Destroyed

by Madeline Dyer

  Zara shakes her head. “It has claimed no more from the Stone Seers since Juanita, but other Seers out there, it is likely.” She bows her head. “The void claims Seers one at a time—if it can find them and if the Seers’ powers are weak enough for the void to easily overcome them. There are only specific points in this world where the Dark Void can now make contact though. Alfredo says our residence is not near one of those points, so if we stay here, we believe we are safe.”

  “But Marta’s Lore says the Dark Void may watch certain people for years,” the elderly woman adds. “It lays tendrils around them, to draw them to its entry points—points that are now in this world. And now it’s likely to be able to draw all its victims there, for we will outlast our powers and our protection against it.”

  “And it was trying to draw Elf there?” I shake my head. “That man—Alfredo—could see its tendrils? But I couldn’t.”

  “It is his Seer gift. A rare one, but even more valuable in times such as these.”

  I chew over her words slowly. “What does it look like, this Dark Void? The actual place, not the tendrils.”

  “We cannot know for sure, for those who make it there never return, but it is believed to be a place of black mist and cold winds. Cobwebs as big as entire countries hang in the air, and the sea is made of dark green slime that burns and burns. The shrieks of the dead fill the air, and they alone are enough to drive people mad. They say those who end up there kill themselves, and the Dark Void decorates the branches of its trees with their severed heads.”

  Toivo is screaming, and Esther’s flushed and frustrated when I find her. She’s in the hut nearest to what looks like a huge stone sculpture.

  “Oh, thank the Gods,” she says, looking up. “It’s you.” She takes a deep breath, then holds the baby at arm’s length.

  “What is it?”

  “He won’t feed. Jana had a go at me earlier because he’s making so much noise, and if he’s still crying when she gets back here, she’s going to get even more angry. Gods, I never liked her. And this—he’s hungry, but he won’t feed. I can’t do it.”

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “It will be okay.”

  “Will it?” She turns on me, and her eyes flash.

  I flinch. “Yes. We’re here—”

  “You?” she exclaims. “What can you do? Seven, you have no idea what this is like. All of this.” She shakes her head, and then Toivo’s screaming louder and louder.

  I shrink back.

  “You can do this, Esther,” says another voice, and I turn to find a young woman in here too. She has golden hair and golden skin and smiles like the sun itself.

  Esther looks doubtful, and her bottom lip wobbles.

  “It takes time to get used to being a mother,” she says.

  Esther whimpers and then the two of them are talking about breastfeeding and crying babies.

  “Do you know where Corin is?” I ask them.

  Esther shakes her head, eyes weary. “Maybe outside. I don’t know. This place is big.”

  I wait for a few minutes, wonder if I should stay with her. But she doesn’t talk to me anymore, and her conversation with the other woman seems private. I feel like an intruder, so I head out.

  The air is cool outside, crisp, the kind that wraps cleanly around you. I see the elderly woman whose daughter was taken by the Dark Void walking to the river. She’s carrying several containers and although they’re empty now, I’m sure she can’t possibly carry all of them back herself.

  I cross over to her, ask if she wants any help, and she smiles at me, hands me two of them, wordlessly. The light is seeping away, and, by the time we reach the river, it’s nearly dark.

  I look at the woman, and I want to say something, about her daughter, but I don’t know what I can say. There’s a numbness on the edge of my tongue. Because it’s my fault. More and more people are dying because of me.

  It’s what you are. A Seer of Death.

  I don’t know why a Sarr tells me that. It’s not helpful.

  We fill the containers up, and the moonlight makes the river sparkle, reminds me of that moonlit land I saw before. The Dark Void? But no, the place I saw was a calm place. There was no torture or danger or darkness there.

  The woman and I walk back to the Stone Seers’ huts. There are still many people out, and some older children are playing a game with different colored sticks.

  “In here,” the woman says, nodding at a small shack with two rafts outside.

  I follow her inside, careful not to bump the water containers against the doorway. It doesn’t look very stable or strong. Inside, there are dolls everywhere. A child’s dolls.

