Chosen (27 page)

Ted asked the question he dreaded. “How many were killed?”

Mark's jaw clenched and his grey eyes thundered and rumbled like storm clouds. “She killed five in their beds while they slept.”

“Who?”
Five Protectors fell victim to her blade? She won't live to see the morrow.
Ted knew his Protectors. They would kill the girl for what she had done.
And they will kill Sloan too.

He does not care if he is killed.
Ted's blood ran cold. A man with nothing to lose was dangerous.

“We lost Lee, Gord, Tess, Ben, and Aimee.”

“Tess? Tess Golden?” Ted's breath caught in his throat.
I must have misheard.

Mark frowned. “Yes, she was one of the first ones killed.”

“Has the Sawbones seen to her? Are you certain she is dead? Did you double check?” His muscles tensed and bunched. He wanted to jump from the tub and rush to the bunkhouse.
Perhaps she is only injured. It may not be too late to save her!

“Sir, here.” Martha handed the General the garments Sarah Masters had leant to him. Martha's cheeks turned red and she tried to look everywhere and anywhere but at her quite thoroughly naked General.

“Thank you.” Ted didn't care about his nudity. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and weep, for himself, for Tess, for Sloan, for the family he brutally murdered, and for all those who would be killed when Mekans came.

“Get Sloan to the Sawbones. We need him alive.” He held up his hand as the others in the room began to vehemently protest. They wanted Valery and Sloan dead, hung from the highest, strongest tree. “All of you, go, now. Take him to the Sawbones.” Ted turned to Valery, face livid. “Leave this one here. We have some things to discuss.”

* * *

Ted left the bathhouse, rubbing his knuckles. The girl had not wanted to talk at first. In fact, she seemed rather proud of herself and felt no remorse about killing the Protectors in their beds as they slept. Her arrogance vanished as soon as the General sent for Jeb
Masters. He had the man bring him a heavy hammer used for forging. Ted told him to stand guard and not let anyone enter the bathhouse. He did not want any witnesses, though he could do nothing about the girl's screams of pain.

Valery held out longer than the General had expected. She screamed and told him exactly what he could do with himself, his Protectors, even his mother. She flailed about in the chair, blood dripping from the compound fractures in her fingers and feet, refusing to tell Ted anything.

When he began on her legs and arms, she spilled her guts. She told of the Horde finding Sloan in the cave so many years ago and the Horde leader's plan to have Sloan become part of the Jhinn. She told of the “capture,” and then the “escape,” the threesome from the Horde camp merging with the Jhinn, gaining their confidence and trust until the moment came to strike.

The General was surprised that Sloan had not acted sooner. The man had had many opportunities to kill the General in his sleep. She barked a laugh, even as she wept from the pain.

“The man grew
soft
. He was supposed to have been 'captured' after only living in this camp for a few weeks.” She could not hold her head up. Her hair hung across her ruined knees. “He did not show up at the capture site. We feared the worst. But he managed to get a note to us.
The time is not yet right
was all it said. We had no choice but to wait.

“But I knew the truth. He thought he was one of you.” She raised her head, using the last of her strength, and spit toward the General. Her breath came in rattling gasps. “I reminded him of what you had done to his family, and then he was ready to act.

“And with Amber and me to help Sloan once we became integrated into your pitiful group, we could kill you and your Lieutenants. You see, Samson has a plan. He is tired of fighting, of losing our own men in these little skirmishes with your people. He wants to take over the Jhinn and use them to work the fields, hunt game, make weapons and anything else the Horde might need.” She coughed, her voice becoming faint. “The Jhinn will be the slaves of the Horde.”

Ted had stood in shock and disbelief, trying to grasp what the girl had told him as she slowly bled to death. He finally understood the depth of Sloan's hatred and need for revenge.
He lived and worked among these people!

General Smith ordered Jeb and a couple of Protectors standing outside the bathhouse to see to the disposal of the girl's body and to clean the mess he had made. He ignored the stares from the townfolk. White hot fire flowed through his veins, threatening to consume him like a flame does a log. And just beyond that, icy terror chilled his bones.

