Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2) (4 page)

Nothing.

My body was fully rested when my
senses kicked in and I awakened. Peeking out through the shutters,
the sun blasted in. I had slept longer than I wanted, as much as my
body needed. I was uncertain what lay ahead.

By my calculations it was two hours
after sunrise. I wondered if Iry would wait for me or even be there
when I crossed the sea.

After I ate some breakfast, I looked
at my time capsule box. As much as I hated to do so, I made the
decision to leave it behind and hide it in the shack. More than
likely, I would not have time to hide in once I arrived in Akana.
That box was precious to me and I wanted nothing to happen to it. I
certainly did not want to the Sybaris to destroy it.

After tucking it in the back of a
cupboard, I gathered my things and left Fred’s Bait Shop.

I took Sandstorm the horse, riding
with him to the sea. After thanking him for his help, I released
him. There was no guilt in that; he would either find his way back
to Angeles City or roam about freely, safe from Sybaris attack,
because they were terrified of horses.

The floatation device was
attached to the pier and it rocked from the gentle waves. I would
call it a boat; I knew what that and even a raft was.
Gilligan’s Island
taught me all the names. The device in the water was a mixture
of both. Having the shape of a raft and makeup of a
boat.

I was frightened of the device, and
unlike the first time I floated on one, I had time to think.

Before, I was being chased and had no
choice. Now I stared at it, fearful that it would tip over and I
would fall into the massive deep waters of the sea.

I placed my bag inside and carefully
stepped down. For as brave as I usually was, at that second I was
scared. It tipped and moved and my heart raced. Finally I settled
inside, holding the edge for dear life as it rocked a little more
than I was comfortable with.

Sandstorm stood by the sea watching
me. I untied the floating device and allowed the water to take me.
I had no clue how to move the craft.

It was only after I used my hands to
push the water in order to move the craft that I noticed the long,
thin boards inside. From my time in the transmission bunker,
learning human culture, I knew their purpose, though how exactly I
was supposed to apply them to moving the floater, I wasn’t sure. I
lifted one, using it to move in the water. Problem was, I kept
moving in circles. After some attempts I realized I had to use both
or switch sides.

For the most part, like I did with my
life, I left my floating and movement mainly to fate.

The community of Angeles City went far beyond the confines of the
beaten down concrete jungle. The old buildings covered in vines and
moss were symbols of the lax and entitled society of the past.
Those who took for granted what they had.

Those of us who remained, survived,
and grew up in the era of Angeles City took nothing for granted. We
had a focus, and that was to live and eventually defeat our
captors.

While they may not have kept us
prisoner by physical chains and fences, we were bound by their
power and limited to what we could have, love, and experience.

Despite the fact that I put on my
carefree young man persona, I’m far from that. I’m more serious
about defeating the Sybaris than anyone I know.

Well, maybe not anyone… Davis is
pretty determined. But it’s been decades, and those who lived in
the world before it went to pot seem to have lost their fervor for
the fight.

My fire and desire to fight grew as I
held Marie’s thin scarf, the one she always wore to cover her neck.
Along with the sadness, I felt a sense of betrayal over Vala. I
couldn’t shake it.

Marie was good to her, taught her,
believed in her. Marie was a good judge of character, so why was I
doubting her?

Sitting there just before dawn, I had
finished my night watch and was swimming in a pool of disorganized
thoughts. The slap of a shoe against something caught my attention
and I lifted my head to see Davis walking my way.

Somehow he always looked so much
bigger when I was sitting. Davis was already a big man, when
looking up at him he was really intimidating.

“How was the watch?” he asked.

“Eerily quiet,” I replied.

“How so?”

“We always have something. Tonight we
had nothing. Not a single Savage.”

“We had nothing on nights Vala took
watch.”

“Yeah.”

“Still lost on that one, I see.” With
a grunt and groan, David lowered himself and sat next to me.

“I’m confused,” I said, lifting
Marie’s scarf. “Marie saw something in her. I did, too. I am so
confused on why she would leave so easily.”

