Rise of the Mare (Fall of Man Book 2) (3 page)

My journey from Lyon Estates to the
Salton Sea was not a short, especially by horseback. Even after
crossing the sea, which was the safest way, I had still had hours
on foot because I was unable to take the horse on the floating
device.

It was, by my best guess, a two day
journey, if I stopped and settled just before the sun set.

When I had fled Akana, I was injured
and my blood was tainted with the poison from the Sybaris’ arrows.
I floated on the sea until Tanner found me and took me to their
camp. It was there I met Marie and Snake, who issued fast medical
care and we ‘hunkered down’, as Snake said, for the night.

The camp was in a rundown building
called Fred’s Bait Shop. Outside, it looked like every other
building buried beneath the foliage and brush. A structure left to
be encompassed by nature since Man no longer could keep up with
every building and every road.

Inside, Fred’s Bait Shop was a safe
haven. It was completely reinforced with metal walls, and the
windows were hatched and secured tightly to keep the Savages
out.

It was used frequently by
‘retrievers’, they were individuals like Tanner who ventured out
toward the Salton Sea to search for those fleeing the Esperanza
Straits.

I was not an anomaly; many before me
had left for Angeles City, refugees or asylum seekers. They were
people like me who wanted to see the Sybaris destroyed. Or even
those who wanted nothing more than to live like humans instead of
well kept pets.

Fred’s Bait Shop would be the best
place to stop and rest, and when the sun rose again, I would finish
the final leg of my journey.

The roadways, like everything else,
was overgrown. Except where the ‘retrievers’ drove their vehicles.
Embedded tracks were a road map to the secluded hideaway shack.

By the time I arrived the sun had
already began lowering behind me.

I secured the horse outside before
securing the shack. I knew for certain the horse would be safe if
the Savages came; they feared horses. The blood of a horse made
them deathly ill.

I did have the ability to destroy
them, just by thinking about it, however, I wasn’t in control, not
a hundred percent. That left anyone or anything living thing around
vulnerable to my destructive defenses.

I carried my belongings inside and
shut the door. I could tell the shack had been used a few times
since I arrived. Retrievers went there in search of the refugees
from the Straits.

The next morning would be the last
leg of my journey home. Or rather, back to Akana. Akana stopped
being home for me when I arrived in Angeles City. My little sister
was there, and my mother. I did need to speak to her, to find out
if she truly was taking bids on me or if she were trying to
outsmart the Sybaris.

It was, however, where I grew up,
lived, and learned, even if I was not taught all the correct
things.

Nito had vowed to get me, to have me,
and I believed to kill me. I was a threat to her more than I was a
trophy. While my trust wavered, I had to place it in Iry. He was my
source of safe passage and information about what was going on in
Akana.

Iry was a Sybaris. He had become my
educator for the last of my schooling. The adulthood schooling
where we prepared for life and primped to be chosen. He was young
by Sybaris standards, soft spoken. His hair was light. It brushed
against his shoulders and wasn’t worn long like every other
male.

The girls in my class pined for
him, considered him a beautiful specimen. I saw nothing but a
Sybaris. He tried to friend me, I just couldn’t let him get close.
He
was
different than the other Sybaris though. He shared wit and
humor, spoke to me and the others like equals and not like animals,
slaves, or livestock. He had given me warning that the Day Stalkers
would be coming, which I ignored.

He told me Nito was coming for
Tanner.

That warning, I heeded.

I needed to speak to Iry. He was many
days’ travel from me, and once I settled into Fred’s Bait Shop for
the night, I relaxed and concentrated. I knew there was a way to
reach him.

I was limited in my outer body
projection in that I could only go to places I had been before. Iry
had transported me to the City of the Ancients and to his home
there. That was where I arrived. His home.

