Chapter 3
Duty
The next day found me waking up slowly. I was not a morning person, and the morning was not finding me happy. During the night, more people had shown up inside. I crinkled my nose and pulled my tangled covers off. What woke me up? I glanced out the window, facing north, outside to the tent encampment and the parked cars... Parked. Cars. I double blinked, we had grown over night.
"Okay now see? This is what I didn't want..."I shoved my legs over the edge and rolled, literally, out of bed. "But then, when did God ever listen to me."I mock pouted and glanced over to my 'protectors.' Jim was sprawled in his boxers, taking up half the floor space, spread eagled out. Lucian was only a bit better, he at least, had a shirt on.
I snickered softly and crept to my closet, yanking out clean black jeans and a gray tee shirt. Today was work, not 'dress up and play brownnoser'. I snagged out changes for the boys, who had dropped their bags of clothes at the bottom of my closet, and dropped them on the bed. I was playing 'mother' again. I grinned and crept around Lucian. I was almost to the door, balancing my weight carefully on my tiptoes, when Jim cracked open an eye and studied me.
I was mid-step. One leg on one side, the other planted the other side. I stared at him. "Morning Yoshi."He smirked up at me. "You always try to sneak out?"I blinked then smirked right back at him and 'accidentally' miss stepped onto his chest.
As he 'oofed' Lucian started chuckling from his sprawled position. His eye was cracked open, head and body still in the same lazy position they had been in. "I see we are morning birds today..."
"Hell no!"I grinned over my shoulder at him. "I just wanted a shower before about 30 guys beat me to it. 'sides, Teddy says the baby's going to wake up in about twenty."I shrugged with another grin, and a step, I danced out of the room.
I slid into the bathroom around another two bodies in the hallway. I was trying hard not to laugh. Boys everywhere! A girls dream! I snickered and twisted the water. Boys who will be taken some very cold showers. I laughed at that thought and to add some spite into it, I turned it so it was not just warm, it had an edge of heat. I plopped my clothes down and pulled out a towel.
I stripped quickly of the clothes I had worn to bed. I hadn't realized how bloody they where, even the change to the mage robes hadn't been able to get out the stains. I tossed them blindly into a corner and dived into the shower shrieking like a banshee. Even over the shower I heard bodies scramble sleepily.
I cackled softly, burying my head underwater. Letting the water clean my skin as I thought. Today, we organize the basic groups, gets some leaders, clean up the people we have. Go shopping... The list went on and on! I smiled softly, words of a very old friend, who had said the same words to me for many lifetimes drifted back.
§§§§§§§§§§§ The Past §§§§§§§§§§§
"Gah! You can't do everything by yourself!"Lina shoved me lightly into the dirt with her boot heel. "You remember when you first joined up with the army? Just because the boss says your in doesn't mean you can slack off. You leave the other shit to us, and do your part so we can do ours."Lina was slender and tall, she was what some thought were 'Fae, or Fairy.' She had long limbs, that seemed to be just skin and bone. She moved with a grace that should of been completely denied at the age of 60.
She had silver hair that curled neatly around her skull, and slightly pointed ears, with slanty emerald eyes. I gulped and nodded slowly. Her boss... Draconius, his very name spoke of power. Power and the willingness to do what needed to be done.
I took a breath getting up slowly from the dirt. Just my luck, Lina had to go and do it around the boss and his partner. I winced and rubbed my hip. I had swore to myself not to tell them who I was. No one knew exactly how Draconius had gotten out of the mage city in his blind rage to get the magi responsible for the spying and betrayal.
The familiar ache was there with the thought of Circe and Uri. I shook my head stubbornly, to these people I was Luana. A simple warrior who had seen the wounded Draconius and helped him to the well known camp. I bowed my head slightly, seething in anger, back at the city no one would of treated me like that.
I had cut my hair short, when everyone back at the court, including the men, had worn it long. I also magically changed it to be naturally black, and my skin toned down to more of an olive. No one save maybe family would recognize me, or if they did, they would shrug it off to being a distant cousin.
