Marked for Vengeance (31 page)

Oh God,
Alyx thought. She
already felt embarrassed that her new body exhausted when Cindra’s didn’t, but
her inability to adjust well during the transformation would be worse. There
was
no way
she would admit that she had passed out, especially after the
picture Cindra painted of her adjusting so well and being the first one here.
Her withholding information this time was more than a matter of pride, Alyx
wanted to figure out what was wrong with her before she shared it with anyone
else, especially Cindra who would worry all the more.“We drove the whole way,”
she replied. “And it took awhile I guess.”

Her lie, while
justifiable, tasted bitter on her tongue.

Cindra shrugged.
“Ok, but what were you going, like ten miles per hour?”

A nervous
chuckle escaped. “I guess so.”

“Well whatever,
you’re here now. That’s all that matters,” she said, and her eyes flashed to
black. “Race you there!” she squealed and took off through the fields.

On their way
back, they ran hastily through the fields. They had spent longer than intended
and feared the meeting had already begun. Trailing closely behind Cindra, Alyx
thought of Isaac and hoped he had reunited with his son. Maybe now he would
fight harder to keep his heart beating.

She closed her
eyes, and her draw to Isaac was thankfully still connected.
He’s still alive.
It was all she could do to not follow it right then and run to his side. She
would wait in anguish until she could lay her eyes upon him again and have the
chance to explain what she couldn’t bring herself to do in the car; that she
never intended to lead the beasts to his doorstep and ask for his forgiveness. But
Isaac wasn’t the only one she would need to apologize to. They were only
moments away from their meeting with the Elders. There were plenty other
grievances she would have to reckon for, and it may not be in their group
meeting, but she felt certain they would pull her aside at some point to dole
out her punishment.

As they approached
the others, who thankfully still waited on the Elders, Cindra stopped, her
blonde hair whooshing over her shoulders. Alyx slowed and glanced down the hill
at the human camp. Two large, white canvas tents demanded their place among the
smaller ones that sprinkled around them. Between the foot of the hill and the
cluster of tents was a gathering area with a raised wooden stage surrounded by rows
of log benches. Isaac was down there somewhere, possibly in one of the tents. He
was only a short sprint away. If she hadn’t feared that she would get in even
more trouble, she would take off and go see him against Cindra’s advice.

Cindra eyes
flashed to hazel. “It seems we have a few minutes,” she said as Alyx made it to
her side. “Want me to give you a run down of the other Protectors? You probably
won’t have time to meet them before the Elders arrive.”

Like they want
to
,
she thought, and nodded in response instead of speaking, masking her
breathlessness from running. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair and
forced her chest to rise and fall in a steady rhythm, her lungs burning from
the strain.

“The tall blonde,”
Cindra said, pointing in her direction by the wood line, “that’s Christineth.
She’s not the friendliest of the bunch, but she’s alright.

Judging by first
glance, if any of them intimidated Alyx it was Christineth. As tall as she was,
Christineth had four inches on her and was as attractive as she was tall. Her
long, honey hair reached the small of her back, and her high cheek bones gave
her face an attractive, angular appeal. She stood with her back arched and her
head lifted, exuding confidence with a touch of arrogance. She could totally
understand Cindra’s assessment of her temperament.

“The two
standing beside her are Leena and Audrey,” Cindra continued. “Willow and I have
already dubbed them her ‘minions’. As soon as they met, they all clicked. But
Christineth runs the show. They go wherever she goes and agrees with whatever
she says. It’s kind of weird. Audrey is the redhead, and Leena is the Asian
one.”

Standing beside
Christineth, both Audrey and Leena came to her shoulders. Leena had long hair
like Christineth but black and twice as shiny with the luster of spun silk.
Audrey’s thick, red hair swallowed her narrow shoulders, and she stood with her
hands clasped in front of her waist, her eyes skimming the horizon
thoughtfully.

