Marked Chaos

by Niki Livingston

  Then I saw his shadow. Andy slinked from behind Dad, holding one of the guns the invaders had brought. He raised his arm, and my mouth dropped open just as he struck Dad in the back of the head. The scream I had been holding back burst across my lips and bounced endlessly off the walls of the room.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Panic

  KIA LYNN

  I sighed with irritation when Zoe Dawn disappeared behind the branches of the crooked tree. Hiding my growing panic from my best friend was becoming exhausting. The adventures were always a rush, but it would be better if we returned from one without her mum raking us across the coals. And Papa always let her do it. He never wanted to punish me, but he allowed others to do the dirty work for him. No matter what I did to gain his attention, he remained detached from me and the rest of our people.

  “Be careful,” I called after Zoe Dawn as a ball of anxiety built up in my chest.

  What had happened earlier? The air had filled with a blossom scent and then gushes of wind had struck me from what seemed like every direction. What had confused me the most was Zoe Dawn’s fluster after her dark-brown skin had reddened like a ripe cherry. She was never the klutz or struggled to find words, as that awkward honor always landed on my shoulders.

  My lips quivered with a long sigh. I could not make any sense out of the chaos.

  My regret for leaving the village today, of all days, was tapping against every one of my thoughts. Maybe we had been cursed for sneaking away on the day of the spring equinox celebration and the eve of our mating ceremony.

  I had been looking forward to the ceremony since Mama had gone missing, nine years before. Aside from mine and Zoe Dawn’s wild excursions, I had nothing to look forward to in my future and was hoping there would be a mysterious man who would sweep me off my feet, especially after losing Alarix. It was a big dream, and tomorrow I would finally have my chance.

  A hand wrapped around my shoulder and I smothered a scream with my fist when Rafael jumped in front of me.

  “What are you doing, standing here all alone?” he asked, his one dimple revealing his amusement.

  My brows lifted and I rolled my eyes heavenward. “Who says I’m alone?” I hoped he could not tell my chest had tightened and that I was struggling to contain my composure. I could not let Rafael see me lose my mind. If I did, the entire village would know all about it before sundown.

  A rustling of leaves caught our attention. I groaned when his eyes flashed toward the tree branches that were waving from Zoe Dawn’s weight.

  Rafael chuckled, handing me his walking stick without even looking my way. “You and Zoe Dawn are going to get the whip.” He inched toward the tree, just as we heard a thud and rocks skittering over the edge. He leapt closer to Zoe Dawn and partially disappeared within the arms of the branches. “You are lucky I was passing by.” He tugged her away from the tree and back to steady ground.

  Zoe Dawn’s gaze shot from Rafael’s face over to mine. Her eyes narrowed. “Kia Lynn! Why did you tell him I was here?”

  My shoulders sagged in defeat. I was too tired to argue with her. Instead, I waggled my fingers at her in disgust and stomped down the path toward home, dropping his walking stick into the brush on the side of the path. I needed my herbs. My hands shook, so I clenched them into fists, then blinked several times, while inhaling a long breath to clear the dazed sensation rocking my body.

  “Rafael, let me go!” Zoe Dawn yelled at her cousin. “Kia Lynn, wait for me.”

  Zoe Dawn’s struggle with her cousin lasted only a few seconds. I picked up my pace, seeing the first home coming into view. If we hurried, maybe Zoe Dawn’s mum would still be working in the outer gardens.

  Zoe Dawn raced up behind me and laced her fingers with mine. “Are you really that angry with me?”

  “Yes, sister.” I tugged her forward, anxious to arrive home before anyone questioned our whereabouts. “I asked you to be honest this time with your mum, and now I will be facing the same punishment as you. Again.”

  “Mum’s punishments are nothing to be scared about,” Zoe Dawn said, squeezing my hand to try to reassure me. She kicked up her feet and twirled around me. “The Doyen never say a word about our disappearances, and Mum’s temper is easily calmed.” She walked backward, directly in front of me. Her head tilted as if she had discovered my secret. “You are worried about the mating ceremony, aren’t you? My dear, Kia Lynn, you don’t need a man.” She clicked her tongue as she usually did when scolding me. “A man needs you.”