I pressed my chin deeper in my chest, oh how the council would laugh at me, standing here waiting for a rebuke I knew would come. I wanted a moment, then another, and another. Still nothing, slowly I glanced up, and around. There was no one present. I arched a brow, then I saw him, the man I had seen right before Uri died.
The boss and his partner were kneeling in front of him. The man was smiling softly to the two as they sat there. All around them men and women kneeled to form a circle around him. I just, stood there, anger was there, like a snake, coiled and ready to strike.
"You knew."I whispered, staring at him. "You knew when you pulled me away that Uri would be stuck between worlds instead of me."I didn't even notice the tears falling down my cheeks. "You knew"I shouted the last part, turning on my left foot's toes and running for the forest just outside of town.
Training month after month, being simply 'Luana', scorned for my helping Draconius, not that you could tell. If there was favoritism it was lost on me. I slid the sword home into the air. Air, even in anger I could feel the life beat of the trees around me. The trees, the birds in the air, the grass at my feet. I took a breath, then another, forcing my anger down.
This was stupid, the man couldn't of known Uri would die. How would he have known that in moving to greet him in time freeze Uri would die. My baby... I wrapped my arms around my middle, the sword being held loosely with three fingers, the gleaming tip just barely scratching the topsoil. My baby was dead at 8 years of age. He would, from now until the day someone released him, be wondering the middle world, half here, half there.
The baby of my union with the man I was deathly in love with. The man who I swore was a dream, yet Uri proved not. The man who came to me in dreams for a month, then vanished like a puff of smoke. Uri, My light, I felt his presence slid around my leg. I smiled softly. "hello little one."
'You shouldn't be angry mommy, I wouldn't want you here like this.' His words brought little comfort as I stood in the middle of the ancient forest, holding myself and a sword. I had not used magic since rescuing Draconius, for fear of discovery. It had been very very hard a first, healing on my own, doing things by hand, liking lighting a fire.
"I know Uri. Mommy just had a moment of weakness."I've been having alot of those lately. I added in silently as I brushed my fingertips lightly on his head. I could almost feel him, almost. Oh god, this was torture, any mother would give her life for the life of her child, but to have him here like this. It made her question her sanity, and her loyalty to the dream man.
The snapping of a twig made her whirl, sword out, positioned between whoever it was and Uri's spirit. Uri never came around camp, and she always had her tent as close to the wilderness as possible so he could come to her. Had she been discovered?
She relaxed only slightly seeing Draconius himself standing there. "You knew he was there and you didn't stay. You shouted accusations and ran."His eyes were narrowed, I couldn't tell if it was in anger, or puzzlement. "And you look familiar, until He pointed it out I hadn't realized who you where."
Busted. I thought to myself, straightening slowly, dropping the sword. "My lord,"I raised my hands in front of me. "Will you slaughter me like you did my sister? Please, my son is dead, my twin is dead, the people who I thought were friends and kin denied me. You killed my one hope of life the night I saved my neck, and yours. For selfish ends, I saved your neck. It worked, as Luana, I remained alive for a few more months."
He stood still, his arms crossed lightly over his chest and his armor. I couldn't guess what he was thinking. "I didn't hurt you the night I killed your lover."He said in the pause that followed. "I am rather surprised. According to Him, you were waiting someone, who had given you your child."
I blinked, Him, that man then was a God. The one I had followed since Uri Died, if blindly like a child. "Lord, that man was only a ways of a means to destroy the council. As it was, I never did anything intimate with Jalisen."My cheeks burned crimson with shame as he tossed it back in my face. "With Uri and Circe gone, there was not much hope for me."
"A lazy excuse not to live."His voice was sharp, he didn't bother hiding his disgust.
