Amag’mar let out a surprised cry as he fell down the hill, rolling and spinning until at last, he landed at the bottom. Haneah raced after him and stopped when she stood next to his unmoving body.
“What have I done?” She asked herself fearfully. She bent down to turn him over, hoping that she had not killed him when suddenly; he jumped up and grasped her by the throat.
The coldness that came from his touch crippled her and she felt her entire body become stiff and rigid. His eyes burned red with hatred and suddenly, she felt warmth grow from within, burning the iciness of his touch away. It started slowly at first but grew and grew until it felt as though her insides were on fire.
Haneah tried to scream and thrash against her brother’s grasp but she could do nothing. His strength was unnatural and he lifted her off her feet with one hand.
Haneah tried to fight against him, she kicked and whirled but his grasp was tight and the feeling of being on fire began to consume her. Her skin crawled with icy cold on the outside while on the inside, she became a furnace.
Haneah was certain that she would die that night until Amag’mar released his grip on her and she fell to the ground in a heap. She lay on her side, gasping and coughing for breath. The cold on her skin melted away and the burning inside slowly faded until there was nothing left.
Amag’mar turned and began walking briskly away when Haneah sat up and tried to shout after him. Her voice caught in the back of her throat just like her breath had but Amag’mar heard nonetheless and when he turned back towards her, she noticed that his eyes had returned to their natural color.
“Where,” she began but she coughed instead. She grasped her throat where he had choked her and tried to speak again. “Where are you going?”
“I thought I could give you a gift!” He shouted at her angrily. “I knew, in my heart, that I could bring mother back! I can feel it within me! A desire to raise the dead from their graves! I can do it! I can give her back to you!” He was crying now. Soft, gentle tears rolled down his cheeks and Haneah’s heart melted. She suddenly knew that her little brother did not know how to deal with the death of his parents. She knew that it was killing him inside and he needed her now more than ever.
She stood on wobbly legs and reached a hand out to him. She grasped him by the shoulders and pulled him in for an embrace. She tried not to let him feel her shiver with the coldness of his skin as they touched.
“You cannot bring them back, Amag’mar. No one can. Death is final. To bring them back would be to go against all the laws of nature and no good can come from that. Leave them be. They are at peace.” Amag’mar threw his hands up in the air and pushed Haneah away from him. He stood tall and glowered at her before turning and walking away.
Haneah stood in confusion before running after him but when he stopped, she did not touch him. Instead, she stood behind him silently and waited for him to turn to her. He did not turn, nor did he look back at her as he spoke and the words he said to her then were soft and could have only been heard by her ears.
“Do not follow me if you value your life. I shall give you this one chance to live but you must turn away from me and never look back. But before you go, know this- there is no law to nature. We are the ones who make the rules now. We have the power to rule the world and the world has the right to witness what we can do. You are soft and weak, sister. I shall return for you when the time is right.”
Haneah opened her mouth to speak but no words came. She wanted to reach out to Amag’mar, to tell him that everything would be alright. She wanted to tell him that he could mourn in any way he felt necessary but that he had to go back to Aunt Ana’s and forget his anger. She wanted to stop him as she watched him walk away but soon, he was a black silhouette against the darkness of night and before she could even utter a single word, he disappeared from her view completely.
Shadows of Men (The Watchers Book 1) Page 35
