The Forgotten (The Lost Children Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Sivec

  The other voice was indistinguishable and she had never heard anything like it. It reminded her of gurgling as she tried to focus on the voices,

  Sonya continued to move quietly but swiftly until she realized the voices were right in front of her. The voices suddenly stopped, and there was complete silence as Sonya dared not move for fear she would be discovered. She could feel the danger like a cold, icy cloak covering her, sending prickly fingers up her spine. She was sure that the Creature that had captured Paola could hear the pounding of her heart as it echoed loudly in her own ears.

  "Let go of me!" Paola's voice was suddenly clear and angry as it came ripping through the darkness.

  Sonya felt around inside her boot for the dagger she kept hidden, and was relieved to find it was still there. She held onto it, her hands shaking as she kept willing herself not to drop it. Her other weapons were missing and she wondered if Paola had hers, though she couldn't imagine she did. Paola would have broken free by now if she could.

  Sonya took a deep breath and then ran full force into the blackness toward Paola's voice.

  "Paola!" She cried out as she felt herself run into something incredibly large and solid.

  "Sonya!" Paola reached around blindly in the dark with her shackled hands, trying to ignore whatever it was that was tightening around her neck.

  Sonya heard a low, ferocious growl and felt herself being thrown backward. She landed painfully on her back, struggling to breathe.

  "Sonya!" Paola's voice sounded weak and strained, and Sonya felt a sudden burst of anger as she pictured someone choking her sister. She jumped up, ignoring the pain that shot down her back and ran furiously toward Paola's voice without thinking.

  She felt herself collide with a Human body and she instinctively grabbed it as they crashed to the ground. Sonya realized with relief she had Paola in her arms, her sister’s woody, warm scent filling her nose for a brief moment. Sonya realized that she had dropped the dagger and as she reached down to search for it, she felt something grab her and roughly wrench her from Paola’s grasp. Sonya reached out desperately for any sign of Paola but felt nothing but air. Then, Sonya felt something large and heavy suddenly on top of her, choking her neck as she blindly reached around on the ground, searching desperately for the dagger.

  She felt the sharp tip of the dagger and she desperately strained toward it. She flipped it around, careful not to alert the captor to what she was doing. As she got a good handle on it, in one quick solid motion like Paola had taught her, she plunged the dagger into the captor’s body over and over with as much force as she could.

  As quickly as it began, the choking stopped, and Sonya realized the Paola’s captor was no longer moving. She felt a warm sticky liquid flowing non-stop down onto her face and neck. She gagged and held her breath, the acrid smell permeating her nose as she struggled to stand up under the weight of the large lifeless body that felt as though it were crushing her. She was stunned when she felt that the skin of the captor was dry and leathery and she realized it wasn’t Human. She tried to picture what it looked like. If the smell of its blood is any indication, I might not want to know. She pulled her dagger out of what she imagined was the Creature’s belly, trying to find her voice as she did so.

  “Paola! Paola! Where are you?”

  Paola’s voice was welcoming as she heard her sister breathing heavily. “I’m here, Sonya!”

  The sisters found each other in the dark and held tightly to one another. Sonya could tell Paola was crying, something she had never seen her do. Sonya held on tight, comforting Paola, realizing for the first time that she was the strong one. After killing the Creature that had attacked the Warrior and then fearlessly attacking the Creature that was hurting her sister, Sonya realized that she was now the protector and she was proud of herself for not being too afraid.

  “Get me out of these shackles,” Paola said, sniffing loudly. “The Thing had keys. Check its belt.”

  Sonya reached cautiously around on its belt and found the keys, quickly unlocking Sonya’s shackles as best as she could in the dark.

  “Is there any light around here?” Sonya grunted, trying to figure out the best way to get out.

  “When we were walking, I saw light down that way,” Paola grabbed Sonya’s hand and pointed. “But then it disappeared.”

  “Then we’ll go that way,” Sonya said holding Paola’s hand and walking.

