The War for Mare (The Fall of Man Book 3) (16 page)

“Where is Burt?” I asked.

“He has not been in Ancient form in years,
he needs to adjust. He’ll be here,” Nito said. “Are you prepared,
my young human Mare?”

“I despise you.”

“But I am the teacher. You are the
student.”

“What can you teach me that Davis has
not?”

Nito laughed manically. “Davis taught you?
No offense to Davis, but he hasn’t a clue what you can do. Oh, yes,
you can shake a stick and make fire, scream shrilly and drop a few
Savages, but you are more than that. If there was one ability you
wished you could have, what would it be?”

“To fly.”

“Good thing for you, that’s almost a
possibility.”

“I can fly?”

“In a sense. Like I do. That skill combined
with the others will come in handy.”

“Wait,” Davis said. “She can fly?”

“It’s more speed running, jumping, and
flinging. Watch.”

Nito moved fast to the left, so fast she was
a blur. She jump to one rock, used it as a springboard, and sailed
to the next. From that she leapt again and zipped back to us.

“Like that,” she said. “Can you do that,
Vala?”

“That?” I nodded. “Please, I will do it not
only with ease, but better than you.”

Nito held out her hand for me to show
her.

I took a breath and ran.

Maybe I should have asked for instruction or
not been quite as confident in my abilities, and perhaps I would
not have fallen flat on my face after trying to make the first
jump.

Nito laughed and walked over to me,
extending her hand. I smacked it away.

“Again?” she asked. “Want to run foolishly
or would you like me to tell you how it is done?”

I stood and brushed the sand from my
clothing. Hating to do so, I asked for an explanation. It looked
easy enough, and in time I was sure it would be for me. I just
hoped there was enough time.

Hopeland decided
to take their chances, placing their faith in Burt and standing
their ground, remaining two hundred feet below the Earth’s
surface.

It made me feel good they had that much
faith.

“Did you know?” I asked Brea. “That Burt was
a Mare?”

“No one did. We knew he was special, not a
Mare, no.”

“It’s crazy.”

“Do you have to leave, Tanner?” she
asked.

“I can’t stay. Angeles City is my home, my
people, just like this is for you. They’re going out on boats,
going up north. I have to help move people out.”

“That’s not what you want to do, is it?”
Brea asked.

“No. No it isn’t. I want to fight this
fight. I want to battle. My whole life, I focused on defeating the
Ancients. They were the bad guys. Then I found out that I was
fighting the bad guys all along and didn’t know it.”

“I think you knew it. So why aren’t you up
there with Davis?”

“This fight is not for mortal man. It’s
bigger than us. And you know what sucks? The fate of humanity is in
the hands of a few Ancients.”

“Why does it suck?”

“I wanted to be part of saving mankind.”

“You are,” she said. “You maybe not be
blasting Savages, you may not be blowing up cities, but you are
ensuring that man survives. That people live whether the Savages
are victorious or not. Mankind will still be around. If that’s not
saving the world, then I don’t know what is.”

More than I realized, I needed to hear
Brea’s words. She was pretty cool, and I was glad I got to know
her. God willing, after the war, I’d get a chance to know her even
better.

I didn’t want to
tell her Vala; she didn’t need any more arrogance, but she grasped
onto the leaping better than I expected. She sparred with me in
practice fighting. She took it seriously, and I was certain I would
bruise, something that rarely happens to Ancients.

“They will come at you,” I told her. “Ten at
a time bat them away, but those of us who are with you will focus
on the fight. You will need to focus on the water. That is why you
will be placed on the Needle Building.”

“Which one is that?” she asked.

“You will be on top of the tallest structure
in the city. It looks like a needle with a hat.”

Davis laughed. “The Stratosphere? Oh wow.
That’s pretty high.”

“She’ll need to be able to control the water
and concentrate. Not to say they won’t try to bring her down, but
she will prevail. Vala, when was your last check?”

“This morning,” she said. “Your mother was
sleeping.”

“Check now.”

“It’s daylight.”