"Loose all you care for, My lord, and you will understand the pain of loosing a child and your twin!"I was angry, how dare he say such things! "I have tried hard to follow your laws. But even your God can not keep me here. Not now."I stared holes into the ground, letting the silence hang between us like a safe shroud. I silently dared him to contest me, to contest the words I spoke.
"I understand more than you will ever know..."His words rose my chin, completely with the angry tears that slid down my cheeks. "Look, I need to..."
"Oh how quaint, a family reunion, complete with a bouncing baby boy."The words were smirked and mocked out. They slipped out of the shadows with a form, and I gave the form a name, Alistra. Her taunting continued unabated. "It's really a shame, to catch our spy falling in love with the very man she came to kill. Really it is a pity, loosing two of our mages to the same fate."
"Alistra!"I knew we were trapped, she would of never come alone. Sure enough, her big sister Dawn was right beside her. "Day..."And the monster of a man that Day was mated too, Randell, next to him Malea, the rest of the whole be damned council. "Oh god."was all I could whisper before the mage bolts flew, with the intent to stun. That scared me more then if the had been meant to kill.
§§§§§§§§§§§ The Present §§§§§§§§§§§
I gasped, the memories letting me go in a hurry. Fear was there, willing my limbs to run from a threat that was long since dead. I arched a brow and jumped out of the tub, snagging a towel and rubbing myself off quickly as I could. Clothes followed in a fury of movement.
I twisted the door open to a line of men. Seeing the bathroom free, one bolted around me and into it. I smiled slightly then bolted back into my room. They were gone, I was almost desperate in my search, why was I suddenly terrified for Jim? Jim of all people!?
Teddy called from the kitchen. I followed his voice blindly, trying to respond to all the good natured 'Mornings'. When I stopped there was Jim, sipping a Dr. Pepper and leaning casually on the counter. Lucian was near him, cooking something that smelled delicious on the stove. A few other men scattered around the kitchen preparing a huge breakfast.
Teddy in his spirit form, still trapped after all these years, clutched to my legs, feeling my distress. Metallica blared from our radio, I half smiled, one of my favorite songs. I hummed, snagging a coca cola from the fridge and popping it open. Anything to look not-like-I-thought-you-where-going-to-be-dead-now-your-not-So-now-Imma-going-to-play-it-off- look.
"Morning Sunshine."Jim smiled over his can at me. I forced myself to iron up inside, god he was alive. And He wasn't Draconius... Nope nope... I knew of course, I was only lying to myself. He was Draconius, I had known that for a long time. The truth that he was in fact Uri/Teddy's father only gave me the shivers.
"Morning' Lover boy"I nodded my head to him and over the music screamed, "Good Morning' Handsome!"to Lucian. Lucian grinned and nodded his head to the music toward me. I yawned and busied myself in drinking down the Cola in a record time. I noticed all to quickly when Jim came to my side.
"Why, may I ask, is Teddy clinging to your legs like there is no tomorrow?"His breath brushed my ear and my flesh. I shivered and glanced up to him, his brown eyes were completely innocent in their asking. He merely wanted to make sure I heard him over the music.
I wanted to strangle him. Either that or hug him tighter then tight. I shrugged, not trusting my voice and smiled halfheartedly. 'Kids' my attitude screamed, unlike my body and heart which screamed something completely different. I was not going there however.
He arched a brow and fell into 'body' talk. He crossed his arms and 'waited'. I could tell I just wasn't getting out of it that easy. I snagged a paper plate from behind him and snagged a good portion of food I wasn't going to eat, and two forks. Then I shoved Jimbo outside to the patio. He and I settled next to each other, Teddy a constant presence around my feet, then in my lap.
Jim took the food gently away from nerveless fingers. The Metallica drifted from inside the kitchen. Roses surrounding us drifted a mellow scent into the early morning air. It wasn't even six yet. "Now..."Jim rested a light finger on my lips. "When you talk, I want to hear the truth, not some half baked lie based on the truth. You look as white as a sheet even with a tan. Teddy says your scared I'm going to go off and poof on you permanent like."He arched a brow, studying me patiently, his finger slid from my lips.