  “Shut it, Zoe Dawn,” I hissed, glancing over my shoulder at Rafael, who was slowly trailing us.

  “Please do not tell me it is him,” she whispered with a throaty groan.

  “No.” I sashayed around her and sprinted the rest of the distance to our village.

  From this view, the homes blended into the vegetation, since they were mostly made from trees and vines. Any structure that peeked out from underneath the tree canopy was not easily noticed, unless someone looked closely. Our ancestors who first settled here needed to survive from the anaman in the sky, when they were still flying above us.

  And now, we preferred to keep our village hidden from any scavengers intent on stealing our food, livestock, or water supply. It was why the Doyen didn’t want us wandering off. If they found our secret entry way to the valley, we could lose everything.

  “Then why are you so tense?” Zoe Dawn was by my side once again.

  I blew out the breath from my puffed cheeks. “It has been a long day, sister. Do me a favor and tell your cousin to keep his trap shut.” I gave her a sideways hug and then pulled away quickly. “I will see you at our supper celebration.”

  Not waiting for a reply, I sprinted away from her and raced toward my humble home I shared with Papa, wiping the beading sweat from my brow as I caught sight of our squat structure. I could already smell the fresh mint from our garden breezing past me.

  Relief washed over me like a warm blanket. We had made it on time, for once. I hoped Rafael would keep his gossip to himself.

  The crooked gate Papa had built when I was young creaked when I pushed it open. A familiar sound. I paused just a step inside the yard, my hand resting on the warped timber, and admired the lavish greens with hints of color peeking out from under their protective umbrellas. A bountiful garden surrounded our home, with Mama’s tiny greenhouse still standing in the corner. This season’s harvest would be plentiful, which was a rarity. There were only three harvests in my life that had grown the way this one had.

  I kissed my fingers, then traced the ansuz rune tattooed near my heart and lifted my fingers toward the Goddess. Her blessings were abundant this season.

  Slinking over the threshold and into the house, I made sure to quietly press the door closed. Papa would be taking his pre-supper nap and I did not want to disturb him. He had not been the same for many years—since Mama’s disappearance. It had nearly killed him and he left me to tend to most our needs. If I did find a mate, he had reluctantly agreed to settle in a new home. There were no other options.

  I closed the long piece of torn fabric that separated my corner of the house from the rest, then hurried to my bedside and reached for my dried stash of herbs and roots underneath it. My hand met empty air. Sinking to my hands and knees, I squinted to see better and saw the container was pushed back against the clay wall. I scowled, thinking back to a few days earlier as I stretched to reach the old metal pail. I was always careful to leave it within reach, but I had been in a hurry that day. It was possible I’d pushed it too hard in my haste.

  I yanked the container out into the open and set it on the small table next to my bed. With the whittled crusher Papa had made me, I mixed the herbs and roots in my warped bowl and mashed them together until it was nearly a powder. Mama had taught me the correct mixture to help with my inner attacks, as she was the only one who had really understood. Grief swelled in my chest from the memory.

  To keep my mind from wandering to her disappearance, I
muttered the ingredients under my breath, just like Mama used to do. “A half-palm full of Camellia, three dashes of Chamomile, two fingertips of Valerian, and one pinky fingertip of Ashwagandha.”

  The perfect concoction to calm Sugar Plum’s fears. Mama’s voice was clear in my head, but her face had faded over the years. She had understood herbs better than anyone else in our village.

  My fingers trembled, pulling me back to reality. I focused on the powder in the bowl and smiled. It looked just like Mama’s finished product. Not taking my eyes off the bowl, I reached back for my tin cup that I always left next to the window, but once again my hand only found empty air. I glanced over my shoulder and searched my room, until I found the cup on the corner shelves. I shook my head from my frazzled memories. I obviously needed my concoction more than ever.