“Savages don’t sleep, my mother was only
resting. Try now. Follow your—”

“Blood, I know.” Vala closed her eyes.

While she focused, I looked at Davis.
Moisture was seeping from his body, a reaction to the heat. It was
an attractive quality for some reason. I caught his scent, and then
noticed Vala. She jumped up and began to wipe her hand frantically
on her body.

“What?” I asked. “What is it? What did you
see?”

“Oh my God,” she wrapped her arms close to
her body, turned, and then vomited.

Davis stood. “How bad was it?”

“Horrible. They… they were mating.”

His eyes widened and I would have gotten
sickened at the thought of my mother mating with Anubis had it not
been for Burt arriving in the desert with Iry.

No longer middle aged and lumpy, Burt was
now young and chiseled. His hair was full and long like a god’s and
when he smiled, he had all his teeth. “You are an attractive and
fit sight.”

“Yeah, this body does rock.” He ran his hand
down his chest.

“You remind me of my twenty-second
husband.”

“Twenty-two!” Davis barked. “You had that
many husbands?”

“More,” I replied.

“That’s nothing,” Burt said. “I had
thirty-four wives. Hard to keep it alive when you have infinite
life. Not many can be together like the king and his wife, and they
were, like, thousands of years.”

My father and mother were together forever,
and then thinking of them made me shudder because instantly I
thought of her mating with Anubis.

“Enough of marriage,” I said. “Let’s get to
serious concentration training.”

“Sure,” Burt said, clapping his hands. “What
are we doing?”

“See that mountain?” I pointed.

“Are we running to it?” Vala asked.

“No,” I replied. “You are moving it.”

The look on their faces was priceless. They
weren’t really going to move the mountain, but in trying, they
would develop the strength it would take to move a body of water.
That was what was important.

I wasn’t certain if
I were more in tune or the queen’s blood pumped more viciously, but
every time I closed my eyes, I was there with her,
in
her,
and seeing through her eyes. I couldn’t relax. For two days solid
the visions increased, making rest impossible.

The night before the Feast of the Dead, I
wandered the empty streets of the Ancient City. The lights still
gleamed as if the town were filled. But it was empty, not one
vendor graced a corner. Every human and Ancient had been moved.

The only ones that remained were those of us
who would battle and the gatekeepers who diligently held their last
post. Whether we won the war or lost, they would be victims of the
battle. They needed to stand their ground, casting the visions of a
populated and unaware city until the Savages saw through it. By
then, it would be too late for the gatekeepers.

Unable to sleep, I took to walking. Snake
was checking on the explosives he had set, strategically placed
around the city.

“Hopefully, we won’t have to blow her up,”
Snake said. “You can move mountains, Vala.”

“An inch,” I smiled and held my fingers a
little apart.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“I am. Burt is by my side. Iry will be
battling along with Gosho. He is good. We are ready.”

“And the Savages?”

“They are antsy and hungry, so they will be
more driven.”

He took a breath and exhaled. “Scary
thought. You gonna try to sleep?”

“My abilities make it impossible. You?”

“The bars are empty. Think I’ll go toss a
few back and pass out on the blackjack table.”

I smiled and said, “You do that,” but I
didn’t have a clue what he meant. I thought about Davis in my walk.
Wondered what he was doing and thinking, and even contemplated
seeking him out when the gatekeeper stopped me.

“You should be resting child,” he said in an
eerily deep voice. “Your battle is tomorrow.”

“I cannot rest. Like you, my visions keep me
awake.”

“I am casting them. You are receiving them.
They have increased?”

“Tenfold. Closing my eyes in peace is
impossible.”

“You need to rest. Come closer.”

I didn’t want to. He was large, emitted a
foul smell, and looked as frightening as he sounded. When I was a
mere foot from him, he placed his hand on top of my head, said,
“Rest.” And that was it.

I fell asleep.

A deep sleep that I needed, one with no
dreams. It wasn’t a sound that awakened me. It was a vibration. I
jumped up to a sitting position and found myself in bed.

“You’re finally awake. I was worried,” Iry
said. “You all right?”

“Did you feel the Earth move?”