  My breath catches in my throat.

  “She was my only child,” the woman says. “Not mine by blood, but by spirit. We chose each other, and Juanita was like the stars. Put the water there.”

  I set the containers down, one on top of the other, at the side, next to a bed. A small bed.

  Tears come to my eyes, and I try to brush them away, or swallow them back, but I can’t.

  “She was six,” her mother says. “A great climber. She loved watching the adults in the ice-climbing events we have around the gorge in wintertime. I’d told her she could start training when she was ten.” Her gaze darkens. “She was so full of life.”

  I nod, because I don’t know what else to do.

  The woman looks up, meets my eyes. “She’d only been recently gifted with Seer visions. She had not yet met her God or Goddess, and her other Seer powers had not come through, though we could feel them. We knew she would be powerful. We gave her a pendant as soon as she was gifted, but she took it off. I do not know why. I did not realize until it was too late, when we were in the Dream Land, in that terrible battle. The Dark Void took her so quickly, so easily as the Dream Land was destroyed. There was no way she could fight with no active powers.”

  A lump forms in my throat. I clench my hands into fists, feel my pulse in them. I think of the Seeing dream I had when Rahn had taken my pendant off without me knowing. How there was so much greenness that dragged me under.

  But I escaped. I woke up in the real world. Not the Dark Void.

  “I’m so sorry,” I whisper, and my voice cracks. Juanita—that could’ve so easily been me, months earlier. I didn’t have my powers then. I had no way to fight it. If the others hadn’t put my pendant back on me… Oh Gods.

  The woman moves in front of me, takes both of my hands in hers. Her skin feels leathery as she unfolds my fingers. “I know who you are, Seven. Please, make sure we win. Make sure those who end up in the Dark Void do not end up there in vain.”

  It is dark when I leave the woman’s shack, and I walk back to the hut where Esther was. My skin crawls and I feel wrong, bad. Fires blaze in small hearths at the entrances of many huts, and they cast glowing, orange light everywhere. The air has a bite to it.

  I head into the hut, but Esther’s no longer here, so I turn around, search for her. I stop by a few people, asking if they’ve seen her, or Corin.

  They just look at me blankly, and I start to wonder just how big the Stone Seers’ group is if so many people don’t seem to know about my friends.

  Back outside, it feels even darker, and my gut twists with worry. When was the last time I saw Corin?

  I freeze. That nightmare. Raleigh. What was it he said? That I hadn’t kept Corin close enough?

  Raleigh’s done something to him?

  My heart pounds with a knowing despair as I run back to the huts, to the Stone Seers. I see the young woman who was with Esther, and she now holds Toivo, cuddles him near one of the flaming hearths, tells me Esther’s getting some rest. I tell her I can’t find Corin, say I think the Enhanced might be involved, and she says she’ll gather up some people to search. She doesn’t move there and then though. Just carries on murmuring to Toivo.

  I wait a moment, but still nothing. So I head off to find Jana. She’ll listen, and I’ll tell her about my nightmare with Raleigh. B
ecause what if it wasn’t a nightmare? My dreams have been important since becoming a Seer. Why would that stop now?

  Because the Dream Land’s gone.

  Because there are no Gods and Goddesses to give you warnings.

  But there are spirits.

  There are now more people in the hut where I last saw Jana, and I see Elf first. He’s back.

  I rush toward him, ignore whatever it is that Zara shouts at me.

  I touch his arm, and he turns slowly to me; the movement is smooth, like he’s being rotated on a stick. Like the bison. His eyes look almost hollow. I take a step back.

  “Are you okay?”

  He stares at me.

  “What?” I look around, unease spreading through me. Has something happened to Corin? Does Elf know about it? Or has something happened to Elf himself—his powers were purified, weren’t they?

  Jana’s at the other side of the hut, talking animatedly with two women with long, blond hair. Another sits, sharpening a spear with a knife, but her gaze is on me and not her work.

  I look away. Zara’s by the door. Her gaze is sharp, heavy, on me and Elf. Corin and Esther and Taras—they’re not here.

