Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2)

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “No one wanted to do it. They felt if we took out one nest, another would emerge.”

  “We have explosives, Davis. We need to find them. They are close enough to fly here, so they sleep somewhere nearby, at least within a hundred or so miles. Will you at least think about it, work on it while we wait on Vala? We can’t live underground.”

  “I’ll think about. I will,” Davis assured me. “Right now, we have to get ready for our nightly ritual of Savage attack and possibly more Day Stalkers. You said you saw hundreds on the road heading this way.”

  “Yeah, and at their pace, they’ll be here by tomorrow night.”

  “Then tomorrow night, like it or not, our citizens retreat.”

  “Why do we have to do that? It’s time to take an offensive position, Davis. We don’t want to live like this. I know where the Day Stalkers are,” I said. “Let’s take them out, the whole lot of them, before they even become a threat.”

  FIFTEEN – VALA

  Something was wrong with Davis. He looked distant and drawn, worn down, and possibly ill. I had taken that quiet moment and used my abilities to transport to him. He was at his desk, slumped to the side, his left leg kicked out, and at first I thought he was sleeping. I called his name.

  He didn’t reply.

  When I walked around to the front of his desk, that was when I noticed how badly he looked. It was dark, and the shadows made it look as if his face was bruised.

  “Davis.”

  He wasn’t sleeping. He couldn’t hear me. After a moment, my presence took him by surprise and he jolted. His lips moved but there was no sound. Why was that? Why couldn’t I hear him nor he hear me?

  Surely, Davis had to wonder. Was I real or had I passed on and my apparition was present.

  I lifted my hands, then indicated that I couldn’t hear him.

  He nodded and turned.

  Tanner walked in the room. He froze instantly, seeing me immediately, then rushed my way.

  “Vala… you’re …” he paused. “You’re not dead, right?” He, too, looked bad.

  “No. I came to say I made it safely.” It was then I noticed Davis saying something to Tanner.

  “Yeah, I hear her,” Tanner said. He turned to me. “He can’t make out what you’re saying. You made it? You’re okay?”

  “Yes. The ceremony is tomorrow. Nito is relentless. She is going to stop at nothing to get me.”

  “I thought… I had hoped we killed her.”

  I shook my head.

  Tanner turned to Davis. “She was saying she made it. She’s okay, but the queen bee is really being tough.”

  “Is something going on, Tanner?” I asked. “Both of you look tired and worn.”

  “We…” He hurriedly looked at Davis. “No, we’re fine. We’re just recovering from the Lyons Estate attack. That’s all.”

  I heard a thump, and when neither Davis or Tanner reacted, I knew it was coming from my home. It was a loud hit, one that was breaking my projection concentration. “I have to go.”

  “Vala, be careful.” Tanner said. “There’s—”

  I shot back fast and furious, and that was never good for my physical being. I sat up in bed gasping, unable to breathe, to move, locked into some sort of temporary paralyzed state.

  I heard a gurgling, panicked scream. Was it my mother?

  I couldn’t move to do anything, the seconds seemed like eternity, and the banging grew louder. It came from above, from the roof, and when I heard the familiar, squealing squaw, I know what caused the racket. Something that never that never entered Akana.

  A Savage Sybaris attack.

  The people of Akana were clueless and sitting ducks in the wake of the attack.

  Finally, I could breathe, and I swung my legs from the bed. As I did, my mother flew into the bedroom.

  “Something is attacking. We have to get Sophie and get out.”

  “You know what it is,” I said. “It’s Savage Sybaris.” I rushed by her and to Sophie’s bed. She wasn’t there. “Where is she?”

  Buried in the squealing and cries outside I heard my sister’s whimpers and, my heart racing, I followed the sound. I found her huddled in a corner of the living room. I swept her in my arms and carried her to the back bedroom.

  “What are you doing?” my mother asked. “The barn is the safest structure.”

  I lifted my head to the ceiling, I could hear them ripping at our home. “Yes, it is. Still, we’ll never make it through them and you know it.” I carried Sophie to the corner closet of the bedroom, and placed her as far back as I could. “Don’t move. Don’t run. Don’t make a sound until I come for you.” I concealed her with clothing and closed the door.

  “You can’t keep her in there,” my mother said.

  “Get under a bed. Hide.” I moved by her.

  “Where are you going?” she shouted.

  “Ending this.”

  I needed something for my concentrated energy to focus on, to direct my abilities through, and I grabbed the broom by the fireplace. It would do.

  Bracing myself for attack, I opened the front door.

  It screamed at me, swooping my way, and with a simple swing of the broom, I flung it back ten feet.

  When it attempted to stand, I concentrated, swung out, and sliced it in two.

  People were racing about, and Savage Sybaris swept down, attacking them. It was a scene I had witnessed before, the Savages flying in, grabbing hold of anyone small, and taking them off somewhere to feed off of them. The ones they killed too fast or killed right there dropped to the ground and instantly rose as Day Stalkers.

  It wasn’t until I stepped further into the village center and into the light of the moon that I saw they were different.

  They were black, as I knew the Savages to be. While their bodies were distorted in gargoyle manner, their wings weren’t large and their flesh was light. Almost as if they were… fresh.

