No Light

by Mara, Devi

  She had to hide. Her eyes flicked from the Dems to the tree line at her left. Someone bumped her roughly, and she took several steps forward to keep from falling. She clenched her jaw and raced for the trees. She ignored the yelling from behind her, speeding up once she reached the shelter of the forest.

  The trees whipped past her as shadows in the semi-darkness. She wove between thick trunks, ignoring the thin branches that snapped at her cheeks and snagged in her hair. Her wrists burned, both from the tightness of the binding and the rough rope. Something crashed through the undergrowth behind her. She could hear the loud steps over her frantic breathing. She scanned the trees for any place to duck out of sight. There was nothing.

  "Human!"

  Goosebumps popped up on her arms at the roar. She leapt over a fallen branch, and heard the Dem behind her clear it a moment later. He was gaining far too fast. She gasped for breath. A large hand seized her elbow and she screamed, as her momentum jerked her wrist painfully.

  The unfamiliar Dem towered over her. His lips twisted in a mix of amusement and disgust.

  "Human," he said, his tone implying an insult.

  She stared up at him, unable to look away from his face, even when his eyes scanned her. He gave her a dark smile.

  "Marked of General Farran."

  It was not a question, but she nodded.

  His grip did not loosen. "Follow."

  She stumbled along behind him, as they retracted their steps. The journey back to the clearing seemed far shorter than her panicked escape. The stranger's hand was painfully tight on her upper arm. He did not slow down when she tripped, merely jerking her back to her feet.

  They paused at the edge of the clearing. She scanned the field quickly, before she dropped her eyes to the ground at her feet, choking back a gasp of horrified disgust. Bodies covered the ground, their blood slowly sinking into the black soil. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the sight of mangled limbs and faces frozen in terror.

  The hand tensed on her arm a moment before the Dem pulled her with him across the clearing. She kept her eyes fastened on the group of Dems, rather than the dead city guards. One of the king's guards called to them, as they approached. The foreign words washed over her, a healthy dose of derision in the tone.

  She did not look away when they sneered at her. One of them muttered under his breath and she thought she heard Eitad's name tossed between them. Their expressions took on an interested air. The same one jerked his head to the left and turned to walk away.

  "Come, human." The Dem's hand loosened enough for the blood to return to her fingers, but the rope continued to chafe at her wrists.

  "Ms. Mackenzie," she said quietly. She felt their eyes fix on her and lifted her chin.

  "Ms. Mackenzie," the Dem leaned down to snarl in her face, before he tugged her behind him.

  She clamped her mouth shut and stared straight ahead. The space between the trees grew larger the further they moved from the city. The sun slowly moved down behind the tree line.

  Her hands and wrists were blissfully numb and she could not feel the sticky, dried blood between her fingers anymore. The Dems spoke to each other in their language. Every few minutes, one of them glanced at her. She ignored them.

  The trees fell away suddenly and they stepped into a wide clearing. When the Dems moved from in front of her, her eyes widened. What looked like thousands of Dems filled the field. A cluster of large, metallic tents stood in the center of the open space.

  "What's happening?" she whispered.

  The Dem's head turned toward her, but he did not answer. He dragged her through the crowd of towering soldiers, as she struggled not to trip in the knee-high grass. Her eyes rose from the army to the sky overhead.

  A vortex of bruised purple and blue clouds filled the air just above the encampment.

  "What is that?"

  The Dem ignored her, until the whirling mass was directly overhead. She dug her heels into the ground and jerked against his grasp.

  "What is that?" she asked louder.

  "The portal," the Dem answered impatiently. He scanned the other soldiers who watched them with interest. "Be silent."

  She nodded, not taking her eyes off the sky, until they passed through the doorway of the largest tent.

  "I see you have located my brother's human," a familiar voice drawled.

  She scowled around the room, until her eyes landed on a chair near the back. The king rose from the chair so gracefully, it reminded her of Farran. The thought made her swallow hard. She wondered if he knew she was missing.

  "General Farran will be pleased to know you have been recovered," he continued, answering her unasked question. "And in one piece." His eyes left her to look at the Dem gripping her arm. "Leave us."

  The Dem nodded. She watched him stalk to the door and vanish into the mass of soldiers.

  "What's happening?" she asked when she turned back to the king.

  He smiled slightly, but there was no humor in it. "What do you think it is about you that has my brother so enthralled?" he asked, ignoring her question.

  She frowned. "I don't know what you-"

  "And believe me, human, he is most certainly enthralled." His eyes darkened to black as he studied her, as if he were trying to figure out what held Farran's interest.

  She licked her lips nervously. "There's nothing about me-" she started, only to have him interrupt again.

  "No, there really is not, is there." He smiled slightly and rose from his chair. "You are neither smart, nor brave, nor useful," he murmured. He circled around her. "Weak, frail," he whispered at her. "Nothing of consequence, and yet, my brother speaks of you as he has never spoken of another."

  "I-"

  "If I did not know any better…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Well, I am sure in time he will come to forgive even this." He turned his back to walk back to his chair. "My brother's men say you tried to sacrifice yourself for one of his soldiers."

  Sarah ignored his scoff. "I did."