  “I heard them,” Elf whispers, his voice hollow. His eyes flash.

  “What?” I lean in closer.

  He turns—that strange, smooth motion again—and looks at Jana and the woman she’s talking to. “After they purified me, I heard them. They’ve taken them—that’s what they do, they said. But they’ve changed it. They’re taking all the children now, all ages, they’re not waiting to see if they get gifted. No point. That’s what they said. Because only Seers are allowed here. They’re all Seers. All the adults are Seers.”

  “What? They have a separate hut for the others?” I turn, twisting on the balls of my feet, holding onto the edge of Elf’s chair for stability. I need to find the others, I need to find Corin.

  “No.” Elf twists his head around for a second, looking. Then he leans in so close his lips brush against my ear. “Oona said non-Seers are evil, they’re not meant to survive. She said we’re the superior Untamed, that the non-Seers don’t understand us. Oona told them not to worry about our people—she said they’ll be sorted soon.”

  My eyes widen, and I pull back, sure I must’ve misheard him. “Sorted?”

  My chest tightens, and I think of that dream again—Corin melting—the nightmare. Raleigh saying Corin was his. That I didn’t do anything to save him. These Seers give the rest of the Untamed to the Enhanced?

  Has Raleigh got Corin?

  No.

  I frown. It doesn’t make sense. No Untamed would give their people to the Enhanced. Even if they’re not Seers. Not when anyone can become a Seer at any time….

  Except now they can’t.

  Now, there’ll be no more Seers created.

  Elf claws at his face. “They won’t tell me anything about where they are. Esther or the baby.” He gulps.

  “What about Taras?” I look around again. “He’s not here.”

  Elf shrugs, and I start to feel sick. Something bad is going to happen.

  Or has happened.

  When was the last time I saw Corin? When I saw the back of his head, was that really him? Or was I mistaken? I can’t think.

  But Esther—I saw her earlier. Only now that other woman’s got Toivo. So where is she now?

  “We need to find them,” I say. “Now.”

  Elf shakes his head. “They won’t let me out of here alone. They know I heard them. I’ve tried and… Look, they’ve seen us talking. They’ll know I’ve told you.”

  I look to the side. Zara is watching me. It suddenly feels too hot in here.

  “What happened when we were caught?” Elf asks. “I don’t remember.”

  I swallow slowly. “Neither do I.” I didn’t ask Zara when I had the chance. Or anyone else. And I don’t know why I haven’t thought about it—even when I wondered how far this village is from that cave. How far did they move us? I was unconscious. What about the others?

  I frown. There was an attack. I remember that. The Enhanced? Or….

  I look at Jana. She’s laughing, smiling.

  Elf moans, shakes his head, then scratches his arms again.

  “Stop.” I grab his hands, and he fights me for a moment—then stops. His arms go slack, and he looks at me. Our eyes are so close.

  “You look like Five.” Those words again. His gaze seems to unpeel layers from me, as if he’s seeing right into me. That depth, that haunting look to his eyes, it makes me shudder. “I didn’t save her.”

  A lump forms in my throat. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t save her either. I look away from him. “We need to find the others,” I say. “Just stay…strong.”

  Then Elf’s gaze fixes onto something behind me.

  I turn, see Jana and Zara stepping toward us. The other men and women are behind them, apart from the one sharpening the spear. She’s stayed where she was.

  “I’m sure Elf has told you everything,” Zara says.

  I stand up, face her straight on. “Where are Corin and Esther?”

  “That is not your concern.”

  “It is.” I speak through gritted teeth.

  “No. You’ve found us. You, the Seventh One. The greatest Seer of all time. This just proves we’re the superior Untamed, the ones who are meant to survive. You’ve come to us, confirmed our work is good.” Zara glances at Elf. “You two must both formally become Stone Seers, and then we can begin our most important work.”

  “No,” I say. “Where’s the rest of my group?”

  One of the other women steps back, then laughs. “My dear, embrace the Seer life. We don’t need them. We are the ones chosen by the Gods and Goddesses.”