“I don’t think it was easy for her. I
think she left when she had the nerve, before she could change her
mind.”

“Do you honestly think it’s the best
thing?”

“You mean having her be the inside
person?”

“Yes.”

“I do,” Davis answered with
certainty. “Do you know what else I think?”

“What’s that?”

“I think you’re confusing your trust
of Vala with anger that she left and you couldn’t stop her.”

“Maybe. A part of me thinks she
played us all along.”

“Nah, she wanted to be here too bad.
She wanted to go instead of Mindy. Vala wants the Sybaris defeated
as much as we do.”

“Even this teacher?”

“I don’t know about that,” Davis said
with one eye closed. “He could be a problem. No matter what she
says, she does trust him. Maybe he isn’t all that bad.”

“He’s a Sybaris.”

“There can always be one. Back in the
days of the Pharaohs, Rameses’ mother was a good one. She helped
the Israelites. Maybe this teacher slash would be boyfriend—” I
quickly looked at him and Davis smirked. “Maybe he is like Rameses’
mother.”

“Her teacher guy is Queen Tuya?”

Davis laughed. “Something like that.
He may be Tuya, but Vala is no Benedict Arnold.”

“Who?”

“
You gotta be kidding me?”
Davis said. “You know the name
Tuya
and you don’t know
Benedict Arnold?”

I shook my head. “Benedict Arnold was
a traitor,” Davis explained. “He betrayed the country. Hence why
the phrase being a ‘Benedict Arnold’ was coined. Vala is not a
traitor against us. She is for them.”

I groaned.

“You need to stop dwelling on
this.”

“Maybe I just need resolution. Maybe
if I had one more chance to try to convince her and hear her
reasoning, I could deal with this better.”

“You’re being a drama queen.”

I gasped.

“Yeah, you are. I don’t see anyone
else running about, saying, ‘Oh, Vala led them to us, she went back
to tell them how to wipe us out’. Only you. Everyone else is
calling her brave because Lord knows what she has to face back
there.”

“You’re right.”

“I am.” Davis produced a cocky smile.
“And I’m tired. Get some sleep. We’ll hear from her soon.”

“You think?”

“Oh, yeah. She has them traveling
powers. She’ll pop by soon.” Davis winked, leaned over, and planted
his lips to my forehead. “Get some rest. Good night.” I laughed as
he struggled to get up with a good balance. “Damn you making me get
on the ground. You know I’ve got bad knees.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll let it go.” He smiled. “Good
night. Get some sleep.”

I stared into the small fire that had
started to dwindle. The sky was getting lighter. Light meant
safety.

I would get some sleep, there was
still something I had to do first. Knowing Davis would not allow
it, I waited for him to slip into the building. I gathered some
things and headed out of the inner city . I needed transportation.
Even though I’d probably never catch up, I had to try one more time
to talk to Vala.

Iry
stood on the pier. I could see him as my floater drifted closer. He
was dressed in typical Ancient clothing, like something I had seen
in the books of America Colonial times. We all dressed that way,
only the people of Akana were more peasant. Girls who were not
married wore the same pants and same white blouse that the males
did.

I stopped guiding the floater and
allowed it to make its own way there with the help of the waves.
While he wasn’t alone, he did wait solo at the edge for me, arms to
his sides, his shoulder length hair catching the breeze. Behind him
were two Sybaris Elders in their black cloaks, their hideous faces
hidden.

As the wind whipped I caught the
stench of Sybaris. Iry included. I had forgotten about his musky
odor. My only visits to him were ethereal, and there were no
smells. He had told me to focus and I would smell him. I didn’t see
how that was possible.

I wondered why the Elders were
present. That worried me some.

My floatation device made it to the
wooden pier and knocked into it.

“It’s good to see you, Vala,” Iry
said. “Toss me that rope so I can secure this.”

After tossing up my bag, I threw the
rope his way and he secured it, then reached down his hand. After
some hesitancy, I took it. Before he pulled me to the pier, he
squeezed my hand, closed his eyes, and smiled.

