Scars of the Earth (17 page)

“What’s wrong?” He mouthed. She felt like slapping him, for looking so concerned and deafening her at the same time. She knew it had to be something that he was doing, so she pulled her arm out of his grasp and began a pretty spectacular verbal assault. After a few seconds he smiled and put a hand to his ear, indicating that he couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

He can’t hear either? She thought, taken back. They stood in the empty hall awkwardly before he fetched a notepad from his pocket. He scribbled on it so quickly that she doubted she would be able to read the chicken scratch, but when he handed it to her it was perfectly legible.

Nell was surprised at how much she could hear his voice in the note. She turned her eyes away from the paper and looked up at him. He was giving her two thumbs up and what was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but she thought that it just looked super cheesy. She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a pen out of her pocket. It felt like she took much more time writing her note than he did his, though it was much shorter.

So, where are we going?

After a few scribbles he handed her back the pad and looked around cautiously. He wants to get moving. She thought, seeing the worry in his eyes as they darted around.

Others are waiting. Who? She wondered. This is no time for indecision. She thought. She handed him back the pad and nodded her head. Much to her delight a smile stretched across his face. He’s happy that I am going. She thought not understanding why this fact gave her such joy, but it did.

She followed closely behind him until they reached the first fork. He held up a hand and she stopped behind him. He looked to his right and moved back quickly. He turned to face her and mouthed one word.

“Guards.” She sucked in a breath and was surprised at how frightened she was by them. He shook his head and then looked again. He turned to her and quickly spun her in his arms to the other side of the hallway. For a moment it felt like they were dancing, but the hammering of her heart reminded her that they were in danger. She turned around as he continued down the hallway, but no one was giving chase.

Armaan stealthily guided them through passages that the Guard seemed to have abandoned. He paused in some areas glancing at his watch, sometimes stopping for five or ten minutes. Nell wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but she knew that he had guided them through areas that the Guard should have been watching. Within an hour and a half well over a dozen people had joined the two of them. She had been a little embarrassed that none of the other Healers were screaming in fear at the loss of their hearing.

Maybe he gave THEM a heads up. She thought trying to comfort herself. It’s still eerie to be traveling with this many people and not hear a sound…even though I know that no sound means safety. She thought.

She glanced at the faces in the group around her. There was young and old, male and female. I wonder why he chose these people. I don’t recognize half of them and none of them have a link to Amanda. She remembered his scribbled words. “I don’t think that it is safe for you here. Everyone knows how close you are to Amanda.”

She shrugged her shoulders. They must just want out of here, maybe not because they are individually targeted, maybe just because their home is turning into a prison. She was pulled out of her thoughts as she collided with the person in front of her. The group had stopped without her noticing; luckily the person she banged into just gave her a reassuring smile. They were gathered around Armaan, who was scribbling on his notepad while looking at his watch. He held up the note for all to see, and after some wiggling Nell could read the words.

When Armaan was sure that everyone had read it, he took one last look at his watch and opened his mouth. Nell was sure that if she was able to hear the words coming from him they would have contained four letters. He turned around and drove quickly down the hallway. He didn’t move so fast that they couldn’t keep up, though she was certain that he could have. His body lurched forward with incredible athleticism. He even had doors pried open before the group could pause.

It was at a door that he finally halted. She stared up at the towering thing. Its twisted metal had strange patterns hammered into it; they looked so familiar to her. After a moment she realized that they were nothing more than an intricately scrawled mathematical symbol, the sign for infinity. She met eyes with Armaan who had a hand on the latch. As the door opened a fraction her mind was assaulted with questions.

How can he open such a heavy door? Why is this door so big? Why would it need to be? Where have I seen that symbol? And her final question she had answered before it fully materialized. What’s on the other side…The Ancients. He led us to the Ancients! She brought up her memory of the Ancients and studied their odd skin. Scattered across them like duplicate birthmarks was the strange infinity sign. She backed up a step as the doors flew open.

The room behind the doors was huge, squinting upward; she could barely make out the domed ceiling. It must be six stories above my head. She thought. From the cavern-like walls hung fine drapery from around the world. Encompassing the room in a half circle stood 6 gigantic wooden chairs. The chair’s legs were thick roots, and growing out of them were the most intricately carved scenes that she had ever seen. Plants and animals, Healers and spirits. All were depicted in perfect beauty.

Being in awe of the rooms grandeur, it took her a moment for her terrified mind to process the fact that the chairs stood empty.

They aren’t here. The Ancients are not here. He did not lead us to them. She drew in the breath that she had been holding, before she noticed the room’s sole occupant. He was an older man, but it was hard for her to guess his age-as it was with most healers. He was tall and the width of his shoulders suggested that he was also quite muscular. She overlooked his dazzling smile, her eyes locking on the glimmering badge on his coat.

Oh God it is a member of the Guard, not just a member, a captain. She thought. She found Armaan’s face in the crowd and it was smiling, smiling! He isn’t surprised to see him, he looks happy. He must have known that he would be here. I shouldn’t have trusted him. She thought full of anger.

Armaan moved forward quickly, but paused when no one was following. He turned around slowly to face the crowd.

“What are you all waiting for? Come on, let’s get going.” They stood in shock for a moment having heard what he said.

He’s dropped the silence spell. She thought. He waved them on. Still no one moved to step through the door way.

“Who is that?” An older woman asked bluntly.

