| |
In the ruined city of Austin, Marlena watched as all the mutant Grogs died before her.
She stood on a long structure, which used to be a fortress for the humans. Lazarus had called it a mall. She wondered what happened to the Alphas. They disappeared a few moments ago. And then she found a strange amulet in her hands.
She heard Lazarus tell her to get this amulet to Professor Jacobs. Yet, she was stranded here on Earth at a different time and in a different place from Professor.
The battlefield around her was a slaughter area of humans and Mutant Grogs. The foul smell was ripe with blood and entrails. She was getting nauseated.
A rattling noise came from behind her. She whirled and focused her magic. A group of men, battered and bloody, emerged from a broken stairwell. She saw somebody she recognized.
"Balthazar, you're alive!" shouted Marlena.
"Yes."
His shirt was torn to shreds and blood streaked his clothes and cheek. He walked toward her.
"We were captured. But all the Mutant Grogs started dying, so we escaped."
"Is anybody alive here?" she asked.
"I don't know. But it’s getting dark and we need to find shelter."
"Agreed."
Balthazar nodded for them to follow him. They walked off the roof into a stairwell that led downwards into the building. The steps were smeared in blood and loaded with dead bodies. The stench was even more pungent in such close quarters.
"We need to get some weapons before we leave."
"I can protect you with my magic."
"You must be tired. I don't think you can," Balthazar said.
They walked into the interior of the large mall, and Marlena saw a few people still alive and waiting for them. It was only a handful of people, and most were either hurt or at least cut. They had about them the look of survivors.
"Where are we going?"
"I have a contingency plan, and know of a shelter several miles from here, far away from Austin. We should be there by nightfall. Grab supplies and guns. We’re moving out in a few minutes."
She nodded. Like it or not she was now a part of this group of survivors.
She was given a sack filled with supplies and some fresh clothes. Balthazar also gave her a weapon, and told her to use it when necessary. She was shocked. She thought at any moment she would see Lazarus and the Alphas come out of a magical portal and greet them. She even hoped her father would swoop down in Yaddle's ship and land before them.
She grabbed her communicator and took it out. The surface was blank. She didn't have any communication with her father since she’d received the cryptic message about Justina betrayed them. During the colossal battle, Marlena wanted to kill Justina, but she couldn't. There were too many mutant Grogs attacking them.
"Are you ready?" Balthazar asked.
She nodded.
***
THEY TRAVELED MOST of the day.
When Marlena first came to Earth, she wasn’t used to the atmosphere. She tired quickly when she walked on the ground, but now her body was fine.
"Marlena?"
"What?"
She was walking in a straight line. The man ahead of her said, "I didn't say anything."
She should have realized the voice was not coming from the people around her, but from inside of her head. She was, in fact, a strong Mage, though she had been hiding her gifts for so long. Being on Earth with these humans, she didn't have to care about the Magic Conclave or the Hive authorities. She could be herself. She could explore her magic.
"Who is this?" she asked.
"It's Lazarus. I don't have enough time to explain. Your father is alive, trapped in Yaddle's ship. You need to go to him. We will meet again, in another lifetime."
She almost blurted out Lazarus's name, but she felt his connection ceased. Marlena knew her father was still alive. She felt it. She glanced upwards into the sky and wondered how she was supposed to contact him. Her Communicator was dead and not working. Also, her magic wasn’t strong enough to reach him. If her father was a Mage, then maybe she could contact him, but he wasn't. He was only a sensitive to magic.
Their small company walked through a street littered with dead bodies. Balthazar cursed and held up his hand. Marlena felt the tension. They had left the mall compound several hours ago, and thought the carnage of the bodies was behind them. Balthazar wanted them to leave because there might be Grog scavengers coming to feast on the dead. Marlena was again shocked. In her culture, they would have a ceremony for the deceased and have the body cremated.
Balthazar nodded to one of the men in the group. A man taller than Balthazar, with shoulders almost as big as a dwarf’s, walked forward. He held a weapon in his hand. Creeping forward, the man swept his gun from to side-to-side, being careful to sense any movement.
Marlena noticed the dead bodies were thrown to the side of the street. They were all partially gutted and eaten. Blood and guts were strewn all over the ground, glistening in the sun. This carnage was new. It could have happened just a few hours ago.
She focused her magic. Even though she was a strong telepath with offensive spells, she couldn't sense any creature hiding in the dark corners of this city. Yet, she did feel something. It was an uneasy feeling emanating from the people. She wished the Alpha Mages were here.
The woman next to her said, "Get your gun and take off the safety."
She grabbed it and showed her. "Point and shoot."
The tall man in the front moved further away from the group. His gun was pointed back and forth. He seemed to have military training. Marlena had seen this onboard her father’s ship with his soldiers and officers. These people here on Earth were trained well. She made sure she pointed her weapon downwards away from any people. When the man was a few feet away from the closest dead body, he suddenly stopped and looked into a shadowy area of broken walls and buildings.
A dark shape walked out of the twisted wood and metal wreckage of a destroyed building. The creature walked on four legs.
"Wolves," muttered Balthazar.
Marlena had read about wolves in her remedial classes in the Hive and had seen Holo pics of the animals. Yet, this wolf before them was not the same creature. It was large and thick around the shoulders, and its fur was the color of the darkness of space. The wolfs’ eyes glowed a scarlet light.
"These are feral wolves,” said the lady next to him. “Stay close to us. And point and shoot."
The man stood several feet from them started to edge slowly backward. He was trying to get closer to them.
Balthazar said, "Be careful, people. These feral wolves always hunt in packs."
Marlena sensed something behind them. She turned and saw a wolf standing on top of a rock pile. The creature growled with menace.
Balthazar said, "Stand back to back and follow me to the middle of the street."
They positioned themselves as he suggested, and started to move slowly into open ground.
"Do you know how to reload?"
"No, but I have magic."
"Take the clip. This goes in the handle. You’ll figure it out."
The lady handed her a clip. Marlena grabbed it. She didn't think she needed the weapon, but she nodded. Marlena tried to quell her growing fear. Her father always told her to be calm when in battle, no matter what happened, and to be calm and think clearly. Except, she felt only panic and dismay.
Several more wolves started to emerge from the debris of the city. Marlena calmed her breathing. She sensed her magic. She only had strength for a few spells.
They had reached the man who walked a few feet ahead of them. Balthazar was whispering to him. The wolves were somehow staying far away from them. The creatures didn't growl, now, but merely looked at them with their glowing red eyes. It was eerie.
The woman next to her said, "There are too many wolves. We have to run in that direction." She pointed to an open area of the street. "Balthazar will give us the signal by yelling. Are you ready?"
Marlena nodded.