  They walked in silence in the dark, holding tightly to one another, careful not to let go. As they walked in the direction Paola had pointed to, they heard a faint voice repeating itself. As they got closer, they realized the voice sounded familiar and they quickened their pace, their hearts racing.

  “Fear is not who you are, fear is not who you are, fear is not who you are.”

  “Emilie!” the sisters said at once as they followed the voice, anxious to find their new friend in the darkness.

  36

  OLD FRIENDS

  Kyla paced the floors of the Governor’s House, the clicking of her heels echoing in the halls.

  Where have they taken Will? Where is he? It was a mistake to leave him alone for too long! I should have known! She nervously looked out of the windows to the front of the Governor’s House, willing him to appear before her.

  “Are you okay, Governess?” Milo appeared behind her, startling her.

  “Where is Will?” she asked, her voice carrying a sharp edge to it and she looked at him, her blue eyes narrowed.

  “I’m not sure,” Milo said, innocently.

  Of course he knows! He knows everything that happens in this house! Kyla fought the urge to respond sharply. She knew he didn’t like her, and she didn’t want to give him any reason to use anything against her.

  “I am just worried, that’s all,” she said, softening her tone tremendously. “He still seems so fragile after the attack, and I want to make sure he is safe.”

  As she spoke, the front doors flew open and Will appeared with Aldo right behind him. Kyla ran toward him, relieved.

  “Oh, darling!” she cried out, holding him tightly. She was dismayed to find he didn’t return her grip. “Where have you been?”

  “We’ve been exploring Tamaryn,” Will said, his voice somber. “Things are not good out there.”

  Kyla took a step back, releasing him, her eyes darkening dangerously as she looked at Aldo who stood silently behind him. “How so?”

  “There is ice and snow everywhere! It’s cold and the People are … strange. They are not like how I imagined they would be.” Will was still astounded by the difference in the seasons between Tamaryn and the Governor’s House.

  “It is as though the Governor’s House is protected by something unseen,” Will had said to Aldo on the carriage ride back, though Aldo didn’t respond. He remained silent, as he had been for the majority of the ride back.

  “The houses are filthy, and the People unkempt. It’s almost as though they do not care about themselves at all. But they do have food, which is good, as well as wood for their fireplaces.” Will was feeling tired, and he realized he was more exhausted than he had been for the entire day since arriving back at the Governor’s House.

  “Was it every house?” Kyla was curious. She hadn’t anticipated such a change in the People or Tamaryn, and now it seemed as though everything was completely out of her control.

  “It was in the few we visited. One in particular.” Will thought about the dirt in the house, and the strangeness of the redhead, Lucy. But the thing that weighed on him the most was the tiny, useless furniture that cluttered the home; the furniture that was too small for the full-grown adults that lived in them.

  “Perhaps you should just rest, Governor.” Kyla said gently but firmly. “You are still not well.”

  “Yes, you’re right my darling,” Will said. He suddenly felt as though he could fall over as he stumbled a bit. Aldo reached out quickly and caught his arm, steadying him. He held on tightly as Will started walking, dragging his feet.
/>   How strange that he is suddenly so worn just as he gets back to the house and as he gets closer to her. Aldo was fascinated with Will’s sudden transformation. He watched Kyla closely out of the corner of his eye and knew that to most People it would appear that she was simply an attentive wife. But Aldo saw something different, something darker and more self-serving, though he couldn’t quite define it. The needless way Kyla clung to Will was keeping Aldo up at night, though he continued to try and hide his suspicion.

  As Will walked blindly toward his room, Kyla stayed close behind him, her hand on his back.

  Aldo continued to walk with him until he had helped Will to slump onto his bed, barely able to make the last step, even with help.

  Kyla looked at Aldo sharply, dismissing him with her bright blue eyes.

  “Governess,” Aldo bowed and exited the room.