I could only take a deep breath to stop the sudden onslaught of tears. Until recently, I had merely assumed with the fragments of the past drifting meant I had killed him. Now to find out I hadn't? I slid my hands around the ghost Teddy. "Well.. You see, I've been having these flash backs..."
"Cara!"Domi cried from the front yard/front doorway of the house. "CARA"Her voice was panic stricken. I smiled softly at Jim and kissed his cheek lightly. I blushed lightly at the sudden 'feeling' of pleasure. Pleasure at not having to tell him what I figured out... What if I was wrong?
"Duty calls."I stood, Teddy's presence vanishing as I moved to the front door. Jim scooped our food up and left it on the counter, away from birds, and followed. "Yeah Domi?"I blinked, her cheeks were covered in tears, and her clothes...
"Blood, there was blood everywhere..."She choked grabbing onto my arms. "Cara! They took the children and killed the adults. They did something weird with the bodies."I froze, staring at her, then shook myself out of the grip of paralysis.
"Domi... Calm down, deep breaths. Where?"I summoned my magic readily enough. She stared at me, then nodded, summoning the familiar flow of magic. It was easy enough to tell, she started glowing faintly around the edges.
"Over the edge of the encampment. Just past our borders. We had gone out looking for people needing help with no way to get here. They crucified the father it looks like."It was a visible struggle to talk calmly, the internal war not to collapse was evident on her face.
"Well we can't go now... We aren't ready."I gathered her in my arms. I knew this shook her, but we couldn't afford to send out our people and get them killed because they weren't ready to go. "Come, pull yourself together, we have things to do."
Domi nodded, her magic sliding off her like a cloak as she changed from my arms to Mick's. I smiled softly at Mick. We had never been friends, not really, but we both wanted to protect Domi with every ounce of our being. I nodded once to him before moving back to the main room of the house.
"Everyone Up and At em! Someone gather the kids. They need to hear this one too."I used magic to toss the words into every corner in every house in our sector. Then I bounded out happily with a look of total 'why' from Lucian.
Today was going to be good. If you had a crisis in the morning it always made the day start off well. You wake up smiling, your in trouble. I smiled absently as I took silent inventory of my skills. I had a few ideas, but unless I could put them into words, this was going no where. I shrugged into my jean jacket, the morning air was a bit cool.
"Alright."I clamored up onto the table we had set up to shout orders. Much safer then a roof. "Now, I'm going to do something..."The shouts of confusion were deafening. Obviously people were starting to realize this wasn't some nightmare, they were going to have to deal.
"Shut up!"Jim put some 'umph' into it and they quickly hushed. He smiled over his shoulder, he was leaning on the table. "They are all yours Lady."
"Thanks."I whispered to him and straightened, squaring my shoulders. "There will be a breeze, for some people with it will come shivers, a light wave of the tummy turns, and others it will just feel 'weird'. This breeze is going to pull everyone into different groups. Don't worry if your friends aren't there. This is merely to figure out who has the same powers."
I took a breath and plunged on. "There will be roughly 6 big groups and little groups with in the six groups. Most people will be pulled to a partner, someone to guard their back."I motioned back to Domi and Mick. "Dominique is my partner. She supports me and I support her. She sees things I miss."I smiled lightly.
"Even if you don't have magic, you will be pulled into these groups. If you get partnered with a magic user, don't fret. This is important too."I crinkled my nose. "If you are older and partnered with a child it is so you can teach. The breeze will know who goes with who."I motioned a hand. "Any questions?"You could of heard crickets. I grinned lightly. "Alright my dears, close your eyes and get comfortable. Please open your eyes when you feel the breeze. I wouldn't be surprised if you felt connected or saw some sort of light around your partner."
People nodded as they got comfortable on the ground. Friends held friend's hands as they waited patiently. (Some more then others.) I sought Teddy with my heart, not my eyes. 'Yes mommy?' He appeared at my feet.
