Awaken (33 page)

“
I warned you girl of the
evil and corruption. I said you would see things that would change
you forever.” He shrugs. “This is merely one of those things. Only
the strong survive in this world and when you have riches...that’s
when you are the most powerful.”

That’s why he did it? For the reward?
We meant so little to him that he turned us in for iron? He turns
his back to me again and starts to walk away with Winnie in tow but
I ain’t done.

“
I’m gonna make you regret
you ever crossed us Tater!” I’m screaming now but I don’t care. I’m
pulling at my captors, nearly dragging them as I try to follow
Tater. “Mark my words Tater...I will kill you!”

Hurt, anger, betrayal...the emotions
all boil over and the buzzing starts out of nowhere. I welcome it
with open arms. I welcome my Chi...I embrace it! The hands that
seemed so strong holding me back I now shake off like swatting away
maskeetos. I almost laugh out loud as the fat man backs up in fear,
his eyes almost bugging out of his head, and yells at someone
behind me.

“
For gods sake man, take her
down already!”

I feel a small prick of pain as
something jabs me in the neck. I whirl around, hand on my neck and
come face to face with my attacker. His eyes open wide as I grab
him by the throat and he drops a small white chamber with a sharply
pointed end. He had stuck me with that? What the hell?

An icy coldness starts at the spot on
my neck. I can feel it quickly working its way through my en-flamed
blood, cooling me down...making me weak. The hand holding the
soldier’s throat goes limp and falls away on its own...like I
cain’t control it. What was happening? The coldness works it way
down into my legs and I wobble a bit. What was this? Magic? I try
to step away from the soldiers approaching me but I fall into their
hands instead. Jax by now is back on his feet and I can see his
bloodied face peering at me...calling my name. Finn too but they
sound strange...distant...distorted. I shake my head trying to
clear it but it don’t work.

I can feel myself being dragged
helplessly through the narrow alleyway and tossed non too gently
into some kind of boxed wagon. I land in a heap on the floor but
I’m too weak to even make myself sit up. I hear the others being
herded in then gentle hands grab me...move me to a sitting position
and I stare up into angry blue eyes. One of Jax’s cheekbones is
already turning purple and he is bleeding from his lip and the old
injury on his temple.

“
You’re bleeding...” I try
to say but feels like my tongue is swollen twice its normal size
and all comes out is gibberish. But it’s like he understands and he
shakes his head.

“
I’m fine....Finn too.” He
sounds so strange, like he’s talking real slow. Finn sits on my
other side staring at me worriedly. I want to tell him I’m okay but
I cain’t seem to form the words. What was happening to me? I cain’t
move...cain’t speak! I’m so scared! Is this what it feels like to
die? A single tear escapes the corner of my eye. I can feel its
wetness start to trail down my face but Jax gently wipes it
away.

“
You’re going to be
okay...we’re here with you. I won’t let anything happen to you
Tara....I promise.” Somehow I know he actually means it. Jax always
keeps his promises. I find it eases my fear some and I relax in his
arms.

I drift in and out of consciousness. I
know we’re moving, I can feel the bumps and ruts in the road but
time has no meaning to me. Cain’t rightly say how long we are on
the move. I wake occasionally, panicked, but Jax is right there
soothing me, keeping me calm and I quickly drift off
again.

I wake again when they move me outside
but whatever magic they had attacked me with is still very much in
control of me. My body is still useless and I’m shifted from the
wagon to a sturdier metal cage like a sack of taters. I watch,
immobilized as Jax and Finn are forced in as well and the clanging
of the metal door as it locks behind them resonates in my ears.
Finn immediately runs to me but Jax starts shaking the cage door
and yelling cuss words that I ain’t ever heard before at their
retreating backs. They ignore him. I on the other hand, for some
reason find it extremely funny and I start laughing uncontrollably.
Jax whirls and stares at me in disbelief. I don’t know what’s wrong
with me but I cain’t stop laughing. It’s like their magic has
affected me in some other way now.

Finally Jax’s lips twitch and he joins
me and Finn at the other side of the cage.

“
That’s it...you have truly
gone mad,” he says as he slides down the wall to sit at my head,
running his hands through his hair.

I nod, amazed that I am able to do so.
“I think you’re right,” I whisper.

Ah! I can speak! Whatever they had used
on me must be starting to wear off. I raise my hand slowly and try
flexing my fist. I manage to do it once before the hand falls
useless at my side again. But at least I had done it.

“
Can you help me up?” I
whisper and Jax pulls me up in a sitting position against the
wall.

I peer through the bars of the metal
cage trying to figure out where they have brought us. I was
expecting to be in some dank, underground cell but we ain’t inside.
We are definitely still outside and, amazingly, there are people
milling about...everywhere! And no one, not one single soul was
paying any attention to us prisoners in the cage. Then again if
there was a prison cage around I guess they were very well used to
seeing prisoners in it. Then I notice that these weren’t just
normal everyday people walking around. These people were dressed in
filthy rags, dirty, unkempt like they ain’t seen a bath in years.
Not at all like the people we had seen in the city. Soldiers are
herding them along like cattle and they rattle and clang as they
pass by the cage. The noise is coming from chains round their
ankles and I suddenly understand why they ain’t bothering with us.
They are prisoners...all of them....just like we are.

“
Where are we?” I ask and my
words come out a little stronger this time. I try moving my
legs...happily they respond.

“
I’m not sure but I think we
are being held in the iron mines,” Jax answers and I can feel my
heart skip a beat. Really? There may be a silver lining here after
all. If that’s where we were then I ain’t gotta worry about finding
my way in to search for my kin. No, seems like I just have to worry
about finding my way out.

I look round the cage and my eyes come
to rest on Finn. He is staring at the floor, head hanging
dejectedly on his chest and I realize I ain’t heard him speak since
the courtyard.

