The Shattered Genesis (Eternity) (67 page)

             
“She will live.” Adam’s voice snapped me out of whatever daze I had allowed myself to fall into. I turned back to him, still holding both of James’s arms around me as I dropped to my knees beside Violet. I reached ou
t with one trembling hand and stroked her blood-soaked hair.

             
“I was not entirely sure if she would ascend. But she has, for which you should feel immense gratitude.”

             
“I do.” I looked down at her as she slept peacefully. Her pain was gone. I could allow t
he calm to wash over me like a cleansing, holy rain. Only one pressing matter was still at hand. I did not want to address it when I felt such relief but I knew that it was an unavoidable topic, so I spoke again. “What do I owe you?”

             
Adam laughed softly,
a sound that sent chills down my spine. There was plenty I could give him as payment but none would be sacrificed willingly. I owed him a debt that I knew he would not let me escape.

             
“You fear me because of what I have done.”

             
“That does not answer my que
stion.” I was finished listening to his random observations and ramblings. It was manipulation at its most obvious; he was controlling where the conversation went whether it was relevant to anything I said or not.

             
“I know that it does not. But I believe t
hat someone with a strong heart such as yours deserves an explanation.”

             
I could not turn down an explanation, surely. Whether I had a strong heart or not was debatable.

             
“I sent my people to where yours were dwelling because your kind are not welcome on o
ur Orb.”

“You have to understand that we have nowhere to go anymore.”

             
“I am aware of the destruction of
your
Orb. That is precisely why you are unwelcome on ours.”

             
“So, what?” I asked, looking up at him as my eyes turned red. I was playing with fire now.
If he was offended by my anger, he could kill all three of us with a swift movement we would not see coming. I did not underestimate his power, even then. “You want us to board our ship again, fly through space and then plummet into nothing as we all wait
to die?”

             
“No,” He shook his head and tried to suppress a somewhat devious grin unsuccessfully, “I want to harvest the ones who do not belong here and keep the rest.”

             
“And what exactly is your method for determining who is worthy of their lives and who i
s not? Besides, the way it appears to me is that you and your people are just killing at random.”

             
“We most certainly do not kill at random!” I had finally made him angry but I stared him down still, unflinching. I would not be intimidated into backing off
of the subject. I wanted to know his reasoning for killing innocent people.

             
“Brynna, maybe you should stop talking.” James suggested and I could hear only the tiniest hint of fear in his voice. I could also feel in him the desire to fight with Adam, to d
estroy him if he stepped towards me threateningly. I reached back and grasped his hand, still not tearing my gaze away from the centuries-old man standing before me.

             
Adam looked taller, thicker and even more menacing. His eyes glowed with a deep red that
rivaled my own. I had infuriated him with the suggestion that he and his people were killing innocent bystanders, abiding by no rhyme or reason. However, he had given me no choice but to believe that was true.

             
“How well do you know those you saved from th
e destruction?” He demanded of me.
             

             
“There were too many,” I replied calmly, “I do not know a thing about some. With most, I know very little. With some, I know quite a bit.”

             
“Destroyers, tempters…” He snapped in pure disgust, “Craving all things while g
iving nothing in return... You know nothing of this?”

             
“Are you telling me that they were evil people? Even if they were, their deaths were unwarranted. Who are you to judge them?”

             
“I am not able to judge them as I did not Create them. But I am able to ke
ep them off of my land.”

             
“So this is your planet, then? Are you the all-knowing, all-powerful leader? Perhaps you should speak to my father; he could surely take some useful notes from a man of your high standing.”

             
There was my disdainful condescension
rearing its head at the worst time. James sighed and let go of me with one hand to cover his face.

             
Adam, however, seemed to be softening as his earlier calmness resurfaced. His eyes dissolved back into their strange light green.

             
“I am almost all-knowing.
I am very powerful. But I am simply a vessel. This is all not important. You must understand that those who died did not belong here. If they were not embracing darkness, then they simply were not changing.”

             
“So you know that we’re changing, then?” James
spoke up finally. “Is it because we’re here?”

             
“It is because your planet is gone. You have lost your home and must now fight to survive. Nothing more. You all must live ages before you’d be worthy of our air.”

             
“You say you cannot judge because you are n
ot the Creator. Yet here you are, judging us. Have you ever heard of individualism? Perhaps you could brush up on the subject instead of resorting to generalizations.”

             
I was pushing my luck, I knew. I was expecting and even craving another outburst of pro
ud rage. To my slight disappointment, he only chuckled again.

             
“You have a fire-tongue. You are changing over nicely.”

             
“I have always talked like this. Please, do not give your race credit for my oddities.” I was the one getting angry now. The whole conve
rsation was not going at all as I expected. I did not like surprises in either circumstance or discussion.

             
“Oddities? That is what you have been told? What is your name?”