  He walked swiftly to Milo’s quarters on the other side of the Governor’s House where he found his old friend sitting deep in thought. Milo was stroking his long white beard and staring out the window, barely noticing as Aldo entered the room.

  “You’re losing your sharpness, my old friend,” Aldo said, halfheartedly joking.

  “I heard you enter. I know your step surely as I know my own.” Milo didn’t even smile, his face somber and dark. “How did it go with our old friend, Will?”

  “He was affected, but different.” Aldo said, slowly.

  “Different how?” Milo asked his curiosity piqued.

  “He was upset by the changes in Tamaryn. But he was passive, very unlike himself. He was content to leave the houses in the state they’re in. He was bothered, but he wasn’t angry and passionate like I would’ve expected him to be. Like he once was.” Aldo talked slowly, choosing his words carefully. Milo listened intently as not to raise suspicion in his old friend. Milo had already convinced the Council to agree to eliminate Will with his subtle suggestions and innuendos about Will’s poor judgment. Milo had successfully planted seeds of discord in the hearts of the Council by reminding them repeatedly that every Governor in Tamaryn’s history had been led by the Council, while Will had refused. Instead, Will had made it clear to the Council that he would lead them as he felt he was meant to do, which caused resentment to grow in the men and women who had been born and raised to guide him.

  But, since the Darkness had settled over Tamaryn it was different, and they weren’t as anxious to do away with him as they had once been. They needed him, only now he was almost like a stranger, controlled by the Governess and far weaker.

  “Then we will let it be, for now.” Aldo said, blowing out a long breath. “We won’t pursue this deceitful plan any longer.”

  Milo looked at his old friend and suddenly realized how much he had aged in the past few days. Aldo was the one member who held fast to his loyalty for their old friend, and Milo realized how much he admired him. If only I could’ve been more like him, content in my ordinary life.

  “I’ll be going now. It’s getting late and Rebecca will begin to wonder where I am,” Aldo closed the dark, heavy door behind him carefully, as he did everything.

  Milo sat in his quarters after Aldo left and stared at the rich wood walls surrounding him, deep in thought. It was during the most trying of times that Milo pondered his friendships with Will and Aldo. They had been friends since they were boys, all growing in stature and position mirroring their fathers before them.

  Milo had been loyal to Will even from a young age, daring not to defy the future Governor, yet honest to his word and to himself. This included when the Governor fell in love with the young Warrior who had captured Will’s heart, and secretly Milo's as well. Both admired her spirit and fight, but Aldo and Milo were unsure if she was tame enough to fulfill the obligatory duties of a Governess, even though they had been betrothed to one another in an age-old agreement. Emilie was beautiful and disciplined, calculated and smart, but both of Will’s friends questioned whether she would also have to possess the proper softness of a Governess in order to win over the People. They had given Will their blessing to marry her, though her compassion had yet to be seen. But Emilie had surprised them all with her eagerness to serve and her love for Tamaryn and its inhabitants. Her passionate love and affection for the People of Tamaryn grew even stronger over time and theirs for her, as did her love for Will.

  The day Emilie came to Milo to denounce any further involvement with the Governor’s Guard there was a softness and joy in her beautiful gray eyes that Milo had never seen in her. A Warrior to the People, by birthright, she knew that with the impending birth of Jakob her heart would require complete devotion to her son, the future Governor of Tamaryn. She had looked at Milo, her steely gray eyes boring into his, "Make no mistake Milo, my heart remains that of a protector, but now my duty is to protect and watch over the future Governor of Tamaryn and I welcome it with open arms."

  Milo had smiled and responded respectfully and simply, "I am at your command." He had taken her hand and bowed very slightly, delighted with even her slightest touch.

  Milo absently rubbed his hands together remembering the softness of hers, remembering how the soft smell of lilac and vanilla remained in his quarters even long after she left. He thought about the birth of Jakob and Kell, and how both boys admired and loved him intensely, and how he in turn loved them. He and Aldo were painted into the mural of their lives, until the Darkness overcame Tamaryn and suddenly, the Youngers were no more.

