03 Reckoning - Guardian

by Laury Falter

  At some point, I felt his breath tickle my neck as he murmured, “We should get to The Square soon.”

  I groaned and stretched, allowing my arms to fall across his body. “Is it that time already?”

  “It is…” he affirmed. My eyes were still closed but I could hear the laughter in his voice. Evidently, he enjoyed knowing that his teasing had an impact. He rolled out of bed and headed towards his room. “Downstairs in twenty minutes?”

  “Thirty…today.”

  He chuckled and left my room. I then dressed, slower than usual, and met Eran downstairs. He handed me a cup of coffee as I entered the kitchen, which I guzzled until empty. We were at The Square a few minutes later.

  Instead of lugging my chairs and sign on my Harley Davidson, I chose to simply take a seat on the edge of the wall in my usual spot. Without my sign informing tourists I was actually a vendor, it restricted the number of customers. Not that it mattered much. It was a quiet day with far fewer sightseers than usual. This allowed me and Eran extra time to exchange long looks, each one more alluring than the next so that by the time the sun set I was strongly anticipating whatever Eran had planned.

  Over a quick lunch break, I slipped in a store at the edge of the French Quarter that boasted mannequins in lingerie, selecting a translucent black negligee with matching accoutrements. The fact that I exited the store with a bag small enough to carry a jewelry box caused Eran’s eyebrows to rise and a wicked smile from me.

  On the ride back to the house, he leaned against me more than usual, which I returned with full appreciation. In fact, by the time we reached the shed and locked the bike up, my heart was beating harder and adrenaline coursed through my veins.

  Our walk to the kitchen’s back door was unhurried and silent and I was certain he was predicting what tonight would bring as much as me.

  The house was hushed as we entered; a peculiar sensation and one that reinforced the fact that we were completely alone. My hand was in his as he led me down the hallway and up the stairs to my door, where he paused.

  “How much time do you need?” he asked in a hushed tone. His breath had quickened, I noted. He was stifling his excitement as best he could.

  “Only a few minutes.” I would be as quick as possible.

  “All right,” he said with a nod.

  I turned then and with one hand on my bag of seduction and the other on the door knob I entered my room.

  The first thing I detected was that my French doors were open and that a line of Alterums stood just inside, their backs hunched, their wings extended. The next thing I noticed was the sound of Alterums racing down both ends of the hallway…directly towards Eran.

  CHAPTER SEVEN: ASSEMBLY

  The Alterums charged me as I stopped just inside my door. The ones in the hallway barraged Eran.

  The fighting was brief. They far outnumbered us and while they were fully prepared we were unsuspecting. Eran and I accomplished a few good hits, taking down three of them total, but in the end they had one contrivance we didn’t.

  A net made of thick cabled fabric landed over me just as I took down the third attacker. It cinched tight, taking my legs out from under me. Just as my body hit the floor, the cables cutting painfully through my side, I saw another one drape over Eran.

  It was dark by the time our attackers had finished restraining us. No words were spoken during the course of the fighting or afterwards, when they heaved the ends of the net over their shoulders and carried us out into the night. Their cause for assault made no sense to me and I knew from experience that demanding a reason for it would go unanswered. These Alterums were on a mission and it didn’t include explaining it to us.

  As they kidnapped us, Eran in one net and me in another, I tried to judge from the geography below where they were taking us. It wasn’t until we reached the Atlantic seaboard did I have an inclination.

  Not long after, I found us over London, Big Ben shining brightly against the lightened sky. It was almost dawn so I figured they would need to touch down soon.

  Beyond London, in the countryside, directly over the ruins of a disregarded stronghold, they began their descent. As we approached, a part of one turret fell in and away, creating a concealed entrance in the roof. I was dropped through it just as Eran was released in to another across from me.

