The music flowed through me as I swayed and my heartbeat echoed the sound. I danced with my eyes closed, as sweat covered my body, letting the music be my guide. When the tempo changed so did my rhythm but still I danced, uncaring about the world around me. I still heard the muffled voices in my head but if I concentrated on the music, they became a hum instead of an assault. Therefore, I danced so I could forget if only for one night. Until one voice pushed through my barrier, Help me! It screamed, and then I panicked!
“Where are you?” I yelled and everyone around me looked as if I’d lost my mind. Amber, help me! I pushed my way through the crowd looking for Becky but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Searching frantically, I searched everywhere praying she’d give me more to go on. Trying to concentrate on her, Outside, side door exit! Nooo! I heard as I ran for the exit. Slamming into the door, it opened but there was nothing there. “Becky?!” I screamed but the alley lay empty. I felt my heartbeat in my ears and my labored breathing didn’t let up. Standing in the still opened door, I turned and spotted another EXIT sign across the room at the top of the wall. Racing toward it, I pushed and shoved people out of the way, ignoring the rude comments. I had to get to Becky!
I pushed the door open as fast as I could and scanned the alley. Spotting something on the dark pavement, I walked over and when I saw what it was, I dropped to my knees and sobbed into my hands. There were no voices in my head, no screams for help anymore and no Becky. Her shoe lay near a puddle of blood, but she was gone. Terrified, I scanned the alley again but there was no sign of anything else.
I sat against the wall as the police combed the area while I answered question after question. Their thoughts were beating at my skull and I needed to leave. Oh yeah this one’s dead, Poor girl, and I hope she’s dead, who knows what will happen if she’s not. The last one made me drop my head to my bent knees and sob.
“Excuse me miss?” I looked and found a kind, older face staring down at me.
“Yes?” I didn’t bother to wipe my tear stained face.
“I’m Detective Woodard. I need to ask you some questions.” He kneeled down in front of me so he could look into my tear glistened eyes. I just nodded for him to go ahead. “Where are you from?” He asked gently, treating me with kid gloves.
“Sanstone.” He wrote it down in his little note pad.
“And you and your friend…” He looked at his notes, “Becky, you came together?”
“Yes. She brought me here as a surprise for my eighteenth birthday.” He raised his eyebrows as he again made notes before looking back up at me.
“They let you inside?” When he asked, I realized we were supposed to be twenty-one, but I didn’t care anymore.”
“Yes.” He shook his head as he made another note, probably noting we were underage and shouldn’t have been allowed in.
“Can you tell me what happened here tonight?” I looked into his soft grandfatherly face and stared into his grey blue eyes. I needed someone and he could be my grandfather because I didn’t know my family.
“Becky brought me here as a surprise. We were both dancing and when I noticed she was gone, I went looking for her and found this.” I gestured to the blood on the pavement.
“Why did you come out here looking for her?”
“I don’t know, just a gut feeling.” He looked at me a little suspiciously and I heard, She’s not telling me something.
He put down his note pad and looked me in the eyes. “Listen Amber, we’ve had a lot of young women go missing this past week, a lot more than we’re used to seeing. Anything you can tell me, anything at all, will help.”
I felt horrible that I couldn’t help. But I didn’t know anything, only that she screamed for help. “Believe me, if I knew anything that would help you find Becky, I’d tell you.”
He still looked at me a little suspiciously, but let it go. “Are you staying in the city?” He’s crazy if he thinks I’ll ever leave here with Becky missing. If I have to drive around every street, just to listen for her voice, I will.
“Yes, I’m not leaving. I’m going to look for an apartment tomorrow.”
His eyes softened and I could hear how worried he was about me. I reminded him of his daughter. She moved away after college. “My wife and I have a small apartment over our garage that you’re welcome to stay in.” She’s too young to be in this town all alone. Who knows what might happen.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it needs a little work but you can stay there if you want to.” I couldn’t stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck and cried. He awkwardly patted my back. “Let me finish up and I’ll show you where it is, unless you’d rather wait until tomorrow.”
“No, tonight’s fine. I don’t want to stay in the hotel room. Thank you detective.”
“You’re welcome and my name is Brian.” I gave him a little smile as my heart hurt painfully in my chest. Becky’s the only fiend I’ve ever had and now she’s gone. I couldn’t help but think that it was somehow my fault.
My head swung toward the sounds of fighting at the end of the alley. I watched as a warrior with black hair and a short sword fought two other red-eyed demon creatures. Instead of fear, anger rose inside me, making me jump to my feet. Did they do something to Becky? Indecision ate at me. I felt torn between heeding my mother’s words and demanding answers. Before I got the chance to decide, they disappeared but not before I noticed something fall to the ground. I cautiously headed that direction, scanning the area as I did, not wanting something to jump out at me. I may be young in age but I wasn’t stupid, at least I hoped not.
I looked down at the white stone that lay at my feet. It looked ordinary but definitely out of place. When I grasped it, my hand tingled and warmed with its touch, slowly spreading up my arm. I panicked and dropped it, watching it bounce once before rolling to a stop. As I stood there staring at it, I knew I couldn’t leave the stone on the ground. As odd as it felt and as much as it scared me, it also felt right, as if it belonged to me. Strange.
