by K. R. Bowman
“Come on, girly. Hit me with your best shot,” Ashlen smirked, brandishing her sword in front of my face.
“Hey, I love that song.” I lunged at her, swiftly deflecting her blows and swiping her legs out from under her. She landed heavily on her back with her sword flying out of her hands. I bent over her, smiling, “How does that song go again?” I held my hand out and helped her to her feet.
Ashlen got up, smiling, and dusted her back off.
“I think it’s time for you to try fighting someone with a little more punch.” Callum stood to the side, leaning against that post again. His arms crossed over his chest, with a cocky smile plastered on his face. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, pants, and leather boots that came almost to his knees. Two black bands, marking him as a Protector, were cut into his left forearm. The sleeveless shirt emphasized his muscular shoulders and arms. Not that I noticed.
My eyebrow arched, “Uh, I’m not so sure…” I glanced at Ashlen to see her reaction. She still had a smirk on her face, but this one was reflected at Callum.
He strolled over to Ashlen and took the sword from her. He shrugged his shoulders, “Come on, hit me with your best shot.” He took his stance, one corner of his mouth pulled back, and he circled me. It felt like a lion circling his prey.
I watched him. My shoulders tightened as I lifted my sword and took my defensive position. Our eyes locked, his deep green eyes taking in my every movement. With lightning reflexes, he lunged at me, aiming for my middle. I barely had time to block him and ended up staggering back a few steps. Man, he hit hard. I quickly rallied, planting my feet and centering my body over my legs. He lunged again toward my shoulder. I swung the wood sword upward, spiraling around his sword and turning my back and elbow into his body, making him have to find better footing. I spun in a circle, knowing he would be right on top of me. As I turned, he was already in mid-swing at my legs.
The motions began to slow, and small details became more prominent, like how the veins in his arms were a faint blue and pulsing with the blood surging through his body. This fight felt different. I easily jumped over his swing, but as I did, he cut the swing short and jabbed with his arm outstretched, knocking me straight to the ground. As if he could sense my new moves and strength, he didn’t stop his attack. His sword came down straight on my head. The splinters from the wooden sword stood out from the end as it came toward my face. I rolled into his legs taking him down. I just took Callum down! I hit his chest with every ounce that my elbow could carry. The smug ass, he actually laughed. What did I just do? How?
I rolled over on my side to look at him. His face filled with total delight. His sword laid by his side, forgotten, and his hand pressed to his chest. My face contorted into confusion.
“Wow, that was the most fun I have had in a long time.” He smiled a big toothy grin at me. It changed his handsome hard features into an almost breath-taking beauty.
“I’m - I’m so glad I could amuse you.” I tentatively got up and shook my head at him. He watched me from his position on the ground. “You are a strange man.” His smile dimmed. He sat up, linking his arms around his knees. I wiped the dirt off of me as best I could and found about thirty or more people watching us. Oh, great.
“Wait.” Callum jumped up and grabbed my arm, making me look at him.
“Ow.” I tried to pull away from him, but his grip tightened.
“No, wait. There’s something wrong with your eyes.” He stepped toward me.
“What do you mean?” I ran my fingertips across my eyes to see if I could feel something. They felt normal. I could see fine.
“Here, let me see,” When I didn’t jump away, he slowly lifted his hand and cupped my face, lifting my face toward his. My breathing grew shallower, being so close to him and in this position. His eyes delved deep into mine, studying me. “I don’t believe it.”
“What don’t you believe?”
“The whites of your eyes were bleeding into the iris.”
“What?” I jerked my arm from his grip.
“It’s almost like you have the beginning markings of a Watcher.” He spoke low and hesitantly. His expression was blank. He turned from me, pushing his way through the people. I stared after him.
Ashlen walked up to me slowly, her voice low and soft as she spoke, “Hey, let me see?”
I only nodded. I met her eyes. She studied them.
“He’s right. The white was taking over the rest of your eyes, but they’re back to normal now.” She half-smiled and squeezed my arm, “So nothing to worry about.”
