Awakening the Mare (Fall of Man Book 1) (21 page)

He stood quickly and took off.

I rolled over to my knees, trying to stand,
trying to get all of my air. I saw Marie. Her wide open eyes were
staring at me.

Unlike before, they weren’t warm. They were
cold and without life.

No. No. No.

I crawled over to her. Her chest was
saturated with blood and her heart lay next to her on the
ground.

This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t have
happened— not to Marie. I was crushed; my heart was right there
along with hers.

The first tear rolled down my face and a
sadness like I never experienced swept over me. It was a pain that
I felt physically as well as emotionally. I reached out for her,
wanting with all of my soul for her not to leave me. She had just
come into my life. I needed her.

My grief consumed me. I wept uncontrollably.
It rolled from my chest and through my throat, and all reasoning
left me.

“No,” I whimpered and lifted her heart.
Maybe… just maybe if it was returned to her... maybe if I wished it
hard enough, I could bring her back to life.

How foolish I was. Crying, I returned her
heart to her chest and held my hand over it.

Live. Live.
I wished and prayed.

Marie didn’t move, she didn’t breathe or
blink.

She was gone.

I slipped my arms under her, rolled her into
my chest, held tightly to my friend, and sobbed.

I hadn’t moved at all. I remained on my knees
in that vineyard, Marie’s head resting on my lap, and I just didn’t
want to move. I stayed with her a long time. So much so that the
screams of the attacking Day Stalkers turned to gunfire and then
finally, silence.

A battle raged behind me and I was frozen in
my grief.

Marie’s body grew cold and all color of life
drained from her. I had taken my fingers and closed her eyes, I
didn’t want to let go.

Death was something I had never really faced.
Other than my brother, Marie was the only person I had cared about
that had died. I didn’t know how to handle it. I was angry and sad
at the same time.

Marie’s death did not have to happen. She
died because of me, trying to stand up and protect me.

Tanner had returned at some point. He found
me where he had left me, and crouched down before me.

“I couldn’t catch them,” Tanner said softly.
“I tried.”

I glanced up only a second, the returned to
looking at Marie. “Nito will die. The arrow went into her
chest.”

“Vala, I’m really sorry. Do you need me to
help you?”

“No.”

“I can carry Marie…”

“No. Leave me. Please.”

He did.

I stayed there reflecting on what all that
had transpired. How Mindy lost her life, the child she carried was
ripped from her, then Marie was killed She didn’t deserve it. The
people of Lyons Estates didn’t deserve the pain and terror they had
endured.

Some time had passed, the air had cooled and
the sun wasn’t as bright when Davis found me.

“Vala,” he said softly, “I know you’re in
shock, but we have to leave. We have to bury Marie and leave the
village before sundown.”

“I’m safe from Savages.”

“I don’t want you left alone.”

“I don’t want to leave her.”

“You have to, sweetie.” Davis lowered to the
ground to be close. “You have to.”

“How many people died?”

“Vala, you can’t think—”

“How many?”

“We lost forty people. One child.”

My eyes closed tightly. “This is all my
fault.”

“No, it’s not. This was done by the
Sybaris.”

“Because of me. If I had left, if I had
heeded the warning, none of this would have happened.”

“We don’t know that,” he said.

“I do.”

“Nothing I can say right now will take away
your pain. I can only tell you that they will pay for this.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “They will.”

“We’ll come up with a new plan.” He placed
his hand on my arm. “Now we have to bring Marie in from here.”

I nodded. “Can I have just a few more
minutes? Just a few more?”

“Five. That’s all. Okay?”

“Yes.”

Davis stood. He ran his hand over my head as
he walked away.

Five minutes. I had five more minutes left
with my friend. What would I say to her? Would she even know or
hear me?

“Vala.”

I knew the voice and when I heard him, a part
of me felt outraged. I glanced up to see Iry.

“I’m only going to stay a moment.” Iry
crouched down. “This didn’t have to happen, I told you. Why didn’t
you listen?”

“I don’t know.”

“This isn’t over.”

“Oh, I know that. At least Nito isn’t going
to be a problem.”

“She is, Vala,” Iry said. “She isn’t
dead.”

I looked at him shocked. “She has to be.”

He shook his head. “She’s not. She’s going to
strike again if you don’t come back.”

“I’ll be ready.” I glanced back down to
Marie.