When Audrey’s
line of sight made its way to Alyx, their eyes locked, and Audrey leaned in to
mumble something to the other two. Leena glanced toward her and Cindra and
whispered to Christineth who peered over her shoulder. She shot Alyx an icy
stare and lowered her head to hide her face. Alyx’s stomach dropped as
Christineth hunched forward to ensure their conversation remained private, the
other two laughing at whatever it was she had to say. Probably the very thing
Alyx wished they would forget.
Great, off to a good start.

 
Cindra rested a
consoling hand on her shoulder. “Don’t mind her,” she said, sensing Alyx’s
unease.

Don’t MIND her?
Alyx thought. Christineth
went out of her way to make sure that she got the message loud and clear. She
had
no
intentions of being friendly, and now that she thought back to
it, the one that appeared the most disgusted with her when she came through the
gateway was
her
.

“Moving along,”
Cindra said quickly and pointed toward two petite women standing at the foot of
the hill to the North, as far away from the others as they could while still
close enough to join the group at a moment’s notice. “The dark haired one is
Natalia, and the other is Serena. They look tiny, but they are firecrackers,
let me tell you. No nonsense. Natalia is Russian, and Serena is French. An odd
combination, I know, but Willow and I suppose it’s because they both equally
despise the ‘Christineth Clan’ as they’ve personally dubbed it. They are the
most genuine people you’ll ever meet, and also the most honest -- I love them!”

Alyx would take
her word for it with those two. They both stood no taller than five foot five,
definitely the shortest of the bunch, but had a no-nonsense way about them as
they stood with their legs gaped apart and their arms crossed with grave
expressions. Natalia’s dark brown pixie cut flattered her sharp, porcelain features,
and Serena’s intense, piercing green eyes told her everything she needed to
know about her disposition.

Alyx finally felt
comfortable enough to speak. “They all look
so
friendly,” she said with
a groan.

“It will be
fine
.
Especially with Natalia and Serena, and you met Willow earlier who I’ve already
sang your praises to.”

Interrupting
their chat session, two men in long, black robes descended from the top of the
hill above Serena and Natalia.

The Elders.

As they walked toward
them, she sensed the intricate way that her soul was bound to theirs. They were
her superiors, her will submissive, and all of her other thoughts and worries
ceased. The only thing that mattered now was what these men were like and how
they would respond to her insolent presence there. She had never had the
privilege of meeting the one’s who were responsible for her creation, even her
time spent in the darkness between lifetimes was a time of solitude.

“Let’s go,”
Cindra said in a hushed voice and grabbed Alyx’s hand. “Together.”

“Together,” she
repeated anxiously and walked with her friend to meet the others.

* * *

The Protectors
formed a loose circle and waited in silence for the Elders to arrive. Cindra
and Willow stood on either side of Alyx, the ‘Christineth Clan’ with
Christineth in the middle beside Willow, and Natalia and Serena to complete the
circle.

The Elders were
in no hurry to reach them as they leisurely strolled and chatted. One stood
slightly taller and thinner than the other, but they both had smooth, pale skin
and bald heads.    

Alyx watched
them intently as she anticipated what they would say during their meeting, what
they could tell them about the beasts and the people who had seemingly
disappeared, and what the Protectors’ purposes would be now that their Marked
were here. Deep down, she secretly prayed that her banishment from Isaac would
be lifted. But was it too much to hope for? Could they now have endless contact
with the humans? Would fate pull through for her again? If she only had the
chance to apologize to him, to make things right, maybe they could continue
where they left off before – getting to know each other and bonding on a more
intimate level. Her heart fluttered at the thought.
If only
.

The Elders strode
only a few paces away. Her wondering faded, and the only thing that moved inside
her was her stomach as it lightly rolled. She hadn’t had anything except coffee
that morning and hoped after the meeting they might get something to eat. That
is, if she weren’t thrown in a cage and beaten.

As the Elders entered
the circle between Audrey and Natalia, they didn’t seem particularly annoyed
with Alyx’s presence. As a matter of fact, they didn’t seem to pay her any mind
at all.
I suppose that’s a good sign.

Up close, they looked
more intimidating than she imagined. Their skin was more of an unearthly exterior,
translucent except with no veins underneath or semblance of hair for eyebrows
or eyelashes. Their dark irises camouflaged their pupils, if they had any at
all, and their white skin almost glowed against the black, velvet robes that
had a short, stiff collar around the neck held together by a gold clasp in the
very shape of their scars.