"Teddy I need you to ask the other ghosts to help me. Ask them to guide with the little angels to show who goes with who."I smiled down at him. He nodded once and vanished. Not long after, people were moving slowly but surely into groups. Hell, for a gathering of about a thousand, this was working out rather well. Some people stayed still, until the groups were done.
I glanced to my friends. Val, Samuel, Mathias and Dare all were spread evenly through the groups. Mick and Domi were in different groups, that didn't surprise me. Only thing that surprised me was I had gathered a mini group around the table. Lucian, Jim and a handful of others were watching me.
I canted my head to the side, then they all mimicked me. I grinned wide and glanced out over the crowd. Slowly the other six people I knew moved from their groups to me. I glanced out over the crowd, people were talking softly, some in awe, of their partner. I looked back to my group and nodded.
"Alright People!"I scanned the crowd. "In the bigger groups you need at least one leader. The one who speaks for a group."I glanced to my mini-group, that had suddenly poofed into various groups. "Then for all the quarter, you should all feel closer to 1/4 the group, you need another leader. The head dudes are not to be leaders of a 1/4 group."I smiled lightly.
"You have most of this morning to figure it out. Food should be in welcome supply in the houses, including my own. Eat, talk and don't exclude the ones who are to shy, shocked or quiet! Just because someone looks good doesn't mean they will have what it takes to lead the group. The same goes for the smartest."I canted my head over the group and nodded once more. "Well! what are you waiting for?! Hop three!"
Laughter broke out as people moved in large groups. Already it was clear who was partnered to who, and which of the group parts you were attached to. I stretched and slid off the table. I was so tired, but sleep was going to be a fond memory for now.
"You look wasted."A soft voice echoed from behind me. I turned to face Jim. I blinked a few times.
"I thought you left to go be with..."I grasped at the words. It was not going to be a good day. My temples were already throbbing with lack of sleep.
"With who? And Leave you undefended? Lucian would kick my ass."He grinned lightly. "At least, he could try."He motioned a hand to the still house behind us. I scowled slightly, moving around him to enter. "Now, you were saying?"
"Saying?"I plopped onto the living room couch, Mom's pride and joy. I smiled absently and yawned without intending too.
"Yes. Why you looked desperate until you found Lucian and I this morning."Jim slid onto the ottoman after he pulled it close. His brown eyes were earnest as he watched me. "You know something you don't want me to know. So that means you think I don't already know it."His mouth was in a firm line.
"I give!"I held up my hands, trying not to yawn again. "I had a flashback... About Riasen. She was accused of spying and trying to kill the man she loved."I smiled slightly and shrugged. "It shook me, so I needed some 'real world' support."
"Umm hmm."Jim shoved a finger into my face. "And you think it was me, so you rushed out to check."I blinked alot at him. I knew my jaw coming unhinged was all he needed to continue. "Look, Cara, we got things to do, a love affair isn't exactly one of them. I'll protect you, but nothing else, not right now.
My gut twisted painfully against my ribs. I shook my head, blushing furiously. "It's not like that Jim, really it's not. I don't know who it was, and from what I gather, Riasen never figured it out either."I didn't bother to respond Draconius himself had hinted to the love affair and Uri being his son.
He opened his mouth to reply, but Lucian slipped in the next moment. Jim snapped his jaw closed and shrugged, smiling over to Lucian. "Did I interrupt?"Lucian arched a brow glancing between the two of us. I shook my head, and studied him. "We got the groups sorted out. Looks like all we did get stuck with are old timers. Most of the new souls bolted at the first chance, for either side."
Cannon fodder, the unspoken words may had well been said. "Even the children?"I tilted my head to the side.
"No new souls will be released."Lucian shrugged "Orders from Above, the only ones coming through now will be inbetweeners"Ghosts "and old souls coming back for some action."