  Gravity drew me hard and fast toward the ground and I landed with a thud, striking the air from my lungs. Heaving, I pulled the net from me, drawing in deep breaths with little relief. The ache of my fall permeated my entire body, a deep powerful awareness that despite my capabilities as an Alterum I still suffered from some limitations here on earth.

  After several tries, my lungs began functioning fully again and I stood up, my wings snapping out from behind me.

  If anyone dared to be in my vicinity at that time, I’m uncertain whether I could have contained myself. As it was, I was alone, left inside the circular column with no visible doors or windows. I knew of only one exit but despite incredible force and multiple tries no amount of slamming against it would allow it to budge. In the end, I leaned against the cold stone wall, bent on regaining my strength to try again, while wondering if Eran were doing the very same thing.

  It was dank and cool where they held me captive, something I appreciated after my exertion in trying to break free. It was also dark with barely enough light to see my feet with the sun that streamed in through various broken stones. Apparently, the turret had once held a staircase, which had long ago been taken down, leaving spaces in the stones. I wondered at what point in history it had turned from a place of defense in to a prison cell.

  Flitting lightly, I used my appendages to lift and hover at the same level with one of the gaps. It was large enough for one eye to peer through to a courtyard below.

  Not much had changed in the time since it had been a fortress. The ground was still dirt; the stone walls remained with pockmarks from earlier damages. The only sign that it was the twentieth century was where the drawbridge would have been. In its place was a massive steel door.

  Evaluating my prison, I realized this was the perfect meeting place for Alterums. The open courtyard allowed for easy access to flight, the stone walls held some form of protection, and the very location of it, in the countryside, gave it some privacy.

  The courtyard was empty for a few minutes and then a rutted wood door opened and a woman marched out. Although I wasn’t able to hear her, the waving of her hands told me she was barking orders at someone above her, apparently on overlooks I couldn’t see from my vantage point.

  The woman was portly with a round face and eyes that narrowed even though the sun was behind her. She wore a business suit which appeared out of the norm given her surroundings.

  She headed directly for me.

  A door, one carved so well in the wall it was impossible to see before, suddenly opened as I landed on the ground.

  “Maggie, come with me,” she ordered.

  Apparently, she was used to others following her commands because she spun around and walked two paces without waiting for my response. When she noticed I wasn’t behind her, she turned at the waist.

  “Gentlemen, collect her.”

  Two robust men entered the door, their wings out and ready for conflict. I prepared my stance for the coming fight when one spoke under his breath.

  “Please, don’t struggle. You’ll be with Eran soon.”

  When I met his eyes, I was surprised to see the pleading in them.

  Still, my desire was to struggle, to fight my way out of their grip, and release Eran from the turret across the courtyard. Only the promise that Eran and I would be together again made me withhold my aggression.

  As they took my arms and led me across the courtyard, the anger I felt boiled over.

  “Need to use your bodyguards?” I hissed at the woman ahead of me. “Don’t you have the courage to fight me outright?”

  She stopped and her head swiveled halfway towards us. Her face was barely visible
, limited by the angle, but I saw the scowl she wore. She scoffed then. It was the only reaction I got from her.

  I was led through the same door the woman had entered the courtyard from and down a flight of stairs, through several hallways, and finally down a second flight of stairs. There were no windows at this level, the passageways lit only by flickering candles, so I knew we were underground.

  We stopped at a wooden door, the woman’s hand on the door knob as she prepared to open it.

  “We do not tolerate misbehavior at assembly, Maggie. This is your only warning.” The woman said this plainly as if she couldn’t care less whether I caused a disturbance or not. She was focused on a mission. In fact, they all seemed to be.

  Then I recognized the word she’d mentioned: assembly.

  “Eran and I were kidnapped in order to be at the assembly?” I was in shock. “Why didn’t you just ask us?”

  “You aren’t here to vote,” she snapped, scornfully. “You’re the defendant.”

  That message sunk in as she opened the door revealing something I had least expected.

