The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3)

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Exactly. So Vala… poof, took off for her home. This was after the Day Stalkers hit us. All brought by Nito. Vala goes, her home is hit by Savages, her mother is killed and her sister is turned into an Ancient. Because Vala couldn’t leave her little sister, she ended up marrying the educator.’

  “Ouch. I’m sorry,” Brea said. “Really? So she married the guy to be able to watch her sister?”

  “Yes. I went to find her to tell her I located the Savage camp and to come back to help defeat them. But she isn’t coming back because of her sister. Now… I find out that the king can turn back her sister.”

  “And you want to go there?”

  “I do. But I also feel I need to go home because Nito is there.”

  “This makes sense. You want my advice or not?” Brea asked.

  “I’ll take your advice.”

  “If this girl was really into you, she would have brought her sister to Angeles City with you. Even if she didn’t see that as an option, you, Tanner, strike me as a young man with a cause. Your cause is to return humanity back to where it was.”

  “It is.”

  “Then follow your cause. Your fight is not in Ancient City, it is in Angeles City, in the form of Nito. Vala will still be there when it is all said and done.”

  “But what if… what if she isn’t there for me anymore?”

  “Then you need to examine if she was ever there in the first place.”

  I stared at Brea for the longest time. It had been a while since I actually talked and listened to someone my own age. She was untainted by everything, she had no foreknowledge, and she barely knew me. Her advice came from listening.

  After a moment, I nodded, and then zipped up my bag. “Thanks,”

  “Decision made?”

  “Decision made.” I grabbed my bag. “I’m going to Angeles City.”

  TWENTY-SEVEN – NITO

  I have never appreciated the sight of the moon as much as I did the night before. Staring out as it reflected off of a huge body of water, for some reason I wasn’t frightened of it any longer, I was in a different form.

  Davis played his musical instrument and stayed by my side. He was charming and witty. There was something about him that made me forget why I was even in Angeles City.

  Lost in thought, in awe of the human man, I searched for my original motivation. I was supposed to be getting back into the good graces of my father. But why send me to human form? He could have sent me back to the Starvation age or even Egypt. But he didn’t. He made me human. The only reason I could think of was because I was never good to humans. I believed I was until I lived among them and saw them for who they were.

  Listening to Davis sing, to humans laughing, watching the moon, I reflected on a lot of things that I had done to humans. To Davis’s own people. I wasn’t sure, but I believed I felt an inkling of guilt.

  Did my own father truly want to cause the demise of the human race? No. Ancients needed the humans, and in my selfishness, I didn’t see that. If it was my father’s intention to banish me to human form to appreciate them and be good to them, it was working. I just wish it came without the leakage of substances from my body.

  “So this is what you do at night?” I asked the evening before sitting on the sand.

  “Typically,” Davis said. “But something isn’t right. There are no Savages.”

  “Do they come every night?”

  “Yeah, or every other night. They haven’t been around. I thought we’d get hit big tonight.”

  “Maybe they moved on.”

  He laughed. “They need to eat. They didn’t move on.”

  Davis was right. It was strange that the Savages had disappeared. There was an explanation, I knew. I wanted to dive into that more, but I couldn’t because I didn’t want to give away that I knew a lot about them.

  “Thank you for the life jacket.”

  “You’re welcome. You look good.” He continued to play his musical instrument.

  “I shall treasure this token,” I told him. “In return, if you like, I’ll let you see these breasts.”

  Davis stopped playing. “Um, maybe later.”

  “They are in good shape for a body of this age.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” he said and continued again, playing. “It’s been a while since I have been with a woman.”

  “Yes, I have heard,” I told him. “But at least you are gay, right?”

  His eyes widened and his hand slipped sloppily down the strings of his instrument. “You think I’m gay?”

  “You seem it to me. Or is it a front?”

  “Oh, you’re probably just reading me wrong.”

  It made me sad to hear, and I knew he masked his loneliness well, making others believe he was merry and gay. I would change that, he was inviting me to.

  I stayed on the beach until I fell asleep, something else I was still getting used to. When I woke, I was covered with a blanket and was surprised to see a woman standing above me.

  “Madge?” she said. “Are you Madge, the new lady.”

  I squinted. She was a shadow with the sun behind her. “I am. Who are you? Where is Davis?”

  “Davis had to work, he said to get you. My name is Jenny.” She held out her hand. “I’m your new housemate.”

  “Oh, Jenny, very nice to meet you.” I took her hand and she helped me to stand.

  “Do you want coffee? There’s some on the boardwalk.”

  “Yes.” I had grown fond of that beverage.

  Jenny was a nice woman. She looked younger than me, though her name did not suit her at all. Her blonde hair was cut to the shoulders and her body was toned, as if she were a fighter.

  “So we are housemates?” I asked.

  “We are. Um… Amanda told me about you.”

  “Oh, Amanda, lovely girl.”

  “Yes, she is. She said you and I could be friends,” Jenny said.

