Forgotten (28 page)

He just confirmed it by flicking my
pinky. Why that spot in particular? I looked out the window, unable
to meet the truth in his eyes. Marco dimmed himself as he shifted
gears and started to drive. Somehow, somewhere within me I felt his
essence draw away from me, like the very fibers of his being called
to me. Blocks turned to miles. Soon we were reaching the edges of
Ashwick and then pulling into a driveway.

“You think my call sign is the
Chronicler,” I said when he put the car in park.

“You fit the bill,” Marco said, just
as his head jerked. “But it doesn’t matter right now. Jace will
explain it better, when the moment presents itself.”

“Of course he will,” I
mocked.

“
Ever try picking up a book
to get information you want?” Marco said in a tone that suggested
he had given me a strong hint. I just didn’t get was he was
implying.

I got out of the car. Marco followed
suit. I started to unfold Stella, but he stopped me by gripping the
cane. He didn’t say a word; he just shook his head, like it was a
bad idea to bring it. I tried to pry his hand off. His fist
tightened; he wasn’t going to back down. He mumbled that
presentation was important tonight. I sighed – the games these
people played, were getting old. He let go so I could toss it back
into the car. He didn’t offer his hand to guide me. However, he
walked slowly enough that I could keep up without
stumbling.

“
Appearances have never
mattered to me,” I said. “So presentation isn’t usually high on my
checklist.”

He laughed. “You
would
say that, wouldn’t
you? Although, I suppose if any gal were to get away with saying
something like that, you could.”

“
What’s that supposed to
mean?”

“
Listen, I know you’re
working the ‘blindness angle,’ and making Jace work to get back in
your good graces, but he’s a lady’s man. Eye candy. A stud-muffin.
I could go on all night, rattling off the many names you women have
used to describe the Healer, but repeating them, is making me
second guess my masculinity. Eventually, he’ll get sick of hearing
no, even if it’s from your pretty lips, and move on.”

I decided to drop the subject and
focus on what was going to happen when we entered a house. Few
other residences were in the area. The nearest house was at least a
block away. The closer we got to the front door, the brighter
Marco’s figure glowed. The connection I felt between us grew; a
part of me felt connected with his very being. I felt attached to
him again, like I could sense his spirit – somehow.

“How many are there?” I
said, pausing on the first step. I
felt
others inside. They tugged at my
soul, just like Marco’s had.

“Enough, for what is necessary,” Marco
replied and then opened the door.

He walked in silently. I took a deep
breath and followed him. It was as cold as a meat locker inside the
building. Six dark, muted figures stood in a room, waiting for us.
Analee’s glow, indicated that her arm was draped over a ripple,
that I’d labeled Zalen. A small frost-covered one, huddled next to
one who seemed to be made of ice. From their small willowy figures,
they couldn’t be very old – twelve or thirteen. Marco’s silver
figure flickered in my sight; he was moving closer to Jace’s hazy
outline. I glanced behind me. A flickering orb leaned against a
tall, dark silhouette.

Walking closer, further inside, I
started to tremble. The closer I got to them, the more my stomach
wanted to do flips. I didn’t feel like I was going to lose my
supper, but it definitely wasn’t enjoyable being around so many of
them. I outwardly shook, when I finally reached Jace. I opened my
eyes slowly, preparing them for the bright light, but he was
muted.

“
What is so important about
the Chronicler?”

Marco answered. “She has the ability
to weave Elysian into the very threads of life, cupcake; thus,
we’re doomed to extinction without her. She is a
creator.”

“
Can she weave Elysian into
a human?”

They were silent. It was unnerving,
standing in a room while everyone watched, studied, and formed
opinions of me. No one jumped to answer, which meant they didn’t
know or that it was just another question they refused to
answer.

“
You think I’m
her
– your savior?” I
asked, changing tactics.

“
Let the Healer fix your
eyes, and we’ll see,” Zalen said, breaking the silence. “This can
be over quickly.”

My skin crawled at his voice. The
vibrations hit the back of my throat. It hurt to swallow. I bit
down hard, on my cheek. If he would choose never to speak again,
that would be fine with me. I looked at Analee. She was the reason
for this dog and pony show, and the one in charge.

“
How can one person save an
entire race?” I asked Analee.

“
Mankind can give you that
answer, dearest,” Jace said. “There are powerful rulers amongst
their kind. We’re no different.”

“
Was the Chronicler queen
or something?”

“
Dazzling us with the
melodramatics again?” Zalen said, sending prickling sound waves
over my ears. “The Chronicler always was theatrical, but this is a
bit much. Stop pretending you don’t know what is going
on.”

Jace’s silhouette brightened. My chest
clamped tight. I couldn’t breathe. I tapped my chest subtly, and
hoped Jace would catch on. He must have, because I suddenly could
breathe again.

Analee’s voice echoed in my mind. Like
always, she sounded heavenly, but it wasn’t difficult to hear the
contempt lingering in her voice. Jace’s figure blazed. The room
instantly became hot. Jace yelled back at Analee. Within seconds,
they were in a screaming match. Zalen laughed, making my skin itch.
The two ice girls stayed in the corner, watching everything play
out, while the others argued in their own language.

“
Unless you want to add
another human to the death pile, I suggest the both of you relax.
Even though Gwyneth has Elysian in her blood, she’s mostly
human.”

I looked over my shoulder. The figure
who had spoken, looked like a dark shadow, like a normal person in
my sight. He sounded rough like Charlie – two insults away from a
swinging match, but if I wasn’t mistaken, it held a hint of
humor.

Jace relaxed, and the temperature in
the room dropped. His white silhouette no longer challenged the
glory of the sun’s blaze. Analee’s shimmering outline never
faltered; she wasn’t backing down. Jace made a comment, masked in
disdain and anger. I didn’t have to know their language, to know he
and Analee were still at each other’s throats.