  An underground circular chamber had been dug below the fortress with steps and seats running the entire circumference of the room from ceiling to floor. Candled chandeliers hung above, casting an eerie light on the hundreds of Alterums mingling loudly below. A thunderous hum of unintelligible noise nearly shook the walls, immediately quieting as the woman led me to the center of the room.

  Collectively, those in attendance took their seats, preparing to watch the proceedings to come. While the men released me, the stern woman took a seat at the edge of the stage I now stood on.

  A man of twenty stood almost immediately and stepped to the center, though he kept his distance from me.

  “Maggie, you may retract your wings. There is no need for them here.”

  I wasn’t so certain and when I kept them extended, he shrugged and turned towards the audience.

  “We have been in discussion for nearly twenty four hours. As time has passed, we can be assured that our enemies are amassing. In an effort to come to a decision quickly, Ms. Barrett has suggested we hear directly from the one who has caused the trouble we are in discussions over.” He motioned towards the woman who had brought me to the chamber.

  I felt my anger flare again and my eyes become slits as I evaluated the woman. She sat proudly defending her decision to take Eran and me as prisoners. Worse, those around her patted her shoulders, supporting her efforts.

  “Maggie,” said the young man, prompting me.

  I stood silent, searching the crowd for Eran, Ezra, Rufus, Felix, anyone who might be in support of me. What I saw instead were frowns, scowls, hatred from my own kind. They were of all ages, all ethnicities, and both genders. Their dress was just as diverse with a smattering of business suits, jeans and sweatshirts, sarongs, Rasta beads and dreadlocks, ushankas, Native American shawls. Every walk of life was represented. The one unifying commonality was that they were all Alterums.

  Fernando Vega had been correct. My hunting had drawn attention to myself. Thinking back to his other warning instantly made my wings snap straighter in reaction. He’d mentioned a rumor to deliver me to the Fallen Ones, to sacrifice me for the safety of the rest.

  “Maggie,” said the young man again, standing briefly to urge me to speak and then taking his seat again beside Ms. Barrett.

  “It may help Maggie to hear why she has been brought to the assembly,” suggested an older woman whose hair was graying and whose eyes held the sense of mature experience.

  Ms. Barrett stood then and entered the stage, glaring briefly at the older woman who’d just spoken as if Ms. Barrett had been directly criticized. Loudly and firmly, she recounted, “She is here before us to defend herself. Alterums are dying at an alarming rate by the hands of Fallen Ones directly because of her actions. Her killings have caused our enemies to unite and attack our kind. We are in danger because of her.”

  She strolled back to her seat where a book, even from this distance, was easily recognizable to me.

  She picked up the Fallen One dossiers, the one the Beedinwigg’s had spent generations compiling, and held it up for the chamber to see.

  “What I have in my hand is information on every Fallen One ever to have existed. It is Maggie’s information source, her way of finding her enemies and destroying them. Its very existence is a danger to us all, an undeniable threat when in the hands of someone like Maggie.” As she reeled off her speech, she spun around theatrically until she was again facing Maggie. “And that is why it is better off that we destroy it before it destroys us.”

  She lifted herself into the air then, swooping up with her arm holding the book high over her head, her legs bent out behind her. When she reached a chandelier above, she did something that spurred equal amounts of panic and rage in me.

  She placed my book in the flames.

  Thoughtlessly, I soared towards her, thinking of only one objective: retrieve the book.

  My body had never moved so fast and yet, despite my incomparable efforts, I didn’t reached it, her guards catching me well ahead of time and dragging me back to the earth.

  My voice reverberated off the walls, something I didn’t consciously identify as coming from me. I released only one word, thick with horror in watching the only thing that gave us an advantage over our enemies become entirely consumed in flames.

  “Nooooooooooooooooo!”