  “Yes!” I said excitedly. “You are the one that she told me about. I would love to be your friend. Back in the day I always surrounded myself with beautiful women. You are beautiful,”

  “Aw, thank you. You are too.”

  “Jenny, you need not return the compliment, but thank you. You make me blush.”

  “I look forward to getting to know you better. Amanda said you’re a little odd, but I like odd. Come on, I’ll show you to our house and around after we get you coffee. And…” Jenny stopped walking and pointed to the life jacket, “you can take that off.”

  “No, that would be rude. Davis gave this to me. It is a token of his intentions.”

  “I see.” Jenny nodded. “I guess that’s one of those odd things Amanda mentioned.”

  I smiled politely. I didn’t think it was an odd thing to treasure a token of affection. Perhaps Jenny hadn’t experienced anything quite like it. I made a promise to myself that, while I wouldn’t take off Davis’ life jacket, I also wouldn’t boast about it either. Although it was kind of bulky and hard to hide. The orange item just screamed, ‘I am taken by Davis!’.

  TWENTY-EIGHT – VALA

  For the first time in days I didn’t dream, and it was nice. However, when I opened my eyes, my head was pounding, my body felt as if it had been thrown from a horse, and then I realized that, not only was I naked, but Iry was on his side, staring at me.

  “Morning,” he said with a smile.

  I shrieked and pulled the covers up. “I feel horrible.”

  “As you should.”

  “Is this normal.”

  “Does your head hurt? Is your stomach queasy and your body achy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Normal.”

  “Oh my Gods.” I closed my eyes tightly. “This is the aftereffects?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I’m sorry, Iry, I shall never do this again, if this is how it feels.”

  “You just overdid it.”

  “What?” I asked in shock.

  “You had too much.”

  “Is
there such a thing?”

  “Oh, sure,” he replied. “This is your body’s way of telling you that you went overboard.”

  “Why don’t I recall anything? Is that part of it?”

  “Yeah, when you do too much.”

  “I wouldn’t think I’d be the type to overindulge.”

  “You did.”

  “Did it work?” I asked. “Am I with child?”

  “No.” “Are we sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Then I don’t know if I can do it again, especially knowing that I feel this way. I’m sorry, Iry.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “I know I am your wife.”

  “Vala…” He placed his finger to my lips. “I told you from the start, you need not do anything. That is not why I married you. It is my hope, my selfish hope, that one day you will feel enough for me that it won’t be a worry, but until then….”

  “But last night...”

  “Vala, nothing happened last night.”

  “I am naked.”

  Iry raised his eyebrows a few times. “Yep, you are.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “You took your clothes off.”

  “If I took off my clothes, then how did nothing happen?”

  “Because you were drunk,” Iry said. “I did not wish to take advantage of you. I’m glad now, because after you did that seduction dance and discarded your clothes, you passed right out.”

  “How did my nude body get into bed?”

  “I am your husband.”

  I gasped.

  “Vala, there is juice on the dresser. Drink some. Get hydrated, take a shower, you will feel much better. I promise.”

  “I’m sorry, Iry. I didn’t mean to get drunk. Those beverages form Maggie were wonderful and refreshing.”

  “It’s fine, Vala, I’m sorry you felt the need to get intoxicated to be with me.”

  “It was nerves. I was nervous.”

  “It wasn’t distaste in me?” Iry asked.

  “Iry…”

  “Don’t answer. I thought…” He lowered his head. “I thought when we first kissed that you felt something. That you had feelings for me.”

  “Iry, did… did we kiss last night?”

  “Yeah, Vala, we did. You started it. And I kissed you back.”

  “I don’t remember. I’m sorry. How did I respond to your kisses?”

  “Like this…” Iry leaned down, softly placing his lips to mine. There was the slightest bit of pressure as he parted my lips with his. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My stomach fluttered and my heart was beating out of control. I didn’t understand why that was or what exactly was happening to me.

  He trailed his finger over my bare shoulder and down my arm, slowly, ever so slowly, matching the pressure and intensity of his kiss. Both soft, teasing. He didn’t move, but I did. I found myself drawing him in, wanting his kisses to increase, wanting his lips to press harder.

  What was happening? All the pain and aches I woke to suddenly dispersed and I felt as if I were cast in a pool of softness, my body floating toward something against my will. My focus was on the feeling, swept away, until I realized I was leading the kiss, my hand had moved to his lower back. Upon that revelation, I suddenly pulled back. “Stop.”

  Iry did.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  Iry bit his bottom lip and shook his head with a smile.

  “I need… I need to bathe.”

  “Go right ahead… and drink your juice.”

  I started to get out of bed then realized I was nude. “Cover your eyes.”

  With a laugh, he placed his hands over his eyes.

  I slipped from bed and darted to the bathroom. I glanced back and noticed he had separated his fingers.

  “You’re peeking!”

  “I can’t help it. You’re beautiful.”

  His words made me pause in the doorway of the bathroom. I flushed, and before I could be drawn in anymore, I hurriedly shut the bathroom door.