  That was it. They were fresh Savages.

  I knew Savages to be starved and turned Ancients who never rejuvenated because they were too far gone.

  These were new. They weren’t as smart. That had to be the reason they descended upon us. The ones in Angeles City feared me and avoided being where I was. Unless… they couldn’t sense me because I was projecting.

  Was it my fault, like Nito had warned?

  Or was it Nito’s doing?

  Surely she wouldn’t send her drones to destroy their food supply?

  There were so many, hundreds. They flew by me, taunting but not attacking. Every chance I got, I swung outward.

  They landed on homes, ripping the roofs, trying to get what was inside.

  Some villagers ran, but my focus was soon on just the Savages.

  They encircled me. I was ready. Talking a stance, like Davis had taught me, I put my full focus on what I held in my hand. I spun, struck, killed.

  I was pelted by them, they came for me and I combatted them with ease.

  When I had finished the first group that had come to me, I set my sights on the ones that were attacking, get them, then destroy the Day Stalker, they created.

  “Vala.”

  I spun to see Wynn, the newest educator, whom I had met briefly.

  “What are you doing?” I said. “Get inside!” He was carrying a sword and diligently fighting against the Savages as well.

  I had forgotten the Savages hated the Ancients.

  “I am doing the same as you,” he said as he swung his sword.

  He and I were the only ones battling. There were too many to end it with ease. Cries of pain and fear carried to us and more than anything, I wanted to destroy them all, to scream out like I did in Angeles City. I couldn’t, because I knew I could kill more than the Sybaris.

  I saw a Savage on the roof of the Watson home, only his wings were exposed. Just as I took aim, he leapt from that roof with Mrs. Watson in the grip of his back claws.

  She screamed, struggling to free hersel
f. The Savage arched forward, widened his mouth, and took a huge, gaping bite from her back. It lifted its head, flicking the flesh back and forth to get it into its mouth, and then as it flew from the roof, it dropped her body.

  “No!” I pointed out, swung once, and the Savage squealed painfully, withered into a ball, and landed on the ground. “Behind you!” I shouted to Wynn.

  Assured he was handling the Savage that was upon him, I turned to fight another. When that one was dead. I spun back around, only I was too late.

  Mrs. Watson had risen and lunged at Wynn. She tore at the flesh between his neck and shoulder.

  Even though he was an Ancient, I didn’t want to take a chance of killing him. So with the end of the broom pointing out, I ran fast to Mrs. Watson, driving the end directly into her head. I felt every inch of it crushing so deep through the bone of her skull, pulling it out wasn’t easy.

  Wynn was hunched over, breathing heavily, and black blood was pouring from his wounds.

  “Are you all right?”

  Hands to his knees, head down, Wynn nodded.

  “Good. I …”

  With a high pitched growl, he lifted his head. I had never seen or even believed that a Day Stalker could transform an Ancient.

  Wynn’s eyes turned gray, his face distorted, and his teeth grew like those of the Savages.

  His mouth was wide and as he lunged, he ran into the broom. Stuck there, his arms flailed about, mouth snapping at me. I bellowed out with my strength to rip the handle of the broom up and through his body.

  For as much strength as I had, for all my abilities, I was till human. I was tiring, losing my breath. No amount of adrenaline was enough to fuel me.

  It had to end, however, there was no way to do so without taking a chance and blasting them all. I had too much to lose by doing that.

  Just as I had that thought, I heard my mother scream.

  It ripped through my being and I saw my mother racing from our home with a Savage attacking her from behind.

  She stumbled to the ground and before I could even make it close, the Savage began to tear her apart, using its mouth and claws.

  I screamed all the way over to her, watching as the flesh from her back and arms flew upward and out. My mother looked at me, her hand extended out and then she stopped moving.

  Her blood drizzled from the creature’s mouth and he stared at me with a taunting glare as he chewed on her remains.

  Empowering the stick as a heated force, I arrived at the Savage and struck down. He didn’t divide or cut, he exploded. It was more than my concentration of energy on that stick. It was my energy and emotions projecting.

  I knew my mother would rise within seconds. As heartbreaking as it was, I wanted to cry out, drop to my knees and embrace her, mourn for my mother, apologize, tell her despite it all I loved her very much.

  Though I felt the loss of my mother deep in my chest, I did not, for a single second, want to see her rise.

  So I took a stance above her, waiting and watching for the first sign of return to life. The second I saw her hand move, forgetting all around me, I drove the stick down into my mother, ending any suffering.

  Holding that position, I broke down.

  “Vala!”

  Scream.

  No.

  It was Sophie.

  “Vala!”

  I looked behind me to the house and realized that wasn’t where her cry came from. As soon as I realized it was above me, I looked up.

  A Savage had her high in the air, clutched in its hold, and with my sister screaming and squirming, the Savage flew off with her into the night.

  That was it.

  That was all it took.

  I stepped from my mother’s body into the center of the village, extended my arms, and repeated an action the last Mare before me had done.

  Villagers ran and screamed, chased and attacked.

  Savages flew about our village in victory.

  I wanted them all dead.

  I nodded them all dead in one fell swoop.

