Orange Sky, page 10
part #1 of Manasty Series
“You are not going to be harmed,” his eyes seemed too bright and his breath smelled funny. He almost smelled sweet.
Is he on drugs?
“My people are going to take you back to your home,” he said.
I stilled.
He eased a fraction of his hold on me.
This is bad. This is really bad. He probably thought I believed him. But I knew a liar. Because I’m a liar myself. I conned people in my youth during my rebellious phase. But when the system got hold of me, I got transferred to a town with less than 5,000 people in it. The town where my foster parents lived. I called them mom and dad because they treated me like real family. I always think of them as family. Rarely do I think of them as my foster family.
And that is how I gained so much weight. Being overfed by protective foster parents and the community. I loved them back, but I had wandering feet. Always felt the need to travel. The first chance I got, an office temp job in the nearest city, I jumped at it. Got trained, climbed the ladder and sometimes used my people skills to gain points. But I had learned the error of my ways and tried to find a peaceful life. Travelling became a passion, so I worked harder.
Why is my life flashing before me? Oh my goodness, maybe I’m about to die.
What do these people want? And I doubt anybody here knows my race!
He said, my people. Not my tribe. I kept hearing about this tribe business, and it was disconcerting he used people instead of tribe. Does he not belong to the Blue Tribe?
“I know you can understand me, so just nod yes or no to my questions, okay?” the blue guy asked.
I nod. I’d try to play this game with him.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, his blue-striped tail swished back and forth behind him. I needed to be careful, he was still agitated. Though I didn’t see any weapons on him or nearby, he was strong enough to break my neck.
“Did Zirc find you in Crane?”
I pretended not to understand it.
“You are not from this planet?”
I nod.
“I see,” he said, looking down, his brow wrinkled. “Still, there was a report of unidentified aircrafts entering our space recently. Debris.”
He looked up and his eyes had turned bright. Like two headlights.
“Did you see it? Did you see the relic?”
Relic? I kept hearing that word but I didn’t know what it was. Zirc described it, but he hadn’t looked at it when I was around. Did the relic come from the aliens that abducted me?
“You haven’t seen it?”
I nod.
“Damn it,” he released me abruptly and stood. The sudden movement almost made me fall to the ground.
My captor had become truly agitated. He was muttering to himself. Not a good sign. His body was taut as he paced the cave floor. His tail just missed one of the glow worms, its black eyes following his movement.
They looked cute but I kept still. All the glow worms were following the blue guy.
How did I know I couldn’t trust him but could Zirc? Was I brainwashed? Yet, like a princess, I wished Zirc would rescue me. He had no reason to do so. What would I do if he did rescue me?
Maybe by not being a great pain in his ass?
I get crazy when I’m stressed. It doesn’t help that the blue guy was pacing.
I should have known what it meant. I was enthralled with the back fur lining his spine. It stood up from the base of his tail all the way to the back of his neck. But his tail’s fur all stood. The hairs on their tails were so short it was not that noticeable. But this close to him, I saw it.
I looked down at myself. I had goosebumps all over my body. A reaction to him?
Then we both heard it and looked at each other.
His blue eyes were large, his pupils swallowing the white.
Uh oh.
I felt the vibration inside the cave. The trembling of the cave floor, as if a herd of monsters were marching towards us.
What the hell is going on?
The glow worms shrank, dimming the light. They, too, seemed afraid.
The roar was loud and long. Like an animal, a beast.
Next thing I knew, my back was pinned to the wall, my feet above the ground. I could almost see the top of the blue guy’s head as he single-handedly held me by my neck. But I saw fear riding him.
I scratched his arm. I struggled to scream. My gurgle of distress sounded loud in my ears.
“Who are you?” he glared and tightened his hold around my neck. I struggled like a fish on a hook.
What do I do in this situation?
“He turned into a beast!” he spat, sounding like a curse and accusation. “Only a mate can trigger his wrath. He has strong emotions for you. I should have listened to my instincts when you smelled so strongly of him. I thought it was only because you slept with him. I should have known!”
Then he let go of me suddenly.
I caught myself but still ended up crouched on the floor. Coughing hard to regain my breath.
With my hand on my throat, I tried to dispel my dizziness. Whatever is out there couldn’t possibly be Zirc. I’d never felt so much terror in my life. What is out there?
Blue Guy was still muttering to himself. Yes, I’m calling him Blue Guy from now on. “Going the way we came from is not a good idea, so going farther into the cave might be better.”
I tried to steady myself against the wall. Casting a wary look at Blue Guy, I inched farther away from him. I do not expect him to introduce himself when clearly, he is at his wit’s end. And this is my chance to escape!
Around a corner were three cave openings. Which one to choose? They all looked the same—dark.
I chose the one on my right because it was easier. I used the cave wall as a guide. I was still out of breath and needed to hide. Good thing I’m not that claustrophobic.
I refused to cry. I couldn’t believe this guy was betraying me, betraying Zirc like that. I knew he kind of admired Zirc. What would make him do this? What did he want?
My cheeks were wet but I refused to wipe them away with my free hand. I would survive this. I’ve come too far to just simply quit. Alone and miserable. This only happened in the movies.
