Shadowmark (The Shadowmark Trilogy Book 1) (30 page)

After days of wandering, Mina stumbled upon a family hiding in a shallow cave—a man and his wife with two small children, a boy and a girl. Pale and skinny, the children hunkered in the cave while their parents roasted a deer haunch outside. When Mina offered to provide greens for their meal, the family agreed to share their meat. Mina accepted the invitation. Joking cheerfully with one another over their meal, they seemed like the sort of people she could have been friends with in her past life. But before long, the lighthearted conversation took a darker turn.

“I just wish we knew why the Glyphs keep flying over,” Mina said as they sat eating near the mountain stream. The woman, Catherine, who had long dark hair and warm hazel eyes, shared a log with Mina. Her husband Howard and the children sat on the ground on a ragged blanket. The stream burbled happily in the sunlight.
 

“Maybe the invaders are on the move,” Howard suggested.

“To where, and why? We still have no idea why they’re here.”

“I doubt we'll ever find out,” said Catherine. “I’m just thankful they’re leaving us alone.”

Mina’s mind raced with memories of all she had seen since early spring, yet she could hardly believe any of it had happened at all. “I wish we knew more.” She wiped her fingers on her jeans. “Have you met anyone else lately?”

“We’ve seen a few people,” answered Catherine. “But we keep out of sight mostly. I’m pretty surprised you found us. This spot’s pretty sheltered.”

“I’ve been looking for someone. My brother. About six-foot-six, wavy auburn hair?” Mina looked from Catherine to Howard.

Howard frowned and shook his head. “Doesn’t sound familiar. What about you?”

“No. I’m sorry.” Catherine turned to Mina. “Where was he?”

“Atlanta.”

“Oh.” Catherine turned toward her children, who had shoved down all their food and were now brandishing sticks in a mock sword fight. The sharp raps of the branches echoed through the little cove. “Put those down. They’re noisy.”

Howard cleared his throat, redirecting Mina’s attention. “What part of Atlanta?”

“The airport.”

“I’m sorry. All of Atlanta’s destroyed. The invaders burned the airport first, I think. We passed the rubble on our way here.”

Mina had heard this news before, but somehow Howard saying it made it seem real. And yet the realization did not fill her with dread. If anything, she felt better hearing the news from someone who had seen it firsthand. No more conjecture. No more what-ifs.

“You’re from Atlanta?” Mina asked.

Catherine turned back to Mina and attempted a smile. “Yes.”
 

“I’m sorry.” Mina didn’t know what else to say.
 

Catherine sniffed and said, “I’ll pray that you find your brother.”

“Thank you.”

To thank them for the meal, Mina shared some of her knowledge of roots and berries. Catherine asked her to stay, but Mina insisted on heading out alone. Still, Catherine walked with Mina awhile as she left, promising to show her something.
 

“It’s beautiful here,” remarked Catherine. “We’re going to stay as long as possible. Plus, it’s difficult to move around much with the children.”

“What about the Glyphs?”

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned how to do, it’s hide.”

Up ahead were the waterfalls that fed their stream. The first large fall dropped straight into a deep natural pool, which then spilled over smooth, bare rocks into a more shallow pool at the bottom.
 

“The second waterfall would be perfect for sliding down into the lower pool,” Mina commented.
 

“Yes. The kids do it sometimes. We bathe here, too.”
 

Catherine stayed by the lower pool while Mina climbed over large slippery boulders and followed a half-hidden path to the top of the falls. The shallow stream moved slowly here, different from the turbulent rapids she had expected. The roar of the falls disappeared, and the sunlight played through the trees. Sunbeams reached the forest floor and glinted off small white flowers blooming next to the water. Clumps of tiny purple butterflies gathered on the rocks and fluttered away when Mina moved close.

She sat quietly by the stream for several minutes, sleepy in the warm sun. Finally, she stood up and looked around. The path she had followed up disappeared, but seemed to reappear beyond the stream. She knew it was not a real trail, but she walked along it anyway, exploring.
 