The Elders could
have been twins if you discounted the height variance, but despite their
similar features Alyx could now see minor and almost imperceptible differences.
The taller one held his head higher than his counterpart, his nose slightly
pointier, and less emotion registered behind his eyes. The shorter one’s face rounded
at his jawline, and his lips drew up on the sides to display a more amiable
essence.

After entering
the circle, they stood dead center, and the taller one with the pointy nose opened
his mouth to speak. “My children,” he said, holding his arms wide as if to hug
all of them at once, and a smile spread wide across his pasty face, appearing
to be an unnatural mannerism for him, almost forced.

As his smooth,
powerful voice rolled from his tongue, her will bent in surrender. Whether she
wanted to or not, he had her full attention.

“We have all
come a long way to get here, and I am delighted that you made it. My name is
Prolificent, and here beside me is Diamort. We are your Elders.”

The Protectors
repeated different forms of salutations in response, nodding and smiling in
unison.

Prolificent’s
expression darkened. “While it’s a pleasure to have all of you here, this is a
sad and woeful day. Our beloved Earth has been overrun and defaced by beasts
from another world. This is a time of great sadness, and also a time of great
significance. We have all been called here to assemble our army and make sure
that they are brought to justice.”

He gave a quick
nod to Diamort.

“Yes, that is
our purpose here,” Diamort said in his soothing, pleasant voice. “Your duties
are not over yet. The time we will strike back is unknown, but when it comes,
we
will
be ready.   

Everyone nodded
enthusiastically with a crazed passion in their eyes, like a hyped up football
team, ready to get on the field and clobber their opponent.

“Your contributions
today meant everything. These gifted humans you’ve brought here will aide us in
this crucial time. We will gather with them tonight and discuss specifics on
how these beasts operate and what our plans are to utilize you further.”

“And you are all
probably wondering why your humans are no longer bound to you now,” Prolificent
said. “I’m sure you have all noticed how when you came through the gateway your
ties to them were severed. They are no longer your concern.”

All of the
Protectors nodded except Alyx, and his black eyes darted to her. Her heart
jumped. She still
felt
her draw to Isaac.
How can that be
?

“Your new Marked
are the Warriors who will arrive tomorrow at dawn. You will be bound to one of
them for reasons we will explain at a later time. We weren’t sure how many of
you would make it here so we had to wait before they were sent.

The Protectors
looked around at one another with puzzled expressions. Were there supposed to
be more? Did they all make it?

“You all made it
here,” he confirmed to ease the tension. “However, this is no time to
celebrate. Let us take a moment and reflect on all of the human lives that were
a casualty of these beasts’ cruelty today.”

The Elders bowed
their heads, and the Protectors followed suit. As the cooling island wind blew
around them, Alyx’s heart became heavy. The silent streets and towns her and
Isaac drove through on the way here were, in fact, an indication of what she
feared. According to her Elder, everyone died at the hand of theses beasts, and
brutally so. Within the gentle caress of the wind, Alyx imagined the dead’s
spirits being carried along with it, to join them in encouragement, to avenge
what was taken from them.

After their
moment of silence, the Elders’ heads lifted. “I’m sure you’re also wondering
about your new bodies,” Prolificent said with a hint of pride. “We created you
to transform into strong, sturdy vessels once we summoned. Your skin is soft,
but tough like an ethereal coat of arms, intended to be impenetrable to any
demon or foe. We have worked for thousands of years to perfect this, and did
not
expect them to be able to pierce your skin today,” he said as he glanced at
Alyx again. “Their strength acquired from their infinite wickedness was a lot
greater than we’d ever anticipated. But you should all be proud of your accomplishments.
Your instincts served you and your Marked well.

As they stood
together, not one other Protector with a single mark on them, Alyx felt as
flawed as she appeared with her healing lacerations. It wasn’t only Cindra who
adjusted well to her new body and whose instincts performed flawlessly, the
rest of them were of the same caliber.