I tried to smother my screams when I tripped. But I couldn’t stop the small squeak at the end.
Damn it, not now. I saw a light at the end of this tunnel. This reminded me of the dark alley where I used to hide from the police. I had a bad ex-boyfriend who used me for his drug deals. Good thing I got to clear up my name after that fiasco.
I could barely see now, even with the light at the end of the tunnel. The cold seeped through my clothes. I fought hard not to shiver, either from the cold or fear but most likely both.
I tried to stand but so many jagged rocks were under my feet. My hands were full of dust.
I took a deep breath. The air smelled wrong. I calmed myself even though there was probably something rotting in this place.
I took more steps forward, balancing with my arms. The cave wall no longer served its purpose. In fact, the cave walls here were full of sharp edges. I probably had more cuts on my arms and hands.
Only a few more steps to the end of the cave.
I heard before I saw the pool cave. The light from the moons above bounced off its clear water, illuminating the space.
Slowly, I emerged from the tunnel. Captivated, I approached the pool. The place looked magical. If you were not afraid of the dark secrets inside the other tunnels.
It was a good thing that whoever crept up to me grabbed my mouth because I would have shouted for the heavens. I’m pretty sure he felt my body shiver from head to toe.
“Shh,” he murmured against my ear. He had a firm grip across my waist and my head as he dragged me nearer to the cave wall. Away from the light.
No, I screamed in my head. I tried to use my dead weight but it had no effect. Who has me?
“I’ll let you go but don’t scream. I’m here to save you,” he whispered. He straightened and slowly released me.
Like a fool, instead of running away, I faced my attacker.
He has a stunning face.
He asked who I was, and I decided to motion that I couldn’t speak. He looked at me up and down and came to a conclusion. Dismissing me, he said, “Go eastwards to that tunnel,” pointing to another tunnel behind him. “You will find help if you go east.”
He smelled bad and I realized skulls were all over the cave floor. But his eyes looked steady. His indigo-colored eyes. Something about them calmed me. I don’t know yet if they had the power to influence, but it helped me take those few steps away from him. As I passed him, I saw a look of pity on his face. As if he had an idea what had happened to me.
He said to go east. Did he not know women are bad with directions? Ah, yes, no women on this planet, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.
I took inventory of myself. My pants were shredded at the knees, and my tunic was full of dirt and smeared. Surprisingly, my hands had no blood on them. The hand with a cloth from Zirc stung—both my hands stung.
“What the—” he started. I also stopped in my tracks. I cringed physically when I heard the loudest roar in my entire life.
I froze. Is this how a prey feels in the presence of a predator?
“I know that sound,” the man said, more to himself. I looked back at him. Why do they keep thinking aloud? Zirc didn’t talk to himself. Maybe Zirc is weird, after all.
He sniffed the air, doing a semi-circle. Did a long sniff in my general direction. Then he narrowed those indigo eyes at me yet again.
“You,” he accused. He took another long sniff. His eyes got wider, then turned into slits. He even took a step back. “The Silver Beast.”
Whoever this Silver Beast is, I have nothing to do with it.
“You smell like him. What—”
He turned abruptly and I startled. Is that beast here?
But no, it was only the Blue Guy. He skidded to a halt in front of the man. He seemed to know him.
“You—”
The man brandished a sword from out of nowhere, the tip of it touching Blue Guy's throat, cutting off whatever he wanted to say.
“Don’t,” the man warned.
“I didn’t know,” the Blue Guy said. Panic in his eyes.
I decided to stay with this group. Strength in numbers and all that stuff. If we were going to fight this beast, then we needed to band together.
Or running away is a better option, my inner voice offered—that survival instinct all humans have.
“What is going on?” the man asked, strangely positioning himself in front of me, like a cop did in my youth when an angry owner slapped me. He’d confronted me about his missing restaurant. One of my classmates took it as a prank, and I was the slowest to leave. The police officer was going to arrest me but confronted the owner instead when he saw the man’s handprint on my cheek.
I feel that same emotion now.
“I was just supposed to lure him in here. He has the relic—” Blue Guy snapped his mouth shut. So he’s a blabbermouth.
The guy in front of me immediately straightened his body, if that was at all possible. He had a very commanding posture that was impossible to hide in his dirty clothes and demeanor.
His hand did not waver, the end of his sword steady against Blue Guy’s neck as he moved firmly toward him. He seemed to have forgotten about me. Not sure if that’s good or bad. His focus was on the Blue Guy.
“So you used his mate to lure him here, in his beast mode?” the guy hissed in a lower and quieter tone. It sounded more ominous inside the cave.
Do they honestly think Zirc is that beast?
Wait…mate? As in wife?
No way.
I inched away from them. This strength in numbers might not be a good idea after all.
“I didn’t know!” Blue Guy shouted. Then realized his mistake as his voice echoed through the tunnels. “I didn’t know,” he whispered again.
“Come, and try not to stray away from me, young man,” the guy said to me.
I caught myself and looked back. The guy still had the sword against the Blue Guy who opened his mouth as if to say something. Was he going to tell the man I was a female? But when we locked gazes, something about him changed, and he just clamped his mouth shut.