As Mina turned to head back to where Catherine was sitting, something glistened far off through the trees. Mina walked closer to get a better look. The sun shimmered, as if illuminating another waterfall. But as Mina approached, she saw not water, but stone. She stopped cold. A golden-grey giant stood with its back to her. A shudder ran the length of Mina’s spine, raising goosebumps on her arms despite the heat of the day, and a familiar knot of anxiety rose in her throat. She backed away slowly, hoping the Glyph had not heard her stomping through the woods. When it remained stationery, Mina turned and hurried as quickly as she dared back down the path to the bottom of the falls.
 

Catherine sat by the pool with her feet in the water, wringing her wet hair. After a moment of oblivion, she noticed Mina’s frantic motioning and scrambled to her feet. She grabbed her shoes and met Mina at the edge of the trees. Mina glanced back at the top of the waterfall and mouthed, “Glyphs.” Catherine’s tanned face turned white and she hurried with Mina into the trees.

“Where to?” Mina whispered when they had moved a little farther away from the Glyph.

“Away from camp,” answered Catherine, keeping her voice low and pointing in the opposite direction from the cave. They ran, Mina’s boots thumping loudly in the dirt, her heart beating in her throat. They had not run far before a great crashing noise on their right made both women jump. The ground shook, and they ran faster. The terrain rose swiftly. They would need to climb. Before they began the ascent, Mina heard a sharp intake of breath and turned. Catherine gaped through the trees at a small clearing, where a creature stood calmly on two legs, towering over them. Was it a second one? Or the first?
 

Its skin shone like yellow sun on hard grey stone. Strange and terrible symbols covered its entire body, etched in like circular hieroglyphs. Except the symbols shifted and moved, seemingly on their own. The creature’s eyes gleamed pitch black. As Mina stared into them, fire flickered and swirled where the pupils should have been, then disappeared. The Glyph regarded them for a moment, and the clear day around them seemed to darken.
 

The Glyph lunged. Mina couldn’t think. It was seconds away.
Run. Where? No time.
Mina drew her gun and pointed it straight at the Glyph, her finger shaking as it found the safety. She fired once. Twice. The creature roared with a low, throaty voice. Mina braced herself for the onslaught as Catherine turned and ran to the right.
 

“Catherine! NO!” Mina shouted. She had counted two Glyphs, and Catherine was heading straight for the other one.

But Mina’s warning went unheeded. The Glyph swerved toward its prey. Catherine ducked as the creature swung its massive arm at her. Mina raised her gun and fired again to distract it, and this time the bullets bounced off its thick, stone-like hide. Mina shot at it again, backing away up the slope as it turned toward her. Catherine was off, running the other way.

“Mina, run!” a voice called from somewhere behind her. She pulled her eyes away from the Glyph, half expecting Howard, but she saw no one. Mina turned back to the creature, which was clambering up the slope toward her, impossibly fast. How did it move so quickly?

“RUN!” the voice called again, and this time she recognized it—Doyle. Mina looked around wildly. He came up behind her, grabbing for her and pulling her to the side. As he did, Mina grasped his shirt, her eyes wide.
 

The world shifted. She saw Doyle, standing between her and the Glyph, and at the same time the Glyph charged with its great arms raised, ready to crush them both. Then they both lay dead on the ground. But Doyle was still standing somehow—she felt him next to her. And the Glyph had halted: it was studying Doyle as if sizing him up for some hideous duel. The creature’s mouth opened and it made sounds like Mina had never heard, almost identical to the waterfall not far away, but with distinctive patterns and variety.
It’s speaking to Doyle
. Then Doyle ran for the Glyph, forcing Mina to let go of his shirt. The world shifted back to normal again.

As the creature charged, this time for real, the image of herself and Doyle lying dead on the ground consumed Mina. She aimed her gun at the creature’s head and fired again and again, this time into its cold black eyes. Her aim was everywhere, but she continued firing until she’d emptied the magazine.
 

One of the monster’s eyes exploded with a sickening squelch, and the invader lurched forward. Its claws tore at Doyle, hooking into his shirt. Mina stopped breathing. But Doyle somehow got free and rolled out of the way. With a loud crash, the Glyph landed in a young tree, causing it to sway dangerously. But the creature swiftly rose to its feet again, a silvery substance flowing out of its damaged eye socket. It still possessed one good eye, and with a howl, it reached for Doyle with its massive claws. Doyle dodged it just in time.
 