  TWENTY-NINE – TANNER

  It had taken days, not hours to get back to Angeles City. We were all ready to go, and had made it about twenty miles into the desert when the car just died. I wanted to scream. Not only were we stuck, we had to walk back to Hopeland. By the time we got there, I was beyond dehydrated. My face was burned from the sun and my mood had worsened. Especially when I heard it was going to be another day to fix the vehicle.

  “Just relax and enjoy Hopeland,” Snake told me. “Quit getting yourself so excited.”

  “But Nito is in Angeles City.”

  “What can she do?” Snake asked. “She has no powers.”

  “Are you forgetting what she did to us? To Vala? She killed Marie.”

  “I didn’t forget,” Snake said, “but I’m not letting it drive my emotions. It’s wasted energy. Go play air hockey.”

  Had it not been for Brea, I probably would have started walking across the desert toward Ancient City. If I couldn’t go to Angeles City, then I would go to Vala. Brea convinced me otherwise.

  More than likely I would be killed before ever reaching Ancient City. There was no shelter, no safe haven if the Savages came. Just because Hopeland didn’t see Savages, didn’t mean they weren’t out there.

  Brea was right; I had to focus. I had to get back to Angeles City, find Nito, expose her, take down the Savage camp, and go get Vala.

  Finally, the car was fixed and we began our return trip home. They dropped us off outside of Ventura Place. We’d have to walk the rest of the way there and would reach Angeles City just before nightfall.

  Traveling through Ventura, I was surprised by the amount of Day Stalker bodies. They had battled them there. Of course, I had left in the middle of it, but obviously we prevailed. I didn’t see any signs that our people had died. Then again, I didn’t see any of our people either.

  I started worrying. What if Nito had done something? Caused something? She was powerless, yes, but even without supernatural powers she could be a monkey wrench.

  I expressed my concerns to Snake, who didn’t seem too worried.

  “It’s Nito. You heard Burt; she stood out like a sore thumb. I trust Davis. I’m sure he has figured it out. We’re rushing and worrying for nothing.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, Davis is a smart man,” Snake said. “Nito is long gone, nowhere near Angeles City, if she isn’t already dead.”

  THIRTY – NITO

  Jenny had the strangest reaction to my socializing with Davis. I learned something new about female human friendship. It was a strong bond, a possessive bond, filled with jealousy and control. I wasn’t sure that I liked that at all, but since I was still new to learning the female friendship ritual, I went along with it as if it were perfectly normal.

  “You’re going to see him again?” Jenny asked. “We had plans this evening.”

  “I am sorry, Jenny. Davis is teaching me. I was released from reconditioning early.”

  “I can teach you, Madge. Let me teach you.” She placed her hands on my shoulders.

  “You were with him yesterday and the day before.”

  “I made no progress.”

  “That’s because it’s Davis. He’s going to give you the short version of it. He’s not thorough.”

  “What am I to do? He makes me powerless.”

  “You can start by taking off that life jacket.”

  I gasped. “I cannot! Davis placed this on me and said to leave it on.”

  “He would do that to you, knowing how naïve you are.” She threw out her hands. “Fine. Go. Get it out of your system.”

  “Are you angry with me?”

  “More so hurt,” Jenny said. “I wanted to be the one to bring you back. To recondition you the right way.”

  “And you shall. I will tell Davis tonight that you are taking over the reconditioning.”

  “Really?” Jenny smiled. “Thank you.” Then, surprising me with an as
pect of human female friendship that I did not understand, she leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.

  I had never seen anything like that on the television, though I didn’t get much further than Full House. So as not to appear ignorant to their practices, I pecked a kiss to her and said my goodbye.

  There was much to do to get ready for the evening with Davis.

  I was excited. We had gone fishing the day before and he even said he was starting to like hanging out with me. I made him laugh. Finally, it dawned on me that I perhaps was missing my cue. He kept telling me ‘maybe later’ when I offered myself.

  Was I the one to determine the later?

  It was time.

  He invited me over to his place to watch what he called movies. He wanted to teach me the social customs of the more modern world but I decided I would teach him. I had taken old draperies and made a skirt that rested on my hips and used the life jacket as the covering for my breasts. I hoped he didn’t see that as a disrespect to his gift of intention.

  Suffice to say, I believe Davis was taken by my dance. He stood there, not moving, transfixed upon me.

  “What... what are you doing?” he asked me.

  “It is maybe later.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I offer myself to you often. You always say, ‘maybe later’. I am making this maybe later.”

  “Madge…”

  “I am doing the dance of seduction.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Is it working?”

  “It would work better if you took off the life jacket.”

  “I cannot do that, you gave this to me.”

  Davis cleared his throat. “Fine. Then I will.” He stripped me of the life jacket and I wanted to cry. He was taking away his commitment. At least I thought so, until he grabbed hold of me and took me in his arms.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman. You’re kind of different, Madge. I like different.”

  There was a scent to his body that I never experienced with an Ancient man. A strong scent that engulfed us both. I awaited his next move. I had been with human men, but it was merely for sport. On my terms, what I wanted. Never had I been with one that I wanted and needed to be with.