“
Did you forget who you
were addressing, Healer?” Analee demanded, walking up to
Jace.

Analee’s voice hung in the air, as she
spoke in their secret language. Jace fell on his knees, like it
pained him to stand as she spoke. I wiped sweat from my brow; it
felt like someone was forcing me to my knees as well. It wasn’t
completely overbearing, but my legs somehow became utterly weak. I
got dizzy. I wished I had Stella to hold onto, since there wasn’t a
shadow of furniture in the room.

The rock walls imprisoned
me, but the straw roof allowed light to seep through. An elderly
woman, hung from rusted shackles. Her gray hair lay in chunks at
the floor. Vomit, urine, and a lovely scent of lilies hung in the
air. Her breathing was labored; she neared death. I kneeled on my
hands and knees in a pool of urine. My clothes were soaked in
sweat.

“Give me what I desire
most, or I’ll kill the Prophet.”

My head shook as I gazed
up to the young man with piercing light green eyes. He circled me,
careful not to touch the pool I kneeled in. His brown curly hair
looked dark in the dim lighting. The scent of rain lingered around
him.

“
Time is slipping away,
Chronicler,” he said as he tossed a spear back and forth in his
hands. “Your sister is hanging on by a sliver of her
thread.”

“
You would condemn our
race with the Fates’ deaths,” the old woman uttered. The man walked
gracefully over to her. Yanking what was left of her hair, he spat
in her face. Her chest rose, as if she was struggling to breathe,
but a weak laugh came out. “Utter destruction would be had by all,
including the humans.”

He beat her, but I was too
weak to stop him. A testament of my age: I was no longer young and
strong. My nails were yellowed. My skin clung to my bones, like the
Scavengers. My body warmed, thinking of them taking me from this
world. I wanted death but refused to leave this life knowing all
hope was lost.

“
Blood will be spilled,
and no new life will be had amongst our race without us three,” the
Prophet said before passing out.

I glanced down at her
hand. She made the slightest movement with what fingers she had
left. Slowly, she made three snipping movements.

“
Our sister will cut,
soon,” I whispered to myself. My voice hung in the air, like I’d
sung.

He laughed. “I’ve killed
enough of you to know there has already been blood spilled. Give me
what I ask, and I’ll end the genocide.”

An impossibly beautiful,
young man, crashed through the roof. His body was engulfed in
flames. My captor threw a spear. The fireman dodged the blade, but
it scraped his cheek. He slammed his foot down on my captor’s leg,
and held it there while the man screamed.

“This will never heal,
Butcher,” he said.

I was on my hands and knees when the
vision cut out. Jace rubbed my back, soothing me, like he’d done
before in my dreams. “I tried to keep you from experiencing the
Master’s wrath, but she has vast powers.”

If he wanted to believe I passed out
because of something Analee caused, I was fine with it. The excuse
prevented me from having to discuss my visions. He brushed my hair
out of my face. His fingertips grazed my temple; it tingled
blissfully; my anxiety eased.

He sniffed the air around me, then
muttered that my scent had changed slightly. He helped me back onto
my feet. I hoped I hadn’t peed myself. The vision startled me, but
it wasn’t complete nonsense anymore. Pieces of my visions were
starting to form together. It was like I was living parts of them
but out of order.

“What did Analee do?” I
asked.

“
The Master relies on her
abilities to get answers instead of simply asking like the rest of
us,” Jace said.

“
I get results.” Analee
said defensively. “Besides, I’ve been lied to one too many
times.”

“She smells like the Prophet,” the
flickering orb said, before Analee and Jace had at it again. Her
voice echoed in several different languages once she was done
speaking.

“And death,” Marco said, sniffing the
air around me.

I glanced around the room. Everyone
else was utterly still as they smelled me. I decided that I didn’t
have to explain myself to them if they refused to return the favor.
“What happens to my family’s murder investigation if I let Jace
heal me now?”

“
They’re still dead,
right?” Analee said, followed by something I couldn’t
understand.

Jace’s shadow erupted into a hot
blaze. He flung himself away from me. A searing, colorless fire,
burst from his feet. His shoulders smoldered, like they were being
burned. His hatred erupted onto my skin. It was surreal. I had to
be hallucinating, but I swore my skin blistered before it
immediately healed. My jaw clenched. If Jace continued to let
Analee get under his skin, I was likely to go into shock. Unable to
stand the scalding pangs that melted my insides, I collapsed to my
knees, and curled into the fetal position.

“
Temper, temper,” Analee
laughed.

“
Is it necessary for Jace
to be here?” I asked, through clenched teeth, surprising everyone.
Out of everyone who was in this room, I trusted that he’d protect
me. However, until he could control himself, I didn’t want to be
anywhere near him.

“
Kicked to the curb so
quickly,” Zalen laughed.

My ears rang, but at this point I was
happy not to be bleeding. Jace’s fiery outline flickered, dimming
and brightening. I got the impression he and Analee had a long,
drawn out history. He dimmed himself a little more, but wouldn’t
control himself well enough to be close to me. He backed into the
furthest corner, but refused to leave the room, without me by his
side.

Analee snickered, like the evening was
unraveling better than she could have planned. Looking at her
beautiful reflection, I stood up and marched toward her.

Don’t punch her in the
face
, I thought.

A blurred, dainty thin scar, that
trailed along her hairline formed in my sight. With much restraint
to not brush up on my fighting skills, I placed my hand on her
shoulder. I expected her to move. I expected her to slap my hand
away. I expected her to make a snide comment. What I didn’t expect
was for her to stand perfectly still. She acted like she was
waiting for me to strike.

“
You don’t scare me,” I
said, staring at her captivating scar.