  Chosen.

  The Chosen Ones.

  Elf stands up slowly.

  “You do not need to worry about the ordinaries. We are the ones to focus on. All they know is their violent methods. We keep each other safe here.”

  They’re closing in around us. The exit is blocked.

  “Where’s Taras?” I ask, turning my head slightly. “He’s a Seer too.”

  Zara laughs. “He tried to save your ordinary friends. We can’t have a traitor.”

  He tried to save them? My heart speeds up. Tried to? What does that mean? He’s dead?

  Corin and Esther too?

  No… They can’t be. They just can’t.

  “You’ll understand it soon,” Jana says, smiling.

  I stare at her, feel every part of my body tighten as hatred burns through me. I march over to her. “You believe non-Seers are bad? All this time, you’ve been with us? You know they’re not bad—they wouldn’t hurt us.”

  Jana’s gaze is bold, and the piercing blue of her eyes almost makes it painful. “In the right company, anyone will do anything.”

  “But you know Corin and Esther.”

  “Do I?” She snorts. “I thought I knew my father, but he killed my cousin when she tried to come back after being outlawed.”

  He killed her?

  “All this time you’ve been pretending?” Elf stares at her.

  “I have seen firsthand the way my people treated Seers. My own father did unspeakable things. I had to keep my life a secret because of them. I lived a lie, never able to use my powers properly, until I found you in the Dream Land.”

  “And didn’t that feel great? Seers all fighting together?” Zara smiles, holding her hands out for me. “That’s what the Stone Clan wants: Seers fighting together. Only Seers. A place where we aren’t hunted down by both the enemy and our own people.”

  I ignore Zara, stare at Jana. She led us here. She knew what was waiting. She said these people were better than the rest of her family, the group she was with. But they’re just as bad. They still advocate the deaths of innocent Untamed.

  “We have to stick together,” I say. “All the Untamed have to unite. You can’t treat people like this.”

  “No.” Jana’s eyes fl
ash. “Untamed Seers have to unite. We’re the ones given the powers. We’re the sensible ones. We’re the ones with feelings. The only Untamed you’re bringing together are Seers. Don’t you understand? It’s the Untamed Seers who have to unite.”

  “No.” My head pounds. She’s wrong. She has to be wrong. “It’s all the Untamed.”

  “You saw what ordinaries are capable of,” Zara says, her voice strangely calm. “You saw the violence—three of our women, dead. They’re wiping us out, reducing our chances of surviving the Enhanced. They murder us.”

  “But Corin doesn’t! Esther doesn’t!” I catch hold of her arm, feel my powers pushing forward, and I know she feels them—the energy. “Where are they?” My voice is a low growl.

  I could kick myself. I should’ve paid attention to that dream. If something tells me Corin’s in danger—possibly danger from Raleigh—I need to take it seriously, need to act. Are these Stone Seers working with the Enhanced? How does Raleigh fit into this?

  Zara’s gaze darkens. “Are you threatening us?” Power floods her eyes, and they flash a deeper blue. “Because you’re not the only Seer here. Far from it. You may be powerful, but we outnumber you.”

  The other Stone Seers move in closer.

  Zara laughs. “You will do what we want. We will make sure of it. And you’re going to ensure only Untamed Seers survive this war.”

  I stare at the Stone Seers. Stare at Zara. Stare at Jana. Jana, who I felt safe with.

  “I am going to save all the Untamed,” I say through gritted teeth.

  Zara licks her red-painted lips. “We’re the ones who are better. We shouldn’t have our genes diluted with mere ordinaries. No, it’s us—we deserve to survive. It’s survival of the fittest. Isn’t that right, Oona?”

  The oldest of the women, the one whose skin hangs off in great sheaves, nods. “Absolutely.”

  They close in on me, and then even more enter the hut. More Seers. Men and women. All with long hair that flows, but reminds me of ropes. Two I recognize from the Dream Land fight against the Enhanced.

  Instinctively, my powers flare up.

  I look at Elf. We’ve got to get out of here.