I couldn’t meet her gaze. I felt like some kind of experiment that had gone horribly wrong.
The group of people that had been around us kept a wide berth. I felt like a fish in a bowl. Way too many people surrounded me, most of them I barely knew or hadn’t even spoken to. I felt claustrophobic. I kept my gaze focused on the ground and tried to make my escape.
“Let me through. Please...” I didn’t have to ask twice. The people parted, giving me plenty of breathing space. They held uncertainty on their faces. Tears slid down my cheeks. I ran. Ashlen called after me, but I didn’t stop.
“Brand!” He was going into his tent when I saw him. A tall, muscular guy with light brown hair was talking with him. He stopped and waited for me to catch up.
“Aye?” he seemed to register that something was wrong. He addressed the younger guy, “Harris, would you mind giving me a few minutes?”
“Sure, Brand, no problem.” Ah, Harris, a good ole southern boy. The syllables were extra-long and drawn out. He smiled really big, the expression engulfing his entire face. Winking at me, he walked away.
Brand’s smile faded around the edges, and he held the flap to his tent back for me to go through. “Have a seat. What’s happened now.”
I couldn’t sit down. I ended up pacing in front of him.
He watched me for a moment then cleared his throat. “If yous dinna tell me what’s going on, I can’t help lassie.”
I stopped in the middle of the floor, keeping my eyes on the floor like I was afraid he might see them.
“Something happened to my eyes when I was sparring.” Silence followed, and I peeked at him. He studied me.
“So, you’re getting your Watcher marks this early? Well, that’s great! You should be proud.” He smiled brightly.
I shook my head slowly, “My eyes didn’t change to black they turned white.” It felt like the air sucked from my lungs. I took the seat beside him, folding my hands into my lap.
“You said they turned white?”
I nodded.
“Tell me what happened.” His face was solemn.
“I was sparring with Callum, and when we finished, my eyes had changed colors.” His eyebrows rose when I mentioned Callum.
“Callum?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, why would he do that? That doesn’t sound like him.”
“Uh... I have no idea. Ashlen and I were fighting, and he was judging us. He came up to me at the end, took Ashlen’s weapon, then started attacking.”
“How’d you do?” His eyes twinkled with a smile.
“Well, not too bad. I, uh, unarmed him.” I barely shrugged.
He sat up straighter, “Did ye now? Well, good for ye!” He slapped my back. “I bet he enjoyed that.”
I looked at him with more than confusion on my face, “Well, yeah, he laughed for a while. I don’t see what this has to do with my eyes?”
“Right. Sorry, but I can’t really explain it to yous. I’ve never heard of someone’s eyes changing to white.” He paused, and I could tell he was trying to sort out something to say.
“Granted, your markings are different, but being different isn’t always a bad thing. I’ll do my best to get in contact with the Leader as quickly as I can. I’m sure he will figure something out or have a way to discern the meaning behind your eyes. I think the best we can do is wait and see if they turn white, who knows what really happened. It’s not something yo
u should be worrying over right now, concentrate on your studies, and we will find the answer as soon as we can.” He studied me and patted my back gently.
“Most of the kids will get the beginning markings within the next few weeks. You are different, that much is obvious in the way you arrived here. It’s like when some people grow faster than others. You’re one of those people that excel a little faster. These markings are something that should make yous happy. The first mark usually needs a catalyst of some sort. You need something that pushes you to the next limit. It can be emotional or physical...” He watched me with a grin on his old leathered face. “Yous are doing mighty well for someone who had no clue about this world a few weeks ago.” This time his face was filled with pride and admiration like I was his own child.
My smile widened, and I leaned over to hug him. He didn’t react right away. I guess I thoroughly surprised him, but then he wrapped his arms around me, giving me a good bear hug. I pulled away, laughing.
“I guess if you aren’t too worried about these early marks, I can try not to worry about them either. But why did Callum react the way he did?”