I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. As I looked back, I saw Detective Woodard, Brian, standing there. “What did you find?” he asked, studying the area.
“Nothing. I just spotted a rock and as stupid as it sounds, I collect them.” I reached down and snatched the stone then slipped it into my pocket just as I heard, I don’t believe that for a minute. She knows more than she’s telling me. I hastily turned and quickly walked back to my original spot and slid down the wall to a sitting position.
Not long after, Brian walked over to me. “Are you ready to go?”
I looked the area over slowly and then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I guess so.” I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay here in case whoever took Becky came back. I knew it was stupid, they wouldn’t be back, but my heart didn’t want to listen. Reluctantly, I stood and headed toward the street with the Detective, Brian, walking beside me. I knew his offer was legit, I reminded him of his daughter when she was my age and he worried about my safety. He also thought having me as a tenant would please his wife.
“My car, I mean Becky’s car is over there.” Patting my pockets, I mumbled, “Shit. I don’t have the keys.” I looked at him as my lower lip quivered. “All of my stuff is in the car.” This girl is breaking my heart.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure someone here has a Slim Jim. Once we get the door open, you can grab your stuff and we’ll call a tow truck.” He grabbed his hand-held radio and before I knew what he was doing another officer showed up beside him carrying a long thin metal object. Ah, this must be a Slim Jim.
After he easily unlocked the door, I grabbed my things from the car. Brian had the other officer stay with it until the tow truck arrived and then led me to his unmarked police car. “Are you sure it’s okay if I ride with you?”
He smiled warmly, “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
I climbed into the passenger’s seat. It felt odd sitting here with all the radio and gadgets in the car; it even had a
small computer. As he headed out of the parking lot, I tried to listen for Becky. My head filled with words, noise, but nothing stood out and my headache was getting worse.
We pulled into the driveway of a nice brick ranch home with neighbors bordering on each side. It was nice, but crowded. Clutching my overnight bag to my chest, I followed Brian to the front door. An older looking lady with a kind face met us. As Brian explained that I would be staying in the apartment, she turned and smiled at me. I felt uncomfortable in my short party dress as she led me inside.
“It’s nice to meet you, dear. Can I get you something to drink?”
I thought about telling her any kind of alcohol would work, even though I didn’t drink. Instead, I asked for water. When she handed me a glass, I replied, “Thank you.”
“Let me get the key and I’ll show you to the apartment,” Brian said.
“Thank You.”
Chapter Eight
Mikal
“Commander,” Avis said as he bowed his head.
I turned so I could address him. “Yes Avis, what do you need.”
“Commander, I ah…I ah”
“Avis! I don’t have all day, spit it out,” I said in a stern voice.
“Yes sir. I lost the transport crystal. I must have dropped it when I engaged the two Santiarns. I returned to the alley, but it wasn’t there. I’m sorry sir.” He bowed his head waiting for punishment.
The transport crystal allowed us to move from one realm to another. It looked like a smooth white stone that contained magic, which opened the portal. The stone would turn into a clear crystal while it’s magic was being accessed. Only my people could use the transport crystals. They had to have Cusasleon blood flowing in their veins. Still, this transgression could not go unpunished. I didn’t need my men to think I was weak, even if I was known for being fair.
“You are forbidden to return to the human realm until further notice. You are to report to Damien at the training fields first thing in the morning. Understand?”
“Yes, Commander, thank you, sir.” I turned and headed toward the castle. I needed to speak with the Elders.
“Come in Mikal.” Risya called before I could even lift my hand to knock.
She was one of the oldest remaining elders and the one I would seek out first. She was easy to talk with, but sometimes I was left with riddles. As I entered the chambers, I found her standing near a window wearing a white toga styled dress. Her hair had long since faded to gray and was piled on top of her head. Her actions and dress made her appear regal even with the deep wrinkles set in her face.
“Thank you, Risya.” I closed the door as I entered.
“You’re troubled,” she stated.
“Yes.”
She turned and gazed at me before finally speaking. “What would you like to know?”
I couldn’t help the smile that briefly made an appearance before my face turned expressionless once again. “I worry that we’re losing the war with the Santiarns. I’m afraid we can’t keep the Humans safe much longer. They are increasing their forces and the last few times I’ve tracked them, they’ve led me to the same girl.”
“I see.” She turned and looked out the window while I patiently waited for her to say more. When she finally turned back to me, she said, “Around 1000 years ago, one of the seers foretold the future, a prophecy of sorts. It was told that a human would determine the outcome of the war, depending on which side she took. Although, this human is actually no human at all.”
“What does that mean?” I asked as I scrunched my nose and my brows drew together in concentration.
“That’s all I know, Mikal. We have been waiting for someone to make themselves known.”
“But the law states that no Human is allowed here, nor are we allowed to interact with them.”
“This is true.” She hesitated, “There is one here that you could talk with.”
That got my attention. “Who is that?”
“Desambriel.”
