  That was when Caedmon had left. Kiara knew that he was angry from the way he was holding himself. Caedmon rarely lost his temper but when his anger flared it was dangerous and dark. He clearly didn’t believe Bellasiel and she knew that he didn’t trust Omen, the former Draíodóir apprentice who said he was trying to help Teague. Caedmon had been surly every time Kiara had tried to talk to him about Teague’s therapy. He wasn’t happy with what was being done to his brother.