“No. Why?”

“I just…” I closed my eyes. All I saw was
movement. The Savages were stirring. “Iry, they’re coming.” I
lunged from bed.

“Nonsense, Vala, it’s the middle of the
day.”

No sooner had he said that than I noticed
the room darkened a little. “Why did it just get dark?”

“A cloud maybe,” he suggested.

I raced to the window and looked out.
“Something is up with the sky.” I ran from the room. Emerging into
the hall, I saw Davis.

“Whoa. Where you headed?”

“Davis, they’re coming!”

“I tried to tell her its daylight,” Iry
said. “She’s still confused from sleeping so long.”

“No, the sky is getting dark,” I argued.
“Look.”

Davis walked to the hall window and looked
out. “Oh my God. There’s gonna be an eclipse.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“The moon is gonna block the sun. It’ll be
dark. I’d say we have an hour.”

“The special moon.” Immediately I filled
with panic and spun to Iry. “Go get Gosho and Yaku, I’ll find Nito.
Davis, move the gatekeepers to higher ground then… then go.” I took
off running before either of them could argue.

<><><><>

“Waste no time,” Nito said. “Get to position
after you make the checks. I’ll move Yaku to the mountain as
quickly as I can.”

I looked up, the lights of the city came on
just as the sky quickly turned dark.

“Remember,” she said. “They will sense what
you are doing, they will try to bring you down. Focus on the water,
nothing else. We will try to keep them from you.”

After nodding my understanding, I turned and
was surprised to see both Davis and Snake still in the city.

“Davis, Snake, you have to go. Leave! There
is still time.”

Davis shook his head. “I’m gonna head to the
mountain to watch this. Hope for the best, because I know it will
all work out.”

“Please, Davis, don’t. Get far away.”

He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Vala,
if I go and run, then I am not showing my faith in you. Plus, I led
the rebellion this far, I’m gonna see it home.” He kissed me on the
cheek.

“Snake?” I faced him. “You?”

“I’ll be up in the Needle Building with you.
I can’t detonate from thirty miles away.”

“But if you have to detonate, you’ll be
killed.”

“I’ll go out in blaze of glory.”

“What if they get past me and into the
building?”

“Then you didn’t do your job.” Snake winked.
“I’ll be fine. Get in position. I’ll be there shortly.”

My friends were there with me. I wished they
weren’t. I took a moment to tap into Tanner, to feel assured he was
safe and when I saw that he was, I headed down the road.

On top of the Grand Building, Gosho was in
position and Iry stood on the street. I knew he was waiting for
me.

“I’ll be across the road from you,” Iry
said. “I’ll do what I can to keep them from you.”

“Be safe,” I told him.

“You be safe, Vala. And if you can’t do
this, if it is more powerful than you, then leave. Take off, get
out, find a way. Protect my child.”

“What about you?”

“As long as you live, so shall I.” He kissed
me softly on the cheek. “Thank you for what you have given me.”

“This is not the end, Iry.” I clutched his
hand, and with the feeling of urgency, I kissed him one last time
before going to the Needle Building and taking my position.

By the time I
delivered Yaku safely to the mountain, I saw that Davis was only
halfway there. I did not want to take a chance of losing him, so
whether he liked it or not, I grabbed hold of him and took him to
the mountain as well.

On my return route, I knew the battle was
moments away. I didn’t need to be a Mare to sense them. I could
hear them coming. Fifty thousand Savages made a lot of noise.

The gatekeepers were placed on the highest
floors. From what I remembered of Moses parting the Red Sea, if
Vala accomplished the task of moving that lake, the buildings were
not going to be strong enough to save any of us.

I prayed the Gods would show favor on us and
damn Anubis back to where he came from.

The plan was simple. Gosho, Iry, Burt, and I
would be on top of buildings, we would protect ourselves until we
saw the Savages descend upon the Ancient City to attack the visions
of people. Once they landed, we’d use all that we could to keep
them there until Vala brought the water or Snake released the
explosions. Yaku was the means of communication for us all. Through
him we could speak to each other.