After passing through the realms of
projection, I arrived at his garden and meandered through toward
his huge home. I wandered into a grassy area, and beyond that was a
body of water surrounded by stones with skimpy lounging chairs
placed around it. It was close to the house, and I wondered why
Iry, who could not handle large bodies of water, would have such a
danger so near to his house.

Approaching, I heard laughter.

It being only a physical projection
left me unable to feel any temperatures or elements. I could only
assume it was extremely hot, because four scantily dressed human
house mistresses were sitting in the chairs around the water.

The clothing barely covered their
bodies. Triangles of cloth covered their woman parts and that was
all. Such an indecent amount of clothing would only cover my
calf.

I felt somewhat embarrassed as I
passed them.

A few dipped in the water, saw me,
and looked at me peculiarly.

“Where is Iry?” I asked.

One pointed to the house, and as I
walked there, I heard her laugh.

Two glass doors were fifteen paces
from the body of water, and I approached them. I reached for the
handle and my hand went through. I realized again I was just a
projection, a ghostly apparition, and I stepped through.

Inside, another woman, older and more
appropriately dressed, moved about the kitchen preparing food.

During my transitional training
to be ‘Angeles City’ normal, I was showed things called television
programs. They enlightened me about human behavior and antics. My
favorite was a moving short show called
ALF
. ALF was a furry little man with a
big nose and sarcastic attitude. The people on that show looked
like the photos in my time capsule box.

I loved ALF. He was witty and smart.
In one episode he talked about having a harem. I asked Marie what
that was and she told me it was a group of many wives of a
sheik.

Stepping into Iry’s home made me
think of a harem. There were so many women. Some glanced my way,
clearly seeing me. I did not know if I was visible to the others,
or if they did not care or notice me.

Making my way from the kitchen I saw
Iry approaching a double set of doors, stopping to speak to a
woman.

“You know my rules. I’m not in
here.”

“I have not seen you.”

Iry smiled. “Thank you.” He stepped
inside the room.

Once the doors were clear, I walked
over and slipped easily through. I expected to see Iry. Instead, I
stepped into a large room void of much furnishing.

There was a desk and two chairs, and
an open bottle of wine.

However, there was no Iry. Where did
he go?

That was when I noticed the shelving.
It contained vases and statues. The one behind the desk was
crooked. As I moved a little closer, I discovered it was more than
just a shelf, it was a passageway.

What I saw when I stepped inside
shocked me.

The hidden room was huge. It could
have been three rooms. It was tall as well, with a second level.
What was shocking about the room was the contents. Rows and rows,
wall to wall, shelves with books. More books than I saw in Angeles
City.

“The projection,” Iry said, startling
me from my wondrous staring at all the books, “will only last about
seven or eight minutes. I suggest you say hello before you are
zapped back.”

Iry stood over a small table, a glass
of wine before him and an open book in his hand. He glanced up with
a smile. “Good to see you, Vala.”

“All of these books. It is said in
Angeles City that the Sybaris destroyed all the books that they
could.”

“That’s true. Fools.” Iry closed the
book and stood. “The human race is a fascinating and creative
species.” He had an edge of excitement to his tone as he walked to
a case. “For example, this book.” He withdrew one from the shelf.
“It is a very old story about a little girl who drinks a magic
potion and falls down a hole into some odd world. Amazing.”

“I wouldn’t know this because I
wasn’t permitted to even know mankind wrote all this.”

“That is a shame, because man is a
creative genius. Perhaps the Ancients feared you because of the way
your minds worked.”

“The Sybaris are not creative?”

Iry laughed. “Hardly. We’re
factual and technical. In our time, we built triangle buildings in
the sand. Designed monuments. Man…” he lifted the book,
“created
worlds
.”

“You sound as if you actually like
the human race.”

“I do. Each person is different and
the Ancients have done their best to control that. You spent your
life hating us and I spent my life wishing I were human.” He
cleared his throat. “And time is almost up. You’ll disappear .
There is a reason you came other than to spy.”

“I’m en route, Iry.”

He looked at me sharply.