“She’s not coming with the Day Stalkers next
time. She has one intention and one intention only. You have to
leave here, Vala,” Iry said pleadingly. “Because your hero boy,
Tanner… he’s next.”

My heart pounded a single beat that thumped
against my chest. When I looked up, Iry was gone. He had said
enough and said all I needed to know.

I was exhausted, yet any attempt to sleep was
futile. Each time I dozed off, I would quickly jolt awake with
visions of Marie and Mindy. It made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t
want to drink or eat.

Davis took me off of patrol for the night,
but I stayed outside. With only a few days before a full moon, the
Savages would get restless and at the very least, my presence could
offer some sense of protection for the Lyons Estates citizens.

They had suffered because of me. They weren’t
going to suffer anymore.

For as much as my heart and head were
consumed with sadness over Marie and Mindy, I thought clearly about
what I had to do and what needed to be done.

There was only one choice.

At first light, I slipped into Marie’s house.
It was so empty without her. I washed and placed on the best outfit
I had in my possession. I grabbed Marie’s saddle bag, placed in it
a few food items and water. When Marie and I had gone to her home
in Rio, she had retrieved photographs from her mantel. One of them
was a picture of Marie and Leo in which they were young and happy.
That picture also went in the saddle bag.

I took a moment and with great thought, I
left a letter for Davis. In it I told him what I was doing and
why.

After I finished that, I headed to the stable
and saddled Roughneck.

“We’ve got a long day ahead of us, boy,” I
said, stroking his mane. “Are you ready?”

It was peaceful and quiet at Lyons Estates,
the sky was light, and it was time for me to go.

I opened the stable doors, mounted my horse,
and with a deep breath of courage, I gave a gentle tug of his reins
and we started our journey.

Quietly, and without notice, I slipped from
Lyons Estates. I took the route east through the vineyards and
across the fields behind Marie’s house.

It wasn’t long into my journey, and I had
just made it to a road, when I heard a steady sound of trotting
behind me.

“Vala!” Tanner called out. “Vala, stop!”

I pulled back on the reins and brought
Roughneck to a halt. Tanner pulled alongside, jumped from his
horse, and ran to me.

“Val, what are you doing? I read the
note.”

“If you read the note, then you know.”

Tanner shook his head. “This is crazy. You
can’t go.”

“I have to. I am the one who caused the hurt
and pain and I have to stop it from ever happening again.”

“And leaving is the way to do it?”

“Yes. Davis wanted to send someone to the
Straits. He wanted to get some chosen and into the city of the
Ancients. It has to be me.”

Tanner reached up and grabbed my hand. He
held it firmly and his words quivered. “So you’re just gonna go
back. That’s it?”

“The only way to get inside their city is to
be chosen. I’ll do it, if that’s what it takes.”

“By him. Chosen by him?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“You know what that means. You know what it
means if you go with him.”

I hesitated and swallowed my emotions. “If
that’s what it takes.”

“No, Vala. No,” Tanner pleaded. “Please.
Please don’t go. Don’t do this. We’ll find another way. Please
don’t leave.” He placed his lips to my hand.

The moment his lips touched my skin, my
entire body jolted and my heart jumped. He stared up at me, his
eyes pleading as much as his voice.

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I have to do this.”
Slowly and reluctantly, I pulled my hand from his, taking in every
second that our fingers touched until my hand was no longer in his.
“I’ll see you again.”

I snapped the reins and began to go. I
couldn’t look back.

“Vala!” he cried out. “Don’t do this!”

His voice faded from my ears the farther away
I rode, but he didn’t fade from my heart.

I heard him, I felt him, I just wouldn’t
allow myself to look back and see him.

It was what I had to do, my only choice. I
knew from the earliest age I was destined to battle the
Sybaris.

I left my new friends and family of Angeles
City in the wake of the aftermath of a horrific battle. It was a
battle that we lost.

However, it was far from the end. It was only
the beginning.

The beginning of my destiny. The beginning of
my journey. The beginning of the war.

Man would prevail again.

Jacqueline Druga is a native of Pittsburgh,
PA. She is a prolific writer and filmmaker. Her published works
include genres of all types, but favors post-apocalypse and
apocalypse writing. Currently, she resides in a small town south of
Pittsburgh, where not only is she a writer, but devotes a good bit
of her time enjoying her grandchildren.