  I poured the powder into the cup and carried it back toward the front of the house to the buckets of water I had brought in this morning. I peered into both buckets and groaned under my breath. There was barely enough for my tea. Papa must have been too weary to fill them again himself.

  The water had warmed in the sun all day and tickled my throat when I sipped it. The herbs and roots immediately soothed my mind, and a relieved sigh slipped from my lips as I leaned against the wall behind me.

  I finished my tea, scooped up the two empty buckets, and snuck from the house. I might as well fill them before I left for the celebration supper.

  Papa and I lived on the edge of our village. He had moved us there after we lost Mama, for the peace and quiet. Rarely did someone intrude on our space, even after all these years. It was lonely at times, but I preferred it over Zoe Dawn’s noisy residence.

  I glanced down the dirt path toward the other homes, noticing the structures through the branches of the trees and grateful I did not have to walk by anyone while I waited for my nerves to relax fully. I gritted my teeth as the buckets dug into my arm, reminding me to hurry.

  The bend in the path came quickly, and I jogged up the slight incline that lead to the well. Zoe Dawn’s mum had told us that at one time, Mother Gaia’s people had water flowing right into their homes. What a bunch of lazy bones. I laughed at the idea of never having to make this trek again as I skipped right up to the edge of the stone well.

  After dropping the two buckets next to the well, I turned the wheel that drew up the bucket of water. I whistled the song Mama used to sing to me, a funny tune that had been passed down from before the stars’ collision with Mother Gaia. She’d told me tales of a mystical and happy land, ruled by a talking mouse and all kinds of strange animals, creatures, and pirates, and she had promised that someday we would make the journey to find out if it still existed. What a foolish dream that had been.

  I lugged the bucket from the well. My fingers stretched to grasp one of my metal pails, but a twig snapped behind me, sending my heartbeat into a frenzy. I froze, then snapped my hand back, dropping the water at my side as I spun around.

  A hand pressed hard against my mouth, and I gasped when I was yanked backward into the canopy of the tree branches. The darkness within the thick of the foliage made it difficult for me to see which direction we were going.

  I threw my elbow back, then my other, hitting both sides of my attacker. Their grip only tightened. My shrieks were muffled by a large hand, and dread wormed through my stomach when I realized this might be my end.

  A surge of energy rushed through my veins. I kicked out, then dug my heels into the dirt, frantically trying to find some footing so I could flip to one side and twist out of their grasp. But they were moving too quickly, and my feet slipped out from underneath me. I opened my mouth to bite them, but they just pressed harder against my mouth. Blood pooled inside my cheeks from my teeth cutting into my lips.

  Angry tears spilled down my face and I threw my elbows back again, one after another, begging to the Goddess that they would loosen their grip. All I needed was a split second. After several attempts to free myself, their arm snaked around my neck, squeezing my throat. Then the vice grip loosened and he cursed quietly, before flinging me to the ground.

  The back of my head bounced against the dirt, and I squeaked out a scream, but his hand once again covered my mouth. He held me down with the weight of his body, and I stared into his gray eyes peering at me through the slits of his satchel mask. His chest rose and fell as he sucked in several deep breaths, then he drew a dagger from behind his back.

  Another of my screams pressed against his hand, and I flailed my arms around, beating against his arms until he used his knees to hold them down. A gush of wind pushed him to the side, so he reached up with his other hand to hold his satchel in place.

  “Listen,” he hissed at me, his accent unfamiliar to these parts of the black mountain lands. He leaned closer to my reddened face and pressed the tip of the knife to my throat. “I’m not here to kill you, but I will cut out your tongue if you do not shut your mouth.”

  I quieted, cringing from the taste of blood in my mouth.

  “That’s better. Bloody hell, witch.” His gaze traveled around the darkened woods, then back to my face. “You are not to speak of our encounter, or the next time you see me it will be with a knife in your father’s back.”