I nodded, pursing my lips and studying the maps in my head. We were safe for now, some space to breath, gather up the ones missing. Teach the rest. I shook my head and stood up, hands falling limply to my sides. "Then Gentlemen, let us go try to explain our situation to these poor souls who through their lot in with us."
"Lets hope no one starts freaking. We've been lucky so far, all the other sides are gathering and strengthening like us."Jim followed my lead in standing, his fingers brushing my hand. I glanced over my shoulder at him. Brown eyes meet my own sending familiar shivers down my spine.
I broke the eye contact by looking toward Lucian, then the door. When I stepped out into the light, cheering whistled through the crowd. Whatever happened to catalyze the people, it had worked beautifully. They were smiling, most wearing the uniforms and robes of the past. Even the children looked content, with wisdom beyond their years shining in their eyes.
This wasn't some crowd of Rookies. These were people who realized they 'weren't' going crazy. They weren't going to be shunned. And above all, they had a job and a duty to do. I held my hands up for silence. "I want a vote, a quick no harm vote. You all know who I am. What I was and what I did."
I waited for the silence to abate again. "I am overwhelmed you think me that worthy."I smiled half heartly. "But vote, I don't want to stand here if you think one of you can do better."I waved my hand, two stones fell into the hands of the crowd. Even the children and babies got a choice. "We stayed here *by* choice. I am not going to change that mode of decision now when Our Father has kept it so. Black for someone new, and white for me. These aren't magiced, Lucian and Jim will collect them."
The people, almost like a wave, nodded. Then as Lucian, Jim, Val and Samuel collected pebbles I shifted nervously on my front steps. Word had spread by mouth, as did the stones. Everyone got in a word. I shifted again. What if they didn't want me? What if Dad was wrong?
"Looking Nervous there Chica."The voice was teasing, definitely female. I glanced to the right, taking in the Hot-Rod'ers chick. She was Hispanic with long black hair, chopped off at the nose in front and long in back. With tanned skin from working in the sun and light brown eyes. She was hard and cool. I smiled lightly.
"Of course, wouldn't you be? I am not a monster. I won't make the decision alone."I shrugged lightly glancing back over the crowd. The sun hung in the middle of the sky, reminding me of those old western show downs. "I was surprised to see you in the crowd last night."
Silence. I didn't look back at her, keeping my eyes on the sky. Crows circled lazily above us. I stifled a yawn. "I was drawn to this."Her words were simply said as her pebble clinked into the basket. "I was intrigued by your words. For all these years I had started to convince myself it wasn't going to happen. Now that is, I have no choice but to accept it."
"You didn't have to stay Eliza. Just because you lost faith doesn't mean Dad wouldn't of opened his arms to you."I glanced back then, I didn't bother hiding the tears in my eyes. She knew me like most didn't bother to. "I would of Eliza. I was a child, and a fool."I shrugged my shoulders then, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "But I don't ask for your forgiveness. Everyone grows up, and we have the right to do so."
The baskets clinked as they hit the ground in front of me. I looked around at the expectant faces. Most sat in the yard, in the street on the other side of the street in the lawn. Others stood or leaned on the out lying fences. I took a breath. And dropped my chin to my chest.
At the signal four angels appeared, in all angelic glory, to flip the baskets over. One by one, like a grain of sand in a hourglass, they clinked to the ground and into each other. Each one was a milky unblemished white. Until the last, a soft pearly gray. Eliza met my gaze without flinching. I knew who had put the gray one in. I nodded, it wasn't an insult, it was a challenge. A Challenge to prove I was the one for the job.
"Very well you slackers!"I grinned out over the crowd. "You can see for yourself. I masked the gray one to be white like the others. It wouldn't do for the others to believe there was a 'traitor' in their mists. The Angels smiled over at me and vanished into a sunbeam. "Groups form up and start over the leader list."
