by Cece Rose
As I reach about halfway into the room, the figure fades into nothing. I turn around, seeing the door slam closed. I swallow the lump in my throat.
“Mackenzie Crowe, I would say welcome to Ariziadia, however, you are not a guest here, but merely a trespasser,” a voice whispers from right behind me. I quickly turn and find myself looking into grey eyes.
“I don’t even want to be here. So how about you just let me find my friends, and then we can all leave,” I offer, and the man steps even closer.
“You wish to return to Earth?” he questions.
“Yes, yes I do,” I answer.
“Do you even realise why some of our people chose to go to Earth?”
“No, nobody knows anymore,” I answer truthfully.
“Are you not curious as to why your people have so few of the marks that we have here?” he questions me again.
“Until today I didn't know that you all had these marks. We didn't know any other than the twelve, and most people don't even know what the twelfth mark does.” I answer him honestly.
“Your people are so clueless. Have you truly forgotten everything?” he asks, and I shrug, not sure what more I can tell him. He sighs and continues to explain. “Our people were at war with each other, long ago. To bring an end to the feud peacefully, they agreed they would move to another world. A world where they could live how they wished, and we could live how we wished. We chose segregation to stop bloodshed.
The leader of your people was exceptionally gifted, and she had every power a marked can be bestowed with. She had the power to build bridges between worlds. Using her gifts of divination, she found a suitable world, one with beings much like us. There were key differences though, unmarked skin and no powers. with no powers. They decided to blend in this new world, they would have to give up some of their power, or risk being discovered by the native species. A species known for being hostile towards those that are different.”
“The people gave up their powers willingly?” I ask incredulously, completely unable to fathom why someone would give their powers away. I look down at my bare skin on my arms, my marks gone. I would never give my powers up if I had a choice. Mine were ripped from me, just as my brother was.
“They agreed they would keep just eleven of the powers. The leader used her gifts to mute all of your magic and to repress the other gifts. The plan was that eventually, you would give up all of your powers. The eleven you kept were to help you settle. Earth to build and grow crops, technomancy to have the tools to survive. Fire to keep you warm, water to keep you hydrated. Divination to see threats coming for you… you get the idea, yes?” he asks, and I nod in understanding. “We agreed with them that this seemed like a reasonable solution. So, they left our world behind, and we have lived in peace amongst our own kind ever since, leaving you to your own devices.”
“I can’t believe this,” I whisper, and my eyes widen when I see him pull a silver dagger from a sheath against his forearm. “What are you…” I trail off, stepping back away from him, panicking as I’m completely powerless without my marks. He quickly closes the distance, pressing the dagger against my throat.
“Please don’t kill me,” I whisper. “I haven’t done anything to you.” In response to my plea, the man brings the silver dagger closer to my throat, his almost grey eyes staring into mine, seeming to assess my every movement.
“Why shouldn’t I kill you, Mackenzie Crowe? You opened a portal to my world, risking not only Earth, but Ariziadia too. We had peace, but you broke that peace by trespassing here.” he asks me, but I feel like he doesn’t want an answer. The marked here have found us guilty without asking, but I will give him a reason anyway.
“If you kill me, no one on Earth or Ariziadia will be able to stop my father,” I say honestly, and he narrows his eyes at me.
“Are you threatening me with your family? If they come here to avenge you, I will simply kill them all,” he bites out, a light growl slipping through his words. I try to stay calm and not think about what this marked can shift into.
“I’m not threatening you, only telling you what will happen. He won’t come here to avenge me; he wouldn’t care if you killed me. If anything, you would be helping him,” I say, and I see the confusion cloud over his eyes.
“My father was the one that forced me to open the portal. He was the one behind all of this. He will not stop until he controls Earth. What do you think he will do after he has all of Earth in his control and a marked army with boosted powers from the open portal?” I ask, swallowing a little as the pressure of the dagger against my throat makes it harder and harder to speak. The leader doesn’t say anything, just waiting for me to continue.