I can’t trust him. I don’t know where his loyalties lie. And by the looks of things, Blue Guy is not in any way associated with this man, even though they seem to know each other.
The man instructed the Blue Guy to move alongside us, keeping me behind him.
“Don’t even think about escaping,” the man said.
As we crept along the cave, Blue Guy voiced the same thoughts running through my head. “Can we move faster? He’s gunning for us.”
The man was as cool as a cucumber as we moved along the tunnel. At every turn, there was a glow worm…like a guide. The man continued his pace and said softly, “Even he cannot control the beast. There are many scents in this tunnel. The dead are everywhere here. It will slow him down.”
“And enrage him more,” Blue Guy murmured.
Dead? What do you mean dead? I don’t see or smell any dead here!
The guy did not answer. We were moving away from the pool. I am thankful though. The path got straighter and less bumpy. Meaning there were no more skulls or bones on the cave floor.
“Quiet,” the guy said calmly. We all stopped moving. I could barely hear the ominous roar. Yet it continued reverberating along the cave walls, albeit a little softer now. My body trembled along with the roar.
A few seconds later, I heard a trilling. It would sound weird coming from someone’s vocal cords.
The guy moved so fast I barely felt the impact as he shoved me to the ground.
He was fighting four guys at once using his sword.
I moved away from the fight, trying to get away without being trampled. As heavy as they were, they all had light feet!
When one kicked my right thigh, I tried not to scream. Better to make myself small so they didn’t see me.
I saw the other men were dressed differently. One guy fell down, then another. Their heads rolling in the opposite direction.
I couldn’t control the shrill scream that escaped me. But those sounds were swallowed by the screams of other men coming at the man with indigo eyes.
Two arms grabbed me from behind and dragged me screaming towards the other tunnel. I couldn’t block out the sight of the two heads with their eyes still open, staring back at me.
It quieted, and belatedly, I realized someone was covering my mouth—again! This time with a piece of cloth.
Tears streamed down my face. I just wanted to go home and wished everything happening was just a dream.
Just a dream…
“Who is that young boy?”
“Hush, lower your voice. You don’t know who is out there,” the voice whispered with a shrill panic in his tone.
I pretended I was still passed out. My body was lying against a cave wall but my arms were stretched out in front of me. I curbed my tendency to go to a fetal position to protect my middle.
“I know who is out there, all right,” the voice grumbled like a tiger. “The head of the Purple guard! Of all the people you could bring into our business, the Purple Guard! And it’s the leader? The leader? Do you know that one man can decimate a dozen of my men? I’m lucky I was able to get out of there.”
I slowly cracked open my eyes. Just enough to see through the gaps in my hair that had fallen in front of my face. I saw two sets of feet. One pair of boots belonged to the Blue Guy. The other pair was more elaborate, with lots of silver studs. Though they looked fancy, the boots were well-worn. And the legs in them were sturdier, more bulky.
There was a third pair of boots in a lazy pose of a man hanging out on the corner of a street. Just chilling. Except for the big broadsword propped up beside as he leaned against a wall. The metal was different from the ones Zirc wore. But they look almost the same. I couldn’t see the rest of their bodies or faces out of fear of being discovered.
Blue Guy was pacing back and forth in front of me.
“No, no, no. There is someone more dangerous out there. You haven’t smelled him yet.”
“What are you so afraid of?”
Blue Guy must have whispered something because he stopped and leaned toward the guy with fancy boots.
Then, I heard booming laughter that echoed through the walls.
Blue Guy hissed like a scalded cat. “Quiet your tone. He is looking for this person, I swear.”
The man’s laughter trickled down to a mere chuckle.
“You want me to believe the Silver Beast is out there? And more,” he breathed in huge gulps of air between chuckles, “for this slip of a young boy?”
Fancy Boots moved fast, which was probably a good thing. I had no time to react when he kicked my leg with his boot. I stifled my cry by biting my lip. At the same time, Blue Guy cried out to stop him. I tried not to think of the pain. Those fancy boots were not that hard, I cheered myself. Better to have a broken leg, maybe, than die at this point.
“What are you doing? Are you not afraid of him?” Blue Guy stepped away from him.
“Me? Afraid of him?” Fancy Boots sneered. He advanced toward Blue Guy. “How can you be afraid of him? He’s just a mindless monster. Nothing but a product of whispers among the Elders who had no right to sit on their thrones like they own this planet.” There was so much hate in his tone.
“And you seem to have forgotten yourself, Ist,” his boots were now toe toe-to-toe with Blue Guy. So, he does have a name.
“Who took you in and made you as you are now? Do you not remember your brother in my care?”
Blue Guy, Ist, stood his ground. “I do, my brother.”
Ah, so these were the guys Ist betrayed the Blue Tribe for He betrayed Zirc. Betrayed me, though he had no loyalties to me.
“That is why I am here. And this young boy will lure Zirc to you. He has the relic.”
I heard a sound. It came from the guy against the wall and he straightened up and finally came to the two, forming a small circle. I noticed now there was light coming from outside the wall. This meant there might be a nearby exit. How long had I been out?
