The Gathering (76 page)

"Stop it!"

Alia lifted her head and immediately understood.

"No!!
 
Stop this!!"

The Shape smiled and lifted his hand.
 
From behind him came two Hordesmen with leather whips and buckets.
 
They each set the bucket down and took a position on the outside of the prisoners.

The Shape motioned for Blaylock to come forward.

"Thomas, please lift our guest up so that she can see clearly."

"Stop this!!
 
What do you want me to do?
 
Tell me!!"

The Shape merely smiled and nodded to his men.
 
They stepped forward and began to strike Sam and Tanner.
 
Their skin became instantly red and raised as the leather straps struck hard and fast.
 
Soon, tiny bits of flesh were pulled from their backs with each strike and blood began to flow freely from the gashes that now appeared.
 

Tanner never made a sound and Sam closed his eyes and dreamt of home.
 
Alia watched, helpless and pleading.
 
The Shape never asked a single question.
 
He never made a command.
 
When Alia tried to look away, Blaylock would pull her face back to watch.
 
Eventually the Shape ordered the beating to cease.
 
Alia felt relief, as she believed their torment to be over.

"Buckets, please."

Her relief turned to horror as she watched the Hordesmen pick up the buckets and throw the contents on the boys’ backs.
 
They both lurched and screamed as salt was dumped into their wounds.
 
Then the soldiers pressed the sodium into the lacerations.

"Stop this!!!"

"Well, if you insist.
 
Put the young men over there and Thomas, put Mrs. Stark in their place."

"No!!"

"It's ok, Tanner.
 
I'll be fine."

Once Alia was tied up, her shirt was also removed from her back.
 
Then from either side, the leather straps connected with her soft flesh.
 
She felt her hands grip the chains that held her.
 
The searing pain shot through her with each strike, but she would not scream.

Finally, the lashings stopped and she too received a dousing of salt.
 
Stinging fire raged across her flesh as the crystals were forced under her skin.
 
She still did not scream.

"Nicely done, Gentlemen.
 
You may amuse yourselves for a little while longer, but remember, I need them alive and coherent."

The Hordesmen smiled as they began to beat all three of the prisoners.
 
Blaylock watched with mild interest.
 
He was thinking of Coeli Stark.
 
He couldn't get the smell of her out of his mind.
 
When he was brought back, he raised his hands.

"Hey, enough already.
 
Take 'em to separate cells in the hall.
 
Put her in the gate."

The guards dragged the three prisoners into the hallway.
 
Blaylock turned to the Shape.

"What now?"

"Well, I need to visit with Mrs. Stark, then we wait."

"Great."

They walked out of the chamber and down the hall.
 
From the shadows, Albion had seen everything.
 
He realized his mother had made him forget.
 
He wiped his face and slipped back into the darkness.

117

Scott slept quietly as Sara watched over him.
 
She glanced up occasionally from her papers and then back down, her hands working feverishly laying ink to paper.

Scott slowly opened his eyes and watched her, the way her head lay to the right, her delicate fingers holding tightly to a pen, moving it with lightning speed, only stopping to read what she had previously written and then move her golden hair behind her ear.

“Boy, I missed you.”

Sara looked up and smiled.
 
She moved towards him and put her tiny hands on his arm.

"You were only gone for like a day."

Scott smiled.

"I started missing you the minute I walked out that gate."

He picked up her hand, gently ran his fingers over hers and lifted it to his mouth, softly kissing her fingertips.
 
Sara smiled and turned crimson, her heart beating wildly.

"What are you writing?"

He was still holding her fingers to his lips.
 
She smiled and shrugged.

"Just a poem."

"About?"

"It doesn't matter."

"C'mon… read it to me."

Sara shyly smiled and pulled the papers out in front of her.

"Ok, but I'm sure it sucks."

"I'm sure it doesn't."

Sara rolled her eyes and started to read.

"Once I played a game with life.
 
A version of hide and seek.
 
Can you catch me?
 
Who am I?
 
None could see me.
 
The real me.
 
My wicked temper, my shy interior, my love of words.
 
No one until you.
 
You saw my soul, you fought my demons,
you
held me tightly.
 
I tried to run, afraid of myself, but still, you held me tightly.
 
It was then I realized, I was tired of the game.
 
No more running.
 
No more hiding and in turn, I held you tightly."

Sara stopped and looked at Scott sheepishly and shrugged.

"That's it so far."

Scott frowned and nodded.

"You're right, that sucks."

Sara frowned and tried to pull back, but Scott laughed and held her hand.

"No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding… it was beautiful… just like you."

"Yeah, whatever."

Sara started to sulk, but Scott pulled her to him until they were nose to nose.

"Hey, I'm sorry.
 
I loved it.
 
I really did.
 
How could I not love something you wrote about us?"

Then he pulled her face to his and softly kissed her.
 
Again, her heart was beating so hard she thought it might burst from her chest.
 
She finally pulled back as he softly touched her face.

"You're supposed to be sleeping," she said.

"Climb up here and I'll sleep."

Scott patted the bed next to his left side.

"You’re hurt."

"This side, not this side.
 
Get up here."

Sara blushed and climbed up on the bed as she laid her head on his chest.
 
Scott wrapped his arm around her and let his fingers touch her hair.
 
He pressed his lips to her forehead and closed his eyes.

“I love you.”

Sara smiled and snuggled into his chest.
 
Then she whispered.

"I love you, too."

Soon their breathing was slow and steady as they slept.

118

Alia sat in the darkness of her cell.
 
She glanced around, taking in her surroundings.
 
The cell was approximately twelve feet long and six feet wide with a tiny window at the end.
 
She laughed to herself at the row of bars that fit in the small opening.
 

“Only big enough for a bird, a raven maybe…
 
“

The walls were probably two or three feet thick.
 
She couldn’t hear anything from either side.
 
She felt the cold stone against the open wounds on her back.
 
It was good.
 
She stared at the window.
 
The night had come and the moon shone through.

The silence was broken by the clang of metal against metal as a key was pushed into the lock of the heavy wooden door.
 
Alia turned her head and looked to see who would enter.
 
The rush of light made her squint.

“Close the door, Thomas.”

There was that familiar voice that made her stomach drop and the hairs on the back of her neck tingle.
 
She put on her best game face and looked up at the dark figure.

“How are we feeling, Mrs. Stark?”

“Peachy.”

She could see the white of his teeth as he smiled against the faint light of the partially opened door, but no face.

“Humor… well, I have something for you…”

The Shape reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry.
 
He let it dangle in front of her.
 
It was a black amulet on a black chain.
 
There were strange markings around the outside and a stone in the middle.
 
It was also black, but Alia didn't think it should have been.
 
She raised her head and looked into the nothing of the Shape's face.

"For me?
 
You shouldn't have."

The Shape smiled again and knelt down in front of her.

"Oh, Mrs. Stark… only for you."

Then Alia watched as he placed the chain around her neck and gently pressed the amulet against her skin, just under her neck.
 
She tried to push his hand away, but found she couldn't move.
 
Then she felt the burning.

"AAARRRGGHHHHHH!!!"

"Oh, does it hurt, My Dear?
 
More than the whips and salt?
 
Hmmm, interesting… No matter as I can assure you, it is well worth it."

The amulet grew orange around the edges and sunk deeply into Alia's skin.
 
The long chain grew shorter and when it was tight it too turned orange and embedded itself in the soft tissue around her neck.
 
Tears streamed down Alia's face as sickly sweet smoke filled the room.
 
Alia had lost track of time.
 
Although the amulet had only burned her for less than a minute, she felt as though it had been hours.