Desambriel, also known as Des, is the once great warrior who was forbidden from entering the human realm indefinitely. I’d heard rumors that he had dated a human woman, but that happened before I took over as Commander. The rumors stated that he had been stripped of his warrior title, forbidden to travel to the human realm and he was stripped down and whipped for his transgressions.
“Thank you.”
While I was walking the grounds outside the Castle, I noticed how beautiful the flowers were. Unlike the human realm, the weather was always warm and the flowers were always blooming here. Nothing in my world resembled theirs; at least I didn’t think so. As I walked around trying to figure out my next move, Lukke walked up beside me.
He nodded, “Commander.”
“Hey, Lukke,” I said distractedly.
“What’s wrong, Mikal?” Only Lukke could ask me something so casually.
“I think I need to make a trip to visit a civilian called Desambriel.” I glanced at Lukke from the corner of my eye, wondering if he recognized the name. By his widening eyes, my question was answered.
“If you’ll permit it, Commander, I’ll accompany you. I’ve heard that he lives in solitude and does not welcome visitors.”
I nodded confirmation. “Gather supplies and I’ll let the stable hand know that we will need two Cefis readied for the trip.” Lukke nodded before he hurried away.
I met Lukke at the stables and after mounting the Cefis, we were on our way. We had several mountains to cross before we would arrive at Des’ home. It would be an uneventful trip as our realm was a peace-loving place. We passed by several waterfalls with luscious blue grass. Yes, this place was unlike the Human realm.
Two hours later, we came upon a little bungalow that sat in the middle of a field that had flowers blooming. As we neared, I hopped off my Cefis and grabbed the reins. As Lukke took them from me, I trekked off toward the bungalow. A male that looked about my age walked out onto the porch with a scowl on his face.
“You’re not welcome here!” he called.
“Sir, I just need a moment of your time.” I called back to him.
“I have nothing to say to you. Please leave.”
“Des, just hear me out.” He could tell by my posture that I would not take no for an answer. The weight of the war rested on my shoulders and I would not let one stubborn man get in my way.
When I got to the front porch, I could see the scars peeking out from under his shirt. They ran up his neck and down his hands. The only place that remained untouched was his face. He had brown hair and dull brown eyes that spoke of a hard life.
“What do you want?” he demanded and I bristled. How dare he talk to me in that tone! Before I could reprimand him, I caught myself and held my tongue. I needed his help.
“You are aware of the war?” I asked.
“I am. It’s the same war that’s been going on for centuries.” He crossed his arms and held a stern look.
“It’s not the same. Before, we were keeping the humans safe and it was relatively easy. Ornias has upped his efforts and now we are lucky to keep them at bay. Risya spoke of a prophecy about a human that will decide who will win. She suggested that I speak with you.” Immediately, he shut down even more if it were possible.
“I can’t help you. Leave and don’t come back.” He turned and went inside, slamming the door behind him.
“I think we’ve wasted our time, Commander.”
He was probably right, but I didn’t come all the way here just to give up so easily. With sure steps, I marched to the porch and yelled through the door. “Des, I am not leaving until you speak with me!” Nothing. Pounding my fist on the door, I yelled, “Des, I repeat, I am not leaving until yo…” the door opened and his hate filled face stood almost nose to nose with me.
“Why don’t you go home and just leave an me alone. Haven’t you all taken enough from me already?”
I sighed, not wanting to discuss whatever happened. “I’m sorry Des; I didn’t have anything
to do with what happened to you. Right now I just want to take care of our people and the humans.”
“Fine, you can come in, but he,” he pointed at Lukke, “stays outside.” One look at Des and Lukke knew not to come any closer, at least for now.
Walking into his small bungalow, it felt warm and cozy compared to the cold walls of the large castle. I took a seat on the worn couch as Des took a seat in a nearby chair.
“What can you tell me about humans?” I asked as my eyes scanned the room and then came back to meet his.
“What do you want to know about them?” He sat back and interlocked his fingers in front of him.
“There’s a prophecy that a human will determine the outcome of the war. I don’t know how to search for such a person and when I find this human, it’s against our laws to interact with them.”
Des burst out laughing. Anger rose within me but I held my tongue as I sat clenching and unclenching my fist. “Let me see if I understand what you’re saying. It is against our laws to have contact with a human, yet you need to find one and interact with him or her in order to win this war against the Santiarns?”
“Yes. I don’t want to see the Santiarns take over the human realm, but it’s comforting to know they can’t enter ours, not without someone with Cusas’s blood accompanying them.”
“I don’t know how to help you Commander. At one time I loved a human female. She was perfect in every way. I didn’t seek her out, though; I was drawn to her and couldn’t stay away. I’m sure you know the rest. Our people discovered us and they forbid me to go back to the human Realm. They stripped me of my title and took my transport crystal. I’ve lived here alone ever since. That’s all I know.”
Disappointment swept through me, knowing he didn’t know more and couldn’t help. Slowly scanning the room and letting the disappointment go, my eyes took in the living area until my gaze landed on a picture in the corner of the room. My heart pounded and I tried to control my breathing. Without taking my eyes off the picture I asked, “Who’s that?”
I Can Hear You Page 6