“Come on, no time to waste. If you don’t want to come please turn and leave now. We can not have you in the hall, in front of that door for any amount of time.” He stood tall and authoritative, but his eyes were locked on hers pleading.

Nell wished that she had more time to decide, and she wished that she didn’t trust Armaan so much. But she had no time and she did trust him, so she took a step forward. The Healers began to flow in behind her as she crossed the room and stood next to Armaan.

“Thanks.” He said to her quietly. “Now everyone move to the center of the room.” He gestured at his fellow Guard member. “The Ancients have a portal set up here at all times. We will be taking it out of here.” She saw a bright speck of light shining like a little star suspended above a table next to the Guard Captain. Armaan glanced at his watch again and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of tic. “And we need to hurry.”

Now that the spell was dropped she could hear the institute and the roaring laughter of Guard members. That sounds so close. She thought and doubled her pace. As the last Healer stepped into the center of the room Armaan grabbed a hold of her hand and they were whipped through space.

Nell was surprised at how much being pulled through the portal felt like falling into a Scar; she was actually a little worried that a Scar had taken her right before the portal did. But when she came out of the other side she was still surrounded by the group of Healers. She blinked back the light that stung her eyes.

How is the sun still up, it must be two a.m. She thought. As her eyes relaxed she took in her surroundings. They were on the roof of a skyscraper that overlooked a large city. Geometric high risers were scattered about the city and each of them had a unique design. One had distinctly triangular shapes throughout its architecture while another was rounded like a cylinder. Red roofs could be seen in the far distance like a field of roses. There was a busy river directly below them. Big colorful boats floated past carrying flashing billboards advertising McDonald’s and other businesses.

Where are we? She wondered, but before she could vocalize her question. Armaan stretched his arms across the scene. His fair hair was glowing in the evening sun and the look on his face made her wonder if he was actually going to embrace the view before him.

“Welcome to Shanghai!” He said with a smile. The older Guard member stepped next to him and whispered in his ear. Armaan nodded his head once, but not before Nell saw a string of emotions flash across his face. They didn’t stay on his face long enough for her to understand what he was feeling, and his face was all that she had to go by. She couldn’t read his emotions at all, which was a very strange thing for her.

“Well everyone, please thank my good friend and superior Joseph. Without his help every single one of those halls would have been running with Guard members.” Armaan said. “And thanks to his strategic master mind, the Guard was always moving around us.” He gestured at his friend and the Healers all began thanking him. Joseph’s face was stoic and it didn’t seem that he cared much for their gratitude.

“Yes, your welcome and all that. I must be going. Good luck in your new home.” Joseph said and then turned to Armaan. “And I am sorry to be losing you Armaan.” At that he turned and walked away.

Will he have to get a plane ticket to go back home? She wondered.

“Come on everyone lets get you home.” Armaan said as he turned away from the river.

“And where is that?” Nell asked without meaning to. He turned and faced her, his eyes bright with excitement.

“Some Healers call it home; some call it a safe haven.” He paused and searched the faces around him. “But most just call it New Hovel.” He said to a sea of stunned faces.

“New Hovel? You mean there are enough Healers for a whole new city?” Someone asked in awe.

“New Hovel is a hundred times larger and just about as populated.” He let the statement sink in before he told them something even more shocking. “And don’t freak out when you see a sassy old woman wondering the grounds talking to herself. It’s her power that keeps New Hovel safely hidden.”

“One woman, how is that possible?” Nell whispered.

“Well it’s not all that difficult for her, she is an Ancient.”

Chapter 15

Amanda landed lightly on the soft forest floor, she knew that she was back in the camp site and felt little need to open her eyes. She couldn’t even bring herself to peak, just to make sure that she was where she should be. The bright sparks of light that Bill had vanished into were still imprinted on the backs of her eye lids. She watched them get brighter as she closed her eyes more tightly. Happiness and peace shot threw her every time she pictured him leaving. She didn’t open her eyes until she heard Cole clear his throat next to her.

When she opened them, she was surprise to find him so close to her. He hovered over her, inches from her face. His warm breath smelled sweetly of citrus. His dark eyes were shining with the rush of energy that comes with Healing a Scar. She had never seen him so unguarded. So many emotions flooded off of him that it was hard to read just one.

Happiness, peace, longing, desire. The first two make sense, but what is he longing for? She wondered. She couldn’t bring herself to think about the desire that he was feeling. She shook her head attempting to clear it. A thick fog had invaded her mind and it was hard to think straight.

She glanced back up to Cole and regretted the action, seeing the way that he was looking at her made the fog return. She raised a hand to his cheek and he shivered at her touch. He leaned down towards her, closing the space between them.

What is he doing? She wondered, lying perfectly still.

He was so close that she could taste his breath on her lips. He put his hand on the nape of her neck and lifted her head, gently kissing her cheek. The soft touch of his lips on her skin snapped her control and she pulled him closer. A wave of surprised bliss rolled off of him before he laughed.

“I could lie in your arms all day, unfortunately we have an audience.” He whispered into her hair before pulling away. She looked over and saw Madgie staring down at her. She jumped up so fast that she knocked heads with Cole.

It took her a few seconds to right herself, but she couldn’t seem to look at Madgie. She knew the rules about getting that close to a man, and although she didn’t care about any rule laid down by the Ancients, she was terrified at what Madgie might think.