  Ms. Barrett spun towards me. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  When I didn’t respond, my chest feeling as if it had caved in from the loss of such a valuable resource, she stepped forward to within inches of me. “Nothing?” she beseeched, and it was clear she was almost content with my silence. Again, she addressed the audience. “Maggie has no defense, proven by her refusal to speak up. Yet she has endangered each one of us, provoking our enemies and sparking a war. There is only one solution to this problem. They have told us they will retreat if we give them what they desire, what they have always desired. Give them their nemesis…” Immediately the crowd began to murmur, steadily growing in volume until Ms. Barrett concluded her message in which the chamber erupted in commotion. “Give them Maggie!”

  Then it all became clear to me. Ms. Barrett hadn’t kidnapped me to attend the assembly. Her mission was to hand me to the Fallen Ones.

  In the midst of the din, I drew in a breath filling my lungs to their depths. All that was flowing through me, in words and emotion, was suddenly released; and when I screamed my message it resounded off the walls, catching the crowd by surprise. “WHAT HAVE I DONE?”

  The crowd reduced to a murmur and then fell still entirely.

  “What have I done?” I repeated, stepping towards Ms. Barrett, who instantly retreated. “I have killed our enemies. You’ve heard the stories…You’ve known the Alterums…You know the crimes our enemies have committed…You know what they will continue to do. I didn’t start this war. Our enemies have been at war with us long before I made any effort to eradicate them.”

  “So you admit it?” Ms. Barrett demanded with her eyes widening.

  “Admit what?” I retorted. “That I wish to defend myself – and all of you – because you refuse to do it yourselves?”

  Spinning around, I spoke to the chamber. “I have visited this dimension over the last five hundred years and what I have witnessed of Fallen Ones is nothing less than murder, thievery, crimes too atrocious to recount. In the midst of it, I focused solely on delivering messages to those on the other side, some of them…some of them coming from those who had been attacked by the Fallen Ones.” I stopped and stared in to the eyes of those so intently focused on me, speaking passed the lump that had grown thick in my throat. “For that I am ashamed. Delivering messages is no longer good enough for me. I am not content to stand idly by as the lives of innocent Alterums, innocent humans are consumed by our enemies.” I turned then and marched across the stage to Ms. Barrett. Standing directly in front of her, seething with rage
, I noted and enjoyed how she leaned back, away from me.

  In the brief moment of my pause, I heard a voice speak up. It was proud and unyielding and it came from the older woman who had confronted Ms. Barrett earlier.

  “And so the hunted became the hunter.”

  I responded so resolute it was without question. “Yes.”

  Ms. Barrett’s eyes snapped open and then just as quickly narrowed to slits. Clearly, she didn’t anticipate such an honest and unshakeable affirmation. Opening her mouth, she began to speak, but I didn’t give her the chance.

  “Ms. Barrett is correct. Our enemies have united and that will be their strength. They will come at you with force, likely in waves of attack, as has been their strategy in the past. You can no longer hide or turn a blind eye. None of you are safe. Do not let Ms. Barrett’s actions or the actions of this chamber divide us. That will be our weakness.” I swung around, throwing my arms out to the chamber, imploring them to action. “Are you prepared to fight them alone? Can you protect yourselves and those you love alone? There is only one way to defeat them. Come together…not in assembly but in force. Come together and defend yourselves.”

  As the chamber exploded with voices, Ms. Barrett’s shoulders dropped and rolled forward. By instinct and by witnessing the signs of an attack, my wings snapped outward, spanning across the stage.

  A second later, I was on my back, my wings being crushed beneath me. Writhing, I fought the two bodyguards Ms. Barrett had brought as they bore down. Then, just as quickly as I was on the ground I was lifted up.

  Ms. Barrett stood in front of me now. The smirk on her face told me that her deception had worked. She’d never had any intention of releasing her wings. She knew there was little hope in winning in a physical battle against me, so she’d used her manipulation to get what she wanted, tricking me in to thinking she would attack so that I could be restrained and no longer incite the crowd towards my way of thinking.