“He will come here and destroy you. I can stop that, with help from my guys. Now it’s your choice,” I say, keeping my eyes locked on his and not backing down. I won’t plead for his mercy anymore. Marks or no marks, I am stronger than that. He goes to say something when the door slams open behind me. The leader pulls me to his chest, turning me so I can face the open doorway just as Mr Daniels, the twins, East and Enzo walk in.
“Kill or even harm her, and we will burn your world to the ground,” Mr Daniels say calmly, but any person would be a fool not to hear the promise of destruction laced in his words.
Chapter 9
Mackenzie
The marked keeps the dagger pressed against my throat as I look at Mr Daniels, the twins, East, Enzo, and finally Kelly, who walks in the room after them. She doesn’t even look at me as she steps into the middle of the room, holding her hands together and blocking my view of the guys. The blade scrapes against my neck as I breathe, and in response, Enzo calls his fire mark, setting his hands alight. This isn’t going to end well.
“You will let her go. I have already seen it,” Kelly says, stopping right in front of us but looking only at the marked man. “We’re wasting time when we all have other more important things to do,” Kelly states calmly. The room becomes still, silent except for the sound of our breathing as we wait for him to decide whether to kill me or let me go. I’m not expecting it when he moves the dagger away and suddenly throws me away from him with his other arm. I fall on the floor near Kelly’s feet, and East runs over, helping me up, though Kelly walks around me like I’m not even there.
“What do you see?” the marked asks Kelly, who tilts her head to the side. Her motions are almost robotic, like she has planned every movement before it happens. In other words, she’s acting bat-shit crazy.
“War. Death. Destruction. It will come for both worlds if you ignore my warning, King Elnam,” she says coldly, and King Elnam looks between us all. His cold, grey eyes seem to see something in the way we stare back at him, or at least, in the way Kelly seems so confident.
“Close the door, and we shall talk,” he says, walking over to the only seat in the room and sitting down.
“Are you okay?” East asks me, as the twins shut the door, and Enzo comes to my side, stroking my arm with his hand.
“I’m fine. Well, as fine as I can be,” I mutter in response. Mr Daniels walks to Kelly’s side, his hand brushing mine as he passes me, but I know we don’t have time to catch up right now. The twins stay near the door, giving me protective looks when I look their way.
“We do not welcome Earth marked here. It is not our way, and my people will want your heads for opening the portal,” King Elnam starts and drifts his eyes towards me, “But we will not ignore the warnings of our seers. We treasure them above all else.”
“Have your own people seen the future?” I ask.
“Yes, and we know destruction is a kind word for what the future is showing us all. It seems we were wrong in our belief that the portal being opened was the destruction we have all feared,” King Elnam tells us. “But when I held you, Mackenzie Crowe, I saw your father. I saw him sitting on my throne, with my people dead at his feet.”
“How did you know he was my father?” I ask.
“He had you at his side, tied up with
empty, lifeless eyes. He called you his daughter as he asked you to kill another one of my people,” he says, glaring at me like I’ve already done it. I shiver as I take a step back, the fear of my father controlling me like that terrifying to me. I won’t let him live long enough to control anyone ever again.
“Then let me go back. Let me stop him because you know I am the only one that can. He killed my brother, took my marks, and I will kill him for that. I promise you,” I swear to him.
“No,” Kelly is the one that responds. At her demanding tone I freeze, looking towards her. I move away from East and the others, walking over to Kelly’s side, needing to talk to her. I move to touch her arm, but she jumps away from me, bumping into Mr Daniels before standing up straight again.
“Kells?” I mumble, confused, and her tear filled eyes meet mine for only a second before she looks away.
“Mackenzie will need her marks back in order to close the portal, so she must enter the Zarrci Honzel,” Kelly says, and then translates whatever the hell she just said to us as she looks back. “The waters of the pure. It’s a place where the Ariziadian people believe their powers come from. It can bring back Mackenzie’s powers.”