“Well, Callum is a hard one to figure out. He mostly keeps to himself, scouts on his own, and from what I know, he hasn’t had the easiest life. I guess because ye haven’t truly worked hard for those marks, he might think that ye dinna really deserve them… since he has been here, he works nonstop to be the best.” He spread his hands out in front of him as a way of explanation. He patted my knee, “Listen, dinna fash about it. Ye just keep working hard, and he’ll come around.” He winked at me.
“I’m trying to stay away from him, Brand. Which is usually easy since he’s never here,” I rose. “I don’t need to be around someone with a scary temper and brooding issues.”
He smiled and shook his head, “He chooses duty, to be alone. He needs a friend, that's all I’m saying.” He gently pushed me outside. “Come on. I think it’s time to eat.”
We headed to the center of the camp, where the fire grew bigger by the minute with smells of meat being spiced and sautéed, and fresh vegetables getting thrown into a stew wafted through the camp. I found a seat by Ashlen and grabbed whatever I could get my hands on.
The next couple of weeks progressed as slow as a snail race. My eyes had stayed their natural color the whole time, which made me breathe a sigh of relief. The only thing that the groundlings did during those weeks was fighting, learning more history, fighting some more, learning about weapons, and more fighting. I learned about archery, which I became very fond of and somewhat accomplished. By the end of those weeks, I had a couple more friends.
William Harrison or “Harris” as he likes to be called, the same guy who had winked at me playfully, actually became a fast friend. He’s tall, over six feet with light shaggy brown hair, and big mischievous blue eyes. I have yet to see a serious look come across his features. Harris is from good ole Alabama, so his deep southern twang warms you from your toes to the tip of your nose. He also loves to play pranks, which he persuaded Ashlen and me to be conspirators with him a couple of times. Personally, I think Ashlen has a small crush on him, and that’s why she tolerates his antics, but who knows for sure.
A petite girl with a big voice and fierce strength rounded out our little group so far. Her name is Raleigh Kirkland. She has short dark brown hair that touches the top of her shoulders, big brown eyes, and a kilowatt smile. She’s either running, fighting, climbing trees, or swimming; anything that will keep her going. Colorful tattoos trail down her left arm and right bicep. Her deep brown skin had a milky tint without the sunlight, contrasting with the bright colors of the ink. You wouldn’t think she would be much of a warrior, but she is fearless and super-fast. I have trouble sparring with her because she moves so quickly, I can barely keep up, but she makes me better.
We usually found ourselves sitting by a small fire telling jokes or stories about the normal world and our past lives. I loved being around them because we almost always had something to laugh about, and when it came to team exercises, we always came out on top.
The night was unusually cold. The four of us lounged around the fire, enjoying stories. Harris told a hysterical story about when he was a boy, and he had been caught running away from home. He was in the middle of describing his trek through the woods when screeching noises erupted through the dark.
At first, I didn’t think anything about the noises until I heard screams. Fire lit up the sky coming from the center of camp. Groundlings scattered everywhere. It was mass hysteria. The Watchers tried to keep control of everyone, but no one paid attention.
Protectors ran from the trees to the camp’s center, forming a large circle. Tendrils of white light ran down their arms forming shields in front of them. Brand stood in the middle of the camp. Light erupted from the ground, wrapping around him. I spotted Callum sprinting toward us. A shield already alighted on his forearm, while he held a crossbow in the other.
A girl stumbled toward us. Claw marks marred her face, and blood stained the front of her shirt. She grabbed me and slid to the ground.
“They’re coming. Nightlins. You have… to… get out. Run.” She gasped. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. I clutched her hands in mine; someone yelled in my ear, yanking on my arm. I watched as life drained from her body. Her blood covered my clothes and hands. Any noise around me became garbled. My eyes weren’t able to connect the scene before me. I vaguely remember someone picking me up. At one point, my body shut down, and the lights went out.