  Milo wept silently as he thought about how he would be the only one to ever think about those two precious boys ever again. Milo had sent the Seekers far and wide through Tamaryn and even throughout the Outerlands, but there was no sign of them, or any Youngers for that matter. Milo knew better than to trust the Ubilez fully, yet he was very pleased with them. The Ubilez had done what he had convinced them to do. They had wiped them all away, ensuring that with Will’s death, Milo would be chosen as Governor. Without heirs, the second in command of Tamaryn was Milo, and despite his connection with Will's sons, he knew it was the only path to take in order to get what he deserved.

  When he was Governor, he would allow the Ubilez to resurface as they longed to, with the condition that they would not prey upon the People of Tamaryn. In order to ensure the deal between Milo and the Ubilez would come to fruition they agreed to seal it with a sacrifice on both sides.

  Milo thought of Will and dried his tears, fighting the anger that welled up inside of him. He had been fighting his jealousy and resentment toward Will all his life, but finally he was done fighting. He thought about how he had saved Will's life during several battles, defending Tamaryn from the Outerlands, the battles brutal and deadly. Milo touched the long thick scar that ran down his cheek and under his long beard, the one he had earned saving Will during their last battle together. He had nearly lost his eye and then his life when the infection had set in, but now all he was left with was just the ugly reminder of how he could’ve had everything if he had chosen differently and let Will die.

  It had been the one time Emilie had touched Milo with her lips, kissing his uninjured cheek, grateful that he saved her love. Milo touched the scar often, remembering the softness of her kiss, wishing for the thousandth time he hadn’t stepped in front of the blade meant for Will.

  Kyla's foolish pact with the Ubilez was an unexpected, but welcome, wrinkle in his plan. Until Kyla, Milo was unsure of who the sacrifice to the Ubilez would be, but now it was so clear. Milo smiled at her naivety, happy he could use it to his advantage. He would reveal her true nature and then blame her for Will's death when the time came. He knew the People would never believe a Yashwa who abandoned her own kind. It was unheard of, and Milo couldn't believe the excellent timing.

  Everything Milo wanted was within his grasp. Everything but the most important thing, which had his entire plan on hold.

  Nothing could be complete until he found Emilie.

  The only one he ever truly loved.

  37

  THE PROTECTORS

 
; Brooke stood in front of the smallest children and growled.

  Jakob had marveled at how quickly they had become accustomed to a talking dog, so much that they had even forgotten she was there. But as she growled, the white hair standing up on her back, Jakob and Ava stood at attention, weapons ready.

  As they waited, Ava tried to ignore her frustration. How will we go from defending three helpless children to seven helpless? She looked at Jakob, willing him to read her thoughts.

  "Shhhhh ..." Jakob whispered, giving her a stern look that surprised her.

  "I come in peace," a voice purred from above them. They looked up but didn't see anything. “That is, if the dog will stand down.”

  “I’m not just a ‘dog’,” Brooke’s usually calm demeanor changed as she sniffed the air. A low, deep grumble came from deep within her belly as the children stepped back, afraid. “Show yourself!”

  Seemingly from nowhere, two large black cats the size of small horses slithered from the trees in front of them.

  “We are not ‘just cats’, either,” one of them said, her voice gravelly, giving a slight purr as she finished her sentence. “We are what you are … Patronus, sent to protect the children.”

  Brooke stood at attention, stiffening her stance.

  “More talking animals!” Kell said, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. He stepped forward from behind Brooke and stood nose to nose with the cat that had spoken. The cat’s whiskers tickled his cheek and Kell giggled.

  “We are here to take care of the small ones with you.” The other cat said, taking a bold step toward Brooke, his voice deep and majestic.

  Jakob noticed the male cat had white on his chest, while the female was as black as midnight.

  “What are your names?” Anabel asked, stepping up next to Kell, her curiosity getting the better of her.