             
“Don’t tell…” James started to say.

             
“Brynna.” I answered proudly.

             
“Well, Brynna,
whoever told you that your ways are oddities is wrong. It was always meant for you to behave this way. Have you sensed things? Have you known things that one cannot possibly know?”

             
I nodded.

             
“Welcome to Purissimus.” He smiled now, revealing his straight
white teeth. I saw his fangs gleaming in the dim light.
             

             
“What about him?” I pointed at James, “Why is he growing muscle at such a rapid rate?”

             
“Muscle?” Adam furrowed his brows in confusion.

             
“You know…” I held my arms up and flexed, revealing that I, t
oo, had toned up quite randomly since our arrival, “Muscle.”

             
“Ah, yes, his size. Females know all. Males know much but are more apt to protect. Of course, females are able to defend themselves quite efficiently. However, males are able to crush a threat w
ith little effort. That is why he is ‘growing muscle,’ as you called it.”

             
“So all of this is a direct result of us fighting for our lives?” I asked, not knowing when to stop posing questions that were borderline offensive. I was on a roll now; I had to kn
ow everything. “You are part of the reason why we are fighting for our lives. So how can you be so calm about us changing into your kind?”

             
“I am calm about it because it was meant to be. Some were meant to change. Some were meant to die because they canno
t or will not. I am pleased that your sister was able to be spared. I hope a long life is in store for each of you.” He nodded to us and turned to go.

             
“Wait!” I called after him, “What are we supposed to do now?”

             
“I cannot tell you, though I do know much
.” Adam replied easily, “What is that excellent Earthean expression? About cards and what you all call ‘fate’?”

             
I was drawing a blank, something that was new for me. Then, I realized what he was trying to say and answered his question.

             
“'Let the cards
fall where they may.'”

             
“Indeed. Such a wise and true philosophy should be kept in mind. Please, remember those words that you just spoke. Great darkness is coming.”

             
The door out of the room opened slowly. James and I turned around to watch it. When we
tu
rned back to question him further, he was gone.

             
“Well, that was just about the weirdest thing to ever happen.” James told me in a quick show of forced, lighthearted sarcasm. He picked Violet up again and turned to the door. “Let’s go, baby.”

             
But I was st
aring where Adam had only just stood, his final words to us tossing around in my mind. Great darkness?

             
I could feel it as well. The lurking danger was the voice whispering in the trees. It was the creatures that attacked Violet. It was the Reapers. It was
my father.

             
Together, they created a swirling mass of destruction. The ones in the path of that chaos would feel every last moment of pain. We would be touched by death. How it all was going to begin was irrelevant. What mattered was the fact that the end
was nowhere in sight.

             
War. It was coming. It would consume us in its tornado of catastrophe and pain.

             
But why? For what reasons would this great conflict arise?

             
Of all the things I knew, I could not begin to decipher the reason. But I did know that the
cards were beginning to fall.

Quinn

             
As much as I wanted to run into the city after Brynna and James, I couldn’t. My feet just wouldn’t move forward. My new acquaintances would not be welcomed but they also wouldn’t be killed. I knew that if Alice, Elij
ah, Nick and I were to follow them, we would not be met with any kindness. In fact, a swift death would be our fate. I didn't know why James and Brynna were special but I knew that no harm would come to them within the city limits.

             
We stood waiting for th
em to return. It wasn’t until nightfall that they came walking back. Immediately, we all jumped up and Elijah ran forward to make sure his sisters were alright. Penny was right behind him, her childish concern evident in her wide eyes.

             
“Is Violet okay?” S
he asked Brynna as James laid Violet down on the ground.

             
“She is just fine, honey.” Brynna assured her softly as she patted her hair. “Everything is fine.”

             
“I didn’t know if you all would be coming back…” Elijah told them weakly.

             
“We’re back.” Brynna wa
s in no mood for forming her usually long and overly detailed sentences. The emotional insanity of the day had run her down.

             
“What’s it like?” Alice asked eagerly and I scowled at her. If Brynna wasn’t up for rambling in her weird way, then she certainly
wasn’t up for describing the city.

             
“It’s huge, to say the least.” James answered to spare his girlfriend the task. “There’s a huge castle at the end of it. That’s where their leader lives. That’s where we went.”

             
“What was he like?” Elijah asked, “Was he
the same guy who came into the campsite?”

             
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.” James replied but Brynna nodded.

             
“And he didn’t try to kill you?” Elijah pressed, “I mean, thank God, but it’s a little inconsistent, don't you think?”

             
“He was slightly bemused by
us being there.” Brynna explained dully. “He said something about bravery. Whatever the reason for our prolonged survival, we’re here now and Violet is alright. I also know that we shouldn’t expect the same kindness again. They do not want us on their lan
d. He made sure that was clear.”