If I hadn't come early, none of this would have happened!

He pushed the faces of the family he had killed out of his mind, unwilling to face their accusing stares.

Ted ignored the whispers as he made his way down the thoroughfare. He knew what he had to do. As he made his way into the Sawbones' he noticed that all of his Chosen had assembled there.
All but one.
He felt a shiver run down his spine.

Sloan was tied to a chair. The General snarled and stalked up to the man who had betrayed his trust, who had quite possibly signed the death warrants of every living thing in the galaxy. All of his anger, guilt, and sadness was building behind the blow he was about to deliver to Sloan's smirking face. His muscles clenched as the blow fell short of landing alongside the man's chiseled cheekbone.

“You don't have the guts, do you? And yet when it comes to slitting the throats of little girls…” The man spit at the General's feet.

“The General isn't a murderer!” Martha said.

“Look at his eyes. You'll find the truth there.”

Ted met Martha's eyes and sighed. “He speaks the truth. I did kill his family.” He held up a hand when he saw she was about to protest. “I'll explain everything later. Right now we have to go.”

“Go? Go where?” she asked.

“Just do as I say! I am still your General.”

Martha snapped her mouth shut and stood with her hands behind her back.

I must tell the Masters what has occurred. Bugger the signs. I can't wait for them to appear.

He had devised a plan the moment he had taken over being in charge of the Protectors, a plan that would ensure that when the signs appeared and he and the Chosen has to leave, that the Jhinn would not be left defenseless. Without anyone knowing, he had been training a Protector to take his place.

“Untie him from the chair, but keep his hands bound.” Ted clenched his jaw. He then ordered Brent to bring him Protector Tori Mathers as quickly as possible.

“Are you gathering an audience to see me hanged?” Sloan asked.

“I am going to show you why your family was killed.” Saying those words terrified the General. He had to act fast, and he could not wait for the signs to appear. Ted refused to speak as he waited along with his five remaining Chosen for Brent to return with Protector Mathers. He stared at Sloan.
Did I make a mistake? Is it possible that this man is
not
one of the Chosen?
Ted glanced at the man's arm and cringed when he saw the mark.

Tori arrived and Ted took her off to a back room for some privacy.

“The time has come for us to leave.”

Tori nodded. She did not ask for an explanation as the General told her of what she must do. They had been planning for this moment for many years. Even though she did not know the reasons, she would do her duty and follow the General's orders to the letter. She had her Lieutenants picked out, and all were superb fighters and marksmen. The Jhinn would be in good hands.

Ted dismissed Tori and went back to join his Chosen.

“We are leaving.” He pointed to Sloan. “Get him up.”

Mark and Brad stood to either side of the traitor. Curiosity filled them.
Perhaps we are going to hang the man in private. Or leave him tied up out on the plains, to be eaten by predators.
Either of those sounded good to the Chosen standing in the Sawbones' office.

“Let's go.” Ted marched out of the front door, never even looking back to see that the others followed.

* * *

They traveled east by torchlight and by moonlight. Several of the Chosen tried to question the General, to ask the purpose of their nighttime sojourn, but he remained uncommunicative. He did not know what to say. He was not supposed to be on this journey, at least not yet. Brent and Martha whispered, trying to discern the reason for their journey. Martha wondered if they were going to turn the man loose out on the plains. Brent thought they were going to kill him away from the watchful eyes of the Jhinn.

Let them think what they will.

The group arrived at the gully just as the sun was coming up. Brent and Robert went to snuff the torches out.

“Leave them lit,” the General said.

“We can get down here.” The General started down a gentle slope leading down to the bottom of the gully. Mark and Brad came next, keeping Sloan between them as they descended. Ted refused Sloan's request to have his hands untied while they made their way down the game trail. He was in no mood to chase the man across the plains if he managed to escape his two guards. So Sloan stumbled and staggered, relying on the quick reflexes of Mark and Brad to keep him from falling. Robert came next, followed by Brent and Martha, using exposed roots and bushes to steady them as they made their way down.