  With gut wrenching emotions, I cried out. It was so full of energy, windows broke, the Savages around me simultaneously exploded. As I stood amidst the raining guts, blood, and limbs falling down all around me, I dropped to my knees in the silence of the aftermath and sobbed.

  SIXTEEN – TANNER

  I guess it could be considered fate. Davis had taken me off of night watch at Lyons Estates and put me on the city watch. There were no Day Stalker spotted and knowing they’d more than likely hit the outlying parts, we focused on moving people to get them ready for the nightly Savage hits.

  Even after the sun had set, hours later, nothing happened. No Savages at all. It was as quiet as when Vala walked a beat.

  I used the armored car to check on different stations. The beach was clear, the garage was quiet, and I went to Davis’ home. I knew he wouldn’t be sleeping, since no one really had gotten any rest.

  Imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw Vala.

  It was weird. I saw her, ran to her, and then realized she didn’t look right. I thought she was a ghost.

  Had she died? That’s what I wondered and then Vala told me she was letting us know she had arrived in Akana.

  For some reason, Davis couldn’t hear her, but I conveyed to him that she was fine and that Nito was stopping at nothing to get her. That didn’t surprise me.

  What did surprise me was the fact that Davis wanted me to withhold the truth from Vala. He didn’t want me to tell her we were attacked by Day Stalkers, that a horde of them were on their way. I had to tell her everything was fine, when it was anything but.

  I had a bad feeling all the way around. On our end and Vala’s. Perhaps it was just uneasiness that she was going to be chosen in a ceremony the next day, given to a Sybaris and living in their city.

  On my end it was the combination of wanting to not sit idly by combined with the pressure of keeping people safe.

  Things were coming to a head, I could feel it. I just didn’t know what that all would entail. I did know one thing: Davis heard me.

  He heard me when I talked about going after the Day Stalkers, finding the Savage nests, and taking them out before they could strike.

  The Savages would be easy. They slept at night. We only needed to draw them into sunlight. Why we never did it in the first place, I still didn’t know. From what I saw, we were going to do it now. Davis had a map, and was working on putting together the best teams to send out.

  It was about time.

  SEVENTEEN – VALA

  I deeply mourned the loss of my mother. It was heartbreaking, yet, a part of it did not seem real. My soul ached and there was nothing I could do until daylight.

  In the moments after the attack, after the Savages were destroyed, the surviving Akanians returned. The cried out in the night through their sorrow and cursed my name.

  A part of me wondered if something had occurred when I reached my eighteenth year. Since turning eighteen, I had fled my home, watched my horse die, and witnessed friends slaughtered.

  Now, my family was gone.

  Was it me?

  I thought much about that as I gathered belongings and trinkets of memories while waiting for morning. I fell asleep only briefly. The stench of the Savages flowing into the house was overwhelming, and I knew what morning would bring.

  The stench of rotten was soon replaced with burning as the sun’s rays hit upon the remains, causing them to disintegrate.

  My mother was infected with Sybaris blood, she was a Day Stalker, even though I relinquished her from it.

  Stepping from my home, I saw the smoke rise from her body as she began to burn.

  Akanians attempting to retrieve their loved ones found themselves facing flames, screaming out once again.

  “Get out! Leave!” they shouted. “Haven’t you done enough!”

  “Gods help you. Nito surely will know what to do.”

  Yes, Nito. The mention of her name drew anger from inside
me like I had never felt.

  I had planned to leave, wait outside the walls of our village, then a line of vehicles drove in. The Ancient Sybaris had arrived… too late.

  Eight Ancients, plus two Elders emerged. Nito was not present. While it may have surprised others, I expected her absence.

  Iry rushed from one of the vehicles and ran to me. “Vala, are you alright?”

  I only stared at him.

  “We received word that your village was attacked.” His eyes shifted down to my mother’s body. “Oh, oh, Vala, I am so sorry.”

  “I am too.”

  “Sophie?”

  “A Savage flew off with her.”

  Iry closed his eyes. “Vala, I am sorry.”

  One of the Sybaris announced that those who survived should gather their belongings and they would be moved to the next village.

  “I don’t understand how they made it beyond the Elder gatekeepers,” Iry said.

  “They didn’t come from the west,” I replied. “Iry, they were… different.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They were flesh colored, not blackened. They looked…”

  “New?”

  “Yes.”

  “There is only one way that can happen.”

  “How?”

  Iry shook his head. “I’ll tell you later.”

  An Ancient approached, telling me, “Hurry along. You have your things, I see. We must move.”

  I exhaled and looked at Iry. “Choose me.”

  “Yes, without a doubt.”

  “No, choose me now. Claim me, whatever they call it. Take me quickly. I need to get to the city of the Ancients now.”

  “Vala, you know I will.”

  “I need to find Sophie.”

  Iry stepped back with a saddened look. “Vala, the Savages took her. You know what they do. They… you know what happens.”

  “No. Sophie’s not dead.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I have the ability to project and follow, to go to a place I have been or to a person I know. I locked onto Sophie and followed. I wanted to find the nest. To see where it was. They didn’t take her to feed, nor did they drop her there.”