  He sank into the chair and smirked at her. "You seem to almost be capable of loyalty," he mused. "Of course, that is like saying man is capable of flight. It's possible, but unnatural."

  Her eyes rose from the floor to stare at him.

  "I admit, you do have a certain attractiveness about you." He tipped his head to the side. "But that alone is not enough to interest my brother. I have seen him slaughter entire civilizations. Males, females, offspring."

  Sarah looked away from the cold amusement.

  "His name was the word for death on over a dozen worlds." His tone was almost wistful. "Then, he found Earth," he muttered darkly.

  She twitched when he suddenly stood and began pacing.

  "Your contemptible, primitive race." He paused and his eyes narrowed at nothing. "He became obsessed with your development, teaching you what little information your tiny brains could comprehend."

  Sarah watched the emotions flit across his face. She twisted her arm behind her back and her wrist slid free of the rope.

  "He could not see what our father so clearly saw. You began fighting amongst yourselves, eventually fighting against him. You rebelled and still he would not follow our king's direction."

  She slipped her other hand free and let the rope fall at her feet. The king was too caught up in his thoughts to notice her movement. She took a step back.

  He continued to speak, unaware of her actions. "Father told him to destroy them. He refused." His eyes snapped to her, and she froze. "Are you proud of your history, human?"

  She stared at him silently.

  "Are you pleased with the city of Ameritat? The city created for the sole purpose of imprisoning my brother." There was something almost unhinged about his expression.

  "No."

  His lips curved up into a mockery of a smile. "Liar." He stalked toward her. "You think you are so different from the other humans? You, who were content to leave them to rot in that prison. You are as worthless as those who
subjugated them."

  "That's not fair," she whispered, as he stopped in front of her.

  He glared. "You were a mistake," he hissed. "Farran never intended to mark you. If you and the rest of your revolting race had the grace to die, he would never have defied our father."

  She raised her chin and took a deep breath. "He was right to do what he did." For a moment, she thought he would strike her.

  His eyes flashed. "Of course, you would choose your own. You are-"

  "I don't say it out of loyalty to humanity," she interrupted. "I say it out of loyalty to Farran."

  His eyes narrowed at her casual use of his brother's name. "What do you know about loyalty? About sacrifice?"

  To see a face so similar to Farran's twisted up in such fury, made her stomach clench. She fought to keep her breathing even.

  "I may not be as old as you are. I may not have seen what you have seen." She let out a shuddering breath. "But, I know the only one responsible for Farran's imprisonment is the abdicated king."

  The king's eyes widened in outrage.

  She rushed to finish her thought before he escaped his momentary shock. "And you, Your Majesty, are hardly one to talk about loyalty. With the way you sided with your father and left Farran to-"

  He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed. "I should choke the life out of you," he hissed. "I could crush you without trying."

  "That's true," she whispered past the pressure on her airways. "You could." She knew she should be terrified, but the fear would not come. Her eyes met his. "But it would not make me any less right."

  Chapter Seventeen

  Deathly Echoes

  "Take her."

  Sarah heard the rustle of footsteps in the grass behind her. A large hand gripped the back of her neck the moment the king released her. She tried to turn her head to see who held her, but their grip tightened.

  "Come human," an unfamiliar voice ordered.

  The fingers tightened until she let the Dem lead her from the tent. The number of Dems seemed to have grown in the short time she had spent in the king's tent. What looked like tens of thousands crowded into the valley. The hand at her neck jerked her forward when she paused.

  "Do not gawk at that which does not concern you."

  Her eyes searched the faces, as they walked, but Farran was not among them. A twinge of real fear tightened a knot in her stomach.

  "General Farran-" she started, only to be cut off.

  "This does not concern the general."

  "But I'm his-"

  "Soon you will have no connection to him," he grumbled.

  "What do you…" She trailed off to see all of the Dems staring at her. They whispered amongst themselves in their native language, but she swore she could hear Farran's name.

  She tore her eyes away from their curious stares to look up at the swirling sky, almost directly above them.

  "Where are we going?"

  The Dem ignored her, increasing his pace until she stumbled along in front of him. Her neck began to throb from the pressure of his fingers, but she refused to show her discomfort. She fastened her eyes on the tall platform just ahead of them.

  "What is that?" she asked, as the crowd parted.

  As she watched, as group of Dems appeared in the middle of the large, metal stage in full body armor. She narrowed her eyes at the weapons they held. Shaped like guns, but with no visible moving parts or trigger. The soldiers seemed to take a moment to orient themselves, before they descended the steps to the field to join the others.

  "Are they coming from your…planet?" she asked quietly, as he pushed her up the steps. She tried to ignore the combination of curious and hostile stares the soldiers gave her.

  "No. A base in beta-verse," he snapped.

  She paused at the edge of the platform. "What-"

  "It does not concern you, human," he snarled, and shoved her.

  She fought to keep her balance in front of all the Dems staring at her. She sent him a short glare.

  He ignored it and grabbed her neck. "Be still. It would be a shame if I had to harm you."