The agony that pumped through his body nearly made him pass out. Numerous dark figures surrounded and moved around him. They were doing something to his body. It felt like thousands of needles had been jammed into his skin, with tourniquets tightening on his joints. At any moment, his blood would stream out of his pores.
His eyes roamed across the entirety of the space he could see, but he was mostly in the dark. Only the light from the moon could be seen from narrow windows at the top of the walls. He remembered what it felt like to be in the light; remembered its warmth and calming reassurance. Yet, here he was on the dark side.
His mind tried to hold onto the good things; the light. He remembered her beautiful face and soft skin. He missed her, just the thought of her tore through his soul. Maybe he would die quickly. Hopefully, it would be over soon. Then he could float away in a dream.
Pain pulsed behind his eyes. He turned away from the moonlight, letting the darkness take over. Hoping for the end.
7
Smoke and food assailed my senses. The rustle of clothing and murmuring of voices were dim. My eyes fluttered open. All at once, my senses rushed back. Four shapes surrounded a fire. The closest shape to me patted my head.
“Hey, you okay?” It was Ashlen. I could barely recognize her features. Her face was covered with soot and dirt.
“What?” I propped up on my elbow and peered at her.
“Are you okay? You kind of passed out, which I don’t blame you. I would have done the same if I had gotten the chance.” She smiled reassuringly.
“Fainted?” I raised my hand to my forehead, except I noticed that my hand was covered with brown stains—dried blood. My head started to get woozy again. “Shit. I’ve got to get over this.”
“Don’t worry about it. I have trouble with blood. Sometimes,” Harris winked. He held out a rag for me to use.
I laid back onto the dry leaves, trying to wipe the stains off. I spotted Raleigh propped against a tree not too far away. The small fire crackled and spat out tiny embers. Smoke drifted off into the night. Footsteps approached crunching through the dry leaves and sticks announcing their arrival, but I couldn’t see anyone. A man came through the trees toward our small group. The man, who I had seen at the camp, with the golden eyes, stepped into the circle near the fire. He knelt in front of me, gentle hands held my face, as he checked me for injuries. I was in awe of his gold hair falling across his bare shoulders. Was this the guy from my dreams?
&nb
sp; “You’re awake, finally.” He grinned, moving, and extended his hand to me, “I’m Graham.”
I was totally taken aback by him. I was an idiot who couldn’t say a thing. I slipped my hand into his and nodded. His perfect smile broadened, creating small dimples on either side of his full lips. What the hell was wrong with me? Get all loopy when a cute guy smiles at me.
He sat with his back against a log and addressed us, “It seems that the majority of the camp has fallen or is in hiding. The creatures are running all over the grounds. It’s not just the Aeroes, but also the Inklings, the Raptors, several Spirits, and I saw one Skeleton. I’m the only Hunter within fifty miles. I could attack them, but I probably wouldn’t do very well trying to avenge the fallen, and then you would be left alone.” He looked around our small circle at each of us.
“What can we do?” I asked through clenched teeth. My head was killing me, and my stomach demanded food.
Graham met my eyes with something that felt like admiration, “Right now, I think our best bet is to get all of you to the capitol, to Kingston. There we can meet with the leader and gather more Hunters. The Nightlins are greedy, of course, but this is their biggest attack in a long while. I don’t understand why they chose now, but I think that Leader Stevenson can give us the best counsel.”
“How far is Kingston?” Ashlen asked.
“Maybe a day, you should be fine, since you’ve got Callum and me here.”
My head jerked, and I scanned the edges of the fire. Callum propped against a tree facing away. Only a third of his face and the top of his arm could be seen. He only acknowledged Graham using his name with a slight nod.
Only six survivors…
When the first tease of light appeared, we were already on our way to the capitol. No trail or path for us to follow, so we only had Graham and Callum to trust. Harris kept us entertained, but everyone was tired. Thankfully, we had five bags between the six of us filled with extra clothes and meager food rations. We stopped in the middle of a large field to eat and rest for only thirty minutes. Then we were on our way again.