I knew at the moment, he was drawing
that ‘feel good’ that a Mare was capable of delivering. A part of
me felt violated by him taking my energy without asking. As soon as
I gained my footing, I pulled my hand from him. It was then I
looked up and saw her.

Nito.

She walked forward in all her tribal
robe glory. I shifted a dagger filled stare to Iry. “You betrayed
me?” I asked.

He squinted in confusion and
murmured, “What?” then looked behind him.

It was apparent to me that he was
just as shocked as I was to see her standing there.

“Vala,” he said, “I did no such
thing.”

I wanted to tell him that I believed
him, then Nito rushed over.

“
You should be placed under
arrest,” she said, “and not allowed into the village or
any
village for that
matter.”

“She has the right to return,” Iry
said.

“She has lost that right.”

“Why?” Iry asked. “Because she
defended herself against when you sought her out
unjustifiably?”

“Sharp is your tongue, little man. I
shall have it. Do you know to whom you speak?”

“
I know our laws. I
teach
our
laws.”

“There are no laws when it pertains
to humans,” she snapped. “They are not protected.”

She spun and looked behind her.
“Elders, have him hand this human to me for apprehension.”

“No,” Iry insisted. “Elders, she has
returned to be chosen in ceremony tomorrow.”

“She is no more than a criminal and a
threat to the community,” Nito argued.

“She…” Iry stated, “she is a Mare,
and in all fairness should be allowed to be chosen. It is a mark of
greed that Her Highness wants her apprehended. Surely you can see
she wants the Mare for herself?”

Nito hissed. She actually hissed at
Iry.

Even though I was fearful of sinking,
I was prepared to jump into the water.

Nito wasn’t just any Sybaris, she was
a high priestess, a princess. She was third in line to the throne
of the Ancients. Making eye contact with them was strictly
forbidden, as I made sure to do as she stood behind Iry.

“Elder!” she cried out. “Command this
educator to step aside.”

My insides shuddered as the dark
robed Elder made his way toward us. He sickened me, his stench
worse than any other Sybaris. Knowing how they fed on my brother
made my bowels churn.

His voice was raspy and he spoke a
language I did not understand. He said a single sentence, turned,
and walked away.

The corner of Iry’s mouth raised in
gloating smile, and Nito’s anger told me the Elder had refused.

She sneered at me. “You will be mine
at the ceremony. The educator is low level. He led you here.”

“You baited me and threatened me,” I
argued.

“It proves the control I have and you
will be under my control soon enough, Mare.” With that, she rushed
away, almost gliding down the pier.

When the passage across the pier was
clear, I turned to Iry. “Can they take away my choice?”

“No. Not that I know of,” he said.
“However, we’re talking about Nito, and she will do everything in
her power to change the rules.”

“Can she?”Iry took a deep breath.
“Let’s hope not.”

Perhaps it wasn’t the brightest of ideas. I was pretty positive
when I returned I was going to get my rear end handed to me by
Davis. After he was asleep and in that timeframe when it was safe
for everyone to be at ease, I snatched up one of the cars and
headed out toward the Salton Sea.

I knew Vala was on horseback. I also
knew she’d stop for the night and wouldn’t get going until the
morning.

I hoped I wouldn’t miss her.

When I arrived at the holding camp,
she had been at and left the bait shop. There was still the aroma
of food and I was hopeful I could catch her. By the time I reached
the Salton Sea, Vala was a third of the way out, floating on what
we called the ‘Braft’.

She was too far out to call and she
never looked back. Though I hoped against all hope that she would,
she didn’t.

The horse, Sandstorm was still there.
He hadn’t run off. It was as if he were waiting for her to
return.

“She’s not coming back, boy.” I
stroked his mane. “You might as well leave.”

I thought of giving him a swat to get
going, but I didn’t. Maybe he’d follow me back.

I stayed there until Vala was no
longer in my sight. My heart sunk a little. At least I knew I
tried. Inadvertently, that failed trip succeeded in something else;
making me realize I was wrong about her.