The Glyph swept around for its prey again. Doyle did not step aside this time, but charged the creature with his knife in hand, ducking the outstretched claws. Somehow Doyle’s blade easily pierced his opponent’s hide, sliding through to flesh and bone. The Glyph screeched and reeled back. Doyle pulled out the knife and stabbed again. Thick, silvery blood spurted from its wounds, but Doyle did not stop. He punched through the Glyph’s body in every place he could reach. In its desperation to get away from Doyle, the creature made straight for Mina, but it was slower now, clumsy. The Glyph grasped at Doyle a final time, attempting to crush him as it fell. Doyle avoided it easily, but the creature’s outstretched arm tagged Mina and sent her sprawling. She landed at the base of a tree a few feet away, conscious, but unable to move.
 

Doyle walked up to the creature’s head. Its good eye followed him as he stood over it. Doyle’s lips moved, but Mina could not hear what he said. Then Doyle plunged his knife straight through the good eye. The Glyph went still, its hot lifeblood flowing out of its wounds and soaking the rocky ground.

Mina moved her arm to rise but a stabbing pain in her chest stopped her. She crumpled back to the ground, unable to breathe without pain. Doyle knelt beside her, checking her body for injury. He seemed unhurt, except for his torn shirt. His face swam in front of her.

“I was too slow,” she said.

“You weren’t too slow.”

“Where’s Catherine?”

“She ran off. We need to go, too. More of them will come.” Doyle sounded far away. He picked her up, and the pain in her chest intensified as she wrapped her arms around his neck. As Doyle held her close, she felt the strange shift again. She saw the creature’s body, but she also saw more Glyphs running to this spot, and a great black ship hovering over the valley. A tall, fierce woman watched over all of them. A woman dressed in dark clothing and armed with the same kind of knife Doyle carried.
 

Mina shivered despite the warm afternoon sun, and she nestled her head in the crook of his neck. Her body sagged against him. Doyle gripped her more tightly. Mina wanted to protest, to tell him she could walk, but all she could do was brush her lips against his neck.

“You’ll be okay,” he said. It was the first time he had ever tried to comfort her.

“I lost . . . my bag . . . by the waterfall,” she said haltingly, unable to find her breath.

Doyle carried her through the trees, his chin supporting her head against him. His short beard tickled her forehead. “We can’t go back for it,” he said. “I still have mine.”

“It was all I had.” What a ridiculous thing to worry about.

“I know.” He kept walking, carrying her deeper into the trees. Mina closed her eyes.

What started out as pretense ended with another earnest look at the hieroglyphs. On the evening the team had discussed how to get away from Captain Baker, Lincoln had off-handedly mentioned looking for larger patterns as a way to cover up the group’s real conversation. But once Lincoln and the team realized what he was suggesting, they all felt
 
a bit foolish. Lincoln’s father would have called it “missing the forest for the trees.”

The next day they began drawing the alien symbols, filling up a sheet of paper for each doorway inside the mountain. Then they filled in the middle of each door, painstakingly drawing every detail by hand. When they finished the doors, they moved into the tunnel, which turned out to be a bigger task than they were equipped for. The sheer area of the tunnel made it the most difficult, especially since the symbols wrapped around instead of presenting themselves on a flat wall. The team argued about the form their sketches should take. Should they be stretched out, laid flat like a map? Or were the copies only meaningful if the symbols curved like they did in reality?

After several arguments, they proceeded to draw their copies both ways. The only part they hadn’t drawn was a section of symbols near the bottom of the tunnel. They examined the new drawings from every possible angle. Alvarez looked for hidden equations. Carter and Nelson tried to interpret the writing as code. Lincoln attempted to read it as a schematic or blueprint.
 

So far, the drawings had led them nowhere. Four more weeks of studying the alien hieroglyphs in different ways, and the symbols still baffled Lincoln and his team.
 

Today, Lincoln, Alvarez, Nelson, and Carter worked in the tunnel until Schmidt called down the stairs to them. Baker still refused to let them go anywhere on their own. Sore from drawing with the paper laid on the wall, Lincoln dropped his arms and called to the others who were sitting just inside the silo, taking a break.