I fell back into a chair as I listened. The first group, who were healers, chose Lucian for their grand leader. The second group, the protectors, knights, bodyguards and the like, chose Samuel, of all people, to lead them. Val and my brother William were heading up a group of strategists. The all out, full blown mage's had chosen Dominique to lead them. The mundane group, with the knacks for people, feeding mass crowds and the like, had chose Mathias and Dale, with a few of the older people to back their claims and give advice.
The entertainers, the mages with odds and ends of abilities, were under Jim's hand now. He also took on some 'special' warrior cases. The odds and ends of humanity, with various gifts and talents, Chose Eliza for their leader. They were mostly young people, who while they were not new souls, they weren't very old either. There were obviously a few who didn't fit that part of the category.
The last three groups were the ones I had my eye on. One, lead by a large African American in his middle years, named simply 'Frank'. Frank was all about transportation, if it had four legs, four wheels or even just two, he could make it work for you. His people were the same, even if the 'transportation' was simply a cow, or dogs.
The second of the groups were the people with green thumbs. They could do anything with the ground and the weather. That included the basic elements. Were most mages could 'touch' upon them, these men and women had a knack for it. They could make air burn water, instead of fire. Their leader was an older native American woman, who's grandfather had been one of the last shamans for the people of her tribe. Which tribe, she never mentioned. She called herself Halona, a name that still left my tongue in knots.
The last group was surprisingly mostly children. The prophets, the far seers, and the mediums, the people who could see/hear/talk to ghosts.. They had one boy at the age of 12, who spoke for the group. His name was Ira. I stretched standing slowly from my chair and looking over the leaders. "Very well. Frank you and Eliza go for supplies, food and gas, Try to get as much as possible. Quite honestly we have money, so lets' use it while it still does us some good eh?"
A nod from the two as they studied each other. Frank broke the ice. "You got a knack fer Cars?"He peered down at Eliza. She was tall, at least 5'11. But Frank still towered over her. "You smell like grease and some good old elbow."He grinned at her, showing white teeth. She arched a brow and smirked lightly.
"Yeah old man, I got a hot rod, 1965..."Her voice trailed out into the crowd as the two made way through the tents. Their people followed, intermingling now that their 'leaders' were talking. I Shivered, this was going to be harder then I thought.
I looked over to the warrior groups. Both Jim and Samuel looked ready to bite something if they didn't get some action. I grinned, paper work was right up their way. "Sam, you and Jimbo go through your crew, take the people you feel should protect who. Keep in mind some mages already have people set."I arched a brow, trailing off as Samuel held up a hand.
"Let us do our job. Alright People, you heard Joy"He smirked impishly over his shoulder when using my old nickname. I shoot some daggers into his back as he sauntered off shouting orders. I shook my head and glanced to Lucian and the others found they were already moving. All but Ira and his small band of probably some of the most powerful mages of them all.
Ira stepped forward and coughed. He was a small punk kid. His hair was spiked in a green Mohawk, with blond roots sticking from the base of his skull. I arched a brow, looking to meet his eyes. Really he was my size, but then I would be admitting I was short, and I'm not! "Lady"
"Not Lady Ira.. we've worked this circuit before. Hell's fire, you taught me how to use most of my powers!"It was kinda funny actually, some of the older souls were in young bodies. That proved Dad did have a sense of humor.
"Cara then? Or shall I call you Little wolf?"Ira grinned and shrugged his shoulders again, making the same color leather of his hair crinkle and cry softly with the movement. "I take it as Cara. You know me, and I know you. You'll have your hands full being political. Which is fine, we know what to do."He grinned waved a hand. "It really is a shame though, if you could be the 'leader' I wouldn't have to attend those damn boring meetings."
"You just don't want to hear Eliza talk about cars all day to Frank like she did in the past."I winked, shooing him with my hands. "Can't you go bug an 'adult'?"
Ira laughed and kissed my cheek. A butterfly kiss. "Our group has claimed your house. So start living Onee-chan."I blinked, first the kiss, then the 'big sister' comment, the house... THE HOUSE!?