“Fields….do you feel that?” Martha whispered as they neared the bottom. She stopped, head swiveling left and right as though listening for something. The others in the group moved further down the gully.

“Feel what?” Brent grumped. “All I
feel
is tired. And sore. And more than annoyed at having to walk half the night to God knows where for God knows what purpose.” Brent managed to descend quickly, despite having only one arm.

“It's like something is waiting for us. It's as if the world were holding its breath. Can't you
feel
it?” Her skin pebbled in goose flesh. She glanced to her right to gauge Brent's reaction.

Brent frowned as his eyes scanned the landscape, searching for the cause of the strange aura now he felt emanating from the very ground beneath his feet, from the rocks, trees, even the air. He moved closer to Martha.

“Look.” He pointed to the others. They had stopped as well, moving their heads left and right.

They are searching for whatever has caused the air to grow thick and heavy,
Brent thought to himself. The only sound to be heard was the burbling of the creek. But even it had a strange sound, as if it originated from far away, rather than a few hundred yards from where they all stood. Even the birds grew silent.
Something is going to happen here.

“Brent? Hey!” Martha tugged at his hand. “The others are moving off.” He shook his head. He could see the same fear mirrored in Martha's normally playful blue eyes. He gave her hand a squeeze and motioned her ahead.

The others had stopped at the mouth of a cave. Sloan was standing, tears streaming down his face. The last time he stood in the spot, his entire family had been slaughtered, and he had been left alone. He glanced at the uprooted tree that he had hidden behind, too scared to help, and too frightened to run.
I wonder if their skeletons are inside?
Somehow he managed to walk upright between Mark and Brad, though all he wanted to do was unleash his rage against the one who slaughtered his family so long ago.
I can't even remember what they looked like.
The only time he saw their faces was in his nightmares, and in those they were decayed and dying, fingers pointing to him, as if blaming him for their deaths.
I was only six years old!
He would scream, trying to make them understand why he had left them in the darkness.

Thankfully, the cave was empty, save for dirt and sticks. The General led the group past the place where he had killed Sloan's family. He looked briefly, convinced he could still see the blood.
There is nothing, except shadows and guilt.

He led the group around the corner to the back of the cave. Brent and Robert held the torches high.

“General!” Brad pointed to the left wall of the cave.

Ted sighed in relief as the symbols appeared outlining the portal. Though he had been fairly certain it would appear, he had not been
absolutely
sure until now.

“Sir, what is going on?” Robert asked. He stared at the cave wall with a mixture of curiosity and a little fear.

“This is called a portal.”
And here is where I ask them to suspend disbelief.
“It allows for one to travel to distant worlds.”

He received the same reaction from His Chosen as if he had told them he was God himself. Eyes widened, lips curled, arms crossed over chests.

“Other worlds?” Brad rubbed at his jaw, incredulity plain on his face. He cleared his throat to cover a snicker threatening to escape. The others had their hands over their mouths too. They had been under tremendous strain, between the battle and Sloan's betrayal. And now their leader was asking them to believe this
thing
on the sandstone wall was capable of transporting them to other places. Ted stared at Brad, tight-lipped, ice blue eyes hard in his deeply lined face. “You humans have forgotten so much of what you once knew. There are other worlds that exist in the universe.” He put his hands behind his back as he slowly paced in front of the portal. He gauged every word carefully, thinking of the best way to explain things.

“Some of the stars that shine in the night sky are actually suns, around which revolve planets which harbor life. Though not all of that life is similar to what is found here.”

“These portals transport anyone who passes into it almost instantly to another world. They also remake the body into the form of the dominant, sentient species that lives on the new world. Sloan, when I arrived here from my world—” He stopped as he heard gasps from the Chosen. “I did not expect to encounter anyone in the cave. Your family witnessed my emergence from the portal. I could not let them live to tell anyone.”

“General, are you saying you aren't from here?” Martha asked, blue eyes wide in disbelief. “Where are you from, exactly?”