“How the fuck do you know that?” Enzo asks.
“She knows everything. Ariziadia is boosting her powers, her connection. It happens with some of our kind. They can bond with the very magic that makes us marked,” King Elnam tells us, his eyes watching Kelly closely like she is fascinating.
“We need a moment to talk…alone,” Mr Daniels says, stepping around Kelly and wrapping an arm around my waist to make it clear who he wants to speak with.
“I will speak to my people as well. You will need supplies to make it to Zarrci Honzel alive,” King Elnam drawls, already standing up, and heading to the door.
“I will come with you,” Kelly says, moving to follow him. I grab her arm as she passes me, and I hold on tight because I can’t have her look at me like this. I can’t have her ignoring me. I want to hold her and tell her it will all be okay, but nothing leaves my mouth for a moment as I stare at her.
“Don’t do this, look at me, Kelly. Please,” I beg her, and when she does, the pain in her eyes makes me want to look away. She looks so lost; her blue eyes seem empty of anything other than pain.
“You remind me of him, Kenz. You look too much like him, you sound too much like him…please let me go,” she pleads, her voice cracking with every word, and I let go of her arm as my own eyes fill with tears. I nod once, and she walks out the room, following the king without looking back once at us.
“Come here. She doesn’t mean it, and it won’t be like this forever. I am so sorry for your brother’s death,” Mr Daniels says, pulling me to his chest as I burst into tears. I feel someone else rubbing my back, and then other hands on my shoulders, in my hair, until I know all my guys are close and comforting me.
“We will avenge his death, we promise you that Kenz,” East tells me, his grief and anger coming through his words. Ryan was his best friend. He’s lost someone important, too, and here he is, trying to just comfort me.
“I can’t talk about Ryan right now. I can’t focus on him, or I will break down and give up,” I whisper, wiping my tears on Mr Daniels’ shirt. “Sorry, I got your shirt all wet.”
“Not a problem, Kenzie,” he says, kissing my forehead. I turn, still somehow staying in his arms as I face my guys. They all look tired and worried, and yet, they look at me like nothing else matters.
“We have no choice but to trust this king and go where he wants. I trust Kelly, she wouldn’t send us to our deaths,” I say to them.
“I don’t know trust I her right now, she isn’t fully herself…” Locke says, and Logan hits his arm.
“For Ryan, she wouldn’t let Kenzie die. But more than that, she knows Kenzie and us, and she knows we are the only ones who stand a chance of killing Alaric,” East replies firmly, and the others mumble their agreements. The door is opened before we can talk or plan anymore. Kelly and the king walk in, but Kelly stays near the door.
“Have you made your decision?”
“You don’t have to play games. It’s not like we never had a choice. We will go and return my marks,” I say, stepping in front of my guys. For the first time since my brother died, I have the tiniest amount of hope that I can get him his revenge.
Chapter 10
Mackenzie
“You want us to do what now?” I ask the Ariziadian marked incredulously, as I shift the leather backpack I'd been given on my shoulders. They’d given us each a leather backpack with some supplies for our trip. I’d taken a quick peek inside and noticed a small box I’d yet to open, an old-fashioned water canteen–with no water in it–and enough food for only a day, at most. Clearly, they expected us to find our own.
I glance nervously around the courtyard where we're waiting for our escort. The other Ariziadian marked are sitting on the far side of the courtyard, seeming to be avoiding us. Which, considering their king's vision, I suppose couldn't blame them.
“We want you to ride us,” he replies, not seeing the issue with his wording. Locke however, thinks it's hilarious, and is in fits of laughter behind us.
“Sorry, mate, you're not really my type,” he jokes. Only Logan laughs. I'm not sure if it's more of a twin sympathy laugh, or if they've just got a similar, albeit awful, sense of humour.