Before I could protest, they were running down the street playing tag. I fell back into my chair with a thump. "Kids"I muttered with a smile as Teddy flickered in and out with the group. They could see and speak to him, so he could have some fun for once.
"Excuse me..."A tall man, with dark hair and light eyes moved from the sun into the shade of the porch. "Are you the one they Called Riasen?"
"That's me."I propped my hand on my forehead, squinting into the sun. He may have moved out of it to put it in my eyes. "Can I help you?"
"You can die."His voice were a hiss as he morphed in front of my eyes into a large lizard.
"AH SHIT!"I screeched, diving out of my chair and rolling on my right shoulder. "I think.. I need a bigger box..."I got up and ran toward the hills, there was no way I was going to fight this guy when some of the people were training. Breaking concentration would be as deadly as say, tossing a fully charged mage bolt at the thing to see him dodge.
I twisted to one side, rolling as I hit the ground. Speaking of fully charged mage bolts. "Are you Nuts?!"The lizard stood back on it's hind legs, using the tail to balance itself. Metal flickered behind him, as a sword twisted down into the lizard, slicing him in two. I heaved a sigh of relief, ignoring the pain of bleeding scratches and soon to be bruises.
"Life never gets dull around you does it?"Jim smirked as his sword simply 'vanished' with a soft pop as air rushed to fill in the spot.
"Never."I got up on one elbow just in time to see the lizard reform and smack Jim into a tree. "What does it take to KILL You!?"I screeched, mage bolts were to dangerous, and with the lack of sleep, they were the only thing I remotely trusted. And I didn't trust them much. "Run?"I asked myself, springing away from another tail slice. "Run."I nodded and bolted once more up the hill.
Chapter Four
Love
Today was just not a good day to be a mage. I skidded on my hands, glancing over my shoulder wildly. The lizard was still there, gaining speed where I was beinging to loose it. I glanced around, no one, out of all the people in the encampment, were around. What the hell? everyone take a vacation when I was going to get my ass beat by a miniture godzilla?! I cursed under my breath and took off down the path once more.
"Can't... You give.. Up!?"I panted as I skidded around a corner, making a miniture dirt cloud with my skid. No one heard my curses, no one heard the question... That is if you don't inculde mister lizard. I only paused a second as the lizard tail sliced a tree in two. "Oh YAY!"I tossed my hands up, giving up on the running. The tree crashed not six inches from my face.
"Alright... You want a peice of me?"I dug up the memories of Riasen, and her predassors. Her thoughts were quicker then I had orignally gathered. My hands raised and shot out a bolt of lighting, slamming into the lizard's chest. I blinked and shook my head, that was to... werid.. I was a passanger in my own body again! I bolted again, this time down the hillside. Surely someone would look out a window or up at the hill and see me scrambling.
The Lizard kept on me, falling to all fours when not driectly near me. I shook my head voilently and skidded to the bottom of the hill. The hill, by the way was a miniture mountian. I glanced up, sure enough, not ten feet behind me was the lizard, and no help in sight.
"This is just NOT my day!"I blinked seeing another lizardman come into the corner of my vision. I was shaking like a leaf. Damn right I was terrorifed of this creatures. I was also very pissed off. I slamed another lighting bolt into the one following. Unfortantly the other lizard man had zoomed into my line of sight, and slammed me back into the ground. They were fast! I shoved my knees up under it. I waited a moment, gathering my balance, and kicked out. It went flying over my head and into a tree.
The other one was already on me. I didn't even have time to get up. "Oh hell."I struggled to find a weapon, anything, to smack this thing to kingdom come.
A bolt of lighting slamed into the lizard. Alot bigger, I might add, then mine had been. A Mated pair of magi then. I turned my head, sure enough, Mick and Domi were hand clasped and fending off their own gathering of lizard men.
Anger rose quickly in my gut, cutting of air in the lump. A scream echoed from the healer house down the street. I tossed my head in the general driection. This was enough. I let go once more, letting my soul slip into complete control, that meant losing myself to be whole, complete.
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