  She bristled at his warning tone. "Hurt me? You think that grip isn't painful?" Her eyes widened the second the words left her mouth. She tensed for his reaction, but he just scoffed and jerked her to a stop.

  "Go." His fingers released their vise-like grip on her neck.

  She glanced at the Dem to see him gesturing to something ahead of her. She slowly followed his arm to look at a strange contraption. She tipped her head to the side.

  "Go," he said louder.

  She frowned and took a step toward it. Four metal poles rose from the corners of a square, stone base. Each pole was several feet taller than her, and made out of a dark metal. She looked over her shoulder.

  "What is it?"

  "You try my patience, human," the Dem growled at her. His brows drew down into a dark scowl.

  She inched toward the strange machine. Her skin began to tingle. The feeling increased the closer she came to the stone base. She paused at the edge of it, and looked down. Blue veins crossed the ebony stone, and continued up the metal poles. She looked back at the Dem.

  "What does this do?" Something about the blue reminded her of The Corridor. It made her skin crawl.

  "Willing or unwilling, it makes no difference to me."

  She flinched at his words, but set one foot on the stone. The tingle under her skin increased. It felt wrong, somehow. She glanced over her shoulder.

  The Dems watched her with interest. As she scanned the faces, she saw more pity than contempt. Goosebumps broke out across her skin. She looked back at the machine to see the air become hazy between the poles on three sides. Everything in her screamed at her to run. Her muscles tensed.

  "Human," the Dem said in warning. His tone promised pain if she did not comply.

  She took a deep breath and threw herself forward into the middle of the stone base. The air immediately became hazy behind her, the four walls forming a box of energy. She looked up to see the same haze. It was a cage. Her eyes widened in panic.

  She reached out to touch the wall closest to her and jerked her hand back, instantly. She stared down at her numb fingertips in confusion.

  "I see you are beginning to understand the situation, human."

  She looked up to see the king climb the stairs. His lips curved into a pleased smile.

  "What is this?" she asked quietly, rubbing at her hands to get the feeling back. It did not work.

  He paused just outside her cage and seemed to be admiring it. "The answer to our little predicament." His eyes darkened, as they landed on her.

  "Me?" she whispered.

  His smile widened. "My brother's only weakness."

  She shook her head in denial. "No, it's not-"

  "You have clouded his mind, human," he continued loudly, cutting her off. "My brother may be captivated by your humanity, but I am not." He made a quick motion with his hand.

  Sarah leaped back from the walls, as what looked like lightning bolts began to snap across the surface.

  "My brother has always come to my aid in my time of need. I must aid him now. Protect him from himself." He took a step closer, reaching out to almost touch the wall of energy. "I will cut you off." His eyes met hers. "Like a diseased limb."

  "What do you-" she gasped out, wrapping her arms around herself.

  His eyes narrowed. "I will not hear you, human. I will not be diverted from my duties like my brother."

  Her eyes moved past him. The troops organized into groups of what appeared to be several hundred.

  "I will stage an attack on this planet of yours," he said softly, leaning forward to stare at her. "But I will not go to war without my strongest general at my side."

  The tingle under her skin increased to faint itching. She rubbed at her arms. "What-"

  "I will end this pull you have over him. I will return what is rightfully his. What he never intended to give."

  Sarah dropped her eyes to the f
loor, unsure why his words cut her so deeply. Of course, the marking was unintentional. She swallowed hard and forced herself to meet the king's eyes.

  A small smile curved his lips, as his eyes searched her face. "This unnatural fondness is returned." He huffed a laugh. "Why am I not surprised?"

  She raised her chin.

  "No matter. The ator that fills your body is not rightfully yours. I will rip it from you with all the power at my disposal."

  Sarah's eyes widened. "You can't-"

  "I am king!" he snarled. "I can do anything I please."

  "Farran will be angry at your disrespect," she whispered. He would be happy not to be tied to her anymore. She dropped her head.

  "Farran may have soft feelings toward you, but he will forgive me in time."

  Her chest seized at the thought. She slowly backed away from him. The sparks shot along the walls faster, until they became a swarm of bright blue light.

  "You are nothing without the marks," she heard the king call from the beyond her cell. "Soon you will be less than that."

  The itch blossomed into a light shock. She flinched away from the walls, drawing in on herself. A strange dropping sensation started in her stomach, as if she were falling. She stumbled forward to press her palms against the energy field. Her fingers fumbled against it, searching for any edge or break. There was nothing.

  The static feeling under her skin became thousands of sharp stings. She rubbed at her arms, even as her stomach lurched. She fell to her knees.

  "You are experiencing how separation feels to a Dem," the king's voice murmured from somewhere nearby.

  Pain speared into her chest like a knife. She barely bit back a scream.

  "Does it hurt, human?"

  Her skin burned, as if flames lapped at her body. She scooted to the middle of the stone base. Her lungs seized violently.

  "Is it agony?" he purred.

  She nodded, unable to hold back soft sobs. Each breath rattled her lungs, more difficult than the last. Every nerve ending screamed, until the act of kneeling made tears trail down her cheeks. She slowly spread out on the cool stone. Tears slid into her hair, but she could not raise her hand to wipe them away. Foreign words whispered in her mind frantically.