“
Finn?” I say and when he
looks up his eyes are shiny with his tears.

“
Why Tara? Why would Tater
do that to us? I thought he was my friend! And what about Cat? She
ain’t gonna know what happened to me! I promised her I was gonna
come out and check on her every day. She’s gonna think I deserted
her! Why would he do that to us?”

I don’t know how to answer the boy. I
don’t know ‘cause I’m feeling the same kinda hurt and betrayal and
loss.

“
Finn...” I say but he grabs
my hand tight and cuts me off.

“
Promise me you won’t kill
him Tara!” he says staring at me fiercely.

“
Finn what are you talking
‘bout?” I say, bewildered. He was just bellyaching about Tater now
he’s afraid I’m going to hurt him?

“
You said you was gonna kill
him. You cain’t do that Tara...no matter what he’s done. He’s still
Tater. You cain’t kill him...it ain’t right!”

“
Finn he betrayed
us...”

“
Promise me!” he says again
more urgently.

“
Okay! All right...I promise
not to kill him,” I say but more so just to shut the boy up. I
ain’t got no intention in hell of keeping that promise. I instantly
feel ashamed though for lying ‘cause the boy hugs me real tight in
relief. Shizen! This was not going to be easy. I pat his head
awkwardly, still not in full control of my muscles.

“
Cat will be fine,” I say to
him and he nods even though I know he don’t believe me. I stare at
Jax over the boys head.

“
Any idea what they did to
me back there Jax?” I say, my brain and tongue apparently working
together again. He shrugs at me.

“
I was hoping you could tell
me. After Tater sold us out I spent the rest of the time at the
bottom of a pile of soldiers. By the time I climbed my way out you
were nothing but a wobbly wreck.”

Hearing Jax say that about Tater makes
my hurt and anger come rushing back again, but I push it
away.

“
I got a glimpse of the
weapon they stuck me with....ain’t never seen the likes before. The
Prezedant may not be able to create his own new bloods but he
definitely knows how to take ‘em down. It was damn powerful
magic!”

Neither one of us comes right out and
says it but that wasn’t good...not at all. My one and only defense
against this so called Prezedant , my Chi, and he is able to take
it away from me that easily and make me as helpless as a babe. It
scares me.

“
Why are they keeping us
here you think? Why aren’t we on our way to Skytown right now?” I
say.

“
Oh you will be....bright
and early in the morning I assure you.” The fat little man moved
quietly for someone his size...I didn’t even hear him approach our
prison. He stands just out of arms reach on the other side of the
cage like he don’t trust what I would do, two more soldiers at his
back. Smart man. I stare at him angrily for a bit...then suddenly I
get an idea. We needed to know some things and I wonder if Nayrz
had the answers. I get to my feet and walk clumsily to face him. I
have to hold onto the bars to keep me upright but he involuntarily
backs up a pace. It pleases me to know I scare him.

“
Naryz if I remember
correctly,” I say and he nods at me.

“
Why wait for the morning?
If I am so important to the Prezedant...why keep him
waiting?”

He studies me through his little round
spectacles.

“
I shouldn’t think you would
be so eager to meet him. He is not what you would describe as the
most pleasant of men,” he says.

“
Oh trust me...I am not
eager to meet him at all. I’m just curious,” I say.” You seem like
a true soldier...eager to please and all that. I just find it
strange that you would make your master wait for his
prize.”

“
He is not my master....and
it takes a lot of preparation for a prisoner transport. Things
someone like you could not even begin to understand,” he says with
more than a hint of smugness and superiority. My fingers itch to
get at his throat but all I do is nod at him all serious
like.

“
I’m sure. But you know what
I think Naryz? I think he don’t trust you to be able to take me to
him. I think he thinks you lot are a bunch of idiots, drunkards,
dimwit soldiers. Why else would he stick you out in this shite hole
instead of Skytown.”

He puckers his lips at me like he ain’t
liking what I’m saying.

“
Say what you will mutant
but the overseeing of the iron mines is a very important business.
I cannot afford to lose any of my men to take you on your little
journey so the Prezedant, well he is sending his own elite group of
men to handle you. You will be under their watchful eye in the
morning. They have been well trained in dealing with your
kind.”

I nod at him like I was agreeing
wholeheartedly, then give him my brightest smile.

“
Thank you Naryz...you have
been very helpful.”

His look of confusion is almost
comical.

“
I have told you
nothing!”

“
Ah but that’s where you’re
wrong. I now know that we are indeed in the iron mines and that the
few soldiers you have here are all there is to be had in Littlepass
and that we have until the morning to make our escape before more
soldiers arrive...good info indeed.”

The open mouthed look on his puffy face
kind of reminds me of the fish we used to catch as young’uns back
in Rivercross and I find myself wanting to laugh. But then a
shocked and disbelieving “Tara!” reaches my ears and I spin around
to Jax and Finn, to see what has them yelling so. But it ain’t
them. They’re both looking at the other end of the cage and I
follow their gaze.

I see him then. Dirty, dressed in rags,
and much thinner then I remember but I know him right
away.

Ben!

I’m too shocked to move! Is it really
him? He’s in a line with a bunch of other prisoners, all chained
together, but it’s him all right. He stares at me and the brown
eyes that have haunted my nightly dreams, they search my face like
he cain’t believe what he’s seeing. He tries to move closer to our
prison but a soldier walks by and gives him a non too gentle shove,
sending him stumbling and the poor young’un chained to him
sprawling in the dirt. He helps the child back to her feet, glaring
daggers at the soldier the whole time. I notice the young girl is
crying and there is blood splattered on her torn yellow
tunic.

“
Get back in
line!”

They shuffle away from me, dragged by
the others and too late I stumble to the end of the
cage.