  My thoughts raced back to my frail papa. I knew he would not be able to fight off an intruder, let alone protect our home if this man returned. I nodded. Live to fight another day, was all I could think about as he removed his hand from my mouth.

  He slid off my torso and I sucked in a full breath, then wiped the blood from my mouth as I shuffled back into a seated position.

  “What do you intend to do with me?” I asked. My lips were swelling and it was going to be hard to hide it from anyone at supper tonight.

  A long, black beard peeked out from underneath his mask. He handed a piece of cloth to me, pointing at my face. “Someone wants you protected.”

  My gaze shot up to meet his. “Protected? From whom?”

  “Wipe your face, lass.” He held up his dagger and pointed it at my calf. “It will only hurt for a moment.”

  “What will only hurt?” My hands trembled as I cleaned away the blood and sweat from my lips.

  He growled and hovered over me. “Stop asking questions. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice. Move your trousers over your calves.”

  I did as he instructed, doing my best to ignore the rising dread in my chest and never taking my eyes off his dagger. He waved for me to keep going, until my silver birthmark was revealed. Its shape matched Zoe Dawn’s kenaz rune, and since she was the only member of our village who possessed that particular mark on her chest, we bonded over the resemblance.

  I squinted at it. The lines of my mark seemed to swirl and sparkle. Was that the reason for the pain in my calf when we had been running from the anaman earlier?

  “Good.” He said, interrupting my thoughts.

  I glanced up at him, confused by all that was happening.

  He handed me a copper container. “Now drink some of this and pour a small amount over your left calf.”

  “W-w-what?”

  “Shut it, lass,” he barked at me, his thick accent making it difficult for me to understand him. “Let’s just finish this.”

  The whiskey was warm in my belly, and I choked down three more gulps before pouring some over my calf. He handed me a twig that was slightly wider than my middle finger.

  “Bite down on that.” He kneeled next to my calf and pressed the tip of his dagger against the skin on the side of my leg.

  “But—” My voice quivered. “Something happened earlier.”

  He shot me a dark look.

  “My leg, it burns already. Please don’t.” I whimpered uncontrollably and my chin quivered, despite my attempt to hold it firm.

  “It is supposed to burn. You three connected before we could separate you.” He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible under his breath, then hissed between clenched teeth, “Bite down now.”

  I
drew in a quick breath, suddenly realizing he was actually going to cut me. The bark was warm against my lips as I shoved it against them and bit down.

  He gave me one last look before the blade dug into my flesh, driving a scream up my throat. I bit down harder and swallowed the noise. Holding still was nearly impossible, even with his other hand pressing my leg against the dirt. I squirmed, and he continued to cut a straight line just under my birthmark, followed by another line a few centimeters from the other. When he was finished, he snatched the cloth I had been holding and wiped away the blood.

  “Almost done,” he murmured. “A bunch of drongos, I say. They should have done this with the proper tools.” The lines around his eyes deepened as he focused on my leg again.

  I wanted to ask what he meant, but his dagger dug into my flesh once more. I squeaked back another scream as tears poured down my cheeks. The whiskey was not dulling the pain at all.

  He drew the dagger across from one line to the next, slanting it slightly. Then he stopped and wiped it clean, followed with the remaining whiskey poured over it. I flinched but remained still as he settled on the ground beside me.

  He pulled out a silver cylindrical object from his pack and held it just above the wound. “Break the bond and protect her well. Break the bond and protect her well. Break the bond and protect her well. And so it is.”

  The area around the markings lit up like the sun, and a warmth spread in every direction, soothing away most of the pain. I stared in wonder, bewildered by what was happening to me. My birthmark looked like a tiny river, while the wound below it sealed right before my eyes.

  The man shifted away from me, blowing out a long breath that sounded like exasperation. He reached into his pack and pulled out a stark white cloth that had to have been cleaned somewhere besides one of the villages.

  I stared at it. It was impossible to keep anything that white. My fingers trembled as they wrapped around it.