“I have settled for the evening. At
sunrise, I will make my way across the sea.”

“I will be there,” Iry said with
certainty. “I will be at the sea when you cross to ensure your safe
passage back into Akana.”

“That’s all I wanted.”

“You will choose me, correct? That is
why you are returning?”

I readied to answer him, prepared to
tell him I didn’t have a choice. I was only choosing him to spare
the life of Tanner, so that Nito would not hurt those in Angeles
City. But I didn’t get a chance. My out of body projection energy
ended and before I knew it I was back at Fred’s Bait house.

Since the windows were sealed I
didn’t know if it was dark or light. I’d wait out the evening and
when it was safe, I would finish my journey. As sad as it made me
to leave Angeles City for good, to give myself to the Sybaris, it
was indeed the only way.

“You have got to stop this,” Davis told me that afternoon. We had
spent the afternoon cleaning up the damage, burning Day Stalkers,
and burying those we lost. Marie included.

It was sad because Marie was a pretty
great person. She was amazing, and while she didn’t deserve the
fate handed to her, I would have been surprised if Marie had died
any other way. In my opinion, she died a hero’s death.

I guess I wasn’t discreet when I
conveyed my feelings about Vala and the situation. Nor was I even
mature about it.

Davis pulled me aside. “Tanner,” he
said. “You have to stop.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, let it go. About Vala. I
understand you went after her, tried to stop her, and she kept
going. I understand your feelings are hurt.”

“It’s more than that,” I said,

“Is it?”

“We dedicated a lot of time to
helping her.”

“Marie did all that. She believed in
Vala, and so should you.”

“I really can’t. It’s bugging
me.”

“
I get it,” Davis said.
“But
you
don’t. Either that or you didn’t read the note.”

“Well I ...”

“You didn’t read it, did you?”

I dipped my head slightly. “No.”

“Then how in the hell can you pass
judgment? It’s not what you think.”

“How do you know what I think?”

“Because of the way you’re acting.
You’re taking this as a personal strike against you. It is and it
isn’t. Yes, she wants to help us, no, she isn’t a traitor, and yes,
she left because of you.”

“Then jeeze, how can you say I am
feeling or thinking wrong?”

“Because I read the note.”

“Okay.”

“
Okay and... she didn’t
want
to leave. But
after the first warning was issued and I didn’t take it seriously,
the attack happened. The boyfriend came back—”

“Teacher.”

“Whatever you choose to think,” Davis
said. “He came back and told her that another attack was gonna
happen, so to avoid it and keep the rest of us safe, she left. Her
leaving will open up that gate to the Sybaris. We’ll get there
through her the same as we would have through Mindy.”

“I understand what you’re saying. I
do. Can we trust that she would help us?”

“You of all people should trust
her.”

“Why?”

“Because of the warning.”

“We’ll be ready. We’ll protect our
people, she didn’t have to leave.”

“
She felt she did, Tanner,
because it wasn’t a threat against our people, it was a threat
against
you
.
She left to keep
you
safe.”

“What?” His answer shocked me.

“
When her boyfriend, teacher,
whatever, came to her, he said they were coming for
you
.”

“Why… why me?”

“You shot at and nearly took out the
queen bee. They know Vala cares for you. They got Marie already,
and she didn’t want to take a chance they would kill you.”

A lump formed in my throat and I
nearly choked as tried to swallow. “Is this supposed to make me
feel better? Less mad?”

Davis shook his head. “No. it’s
supposed to make you feel more understanding.”

“Well, it doesn’t,” I said. “It makes
me feel bad. I can take care of myself. I don’t need her
protection. I just... I just ...” I tossed out my hand in defeat.
“I need her here.”

Things had changed.
I
had changed. Something new within me
emerged. The first time I was in the Bait Shop, the Savage Sybaris
attacked the building. Banging, squealing, thrashing. The night was
silent. Not one Savage came. I even stepped out to test
it.