The Ariziadian marked looks at Locke curiously. “I do not understand? You have a preference of which of us to ride in dragon form?” he questions.
“Wait, you shift into fucking dragons? You're the dragons that Logan and East saw flying around?” he questions in disbelief.
“Did I not mention that the marked that grabbed us turned into dragons?” I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes ridiculously as I turn to face him.
“You left that out on purpose!” he accuses me, and I grin.
“Maybe,” I say, dragging the word out as I turn to face the Ariziadian marked.
“So, you're going to fly…and we're all just going to what, ride on your backs? Do you have harnesses? Seats? Something to hold onto so we don't plummet to our painful deaths?” I ask, while picturing just how high a dragon could fly. Fuck, why do we have to ride the damn dragons? The marked laughs at my questions, clearly finding it highly amusing how nervous I am to hop onto a dragon's back and soar through the sky. My eyes narrow. “It's not funny,” I snap.
“It's very funny. You Earth marked are so strange. And quite rude as well. You haven't even asked for my name, and yet, you expect me to fly you to the edge of the path to Zarrci Honzel,” he says, folding his arms. His bulging arms. Gods, why are the marked here so huge? East decides to save me from further embarrassment, and he steps up so he is in line with me.
“You haven't asked for our names either,” East says to him, and the man smiles.
“I know all of your names. Mackenzie Crowe, Easton Elias Black, Locke & Logan Valentine, Enzo Langston, and—”
“Look, we get the idea. You know our names,” Enzo cuts him off in an irritated voice, and I quickly glare at him for being rude before turning back to the marked.
“What's your name?” I ask.
“Taelon,” he answers with a smile.
“So, Taelon, why are you so chatty compared to your friends back there?” Logan asks, gesturing to the other Ariziadian marked that are still hovering right on the other side of the courtyard.
“Not all of us think it is a bad thing that you are here,” Taelon answers with a shrug. “Now Earth beings, are you ready to fly?” he asks, and I look around again for any sign of Kelly.
“I don’t think she’s coming, Kenz,” East says gently, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I sigh, snuggling into his side for warmth.
“I know, it’s just hard,” I mumble quietly.
“You are sad your seer friend did not come to see you off?” Taelon asks curiously, and I nod. “She is very gifted, far more gifted than we would expect any of your seers to be. She
’s also gifted with healing, is she not? It’s very strange in our world to meet someone with just two marks, but to have so much power within those two marks, that’s even stranger. Here someone with only two marks would be seen as defective. I’m not sure if it’s even happened before. I once heard of a man with only five,” he comments, and I bite my tongue. I don’t like how he’s talking about Kelly, but we need their help. I need my marks back, so I can fight my father.
“You okay, Crowe?” Enzo asks, and I jerk my head in a stiff nod, not trusting my voice.
Taelon, seemingly done with the conversation after my sudden silence, walks back over to the other Ariziadian marked. One by one, the four men shift into large dragons, forms much bigger than their human ones. I realise quickly the numbers don’t quite add up.
“How are we doing this?” I ask, looking between the guys.
“Kenzie can—
“I’ll take—
I look between Logan and Daniels, who’d both spoken at once. “Maybe I want my own dragon. Why don’t you two share a dragon?” I ask.
“Well, seeing as all of us have an air mark, it makes sense for you to come with one of us. Just in case, Crowe. Can’t have you falling without one of us to catch you,” Enzo answers for them. I hate to admit he has a point. I sigh.
“I can take, Kenz,” East offers.
“I don’t mind taking you either,” Enzo says to me. Turning to face Locke, I cross my arms over my chest.
“You going to offer, too?” I ask, feeling like the shiniest toy in the box.
“Nah, I want my own dragon. I am going to try and convince him to do loops and stuff,” he admits, making us all laugh.
“Are you really that attached to Locke? I mean, you have another that looks just like him,” Daniels questions in an exasperated voice.
